Issue No. 001
E Fiction Magazine
Contents
Short Stories
.................... Page 3
Lunatic Pandora Nick Hayden
.................... Page 4
Waiting Thom Gabrukiewicz
.................... Page 8
Mercenary’s Apprentice
Tonya Moore
.................... Page 10
eFiction is also a writing movement (click here to
join) that focuses on developing successful methods of fiction and other creative writing for the digital age and into the future. If once a month is not enough eFiction for you, click
on over to the blog. It is updated a few times a week. Or follow the editor on twitter @efictionmag.
.................... Page 12
Serial Fiction
As stated above, submissions are open to everyone.
This magazine believes in creative freedom. Every genre .................... Page 21
Blood Binds
Episode 1 Tonya Moore
Jersey Surf
Episode 1 - Preseason Glen Binger
eFiction Magazine is a free subscription, monthly
fiction magazine that is open to submissions from anyone.
Turn Around Tadpole Peggy MacFarland
The Here and Now Calvin Seen
About the Magazine
is accepted, all lengths of pieces, if you have images you want to use, video, sound, whatever. Submit the draft here in Word formats, and, since turnaround on stories is
.................... Page 28
quick, you might see your story in the next issue.
.................... Page 35
Shoot comments or questions to editor@efictionmag.com
Poetry
Metaphor for Passing Suzanne Haskew Lies of Man Chasity Hendrickson
2
.................... Page 35
Turn Around Tadpole Peggy MacFarland
“Prettyprettyprettypretty pul-eeze? Show mommy
how you can be a daddy.” She stopped to pretend to suck her thumb. “Mummy wuvs her sweet-ums.”
Alton hated it when she talked baby talk. “Forever”
was indeed a very long time, and becoming longer, exponentially so, with each passing month. He didn’t get those men that said their wives bloomed during pregnancy, became glowing, sensuous goddesses. All he saw when he stared at Brittany’s swelling belly was a manatee. That tadpole of his, the one he learned existed during junior high school sex-ed class, that one out of a million that waited those fourteen years since junior high to obey the laws of procreation probably high-fived all the other tadpoles before the mighty swoosh!—before it swam against the odds and left its flagellating buddies in the dust to impregnated that insidious egg. His tadpole fulfilled its karma and helped form the seahorse-image in
3
the first ultrasound, which then grew into an alien-headed frog, metamorphosed into a… didn’t matter what it looked like; all he knew was what it transformed his petite, feminine, sexy wife into a lumbering, sea cow. A sea cow that barked baby talk.
“Altee, Altee, cock’s-in-free!”
Didn’t she understand that tone made his dick
wither rather than grow? Alton focused on her pouting lips and tried to ignore her pendulous breasts; her once delicate fingers, swollen into Vienna sausages, stroking her distended stomach. He refused to let his stare wander to the foot of the bed where her cankles rested. Alton bit his lips, his physical effort to check his mental disgust. Brittany smiled.
“Aw, you’re so sweet! You won’t hurt me. It’s
karma, me getting pregnant. Us Winslows, we’re fertile and we’re from sturdy stock. My Grammy had fourteen children! Yessirree, fourteen pregnancies. Imagine that?” Peggy McFarland writes weekly flash fiction here and daily nano-fic on twitter, @peggywriter. If you like her sense of humor, try this one. Darker stories can be found in print at Shroud Magazine, hoi polloi III and Six Sentences’ anthologies Volume 1 and 2. A sci-fi piece cowritten with Timothy P. Remp also made it into the print Best Of anthology. Check it out here
Lunatic Pandora Nick Hayden
No one much cared, except for other dermatologists. Then hairdressers, as if willed as one by their cosmetological god, complained of the increase in dandruff. Fear and panic spread like an old joke among
Then, one day, the sky began to fall.
new third graders. Committees and advisory boards were
No one noticed at first except the scientists. Soil
formed. They were dissolved after realizing that they had
samples indicated trace amounts of sky, which was first
no power to accomplish anything. A grass roots petition
regarded as a lab error, then a scientific prank. Victor
signed by 11.5 million Americans demanded that NASA
Von Frank, a man with three doctorates and no sense of
simply “stop it.” The UN considered the question and
reality, was the first to announce that he had isolated the
found it to be outside its authority.
