by C. Vandyke
“You’re hurt,” she said, nodding to his leg injury.
“Just a scratch,” he replied as he plodded forward. Wulf was looking forward to the month-long meditative retreat in the forests of Ludan once they completed the job. A burst of automatic fire set off warnings on Wulf’s visor. The Assassin instinctively turned to protect the Duchess, only to find that it was she who had fired. She held the submachine gun to her shoulder like a professional. A few paces in front of them, a dead cultist slumped onto the concrete, a high-powered, armour piercing rifle clattering from her hand.
“Looks like I owe Guru Khatri a drink, girl. He trained you well,” Wulf rumbled after a moment of silence, watching Grace lower the submachine gun and place the safety catch on. Her eyes showed no fear or regret, only an icy calm. Wulf had seen that expression before, on the face of her father, Johnny Dillinger.
“You owe me a drink. I just saved your life, you know,” the girl shot back. She then smiled. “Are we getting off this rock now, or what? Wherever you aim to take me next can’t be as awful as this shithole.”
“Sure, I’ll get you a sasparilla on board the ship. I’m fed up with this place, anyway. Give me the forests of home any day.” Wulf beckoned her toward the boarding ramp of The Salem.
Akwese Boateng stood at the entrance with a rifle in his hands. “An impressive display, Wulf. I’ve never seen one person take down an entire army before,” he said as he strode down to meet them. “And this?” he asked, eyeing the girl behind Wulf. “This is the missing Duchess of Dauntless III, isn’t it? Taking her aboard will make running checkpoints considerably more difficult. And more expensive.”
The Duchess stepped forward and shook Boateng’s hand in a formal manner. “Don’t worry, Captain, I’m sure our mutual friend here can spare a few more credits for any additional risk, isn’t that right?” She winked at Wulf and flashed him a smile.
Wulf sighed. The girl was boisterous, confident and spoiling for an adventure now that she was free from her pampered former life. Not only that—she was a Dillinger, albeit unknowingly. What a duo she and her father would make.
Wulf limped up the boarding ramp of The Salem. “Come on. I owe you a drink. Captain, get us out of this shithole.”
Creators of the Stars
Illustrated by TBL Kobka
Creators of Worlds
The staff of Skullgate and Editorial Team, Illustrated by Katherine Ellis
Index
Index
Acknowledgments
It’s hard enough to thank everyone involved in any project, let alone one as large and sprawling and as this one—let alone one that encompasses multiple universes. Still, we would be remiss if we did not attempt, at least, to thank some of the people who have been instrumental in making this book a reality:
All the writers who have spent the last four months fleshing out the various worlds, characters, maps and all the strange details to our small section of the multiverse. Each time we launch a book, I am honored and flattered to have so many talented writers eager to take part.
Our four cartographers, who each brought a unique flair to their respective worlds. Everyone knows the best part of a fantasy book is the maps. Aaron Hockett has been with us since Volume 1, but we are grateful in the extreme to Dewi Hargreaves and Michael D. Nadeau for stowing away with us this volume as well.
A huge thank you to all our Kickstarter backers. We were gobsmacked when we reached our funding goal in under 12 hours, then gobsmacked a second time when we hit 500% of our initial goal. Your enthusiasm and support let us buy this amazing cover, as well the creator portraits that accompany each team of writers. Whether you could give one dollar or one-hundred, your trust and encouragement was priceless.
Our guest editors, as without them we would still be working on editing and proofreading. None of them were paid, and all worked incredibly hard to get this book ship-shape. B.K. Bass, Jayme Bean, A.R.K. Horton, and Jeremy Nelson stayed aboard after Volume 2, and this time we press-ganged A.E. Bross, C.J. Henderson, Chapel Orahamm, and Katherine Shaw into service as well. A special thanks to Jonathan Beck and Sarah Parker, who just refused to go away until we gave them work to do.
