Blurb

Meet Captain Alexandria de Sade, the proud and once loyal captain of Naviwerks chrono-ship #25. When she learned the truth about how the company was fleecing their customers she turned her back on the promotion they offered her, left the man she loved without a word, and disappeared with her ship.

With a plan in mind to undermine Naviwerks’ business of artifact and heirloom retrieval, Captain Alex hired on several like-minded misfits to crew her chrono-ship which she re-christened The William’s Hunt. They are: An awkward but genius Horotech, an irascible ex-marine, a flamboyant playboy, a churlish physician, and a hot-shot pilot.

Their first venture: go to Milan, Italy 1490 and retrieve the working model of Leonardo da Vinci’s Gran Cavallo before Naviwerks does. What should have been a simple snatch and run mission for the newly formed band of pirates goes south nearly immediately. In their struggle to recover, they learn that there is much more behind Naviwerks’ actions. Captain Alex and the crew of The William’s Hunt are the only ones that stand a chance of putting things right,and it seems as if her crew’s every step takes them deeper and deeper into discovering just how nefarious Naviwerks truly is.

Excerpt Nine

“Report,” she said as she made for the captain’s chair with a hurried limp.

“We’ll be landing in the Papal Gardens.  E.T.A three minutes.” Angel replied with only slight distraction. She was busy going back and forth from toggle to switch to control their drop. “There’s some kind of hubbub in the area, but I don’t think it’s our guys.”

“Show me,” ordered Captain Alex.

Angel looked to the overhead display as she turned a knob that would enhance the external visual. “On screen.” Immediately they could see the stampede of horses.

Nigel came to stand next to the helm and snorted as he crossed his arms. “Oh, I don’t know. Those horses might have gotten a look at our good Mr. Reynolds.”

Captain Alex didn’t bother replying to her Historian. Some sort of explosion was in the offing, and she would feel much better about it if they had a visual on her landside team. “Belay the standing protocol, Miss Flynn. Steady as she goes.” Her expression turned grim as she sat in her chair. Her hand came to rest on the pommel of the sabre where it rested in the stays to her right. She purposely didn’t clench her fingers around the hilt not wanting to give away her tension level.

Dr. Hennessey took up position behind her chair while Nigel and Angel exchanged a quick glance. There were probably going to be historical reports and paintings with sightings of their ship after this, but no one dared question the Captain’s order. Angel just kept the heading steady.

Finally, the Holy See compound could be seen through the windows. It was still too far away for Alex’s peace of mind, but they were coming in swiftly. It took every ounce of self-control that she had not to get up out of her seat, but her jaw was clenched tightly together, and her fingers drummed against the arm of her chair.

The buildings increased in size as they steadily grew closer until details of people rushing to catch the horses could be picked out along with the images in the stained glass windows.

“Landing procedure engaged.” Angel took the wheel with one hand while the other pulled a lever down its slot. A moment later a sudden vibration announced a successful lowering of the landing gear.

“What is that?” Nigel asked. He frowned in curiosity as he moved around the helm towards the front windshield to get a better look. Something had crashed through the glass of a tall narrow window that faced the Garden. “Is that…Mr. Kane?” he asked incredulously.

“What?” Captain Alex didn’t have to ask Angel to focus on the side of the building. Her Pilot just made the visual adjustment and the view on the steam screen zoomed in to show Laurence with his arms full of books tumbling out of the window. He got tangled in his monk’s robe as he tried to stand and juggle the books at the same time. Then they saw Geri appear in the window. He slapped an arm against the outside of the building, but he seemed to have trouble squeezing his chest through sideways.

He appeared to have made it, but no one could be sure since the screen filled with a blinding flash. Nigel’s hand pressed against the forward window as that wing of the library suddenly collapsed in on itself sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air thick enough to obscure sight.

Captain Alex’s eyes went wide as she lurched out of her chair and cried out, “GERI!”

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About the Author

According to her mother, Krista has lived in her own imagination since birth. The real world let her down. It was, frankly, boring beyond belief. After she discovered fantasy novels and comics there was no going back. This didn’t win her any popularity contests (or dates) until after high school. Art school introduced her to other geeks and the wonderful world of AD&D. A love for RP eventually led to LARP (the goth/vampire era of her life). Finally, sci-fi/fantasy/fandom conventions introduced her to the beautiful world of Steampunk. Music. Clothing. And books. She dove into the books she took a shine to and absorbed them. But something was missing. She wasn’t satisfied. During her recovery from neck surgery something she’d heard somewhere stuck out in her mind: “If you can’t find the stories you want to read then write them yourself.” On a couch in Savannah, GA. with Sons of Anarchy playing in the background, The William’s Hunt began.

Currently, Krista lives in her home town in Pennsylvania with five cats, a husband, and a weiner dog, Pete, who watches from the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

Check out her website: https://www.kristacaggauthor.com/ and follow her on social media.