THE WITCH AWAKENS, by Julie Shiel   Rain lost its sound that day and the churning Autumn skies fell silent as I stood gazing into the dark facing that sulfurous breeze.   The harvest feast was upon us and the first frost kissed the grass when I felt her eyes searching across that dread dreamscape, […]

SELAPHESNE, by Kevin Sandefur, with artwork by Simon Walpole   The proud banners tremble and drift as they fall, Like a tapestry tumbling soft from the wall, But there aren’t any guards left to answer the call Of the palace bugle.   It sounds out so sprightly, so sweet, and so clear, With a luster […]

HAMELIN IN THE DISTANCE, by Maria Schrater, with audio by the writer     My fiddle will not tune right, and my bow is prone to breaking I am a poor musician whom all melody has forsaken I used to while away the hours telling lays of kings and towers, Dragons, rings, unearthly powers—enough to […]

August!  The hammer of the year has dropped on us here at HFQ.  But such solar savagery shirks us not a shred in our search to bring you great S&S fiction and poetry!  We’ve got three stories, two poems, audio, an ongoing graphic tale, an update on our workshop and the kickstarter for best-of 4.  […]

DUEL, by R. M. Gulaya, artwork by Lilith Graves       This was a magnificent place to spill blood. The clearing here was not a natural thing, but rather a scar, blasted out of the thick pine forest by magical fires of war some fifty years ago. Kael marveled at the scene, so familiar […]