Thanks to Duy Phan, the illustrator who did our fantastic cover. We’ve commissioned him for each of our covers and he never disappoints. We’s available for hire as Phanduy on Fiverr. Fiverr is also where we found the artists who did the author portraits as well, so thanks to Tbltobka, Katherine Ellis, and Sang Nguyen for taking our weirdly specific requests (could you give her a head-band with a Kraken on it? And a cat sitting on her shoulder?) and bringing them to life.
This volume’s world building used a hack of Caro Asercion’s game I’m Sorry, Did You Say Street Magic. While highly modified to fit our unique needs, Asercion’s game was instrumental in how the various multiverses were formed. That said, Skullgate Media is not associated with Acercion in any official capacity, so don’t blame them. Instead, go buy a copy and play it with some friends. Maybe you’ll wind up with an anthology yourself…
Thanks to the #WritingCommunity on Twitter. Skullgate was formed after a random tweet and we continue to find most of our authors on that platform. Social media may be a dumpster fire that will bring about the end of the world, but at least there’s one corner where cool writers hang out and support each other. And we’ll ride out impending apocalypse in that abandoned fort off the coast of Wales we’re going to buy together.
Thanks to the reviewers who agreed to look at advanced copies and shared their impressions with the world. While pirate captains tend to keel-hull stowaways, we’re glad you smuggled yourself aboard. There’s a parallel universe where we could print the book after you’ve read it and so include you by name, but since we’re stuck in our a reality with linear time, we can’t.
Last, a huge thanks from myself to the other members of Skullgate Media: Colleen Storiz, Chris Durston, Diana Gagliardi, and Debbie Iancu-Haddad. As president and editor-in-chief, I get to be the public face of Skullgate, but this fledgling company wouldn’t exist without the four of them. Each of us brings a unique strength to publishing, and like the cartoon-classic, Voltron, we join together to form something amazing. Thanks for being my mechanical lions!
-C. Vandyke
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Kickstarter Backers
The following people helped make In The Wake of the Kraken possible through their financial support. Many generously added donations over and above these standard backing levels, but whether they contributed $4 or $100, we are eternally grateful to each and every person who helped fund this book:
Backers: Aaron Jamieson, Aaron Rohrdanz, Abe Scheppler, A.E. Bross, Alex Niemi, Andrew Martin, B. Harris, Blake R. Wolfe, Brandon Lubke, Charlotte Gidman, Chris Durston, Christine Sponem, C.J. Henderson, Cynthia Hamill, Dalibor Žujović, Daniele Ancona, Dan James, Dennis Ramirez, David Collins, Debbie Iancu-Haddad, Diana Chelagat Oboler Gagliardi, Emily P, ER Hoffer, Ernesto Pavan, Gary Mack, GreenShirt52, Jacen Leonard, Jaecyn Boné, Jayme Bean, Jeremy, Jess, John Miyasato, Jonathan Beck, Jonathan Helland, JQ, Julia Pillard, Julianne Rosselli, Kai Delmas, Katherine Shaw, Laurence, Louise Willingham, Lyndsey Croal, Markus Schubert, Martin Coulter, MG Mason, Nina Silver Chair, Ollie Bowdoin, Paul Kamo, Philip Rudwick, Richard Whipkey, Right Reverend [REDACTED] Ryan Richards, Robert Conall, Roger Kristian Jones, Rue Sparks, Ruth Pattison, Sarah Remy, Sean Campbell, Sebastian H., Shane “Ahsaron” Sylvia, Stefan Kamburov, Sondra Fielder, SwordFirey, Tad Kelson, Teri Pratt, Thad, Thomas Sedlmair, Victoria Corva, Vulpecula, Wahrman Family, Winst0lf
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Creative Chaos VIPs: Count Matthew Von Dombroski, Lynne Jameson, Michael Durham, Todd R.
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Ultra-Backer Chaos VIPs Extraordinaire: Darius Bearguard, Gina Oboler, The Kift family, Paul Renner, Richard & Mary Van Dyke, Rodney J. Cressey, Taiylor Wallace, Wawu Gaudet
Contributors
Writers
Alexis Ames is a science fiction writer currently living in Minn
esota, and her work has previously appeared in publications such as Pseudopod, All Worlds Wayfarer, and Luna Station Quarterly. Find links to her other stories on her website, and connect with her on Twitter.
