Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Degrees of Delusion
    Degrees of Delusion
    Degrees of Delusion
    Ebook41 pages36 minutes

    Degrees of Delusion

    By Lindsay Buroker

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    After being publicly shamed and kicked out of the imperial service academy, Fortis chose to serve in the only other way possible: as a mercenary.

    Working far from the boundaries of his homeland, he never thought he’d have anything to do with the empire again... until a powerful wizard hires the company to destroy an imperial outpost. Fortis must choose between betraying his captain and comrades or firing on the very men he once dreamed of joining.

    Degrees of Delusion is a 9,000-word short story.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLindsay Buroker
    Release dateJun 19, 2013
    ISBN9781301024902
    Degrees of Delusion
    Author

    Lindsay Buroker

    Lindsay Buroker war Rettungsschwimmerin, Soldatin bei der U.S. Army und hat als IT-Administratorin gearbeitet. Sie hat eine Menge Geschichten zu erzählen. Seit 2011 tut sie das hauptberuflich und veröffentlicht ihre Steampunk-Fantasy-Romane im Self-Publishing. Die erfolgreiche Indie-Autorin und begeisterte Bloggerin lebt in Arizona und hat inzwischen zahlreiche Romanserien und Kurzgeschichten geschrieben. Der erste Band der Emperor’s-Edge-Serie „Die Klinge des Kaisers“ ist jetzt ins Deutsche übersetzt.

    Read more from Lindsay Buroker

    Related to Degrees of Delusion

    Related ebooks

    Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      A Dragon’s Perspective

      Jun 10, 2022

      There once lived a dragon named Deathwing. Well, at least that’s what they called him. Deathwing was growing old, far too old for his liking. The joints of his claws ached and groaned under his ever-growing weight and his scales were beginning to los

      18 min read

    • Article

      Cheonson And The Admiral

      May 1, 2019

      Cheonson And The Admiral
      6 min read

    • Article

      SISTERS in COURAGE

      Jun 14, 2023

      SISTERS in COURAGE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Holding Power

      Sep 11, 2020

      Holding Power
      5 min read

    • Article

      Shock and Awe

      Aug 10, 2021

      Shock and Awe
      11 min read

    • Article

      Ashore at Dunkirk

      Mar 30, 2023

      Ashore at Dunkirk
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Lost Story

      Oct 13, 2022

      The Lost Story
      8 min read

    • Article

      Trysail Dreams

      Mar 8, 2024

      Trysail Dreams
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Marine At Guadalcanal

      Nov 6, 2018

      A Marine At Guadalcanal
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Lives Of Knives

      Aug 27, 2020

      The Lives Of Knives
      6 min read

    • Article

      Taken By Surprise

      Jan 17, 2018

      Taken By Surprise
      5 min read

    • Article

      So Others May Live

      Nov 22, 2022

      So Others May Live
      9 min read

    • Article

      Rescue Swimmer’s Wisdom

      Dec 13, 2022

      Rescue Swimmer’s Wisdom
      9 min read

    • Article

      Taken By Surprise

      Oct 16, 2018

      Taken By Surprise
      5 min read

    • Article

      Meat is Meat

      Feb 10, 2024

      “Doctor…” “Yes, Captain?” Circling like a typhoon, the captain paced around the catch, her boots crunching on the scattered scales as though on shards of broken crockery. She maintained her distance with a learned suspicion, ready to jerk away should

      15 min read

    • Article

      A Youthful Enterprise

      Feb 28, 2020

      A Youthful Enterprise
      3 min read

    • Article

      Dispatches

      Jan 29, 2021

      Dispatches
      1 min read

    • Article

      Dispatches

      Jan 29, 2021

      Dispatches
      1 min read

    • Article

      Tempting Fate

      May 11, 2023

      Read about sailing all your life and you won’t find another book quite like Bound for Cape Horn, with its interesting subtitle Skills for Expedition Cruising. Any suggestion this might be yet another text book on how to do it is dissipated in the ope

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Overlord

      Oct 14, 2022

      The Overlord
      5 min read

    • Article

      Guernsey On Paper

      Aug 31, 2023

      Guernsey On Paper
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Shedful Of Adventure

      Jul 14, 2023

      A Shedful Of Adventure
      5 min read

    • Article

      Vietnam My Son, The Soldier

      Sep 1, 2021

      Vietnam My Son, The Soldier
      9 min read

    • Article

      Hurry Up And Wait

      Jan 2, 2018

      Hurry Up And Wait
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Loneliness Of The Long-distance Sailor

      Sep 10, 2020

      During lockdown we have heard a lot about loneliness, about old folks shut away in their domains unable to see their grandchildren, or even worse, marooned in care homes, denied visitors. Suddenly these people, used to being cherished, at the heart o

      3 min read

    • Article

      The King And I

      Jul 9, 2019

      The King And I
      14 min read

    • Article

      Overheard @ Backline

      Jun 24, 2019

      Overheard @ Backline
      1 min read

    • Article

      If Sheep COULD FLY…

      Aug 3, 2022

      If Sheep COULD FLY…
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Degrees of Delusion

    4/5

    3 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Degrees of Delusion - Lindsay Buroker

      Degrees of Delusion

      by Lindsay Buroker

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2013 Lindsay Buroker

      The cannonball slammed into the water three feet from the bow of our clipper. The deck rocked. The black powder I was pouring missed the muzzle of my rifle and trickled onto my hand. I cursed.

      Barefoot sailors scurried past, grumbling as they tripped over the soldiers crowding the deck. They would stop complaining once we closed to grappling range and the company became useful—if we closed. The pirate ship seemed content to lob cannonballs from a distance.

      Musket and pistol shots began peppering the air. Too much water separated us; their accuracy would be horrendous.

      A shot thudded into the railing above my head. Wood splintered like bone cracking. I reminded myself luck counted for as much as accuracy. Being shot at was a familiar experience, but it set my heart galloping regardless. I cursed again and flicked shards of wood from my hair.

      Why so grouchy, Fortis? Akari chirped from my side. She is one of only three women in the company, tough enough to march from dawn to dusk with sixty pounds on her back. And crazy enough to love this sort of thing.

      I issued my best glower, alas somewhat diminished by the sawdust trickling into my eyes. Our mission isn’t supposed to start until we get to the island. I pulled a ball out of my ammo pouch. I shouldn’t be fighting pirates. I’m an engineer. I studied at—

      The Academy, Akari interrupted, the most competitive school in the empire where you were trained to be an officer in the Imperial Army. Really, Fortis. The way you work your education into every conversation is shameless.

      I, er— I cleared my throat. "That’s Corporal Fortis now, remember? You’re not supposed to be dressing me down."

      "Forgive me, Corporal. Akari’s dark eyes twinkled. You never did explain why they kicked you out." She was loading her own weapons, a musket and two pistols. Her black-skinned hands moved with swift competence.

      I peeked over the rail. Our merchant ship was closing with the pirate ship, but had not reached a range worth shooting across. I preferred not to take a shot until I knew I could hit.

      I had a relationship with another cadet. We kept it quiet, since they don’t approve of that sort of thing. But then we got stupid. There was an incident on a parade field that was supposed to be empty, but wasn’t.... I caught Akari’s smirk, scowled, and rushed the rest, Anyway, I did it to myself. Drunk and horny make an unadvisable combination.

      Four years at the highly vaunted Imperial Academy and you couldn’t figure that out without the benefit of an audience?

      "It was five years, and—"

      Another cannonball rocked the ship—closer this time. How long until the pirates had our range down? And why did we only have

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1