“sky particles.” A year later, after many duplicated tests, Time and Newsweek announced the results to the public. The tabloids had done so six months earlier. It was not considered an immediate problem. There
Life returned to its normal state of unpredictability, and, for awhile, people forgot about the falling sky. Then cracks appeared in the sun, and people began to worry. The cracks were like crow’s feet on the eye of
is plenty of sky, the respected senator from Montana
exhaustion. The sun was old and tired. As one TV
argued, a few flakes drifting away here and there can’t
commentator pointed out, “Hey, it’s been around for
hurt.
billions of years. It’s about time it showed signs of wear.”
Dermatologists released a report that the apparent
4
People wearing hats were immune, the report concluded.
The network cancelled the commentator’s show after
increase in seborrheic dermatitis was, in all probability,
receiving several dumpsters of complaints and two letter
related to this disintegration of the sky. They had charts
bombs. The commentator gained an instant cult following
of land distribution and charts of population distribution.
on cable.
There was a sudden increased interest in the sun.
stays. Sunny days were not dangerous, except for the
People went to libraries and looked it up on the Internet.
usual debris and neighbors screaming at the shattered
Networks ran biographies on the sun. It became a
sun. Rainbows added color to the fields of blue and white
popular category on Jeopardy!. Still, despite its increased
glass. Tornadoes reminded people to attend church.
popularity, creases and cracks spread along the sun’s
Somewhere in Europe, a weatherman was stoned.
circle. Telescopes found these same tears in the sky, hairline
littered the highways and fields for pieces that resembled
fractures of the atmosphere. Children asked their parents
the faces of presidents and cartoon characters. Artists
about the sun and the sky. The parents shook their heads
arranged them into abstract designs meant to represent
and said, You wouldn’t understand. You’re too young.
the soul or the mind or the rising price of gas. In time,
So was everyone else.
the shards melted into globs like mercury and dissipated
In August, the news reported that a famous Hollywood
into the ground and were lost forever.
actor had been found dead, a shard of sky the size of a
The United Nations’ Committee of Atmospheric
broken plate lodged in his skull. The world wept. A week
Deterioration released a detailed study of the darkness
later it was reported that 937 others had died in a similar
revealed behind the missing sky. The pictures, magnified
manner the month before. None of these had been actors.
and dramatized, were featureless and blank. Some
For a week, stock in hard helmets rose in step with
thought the negatives had gone bad. The report
paranoia. It was soon verified that the shards were
concluded by saying that the Committee did not
aerodynamic, that the wind could direct their course.
understand the phenomena. A comedian said that the sky
They could disembowel as well as split skulls. There was a
report wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The sign lit up
renewed interest in medieval armor.
and the audience laughed.
Weather became a daily terror. Rain brought the clink
5
Collectors picked among the scrapes of sky that
of glass and roofing bills. Snowballs ended in hospital
When the first cloud fell and crushed Paris, no one was surprised. A nimbus conquered Naples days later. Others
fell, tearing thousands of acres of blue from the sky. A
against the scraps of our battered reality,” an objective
thunderhead landed in the ocean. The subsequent tidal
newspaper read. People with nothing better to do
wave killed millions of people. No one bothered to count
considered the image and invented horrors Heaven could
how many.
birth. “Letters to the Editor” overtook the sports section of
A new slang term developed for the darkness that
local newspapers. A prize was given for the most creative
used to be the sky. They called it Heaven. No one actually
prediction of future destruction. The prize was one million
believed it was Heaven, but some had forgotten what
dollars—it would buy beef jerky for the backyard bunker.
