Tag: 2022
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Different Drummer
by Lindsey Duncan in Issue 131, December 2022 This time, Dossian Braeth wasn’t even participating when the spell exploded. That was the problem. “Sister Sherrit’s left toe,” the instructor of constructs barked, picking himself up from behind his desk, “what a waste of material. Were none of you paying attention?” A younger boy whimpered. He…
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Within the Heart of a Sleeping Giant
by Xan van Rooyen in Issue 131, December 2022 The witch’s boots were ruined. Rättäkitti squelched through the forest, blood welling from the undergrowth to soak her toes and scab her shins. The air tasted of copper and rust, a sweet putrescence lingering at the back of her tongue as she passed beneath the drooping…
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Eliza Sky and the Elfborn Herald
by Neil Willcox in Issue 131, December 2022 “Come on,” Eliza Sky said to Julia Intandle, the other woman dawdling at the narrow window. When she didn’t move Eliza stepped back, considering dragging her up the last flight of stairs. It would be discourteous and it would not pay to annoy a magician’s daughter. With…
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The Sun in Shadow
by Sandra Unerman The alley was a dead end. Tibbie halted to catch her breath, while she stared at the building ahead. She had lost track of where she was in the city. A muddle of grimy stone and broken windows spread across her view. She could see no side turnings to take her onwards…
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You Stand Before the Black Tower
by Nathaniel Webb in Issue 130, November 2022 You stand before the black tower. You have pursued the Bat-Winged Sorcerer here: the blackhearted necromancer’s final refuge, his last place of power. Tonight, under a blood moon, your struggle will end, one way or the other. The Gibbet Queen’s dying prophecy rings in your memory: “Beware…