Book excerpt: Damien Montgomery, Ship’s Mage on a freighter with more enemies than he expected, was forced to turn his ship into a weapon to save them from pirates. What he did shouldn’t have been possible – and attempting it is a crime worse than murder. When their secret is unveiled, the crew of the space freighter Blue Jay must decide how far they are willing to go save their Mage and their ship. Starship’s Mage is space opera set in a future we would never have predicted: where humanity’s far flung interstellar colonies are tied together by the Protectorate of the Mage King of Mars and the magic of the Jump Mages. Starship's Mage: Episode 2 is a 21,957 word novella, the second of five in a serial. Episode 3 is targeted for release in June of 2014.