Forbidden Worlds #53

In 1693, the ruthless pirate captain Ephraim Purdy survives a mutiny and settles into a life of wealth and ease—until he acquires a mysterious old telescope that compels him to seek out Maria Mills, a woman of extraordinary beauty. What begins as a passionate courtship takes a shocking turn when Maria reveals her true purpose, forcing Purdy to confront the sins of his pirate past. The telescope's curse may yet demand a reckoning far greater than he ever imagined.

Chick Crowley's luck at the track has hit rock bottom—until a mysterious pack of cigarettes from a diner vending machine turns his world upside down. When he smokes one, the swirling rings seem to conjure visions from his past, and stranger still, they begin manifesting as real. Now possessed of a miraculous horse named Diablo, Chick's fortunes soar, but old memories and new connections threaten to complicate his newfound success.

In the royal forests of 1392, the jester's unusual dog saves the King of France from a raging boar—but pays the ultimate price. Two centuries later, another French monarch faces a mad dog attack, only to be rescued by a mysterious beast that bears an impossible resemblance to the stuffed specimen displayed in the royal museum. A tale of loyalty that seems to transcend the boundary between life and death.