heaven was and other didn’t want to name the darkness truly. It had swallowed all the stars. Shreds of sky bulged
Heaven gained names. Some called it Destiny, others Death, others Madness, others God. It ate skyscrapers
as Heaven pushed down against them. The clouds scraped first, then office building, then cathedrals. Children threw the ground like the bellies of giant white pigs. Eventually, they collapsed from their own weight and died. The sun, a bloodshot eye in the sky, finally exploded
The cloud-cities could not handle Heaven. The clouds shriveled like rotten fruit at its touch. The halls burned
into a billion burning fragments. It rained fire for a day
with the smell of ozone. Someone declared that the end
and a half. Cities burned, but most had been abandoned
of the world was at hand. Another replied, Oh yeah?
already. People didn’t mind the light of flames all that
Sarcasm became the official language of fifty-seven
much. It was better than the blindness of Heaven.
countries.
In those last days, when there were still slivers of blue
6
balls into it. The balls never came down.
Heaven continued downward. It hung like suspended
above, communities gathered in the fallen clouds. They
tears above the earth. Tall men stooped. Short men
hollowed out tunnels and rooms and tapped water from
laughed, and then they too stooped as Heaven continued
the cloud’s interior. It might have worked—they might
downward. The ones who had not called it God or Destiny
have survived—except that after the sky fell, Heaven fell.
began chipping away at Heaven with the abandoned tools
Heaven bulged. “A pregnant womb pressing hard
of their abandoned trades. Hammers, spatulas, keys,
flashlight, keyboards, knitting needles, X-ray machines—
Nick Hayden is the author of the web serial A Girl Called
whatever each person knew how to use—these pounded
Snort. The serial, and other stories, can be found at
and scraped and clanged and clawed and drilled at
http://nickhayden.digitalnovelists.com.
Heaven. It was said that certain poets could tear a footlong gash in Heaven with the edge of their wit. And now I lie here on my back, alone in the darkness of Heaven and the light of my own personal star. I have only a pencil and a box of granola bars I stole from the kitchen when it still existed. A pinpoint of light blazes above me, the work of my pencil. Heaven, though it seems the thickness of reality, is the thinness of a dream not yet woken from. I continue puncturing Heaven to reach the light beyond. The darkness pushed the sky away, but the light—the heaven behind Heaven—is pushing the darkness away. I need to be on the other side. Heaven is not thick, but it is tough and unyielding. I may die soon. All that’s left is to dig my hole. The world is swallowed. There are other people in other pockets, perhaps, but I am alone. I hope to slip through my hole before I die. I hope the hole is large enough. If not, my soul should fit at least.
7
She’s slumped against the fabric in what he
Waiting
ultimately decides is horrid posture, but he’s taken with her simple beauty. He likes how a few strands of hair – fine and golden like corn silk – have come loose from the
Thom Gabrukiewicz Oddly enough, there’s a fly in the cramped waiting area, incessantly buzzing and flitting to and fro. It turns his stomach just a little. “Filthy little bastard,” he whispers. “Goddamn unsanitary.” He’s seated on a textured couch that has the unpleasant feel of burlap. It’s seen a lot of action and with
When she turns to face him, he notices her eyes glassy like marbles, but dull, sad. It occurs to him that he’s staring. She’s uncomfortable and picks at a few of the errant hair strands and tries to smooth them behind her ear. He coughs, gestures with an open hand, index finger in a lazy point.
each new visit, he thinks, there’s a new stain that’s been
“Did that hurt?” he asks.
left in memorial.
He’s pointing to the small, but ragged hole at her
He picks the end that’s pocked with cigarette burns, like tiny wounds, and shies away from the middle cushion with the rather large blot, which could be urine or something far worse. He keeps his palms cupped on his knees, and every
temple. “Actually, no,” she says, suddenly conscious of the hair that’s singed from powder burns. “I’m guessing .22-caliber?” he asks. “Yes,” she says. “How can you tell?”
once and again runs a thumb over the small snag in his
“No exit wound,” He says. “Very tidy.”
gray wool trousers.
She wears no expression on her pale face, her white
When not watching the fly, he sneaks sideways
8
ponytail she wears.
glances at her.
cheeks dotted with soft, reddish-tan freckles. She’s staring at his skinny wrists.
