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24 Vol 4 Num 6 April 2010
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Thrill of the Hunt
Thu, Jan 7, 2010
She hid along the lowest ridge, feet sprawled, extended downhill.
Storming Venus
Mon, Jan 4, 2010
“Pickle,” Sarah said quietly to herself. “What a beastly, silly, pottage of a pickle.”
Corpse Vision
Sun, Nov 8, 2009
Joe Decker couldn’t remember who poured him into the taxi that brought him to Le Café du Dôme.
The Blimp and Sixpence, A Harry the Book Story
Fri, Sep 25, 2009
So I am sitting in my office, which is the third booth at Joey Chicago’s 3-Star Tavern, minding my own business, which at this moment is doping out the next day’s races at Aqueduct, when Benny Fifth Street walks up to me.
In the Halls of the Sky-Palace
Sun, Feb 8, 2009
The clack of castanets tapped out a crisp, clear rhythm beneath the smoky torches of the dining hall.
Katie Birch
Sun, Feb 8, 2009
When we found little Katie Birch blank-faced and naked out by Mackie’s pond that day, I reckoned I might be forgiven for doubting her good sense.
Why I Live in the Silver Mine
Sun, Feb 8, 2009
When my sister Tourmaline went off to live above the surface with that Tall Folk man, we thought we'd never see nor hear from her again.
New Jersey's Top Ghost Tours Reviewed and Rated
Sun, Feb 8, 2009
Any day, the guys from Bizarro Jersey magazine would send a critic to review the ghost tour, and Jim Griggs meant to be ready.
Round-trip Coach
Sun, Feb 8, 2009
The trick to getting a drunken leprechaun out of one's chandelier, Ken O'Malley had found, was to have a good flit gun handy.
Johnny So Long At the Fair
Tue, Nov 18, 2008
On his fourth birthday Johnny Glover had his first trip to the Big Smoke, but despite his mother’s insistence that the Outback air was clearer than Melbourne’s, he still didn’t understand why his father called the city that—he had yet to see a fire anywhere.
A Very Formal Affair: A Harry the Book Story
Mon, Nov 10, 2008
I am sitting in my office, which happens to be the third booth of Joey Chicago’s 3-Star Tavern, studying the fight card and wondering if this could be the night Kid Testosterone makes it all the way to the second record before being knocked senseless.
The Gossamer Mage: Intended Words
Tue, Jul 29, 2008
The body was beechwood, smooth and bronzed with age, of perfect balance.
The Mudlark
Tue, Apr 22, 2008
A week and a half after my mother vanished out of the British Museum, I found her, purely by chance, picking up trash on a stretch of stony shore by the Thames.
Dragon's Tooth
Thu, Mar 20, 2008
The last place Tara expected to find magical items was in a tourist shop on the rue de Rivoli.
A Thread of Silk
Fri, Mar 14, 2008
Sitting in the back on the Otemachi subway, away from the glitter of young people bedecked in late-night finery, the young woman gazed out the window as though fascinated by her reflection in the glass.
Christmas Eve at Harvey Wallbanger's: A Harry the Book Story
Tue, Oct 16, 2007
So we are sitting around Joey Chicago’s 3-Star Tavern, with the wind howling outside the front door and sounding just like Velvet Voice Vinnie singing off-key.
Knight of Coins
Sat, Oct 13, 2007
I can tell a lot about a person just by how they come into my office.
Twinkletoes
Sat, Oct 13, 2007
I'm here walking up Broadside on a nice spring day, decided not to take the bus it was so nice and anyway I'm in a good mood.
Madame Pompadour's Blade
Sat, Oct 13, 2007
They passed the carriage about an hour after they left Paris, as Geveaux had expected.
Sluggo
Sat, Sep 15, 2007
He was born in the charity ward at 3:07 a.m. on March 5, 1931. There were two nurses in attendance.
The Art of Memory
Sun, Mar 18, 2007
The car, a l958 DeSoto, last of its line, spins out, and hits the guardrail with terrific impact.
The Temple of Thorns
Sun, Mar 18, 2007
She sat cross legged on a wool sack in the small cult room and prayed.
Palm Sunday
Sun, Mar 4, 2007
Today was Saturday, and tomorrow would be Palm Sunday, when most people would gather in Grand Square to party, then all hold the palms of their hands up to the sky in celebration of life.
Second Banana
Sat, Feb 10, 2007
I have two rules. First, never get mixed up with a girl who wants you to call her a guy's name. Second, always know what you're getting yourself into.
The Lord-Protector's Daughter
Fri, Feb 2, 2007
Mykella's bootsteps echoed dully as she descended the stone staircase to the lowest level of the Lord-Protector's palace.
Soul Searching
Thu, Jan 18, 2007
Dugan Growser was the last guy I wanted to see in my office, since I'd been haunting him at home for the last month.
Midnight at the Quantum Cafe
Sat, Dec 16, 2006
The torrid summer air tasted of industrial sludge as I stood ankle-deep in the rubble at the edge of the street and gazed into the darkness.
The Rest of Your Life in a Day
Sat, Dec 2, 2006
The tattoo artist was Yukako Kobayashi, and she was in her sixties or seventies—
The Littlest Wyrm-Maid
Sat, Dec 2, 2006
The problem, of course, was that humans were such speciesists.
Child, Maiden, Woman, Crone
Mon, Nov 27, 2006
The music filled the valley as Johnny Nobles coerced the strings on his Gibson.
