Tag: 2023
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The Judgement Tree
by D. K. Latta in Issue 143, December 2023 The cobblestones beneath Kainar’s boots were damp with dew, the sun just cresting the taller buildings. The crooked avenues through which he stalked were sparsely populated, merchants and workers only just beginning to stir and go about their affairs. He was a broad-shouldered figure of middle-age,…
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Across Bloody Skies
by Jay Requard in Issue 143, December 2023 Every time she shut her eyes, the jar of the wagon’s wheels or the shake of the cabin woke her, splashing bright red violence across her mind. Too exhausted to keep her eyes fully open, the memory reformed anew. Char-vak-ya! Char-vak-ya! Char-vak-ya! Magic flashed, men screamed. Blood. …
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Plague in Arak
by D. J. Tyrer in Issue 143, December 2023 “This way.” A large and meaty hand seized the slim wrist of Mirzë and drew her out from the alleyway and into the night-darkened street. The girl, no more than fifteen, turned her gaze away from the piled detritus that had once been men and women…
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The Shambling Dead
by Geoffrey Hart in Issue 142, November 2023 The head of the rotting corpse rolled in front of Freya, who kicked it under the feet of another advancing corpse. That one tripped and went down, taking several of its fellows with it. “Another man’s lost his head over you,” Freya panted, slashing one arm from…
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Black-Eye and Eight Lives
by J. VanZile in Issue 142, November 2023 Kameron Black-Eye had seen some seedy pubs in his line of work, but this one sat below them all. Under the stars, for there was no roof, drunkards, derelicts, and ne’er-do-wells circulated like bats spiraling a belfry at dusk. It was an orchestrated dance of villainy. Quick…