Vol. 3, #2 - Winter 2010

“Dark of the Year”
By Diana Sherman
At the dark of the year, the Shadows and their darkling servants came creeping through towns, calling for the children.

“The Hangman’s Daughter”
By Chris Braak
The Thing was in her room again, shuffling softly by her bed. ‘I am the Hangman’s daughter,’ Cresy told herself, and opened her eyes….

“The Bonestealer’s Mirror”
By John C. Hocking
‘It comes at night,” said the chieftain. “No one has seen it and lived.”

“The Word of Azrael”
By Matthew David Surridge
When the Angel of Death left the battlefield, Isrohim Vey knew he would live. And that he would spend the rest of his life seeking the Angel, and the meaning of its smile.

“The Mist Beyond the Circle”
By Martin Owton
In which a band of desperate men pursue the slave traders who stole their families — across cold barrows where a dread thing sleeps.

“Freedling”
By Mike Shultz
Naia was pinned under the rubble when the quake hit, trapped with the cruel sorcer, Cer Vassir. And then her nightmare truly began.

“The Renunciation of the Crimes of Gharad the Undying”
By Alex Kreis
He’s sorry he tried to conquer the world. He’s very, very sorry.

“Devil on the Wind”
By Michael Jasper & Jay Lake
It was her fifth suicide. Such was the way of the Killaster Witches. But as ambitious as she was, Lena’s schemes for revenge might not be quite treacherous enough…

“The Girl Who Feared Lightning”
By Dan Brodribb
The sarcophagus was empty, the mummy was on the loose, and Corporate expected her to deal with it. Seemed like a lot to ask, especially for minimum wage.

“Red Hell”
By Renee Stern
It looked like a routine hire… until Kellen found himself framed for theft, and embroiled in a plot to steal the secret of the Crown’s great airships.

“The Lady’s Apprentice”
By Jan Stirling
Lady Nyla was once rich and powerful. Now she lived in a hut on a lonely road. But tonight the Mother Goddess gave her back a measure of her old power — to set her against a terrible foe.

“The Wine-Dark Sea”
By Isabel Pelech
The crumbling passage led to an underwater city, filled with marvels, wild magic… and secrets. Including more than a few that could kill.

“On a Pale Horse”
By Sylvia Volk
Once there was a Bedouin girl who tamed a crooked stallion — and because of her, the Arabian breed was born. A tale of legend and desert war.

“La Senora de Oro”
By R.L. Roth
She was tiny and beautiful… and crafted of pure gold. Her gifts were pure as well: gold, and madness.

“Building Character”
By Tom Sneem
It’s hard to be a modern hero. Especially when the author can’t make up his mind.

“Folie and Null”
By Douglas Empringham
The ruined mansion seemed the perfect place to elude their pursuers… until they began to penetrate its secrets.