Cryptic Coloration
Tue, Sep 19, 2006
Katie saw him first. The next-best thing to naked, in cutoff camouflage pants and high-top basketball sneakers and nothing else, except the thick black labyrinth of neo-tribal ink that covered his pale skin from collarbones to ankle-bones. He shone like piano keys, glossy-sleek with sweat in a sultry September afternoon.
Redemption of Nepheli
Sun, Sep 10, 2006
There were fires outside the Tavrid city wall, and they crackled day and night, their glow sinister, and their smell putrid.
Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Go to War Again
Fri, Sep 8, 2006
"Do you ever wonder about the nature of the world, Mister Fitz?" asked the foremost of the two riders, raising the three-barred visor of his helmet so that his words might more clearly cross the several feet of space that separated him from his companion, who rode not quite at his side.
The Spiral Road
Mon, Aug 14, 2006
Gray smoke curled from the beaten copper censer and rippled gently up to the high ceiling, filling the sanctuary with the spicy smell of pursil smoke. It made Romas's nose tingle.
The Realm of Words
Fri, Aug 11, 2006
Damn Les Six. The way I see it, it's all their fault. Sure, you could blame Wolfgang. Humans would.
As Black As Hell
Wed, Jun 14, 2006
Gaston was used to waiting. The unofficial motto of the British Army was 'hurry up and wait.' Gaston had reached the rank of sergeant in the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment—
Caught Forever Between
Sat, Mar 18, 2006
Tearing down the yellow crime-scene tape, Cassie keyed open the door to INNER EYE TATTOO and stepped inside. Closing the door, she glanced around the shattered shop she and Alex shared.
Singing Them Back
Sat, Mar 18, 2006
Every fall, I was there when my grandmother sang the disir back.
Servants to the Dead
Sun, Mar 5, 2006
"Dad, look out!" Jen caught her father by the shoulders and yanked him away from the rake in the grass. Charlie Liles teetered, then recovered his balance.
The Nature of Things
Sat, Mar 4, 2006
"Can someone explain to me what a box labeled 'cookware' is doing in the upstairs guest bath?"
A Hire Power
Fri, Feb 17, 2006
Another Monday in the office, and it was going to be a bad one. She could tell.
Pawn's Gambit
Sat, Feb 11, 2006
Malei watched the images in her mirror as the guests began to arrive at the palace. The King had invited everyone of any position from within the kingdom and the neighboring lands, as well as the fairy council, to attend the christening of his first-born child.
Baby Girl
Sat, Feb 11, 2006
There was a knock on the door and it wasn't good. It couldn't be good. What knock at 2 am when you were taking a bath ever was?
Protection Money
Sat, Feb 11, 2006
Tommy Chang had no sympathies for the humans of Pittsburgh. Every time he heard someone complaining about how dangerous the city had become with the war between the elves and the oni, he wanted to punch the speaker in the face.
Femme Fatale
Fri, Feb 10, 2006
When I first met Molly Flammare, I hadn't heard any of the stories they told about her.
Rebel the First
Fri, Feb 10, 2006
This here's a story about more than a few things, but mostly it's about Duane Fuller, who we all call Reb, so you might as well forget I told you his real name anyway.
For Blue Sky
Fri, Feb 10, 2006
Two weeks after Pittsburgh became permanently stranded on Elfhome, the war between the elves and the oni reached John Montana's gas station. John had been greasing the CV joint of a Honda he had up on the rack when the bell on the pumps chimed, announcing someone had pulled up for gas. He listened for the sound of his little brother's feet moving across the ceiling above him, but could only hear the rumble of rock music. He ducked out from under the Honda, walked to the old fireman pole that dropped down from their apartment, and yelled, "Hey! We've got a customer down here!"
Sisters of Sarronnyn: Sisters of Westwind
Fri, Feb 10, 2006
The Roof of the World was still frozen in winter gray, and the sun had not yet cleared the peaks to the east or shone on Freyja when I caught sight of Fiera coming up the old stone steps from the entrance to Tower Black.
I moved to intercept her. "What were you doing, Guard Fiera?"
Gnome Improvement
Fri, Feb 10, 2006
"Gnome Improvement!" The heavy, almost cardboard, door hanger read in bright red letters on an emerald green background. "Bring good luck to your home and your family, brighten your lawn, and make your gnomes happy. We pick up and deliver your lawn gnomes to the Gnome Spa (TM), and return them refreshed, renewed, and revived. Call today!"
The Thief of Stones
Fri, Feb 10, 2006
As I have been bidden, I will tell of how the sorcerer Merlin Ambrosius came to the shores of Ireland, and what he did there.
Build-A-Bear
Thu, Feb 9, 2006
Sighing, Viola picked up the yellow schedule of shipboard activities and glanced at her watch. It was three thirty, still two and half hours till dinner.
'Ware the Sleeper
Thu, Feb 9, 2006
There were bones where the children played: small, smooth pieces perfect for game markers on the black sand, and long shards Skalda remembered using for fence posts around imaginary horses. The tides washed them here, along with links from shattered chainmail and futile bits of armor.
What Sleeps in the Shallows Belongs to the Depths
Thu, Feb 9, 2006
And so it came to pass, in the third age of the world, that those from the mainland sought once more to conquer the ocean realm. They gathered powerful sorcerers and built ships beyond numbering to carry them. Unstoppable, they sank fleet after fleet, razed island after island of the archipelago until they threatened Circle Cove itself, the very heart of our Blessed Kingdom. All seemed lost.
The Opposite of Pomegranates
Tue, Feb 7, 2006
The real difference between humans and fey is not the magic: with the fey comes down to this: they only know how to make bargains . . .