“What about you?” she says, nodding her head toward him. “Disturbingly so,” he says, running three fingers of
being laid off from a position he’d held for precisely 30 days shy of his 25th anniversary. He tells her about a slow
his left hand over the waxy flesh of his right wrist. “And I
reorganization of the contents in the box, all while filling a
was totally unprepared for the for the mess I left.”
red wine glass several times with a bold, spicy Zinfandel
He holds both hands palm up, studies the twin cuts on each wrist, each precisely two and three-quarters of an inch long.
he fancied. He tells her about the final impulse to shave his wrists, deep and vertically speaking of course.
“Razor blade?”
She listens politely.
“Straight razor, actually. Amazingly sharp blade,
“Makes you think,” he says.
really good high-carbon German steel.” The conversation reaches a terminus and the sounds of the buzzing fly return. But he’s both curious, smitten. Embolden by their proximity in space, he inquires as to reasoning. She instead describes her final moments in her bed, lights out, covers pulled up to her chin, gun pressed to her temple. “It’s silly, really,” she says, finally. “It was over a boy.”
Another terminus, another cold, somber silence, fills the waiting room. He jumps when his name is called, like a current has been run through him. He stands awkwardly, runs his hands across his thighs to smooth out any wrinkles in the soft wool, clears his throat. “Maybe we can talk again sometime?” She looks up, meets his eyes with hers. “Sure, maybe, I mean if, well, definitely - I hope we
He raises his eyebrows at the news.
9
tossed haphazard into a cardboard box with no lid, after
meet up again.”
“You?”
He tries to grin, but can’t.
He describes coming home from work, his things
There is no smiling here.
The Here and Now Calvin Seen
it would be faster if he went through the drive thru instead. Finally, he receives his order and finishes his meal. Jogging back to work, with his heart racing, he stresses out over his deadline. Hours go by as co-workers disappear from the office. Feeling lonely in the empty office, he finishes his project
Joe’s alarm goes off shrieking in his ears. He fixes
his tie and mixes his instant coffee, worrying about his deadline. He jumps into his Mustang, accelerates to work,
as the moon comes up. Rejecting his longing for a relationship, as it would just be a distraction, he heads out of the office.
and parks in the “Employee of the Year” spot.
As he maneuvers his way through the maze of cu-
bicles, co-workers are tapping away on their keyboards. Upon entering his office he starts to work, rapidly typing C++ code at 200 wpm reassuring his belief that time is money. While scanning the screen, he has no fear about the economy due to his work ethic. Taking a quick glance at his Master’s Degree, he proudly feels he deserves his secure career as a software developer.
On his way home, he stops by the bar and does
eight shots of vodka, which bring him artificial joy. With the world spinning, he surpasses the speed limit, honking at slow drivers. A Camaro attempts to speed by him and they race down the highway giving him an adrenaline rush. He slams his fist on the steering wheel as the Camaro breezes by him as he had spent days tweaking his vehicle. Arriving at home, he finds a package on his door step. He rips open the package and it’s the Flat Screen TV he ordered. Sober and depressed that he is up to date in
Lunch time rolls around at 12:00 PM. He dashes to
McDonalds, he enters the restaurant and finds himself waiting in a long line. Looking at his watch, he wonders if
10
electronics but is still alone; he installs the TV and falls back into his recliner. Attempting to reconnect with the nation, he flips the TV on.
at the playground, he is regretful that he has never expeWe interrupt your regularly scheduled programming: War.
rienced the joy that comes from marriage and kids leav-
Global Warming. Violence.
ing him lonely and bitter. All he had was the belief that
Weight Loss Pills.
being successful comes from wealth, giving no time to be
He slaps a frozen meal in to the microwave as it
patient and reflective. Now CEO of the company, he looks
beeps two minutes later. As he earnestly watches the
at the confident employee who is rising quickly up the
President’s speech on the urgency to stop terrorism, he
ladder. He wonders, when he reaches the top, will he have
devours his Hungry Man dinner and pops an Ambien,
the nerve to say, as he does, that life has past by him too
knocking him to sleep. The next morning, he panics as he
fast?