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Dani Atkinson is a short fiction fantasy writer from Alberta, Canada who occasionally has more in common with an anxious cat hiding under the sofa than she does with a human being. Find out more at her frequently neglected author blog.
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Caroline Bernard-Smith writes fantasy and horror fiction from her house beside the sea in Devon, England, where she lives with one husband, three daughters, and a small ginger cat called Frodo. She enjoys creating worlds and drinking all the rum.Twitter: @cazzysmith.
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Ian Barr is a fantasy author living in Winnipeg. An alumnus of TFYB Vol. 1, he's excited to continue growing this weird, wonderful series. In addition to TFYB, Ian's recently released debut novel Synthetic Magic: The Bloodless Affairs Vol. 1 is available now. Twitter: @ibarrwrites. (Vol. 1 Alum)
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B.K. Bass is the author of over a dozen books of science fiction, fantasy, and horror inspired by pulp fiction magazines and classic speculative fiction. He is also an avid worldbuilder, a blender of genres, and a student of history. More about B.K. can be found on his website. (Vol. 2 Alum, Guest Editor)
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Jayme Bean is an author hailing from Florida. A semi-retired zookeeper and full-time Mom, her debut adventure novel, Untouched is out now! You can follow her on twitter @ZookeeperBean or find out more about her and her work at JaymeBeanAuthor.com. Find links to buy her book at Linktree. (Vol. 2 Alum, Guest Editor)
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A.E. Bross is an author, librarian, and occasionally delightful individual most known for the Sands of Theia fantasy book series. She is passionate about the accessibility of writing, elevating marginalized voices, and romantic tropes. Twitter: @AddyBrossWrites, Instagram: @AddyBross_Writes, Website: addyelsewhere.com. (Guest Editor)
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J. Calamy is a queer, disabled veteran and foreign service wonk who spends a good part of the year bouncing down dirt roads in the back of range rovers thousands of miles from home. She writes volcanic romantic thrillers through that lens. Coffee, cursing, and embassy scuttlebutt are her last remaining vices. Learn more at JCalamy.com.
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S.D. Campbell is an Islander currently living in Calgary, Alberta. His first book, Tin-Can Canucks: A Century of Canadian Destroyers is a history of Royal Canadian Navy destroyers. Sean’s anthology Before the Crash collects his previously published short fiction. He lives with his teen-aged daughter and several guinea pig ghosts.
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Gregory Coley is a self-published author with a dozen books under his belt. He currently lives in a small town near Dallas. Follow him on Twitter at @Ghreggori, or find him online at his website. (Vol. 1 Alum)
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Darby Cupid can usually be found hiding from her kids in order to write YA and MG books. Find out more at darbycupid.com or find her on Twitter @darbycupid. (Vol. 1 Alum)
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C.J. Henderson is a Scottish writer with a deep and abiding interest in the sea and its various denizens, both real and imaginary. She can be found online at @LadyKrakenWrite. (Guest Editor)
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A.R.K. Horton writes blogs about myths, fairytales, and folktales. She is also a fantasy author currently working on The Telverin Trilogy. When she isn't writing, she's building websites and managing a family of five. You can find her blog and links to her books at arkhorton.com. (Vol. 2 Alum, Guest Editor)
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Jack Kaide is a writer, musician and teacher living in Hackney, London. His short stories have recently featured in Horrified Magazine and The Secret Attic, Volume 6, and he is currently working on a first novel, The Green Man. You can find him on twitter @TheSomnambulis2.
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Astrid Knight is a fantasy writer from Michigan with a fascination for stories and what they reveal about ourselves. When she isn't writing, she can be found playing D&D and impulse buying candles online. Her first novel, Perception Check, will debut January 2022. She can be found on Twitter @AstridKWrites.
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Lisa Kuznak hails from the frozen north, deep in the boreal forest of Canada, and always has a project on the go to stave off the chill. Whether it’s sci-fi, fantasy, horror or historical, you know she’s blasting music while she writes. Catch her on Instagram at @lisak.writes.
