Partnership

When Sun-born mage Zal is called to a remote village after an explosion on a nearby mountaintop, he's stunned at what he finds in the gaol under the town hall-the last Moon-born on the planet, apparently a rogue mage, and someone Zal is duty-bound to haul to the capital to face judgment. But although nonbinary Torian is Moon-born, they're no mage. Rescued as an infant from the plague that wiped out the rest of their race, Torian is as much cybertronic as human, and desperate to escape their former Star-born overseers. Zal has never felt the desires of the flesh, and as an avowed celibate Sun mage, he couldn't indulge them if he did. Torian has only known value as a sexual surrogate, and isn't sure how to prove their worth to a man who has no need of their abilities. As danger looms from both Zal's world and Torian's, mage and cyborg must find common ground, because only together can they hope to survive. Partnership is a 25K-word novella that marries magic and science, featuring a road trip, deepening friendship, and a world where choice is the most sacred value. The story originally appeared as "Sun, Moon, and Stars" in Magic & Mayhem, an anthology benefiting Gay Romance Northwest/Read with Pride. This version has been significantly revised and expanded.