spinning yarns from heartstrings
Benei stilled his mind with a deep breath, lungs expanding, stomach rising, fear expelling from his body in slow waves as he exhaled. He thought of Master Chen Khong’s achievement of true emptiness, and momentarily wished his own karma had been stillness. Alas, he was meant for less humble, more worldly achievements. When all was […]
Captain’s log; Stardate 4198, Year of the Goatrab Bit: It never fails to surprise me how far cultural similarities travel through the cosmos. Out here on the cusp of the Myceneaen Cluster, millions of light years away from Earth, we discovered an entire planetary system, three habitable worlds teeming with life dancing to the tune […]
They were absolutely hideous to look at, and Martinique could smell the cloying sweetness even through the wrapper. Their tiny faces, eyes unopened to the world, lips puckered, noses blunt… To be fair, they looked like wrinkled old men, more than babies, but the confectiomancer promised the souls were young. The magic would work; she […]
Drunye had no idea how long she’d been traveling through the forest. She hadn’t noticed when the weather shifted, if it had been subtle or outright because being lost had a way with messing with one’s mind, and she hadn’t been thinking clearly for hours… for about as long as she’d been lost, now that […]
E’ku was just a child when she gave up her own eyes to let the birds guide her along her path, into battle. They’d never steered her wrong, and she was a greater warrior for the sacrifice. *This image and flash fiction coincides with February 8, 2019’s Flashy Friday piece: Blind. I imagined this to […]
The sisters three made a sport of watching escaped riders race through Drottning’s domain, anticipating their attempts at freedom despite knowing it to be futile. Sometimes they even took bets on how close the riders might actually come to reaching the very edge of Förbjudna. The sisters rarely interfered, fearing Drottning’s wrath, though they took […]
How strange it was, to finally see the world around her. She hadn’t believed Vacha when he told her they would guide her, but out there in the grasslands, away from the bustle of the village, E’ku saw through the eyes of the birds, heard the tiny voices of their souls as bonded themselves to […]
Drawn to the light, the servant clung to the ledge and listened. It’d been a long time since a sacrifice had come if its own volition, and the mistress had become more distant the hungrier she grew. The servant reached out, a single leg perching at the edge, and bid herself not to tremble. She would […]
“You never should have crossed me, Egan. I recommend you start running.” She leveled the barrel in his direction and cocked her head thoughtfully, a slow grin touching her lips. Without even looking back, she said, “He’s all yours, Franklin.” She didn’t need to see his face to know Franklin was smiling. There was nothing […]
Even with the strange breathing apparatus, Dr. Yuna Song was sure she would hyperventilate. Excitement quickened her heart rate; her whole body trembled. The stream of bubbles escaping her air tube obscured H’tkeh’s strange, alien face when she turned to them and tried to smile around the the cumbersome mouthpiece. H’tkeh reached out and took her […]