has forgotten to set his clock for Daylight Saving Time. Jumping into his Mustang and zooming to work, he goes
Calvin Seen started writing three months ago. “The Here
through all of the traffic lights before they turn yellow.
and Now” is his first story. It is derived from observations
Opening the door, he is dumbfounded as hands clap and
made while working for three years at McDonalds in Ur-
cake is served, celebrating his raise and promotion. Feel-
bana, Maryland. He would like to thank his co-workers at
ing lonesome, he closes his office door as he deemed his
McDonalds who helped him gain the experience to write
co-workers as mere acquaintances. Years go by as these
“The Here and Now.” You can find Calvin’s other work at
behaviors are repeated.
http://www.flashfictionforums.com
Joe grows old and looks back at his impulsive life-
style. Reexamining the plaques of achievements on his wall, he ponders about how becoming prestigious at the cost of his personal life has left him depressed. Looking
11
out the window at the young couple playing with their kid
Mercenary’s Apprentice Tonya Moore
The world terrifies me. I’m not talking about the
“Sorry,” I mutter, shifting back to the present mo-
ment, both hating and loving the way my body warms at the mere hint of his breath in my ear.
There’s a low chuckle. “Come see me tonight.”
There’s a jolt. My shaking hands fumble with the
stack of papers I’d been sifting through. “I really can’t.
big, bad urban jungle or the relentless sprawl of suburbia.
Um, I still have to--”
It’s the wild, primeval planet that bares its teeth when
you step outside on a quiet summer night. Flowers that
are the options.”
fear the sun explode into brilliance, spewing their thick,
mysterious fragrance everywhere. Cicadas become bold
the “h.” I gave up on correcting him a long time ago. Be-
and they surround you. The warm earth throbs beneath
sides, at some point I’d begun to love the way he says my
your feet. The stars, they hum in tune with that huge and
name.
overwhelming something that’s always out there watching
and waiting. The naked night strips you down to the mar-
mom is watching the TV with the volume so low, it might
row and there’s no secret you can possibly hide from it.
as well be mute. Earlier, I’d asked if she could even hear
Usui terrifies me.
it.
When I’m with him, it feels the same. When he’s
“Thomas, come to me or I will come to you. Those
He pronounces my name with a hard “T” dropping
My eyes slant toward the living room where my
She’d waved me away, taking a sip of her herbal
inside me, his eyes are hot, merciless and almost calcu-
tea. “My hearing’s just fine kid.”
lating. They peel away my armor and...
her teabags with an Essiac blend.
“Thomas?” The voice streaming out of the phone
cradled to my ear is low and curious.
12
I don’t think she’s realized that I’ve switched out
My face is burning. I can’t imagine making love with
Usui in this house. Her sharp ears would pick up every
13
sound!
cop was here wasting away from complications caused by
a gunshot wound to the pancreas. She didn’t call me back
I know he knows this but I heard the stubborn im-
patience in his voice. He’s difficult when he gets like this.
home until it was time to say goodbye. Said they didn’t
I can’t put it past him to show up and refuse to leave.
want me to miss out on life and some other exasperating,
I sigh heavily, playing the I’ll-go-since-you’re-basically-
parental bull.
forcing-me card.
“It’s okay, I’ll come to you.”
tell Mom the reason we’re not going to the family reunion
“See you then,” he says cheerfully. I’m sure he gets
is your aunts Janine and Cleo can’t stand to be in the
When I was a kid, Dad would always tell me, “Don’t
it but it seems, he doesn’t particularly care.
same room with her.”
