The day is today! Go to Sidewise Award page and see if my alternate history short story “Treasure Fleet” has won!
And to wet your appetite for more, here are some alluring fragments of a sequel…
At the heart of the Forbidden City, the Great Lama of all China paced his temple and citadel. “A cycle of the zodiac and the South would be ours! That was what my father told me. That Imam-so-called emperor was supposed to be destitute, and then he goes and discovers a new fucking continent!”
…
“Ten-no-ki?” Captain Umizaka read the Chinese characters. “Heaven’s energy? What is this jibberish?”
“It’s the name of a city,” said the Malay. “The natives call it ‘Tenochtitlan.'”
…
From a distance, the building looked like a Hulagid Holy Pavilion. Perhaps it had started out that way. Now, human arm and leg bones dangled from the eves like ghastly wind-chimes, and more bones lay on its floor. A lot more.
…
Umizaka squinted at the grisly memorial and snapped, “Someone get those bodies out of the way and find out how much treasure they left under there.” It was often said the pirate understood only gold and treachery. Now he felt the call of both.