THE CHARIOT OF NARAM-ZAHUR by Dariel R. A. Quiogue, artwork by  Simon Walpole and Gary McCluskey The three travelers reached the oasis just as the molten copper orb of the sun touched the horizon, and the first evening winds stirred the dust after a breathless, molten metal day. But at the lip of the bowl […]

A VOICE OF HORNETS, by Bryan Babb, artwork by Andrea Alemanno     1   “What makes steel so different from iron?” Nicolo asked, looking covetously at the blade dangling from Sigurd’s hip. “We’ve got an ironworker here who shoes our horses and makes nails for the boats, but we’ve got to wait for traders […]

CROSSING THE EYE OF SILENCE, by Dennis Mombauer, artwork by Miguel Santos, audio by Karen Menzel (oundtrack: Metaphysik by Kevin MacLeod)     The Eye of Silence stretched around them as an endless, ice-blue wasteland of water. Frost crackled in the air, turning Thekla’s breath to steam; otherwise, nothing moved. It was the third day […]

THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS, by Rev. Joe Kelly   The bare back room of the manor house was pungent with old dust, sweat, tobacco smoke, the sour reek of spilled ale. Sir Lawrence, his eyes glittering with greed in the flicker of the single lamp, awaited Conor Dubh O’Brien at the far end of […]

HUNTRESS OF THE HIGH TRAILS, by Robert Rhodes, pending artwork by Karolína Wellartová The shadow from Valeriya’s arrow, staked into the dirt of the trail, at last reached the coin she’d placed behind it. Enough time had passed. She shook her head. Matviy was late. Above her overlook on the Imperial Ridge’s eastern slope, the […]