The Orphan Fleet

Adventure and strange magic in a city above the clouds! Jiaire is a dock worker at the Mountain Skyport, an independent oasis where airships from across the known world can thaw their engines before they finish their journey across the endless frozen wastes. By day he loads and unloads ships. By night, he dreams of the Show, when characters like Golden Sam, the Reptile, and the mysterious Count do battle under the big top for an audience of thousands.

To its friends, the Mountain offers warmth, smiles, and entertainment. To its enemies, it offers lightning— powerful storms that appear from nowhere and clear the skies of enemy ships. When an invading army attacks and the storms fail to appear, Jiaire must stand up for his home and learn the secrets behind the mystic forces protecting it.

Brendan Detzner's work has appeared in Podcastle, Chizine, Pseudopod, One Buck Horror, Bizarrocast, Edge of Propinquity, Untied Shoelaces of the Mind, and many other venues. He is the author of the short story collections "Scarce Resources" and "Beasts", and of the novel "Millersville". "The Orphan Fleet" is his debut in the fantasy genre.