The Delta Pearl 43 — Dart

Saturday, August 1, 2020 

Delta Pearl Composite of Pixaby images by Teagan R. Geneviene

Welcome back to my sanctuary, my chuckaboos.  Here are some notes for those of you who were not aboard at the beginning of this riverboat journey.  Chuckaboo is a Victorian Era slang word for “dear friend.”  Everyone who reads and leaves a friendly comment is my chuckaboo.

The setting is a magical riverboat, the Delta Pearl.  It’s a steampunk fantasy, so there are elements of magic, along with real (and potentially real – that’d be the fantasy part again) technology that is suitable to the Steam Era.

The most important crewmembers of the Delta Pearl have gemstone names.  They are also known by their positions as if their titles were proper names.  The Captain, the Dealer, and the Cook are parental figures for the young protagonist.

The heroine is Émeraude, who recently had her sixteenth…