Havok Publishing

Archive - April 2022

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Andromeda and the Manta Rays

Andromeda twisted her frizzy hair into a tight bun as her ship, the Ray, whirred beneath her, clicking and buzzing.
“I know.” Andromeda laughed at her ship, her best friend in the whole galaxy. It had taken three years for her to code him with a sentient personality that fit him. “That Nyxellan

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Thrill of the Chase

If you ever find yourself face to face with a bear/moose chimera, don’t under any circumstance stand up straight and yell while waving your arms above your head.
I clicked send on my transponder and glanced down. The chimera was sniffing at the base of my tree. My transponder vibrated.
Kai: Ha ha. K.

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Serengeti Karma

I have the best job in the world. I’m a game warden on Africa’s magnificent Serengeti. This wilderness grabs you by the heart and enchants you forever with its shrouded mystique and vast majesty.
My project is big game preservation—in particular, black rhino and African buffalo which share the same range.

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Wizards and the Wrath of Bessie

Lightning slashes the sky. “Walfort, take us back to land!” I yell into the storm. “We’ll look for Bessie another day.”
“Don’t be a wimp, Gwynfar. We told Zofan we would eliminate this sea serpent,” Walfort shouts. “I’m here because I’m a wand master and you’re a mediocre wizard. I’m not even sure you’re

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Operation Unicorn

“You want me to make you a unicorn.” I tugged at my tie, which was suddenly feeling much too tight.
“Wrong, twice over, Dr. Delany,” said the Premier. “Didn’t you read my message? Earth’s Council doesn’t want a unicorn, the Craldirish do. And they don’t want one; they want a breeding pair

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Burnt and Beautiful Things

Detective Caspian cupped the brittle gray blossom in his hands. That it had once been a rose was hardly believable. As he handled it, the petals crumbled to ash.
The ocelot beside him nudged his elbow, and he held the mess of gray dust out to the wild cat.
“Leslie, what do you think?”

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Not Quite Purrfect

Melinda curled up on the couch, reading Little Women for the sixth November in a row. She’d received an abridged version for her seventh birthday and identified with Amy March because Amy was the only character who wasn’t yet a teenager. And maybe Melinda, like Amy, was a little bit spoiled.

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A Clamor of Wings

Mandla is agitated today.
The iksomi’s feathered wings spread to at least twenty paces in width. They block out the bluish light of the twin suns as he stalks across the black sand dunes. When I take a hesitant step forward, Mandla makes a low growling noise in the back of his throat, revealing long, curved teeth.

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Last Journey of the Abyss Delver

“I should not have smoked that joint before going on a deep-sea mission,” I mused as I gazed upon what looked like an eel with a broken chainsaw for a head.
“You did what?”
“Calm down, professor. You’re gonna be fine. The bathyscaphe practically drives itself—as it’s been doing for the past hour.

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The Best Laid Schemes of Dryads and Frogs

“Sal, where are we going?” Jane ducked under a branch.
“My cousin Fragar’s lab.” Sal forged down what appeared to be no more than a deer trail.
Jane avoided dew-soaked vines sparkling in the sun. “The third cousin Fragar?”
“Yeah.”
“The crazy, mad scientist, turns-perfectly-good-strawberries-blue one?”
Sal laughed. “That one”
“Sal, why are

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Z Karr and the Pearls of Aphrodite

Aphrodite drifted in its orbit like a polished gem, the vibrant blue of the planet-wide ocean striated with wispy white clouds.
“I can see why everyone vacations there,” Tetsuo said as he gazed into the viewscreen. “It’s beautiful.”
“Eh… that color kind of gives me a headache.” Zach slipped on his orange sunglasses

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The Price of Passage

Morris stared at the path below and flicked his tail in annoyance. He really wanted to use the canyon pass, but that stupid flying beast with the human face blocked the route.
He growled at the memory of his one attempt to walk through the ravine. Since the beast was part lion

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