I reach over to idly messy Mom’s hair on the way
It didn’t end there.
upstairs to change. It’s an old habit leftover from child-
There was also, “don’t tell Mom, no one on my side
hood, when I used to do it just to drive her insane. I
of the family really wants her around.”
guess it’s my way of trying to reassure her. Ever since I
came home, she’s been giving me these sad, searching
was some big sin to fall in love with a man that was dark,
looks. I’d come back saying that I was dropping out of
if you happened to be blond and have big, blue eyes.
college. She’s worried and thinks something awful must
Don’t tell. Don’t tell. Don’t tell.
have happened to me there. I can’t tell her the truth. I’d
I became so adept at keeping secrets. Who knew
barely been in college two months when I was scouted by
that it would ultimately serve me so well?
the Mantis company. Been done with school ever since.
cer slowly eating away at her insides. She’s lost so much
It’s all right like this, I think. We’d long ago become
Like it was her fault my first Mom had died. Like it
My mom, she doesn’t think I know about the can-
a family in the habit of keeping secrets to protect each
weight, she looks barely more than skin and bones. Her
other. Mom and Dad didn’t tell me that while I was sup-
skin is so pale and translucent, I can see her veins. My
posedly away at college for three years, my dad - the ex-
dark hand is such a startling contrast against hers, like
the difference between night and day. She feeds me some
back stairway. “Ma! I’m going out.”
stupid line that it’s her own fault for overworking but her
“Okay, hon.” She answers, still from the living room.
illness is the reason I moved back home, so there.
Once in my car, I hit the speed dial on my phone. A
sleepy female voice answers. “Martine, I’m going out. Can
Black cargo pants, black polo shirt--I consider my-
you watch my mom?”
self good and dressed and eye my reflection in the mir-
ror critically. I sigh because there are shadows under my
deal is, we pretend I don’t know about my mom’s can-
eyes. The single diamond stud in my left ear is a gift from
cer and I pay Marty to come over and stay with her when
Usui. I smile, grudgingly so because he’d been so arro-
I’m away. Marty’s happy with the arrangement. I pay her
gant, declaring that he’d known that it would suit me. As
well and without a full-time job, she gets to paint to her
if that was a rational explanation for having pierced my
heart’s content. A big plus: she loves my mom.
earlobe while I slept, without even asking me about it
first.
something to Ray, her live-in boyfriend. “Did you leave
I don’t mind that I’m smaller in stature than Usui.
She’s an old, childhood friend and an artist. Our
I hear a rustle of sheets and she’s murmuring
already?” She asked in the same breath.
I’m not exactly skinny. I work out every morning because
It takes me a few moments to realize that she’s
I have to. It’s a requirement for keeping my job at the
talking to me and not Ray. “Huh? Yeah, just now.”
company, even though I’m really just tech support and
“All right, I’ll be over there in five.”
basically a gopher... an obscenely well paid gopher. I don’t
Twenty minutes later, I’m veering off the interstate
even want to think about the brutal group training camp
and on the exit road leading to Usui’s house.
that I have to attend every six months. A scowl mars my
14
features as it occurs to me that there’s another one com-
ing up too soon for my liking.
drop but odd because I never usually got assignments so
close to my home but it was to pass files off to a Mantis
I grab my jacket and my keys and amble down the
I met Usui six months ago. It was a routine package
colleague at a local gallery, so no sweat there. To my sur-
around with stuff like that.
prise, he also turned out to be the artist whose work was
on exhibit that day.
time he was wearing dark slacks and a fashionable shirt,
the kind you see in glossy magazines. The air of urbanity
when we first met. His long dark hair was gathered into
suited him but there was something untamed underneath.
what I now know to be his ubiquitous ponytail, with a rub-
I remember thinking:
ber band. He has a pretty mouth, eloquent, golden eyes.
His refined features are at odds with his rough hands and
street in the small, dark hours. You see a shape in the
careless lankiness. He has lovely, tanned skin like melted
dark. You think oh, it’s just a stray house cat but the clos-
caramel. Sometimes, I wonder where he was born but
er it gets, the bigger and scarier it gets. Then you hear
he’d probably never tell me. His voice has traces of East
that low, predatory growl. That’s not a cat, you think.
End London and the West Indies, alternatively. That could
That’s not a cat at all! By the time you realize your mis-
be just an affectation for the job though, so I can’t really
take, bones are already cracking.
tell.
