Prologue - The Fall Artanna stood quietly on a hill and watched the great tower of Tan Kolar fall. Around the collapsing structure, smoke and flames rose from the Night Lord’s palace. A battle raged outside the high walls of black stone as the tattered remnants of the Army of Night fought the forces of the Great Alliance. She knew that the Night Lord’s army, a horde of corpses and suits of empty armour animated by dark sp...

The office was empty when Jack came back from the archives. He could not hear any sounds or see anyone around. Jack frowned, then went into his private office and dropped the pile of files he had pulled on his desk. The clock on Jack’s desk phone showed eight-thirty. He found it odd that no one seemed to be in yet. Then again, most of his co-workers arrived between eight-thirty and nine so maybe that would change soon. Ja...

The other day I was doing some work in the kitchen, fixing up the caulking behind the sink. As I often do when I’m doing stuff in that room, I put the radio on to CBC Radio 2. It being a Saturday afternoon, opera poured out into the room. I don’t even know when Saturday Afternoon at the Opera began, but it’s been a fixture on the CBC for, it seems, forever. Inevitably, my thoughts turned to Dad. Inevitably because he list...

To everyone in the room, she seemed like just a normal girl wearing Vans, blue jeans, and a red hoodie. No one really paid her much attention as she walked to the back of the bar and settled into a booth. Maureen did notice the girl as she came out of the kitchen. The server looked the girl over carefully. She decided that ID needed to be checked. This new patron did not look nineteen; more like fifteen or sixteen. “What...

Tina felt the bedsheet peel away from her skin as she sat up. She was covered in a sheen of sweat from head to toe. Her hair was damp and matted. Even at midnight with all the windows open and no clothing but panties, Tina could not seem to beat the heat. It was making sleep more and more difficult all the time. For days, the city had been caught in a heatwave. The temperature had cracked thirty degrees Celsius on each of...

Voldar knelt before the statue of the great warrior and wept. Around her were the ruins of the city she had once called home. Foes had swept over it weeks before. “How could you let this happen?” Voldar cried, “You swore to protect them.” But the statue remained silent stone. “My family, my friends, my lovers. They were all here. Now they are nothing.” Voldar rose and drew her blade. “There is nothing more for me here. No...

The killer looks down the scope at his target. He neither knows nor cares why The Boss wants this woman dead. That is not the killer's problem. The woman is undressing. Her dress slips to the floor, then her underwear. The killer watches with delight. Then she pulls off her hair and turns to the window. Her eyes are solid black. Her mouth is studded with pointed teeth. “Fuck,” the killer gasps. He squeezes the trigger. Th...

I have lived forever,Or so it seems to me,In my little temple,By the shining crystal sea. Some come in celebration,Some have come to sneer,Some have run in terror,I can be one to fear. My power is enormous,My mercy can be rare,Given to the wise folk,Calling me in prayer. But my world is fading,The magic in my heartFeels like it may leave me,I have played my part. My legend may be ending,And soon I might be gone,But gods c...

Talala looked down on the city square of Tantovar and smiled. Around her, people danced in a throng that filled the square. The rhythmic beat of hand drums and skirl of pipes filled the air with joyous sounds. “If only I could dance with them,” thought the goddess. But her body of carved stone was affixed to the temple dais. For deities could not enter the world of their own accord. They could only view it through the sta...

Something flew past the bedroom window as Shannon closed it for the night. The dark shape went by quickly, so quickly that Shannon could not really see what it was. Startled, she jumped back. “Probably just a bat or bird,” the young woman muttered as she quickly closed the window and curtains. She did not quite believe that. The shadow passing through the night had seemed too big for any wildlife. Shannon scurried to the...

High up among the mountain peaks, 'Midst towering trees and flowing creeks; There I will find a holy space, That’s filled with beauty, love, and Grace. In this temple I shall bow and pray, And worship to the Cosmos pay.    

Frank Baldwin stared out the window of his office. The lights of downtown Eversham shone before him. Usually, the mayor smiled when he looked out at those lights. A lifelong resident who had been the city’s mayor for twelve years, Frank was pleased and proud with the work he had done to improve the city. Tonight, though, he gazed out at them and sighed. It was looking like twelve years was enough for the citizens of Evers...

Butterflies and bees danced under the summer sun as Gail walked to the raspberry patch. The heat was increasing as the day wore on but was still bearable. With the lake as her pool, the heat did not really matter to Gail. She would re-apply sunscreen and go for a dip later. Finding a bush with plenty of ripe, red berries, Gail started picking. Her husband Michael was grilling a trout he had caught for dinner. The berries...

I am slumped in a chair, staring at my newest painting. For over twenty-four hours I have been awake, painting in a near-trance for more than half that time. The painting portrays a scene not far from my studio, a shallow bay on Lake Madeline. A woman emerges naked from the water. An overturned canoe floats nearby. The woman’s name is Lily. Memories flood in. ***** Thunder rumbled in the distance. I glanced towards the so...

Spooky people come out to play.This is now your special day.Scare the other folks away.Spooky people play! Monster people come out to dance,Tonight will be your perfect chance.Caper, spin, stomp, and prance!Monster people dance! Witch-y people grab your broom,Soar up through the twilight gloom,Past the stars you're going to zoom,Witch-y people zoom! Halloween people this is your night,Grab some candy, cause some fright,Wi...