Shadows of the Capital

Shanala has never had time to be a hero. Growing up on the streets of the Capital of the Dragot Empire, she's spent her entire life scrambling to keep her brothers and sisters fed by any means necessary. Sometimes that's meant honest work. Other times, she's had to get creative. When one of Shanala's side hustles gets her mixed up with a murder investigation and an espionage ring, she isn't sure if her luck has run out or if she's just tripped over her ticket to the big time. Little does she suspect just how complicated her life is about to get. Outsmarting lowlifes and spies is one thing. Pulling a fast one on a god is something else entirely.

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 novels "Millersville" and "White Rabbit Society". "Shadows of the Capital" is the fourth installment of the Orphan Fleet series.