15
I swear my heart stopped for at least five seconds
Usui stands at least a head taller than me. At the
Digging into his past by normal means would prob-
Say you’re in the city walking down a deserted
I don’t know why I was thinking that. It was with
dismay that I suddenly realized that I’d been standing
ably get me nowhere fast. I suspect that anything I find
there staring at him all wide-eyed, like a total idiot.
by conventional means would be disinformation fabricated
by the company anyway. To find the truth, I’d probably
to leave but he grabbed my hand and asked me to stay
need to hack Mantis’ database. Being the low man on the
a while and have a drink with him afterward. I hesitated.
totem pole, I’d probably wind up with with bullet in my
On principle, I should have refused. My work there was
head for looking for the wrong things in the wrong places
done but something inside me wanted to say yes. God,
though. When you work for an international conglomer-
yes.
ate of mercenaries-for-hire, you know better than to mess
Mortified, I handed over the package and turned
He flashed a dazzling smile and said, “don’t worry.
It’s not like you’re breaking protocol or anything.”
sculptures, something twists inside me. That wild, ancient
fear bubbles up in my throat.
My legs went all rubbery and I remember nodding
wordlessly, then I watched him walk off to talk to some
A few minutes later, I’m following him into the
patrons while I waited.
kitchen and watching as he washes up. He gets something from the fridge. “Want anything?”
16
Usui’s house is a squat building with peeling adobe
I shake my head. “Not right now.”
paint on the outside. It used to be a warehouse of some
He wanders out into the living area and sinks down
sort. A huge metal wall with a door separates his living
into the couch. Black spots pepper the bare part of his
space from his art studio on the inside. I use the keys
chest, burn marks from the sparks. Sometimes, he gets
that he gave me a week ago, to enter his studio. Besides
carried away and becomes careless. He pops the top on
the noise from his machinery, he works in silence. He’s
his... beer? I frown in puzzlement. Since when does Usui
wearing an over-sized jeans jumper with a tank top un-
drink beer?
derneath. He works with a blowtorch, sparks spewing
“So,” he says at length. “This next job...”
everywhere as he welds.
“Hmmm.” I nod, not saying anything else since I
don’t really know how much he knows.
“Hey.” I’m not sure he’ll hear me but the torch is
extinguished and he raised the safety mask and has a
smile for me.
ters are another entirely. We rarely talk shop, so my
thoughts are a scrambled mess of questions already.
“One sec,” he flips the mask down and the blow-
Helpless attraction is one thing. Professional mat-
torch leaps to life for a few more minutes.
hint of a smile flashes across his face. He reaches into the
“What are you making?” I eyed the hulk of jumbled
He regards me quietly with those cat-like eyes. A
metal dubiously.
pocket of his jumper and hands me a small round disc.
“Dunno yet.”
I don’t really get his art but when I look at Usui’s
changed quite a bit. It’s a level six job now.”
“New orders came down. The job parameters have
Level one straight to level six? What the hell?
treatment facility in Switzerland that I’d been--
“Ordinarily,” he continues. “It would have been re-
assigned to the next qualified team on the roster but Taki-
tial! He’d said those words. I’m honored, elated and terri-
kun owed me a favor. You’ll stay on the assignment as my
fied all at once. Sitting across from him, I nod jerkily.
second.”
one thing... be right back.”
My brain fizzles a bit. Good god. He’s on a first
He springs to his feet suddenly. “Oh, yeah. There is
name basis with the head of personnel for the entire
western division?
twirling a Baretta Jetfire semi-automatic pistol between
his fingers. He sits back down and sets it down on the
I don’t know what exactly Usui does. His level is
He wanders into the next room and returns, idly
way, waaaay above mine. I crunch numbers and coax
coffee table, giving it a little push towards me.
electronic circuitry into doing impossible things. What
Usui does for the company is probably... dangerous.
tional.”
I blink suddenly. My next words are a stammered,
incoherent rush ending with a single lame word. “Togeth-
huh.”
er?”
