FIFTEEN THINGS TO MAKE A SOLDIER MISERABLE, by Aidan Redwing, artwork by Miguel Santos     A shortage of pipe weed.   Rotating to the frontline.   Being informed by your commanding officer that you will not receive relief.   A long march over rugged terrain to a secure position.   Arriving only to find […]

DEATH’S HUNGER, by Bader M. Alsadeqi, artwork by Gary McClusky A soldier sent to do battle, Now a survivor still standing. Cold of heart and soul was I, As the rest of my brethren lay dying.   Forced to a road home Under cold and bitter night, I found my life ending By scavengers in […]

Yes, yes, the issue is late.  In our defense, there was outdoor adventuring, and the World Fantasy Convention, and a case of Covid-19, and a case of food poisoning.  Plus, our wizard was pulled into a chasm by a demon of the first age, and our pony abandoned us and we’ve had to carry all […]

THE STONEMAN’S CURSE, by Tom Jolly, pending artwork by Miguel Santos   Markus wasn’t sure if it was an imp or a gnome driving the gigantic worm down the road toward him, but neither the rider nor the worm seemed in a particular rush. As he neared them, the imp stopped, jumped out of a […]

The Flame and the Bottle, by Howard Andrew Jones, audio by Leeman Kessler   I The woman was disconsolate with weeping. Surely the whole of the neighborhood heard her wailing from within the walls of her tiny house; the four of us grew conscious of it in the moments before we turned the corner onto […]