Tag: Story
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The Alchemist’s Contract
by Karen Blaha in Issue 22, November 2013 Our village alchemist could not heal my daughter’s sickness, and so he reluctantly told me to go to the alchemist in Krumlov. “Beware,” Bohuslav the alchemist told us, “that your trade may be costly. Suffering removed must fall somewhere. The alchemist of Krumlov is a mercurial and…
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Blood Fire
by Robert Mammone in Issue 22, November 2013 Rain sheeted down in a constant drumming, underscored by the rumble of thunder echoing off the slate tiled roofs. Lightning crackled, the staccato flashes briefly banishing the gloom that had swept in with the clouds minutes before. Ignoring the storm lashing him, hunkered down beside a leering…
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Forged in Heaven, Tempered in Hell
by James Lecky in Issue 21, October 2013 Ardess was on fire, the winter’s night as sweltering as the cruellest summer drought, the streets clogged with thick, rancid smoke. Blades gleamed in the infernal darkness, rallying cries echoed through laneways and avenues, all but lost in the roar of the flames and the crash of…
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Right of Ultissima
by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt in Issue 21, October 2013 At the third kick the door gave way. A sword thrust into the splintered opening. It dripped a green ichor that hissed as it hit the stone floor. A moment later the owner of the sword stood in the doorway, her strong frame silhouetted by the…