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Robert Mammone lives in Melbourne, Australia, and has been writing since the 90s. He's written horror and fantasy as well as a grimdark novella. His work has appeared in Candy Jar Books and Dr. Who Magazine. You can find him on twitter @dreadsinister and co-hosting the 42 to Doomsday podcast.
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Jeremy Nelson is a recent transplant to Edinburgh whose afterimages linger in Hong Kong and Portland, Oregon. His preoccupations include accordions, photography, and outdated methods of putting words to paper. You can find him on Twitter now as @jpaknelson. (Vol. 2 Alum, Guest Editor)
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Chapel Orahamm is an Iillustrator, academic, and author, who live in the middle of no-man's-land big sky country. They have a passion for slipstream, romance, LGBTQ novels and the odd short story. Straddling the line between grunge and sappy prose, their world can be found online at the Kavordian Library. (Vol. 1 Alum, Guest Editor)
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J.C. Pillard lives at the foot of the Colorado mountains. She has a master’s degree in English literature and her recent publications include stories in Broadswords and Blasters and Fall Into Fantasy. When not writing, J.C. can be found prowling through her local bookstore. Find her on Twitter @JCPillard and at www.jcpillard.com.
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Craig Rathbone is a writer from a little town in the north of England. With a writing background in video game reviews and blogging, he's developed an insatiable taste for pirate-themed tales!
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Harry F. Rey is a Scottish author and lover of LGBTQ fiction. His works include the epic queer sci-fi series, The Galactic Captains; royal romance novels, The Line of Succession; and gay rom-com, All The Lovers. Find him at his website or talking about queer books on Twitter @Harry_F_Rey.
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Katherine Shaw is a multi-genre writer and self-confessed nerd from Yorkshire in the United Kingdom, spending most of her time dreaming up new characters or playing D&D. You can find more about her and her latest work at her website, and she is always happy to chat on Twitter @katheroony.
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Imelda Taylor is a full-time mother from Hertfordshire, England. She mainly writes children's books and or whatever her imagination takes her. Her work appears in several anthologies and is actively seeking representation. As a former educator, she is an avid promoter of literacy. Follow her on Twitter @lostsheep2 and Instagram @lostsheep.is. (Vol. 1 Alum)
Cartographers
Dewi Hargreaves (Traditional Pirates) is a freelance illustrator who has created over 50 maps, mostly for clients in the writing community. He primarily works in the fantasy style, but has created historical, contemporary and sci-fi maps, too. You can commission art from him at his website, DewiHargreaves.com.
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Aaron Hockett (Sky Pirates) is a New York City based architect, illustrator, amateur cartographer, and aspiring cartoonist. His previous work includes the maps for Volume 1 of Tales from the Year Between. Aaron's comic work can be found on Instagram at @hockett.aaron. (Vol. 1 & 2 Alum)
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Michael D. Nadeau (Fantasy Pirates) was born in the usual way, then found fantasy at the age of eight with Dungeons & Dragons. He soon discovered his love for reading and started creating his own worlds. After he created cities, gods, ancient and terrible beings and histories, he would then burn them all down.
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C. Vandyke (Space Pirates) primarily focuses on his writing and publishing chops these days, but is also an avid drawer and d
oodler. He's almost never written a story without drawing a map to go with it, though he'll often draw a map without bothering to write a story.
Editorial Team
Jonathan Beck is a singer and writer from Northern Ireland who loves cats, whiskey and traveling (when permitted). When he’s not running or binge-watching sci-fi, he can be found writing weird little tweet-stories as @diminufiction. (Vol. 1 & 2 Alum, Guest Staff)
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Chris “Terry” Durston lives in England, where he subsists on cider and ‘taters. Apart from his editorial duties, he produces Skullgate's podcast, Sounds From the Year Between. His first novel, Each Little Universe, was released in April 2020. Find him at chrisdurston.com or on Twitter @overthinkery1. (Skullgate Staff)