Fate and friendship brought Horace, Rumi, Keza, and Aliyah together in Rumi’s sentient self-propelling wagon. They seek the forest haunting Aliyah’s dream, hoping for answers about the elf’s past and unique abilities—but first, they need to traverse a world haunted by Fragments, dangerous shards that can possess travellers and react to Aliyah’s presence.

They finally leave the coast to undertake a long ocean crossing filled with the sailors’ brand-new games and fearsome myths, but no one expects the latter to come to life. At sea, the Fragments that roam the world have coalesced into a gigantic beast—the kraken of legends—and unfortunately, it shares its landbound cousins’ obsession with Aliyah. The crew may have bested countless storms, but no amount of sea-worthiness can save the ship from the wrath of its colossal tentacles.

If they want to escape the kraken and continue their journey, the wagon’s team will need to unravel more of the Fragments’ mysteries, and learn to listen beyond the murmur of the sea.

Representation

Horace (e/em): aromantic, asexual, non-binary, ADHD
Aliyah (they/them): aromantic, asexual, non-binary
Rumi (he/him)  : aromantic, asexual
Keza (she/her): cis allo polyamorous lesbian

Includes several side characters across the queer spectrum, including multiple non-binary people with neopronouns and, in this novella, a genderfluid captain with she/they pronouns.

Content notes: Drowning, Possession, and Sea Wreck