17
I gape at him some more. Usui thinks I have poten-
He nods and eases back. “I really think you have a
“Carrying one of these,” he says. “Is no longer op-
I shake my vehemently, eying it with distaste. “Nu-
It’s not like I’m unfamiliar with guns. I was also
trained to handle and maintain firearms. It’s the thought
lot of potential. Only if you want to though.”
of having to actually use one on somebody that petri-
fies me. I swallow nervously, wondering how I’m going
My mouth drops open at the casual way he just
tossed that out here, like it’s no big deal he called in a
to explain this to him. He doesn’t ask for an explanation
massive favor like that on my behalf--without even know-
though. He doesn’t say anything else about it and I think
ing if I’d agree. Then again, who wouldn’t leap at the rare
that’s the end of it until later when I’m naked, trembling
chance to advance several pay grades ahead? I think of
and straddling him.
my Mom. There was a private and extremely exclusive
His cock is firmly buried in me. His fist tightens
around mine. A violent shudder runs through my entire
body.
Again.
18
He says out of the blue, “About the gun. You’re go-
“Again!” I heard myself pleading. Again. Again.
His mouth covers mine when I begin to quake un-
ing to have to--”
controllably against him.
His words die on a ragged moan as I begin to move
“Thomas... Thomas...” He chants my name like a
mindlessly against him. “I can’t! I really, really can’t--”
mantra and I can feel it building up inside him, the way
his body shudders when he erupts inside me.
Oh... god. His hand is pumping of the slick, throb-
bing length of me in slowly deliberate, torturous motions.
“Oh f--ck... stop screwing with me!” I growl.
hair back behind his ears. I kiss his sweaty shoulder
and taste salt and flecks of burnt metal on my tongue.
In the next breath, I’m burying my head in his
My trembling hands brush the damp mess of his
shoulder and I whimper mournfully when he lets go and
Drained, I tumble sideways. I don’t have the strength to
places both hands on my hips, immobilizing me instead.
move but Usui hooks his arm around my waist and draws
“Thomas. Thomas, look at me.”
me close.
My petulant “No” is muffled against his skin.
“Thomas,” His voice is a strained, hoarse plea. “Lis-
ous and earnest. “You have to promise. Swear on my life
“Thomas.” His magnetic eyes pull me in. He is seri-
ten baby,” he whispers against my ear and my heart im-
that if it comes down to it, you’ll do what it takes to not
mediately melts - damn him!
die.”
“Usui...”
softly. “You just put your finger on the trigger and
“If you don’t, I can’t have you as my partner. Tell
squeeze.”
me now. Do you want to do this or not?”
“There’s nothing to it, nothing at all, “ he croons
I feel his muscles tighten and bunch, his hands urg-
I think about him and how much he believes in me.
ing me upward. His hips surge up as he pulls me down
I think abut my mom and and the treatments I’d be able
forcefully. A sort of fevered wail falls from my lips.
to get get my hands on, thanks to the extra money and
company connections.
A few minutes later, I’m watching him from the kitchen
entryway.
“All right, I promise.” My heart quails a little bit but
the way he’s looking at me, I feel like I can do it. If I have
to.
out of my voice.
I settle into his arms, glancing reluctantly at the
“Hmmm?” He looks back at me with an untroubled
clock. It’s 3:32 am. I really should get going.
smile. “How high do culinary skills rank on your list of
“Stay with me?”
deadly sins?”
He always asks me this and I always have to say
no.
“Eight,” I say, without hesitation and he crows,
setting a plated omelet on the table before me. Then he My teeth worry at my lower lip. I want to. I re-
brings me a glass of orange juice and a handful of... vita-
ally, really want to but I say, “my mom needs me. I don’t
mins. Seriously?
like to think she’ll be all alone when she wakes up in the
morning.”
“You’re way too perfect for someone like me.”
19
“You can cook too?” I can’t quite keep the outrage
“This isn’t going to work.” I grumble, taking a seat.
“I already asked Martine and she said she’d spend
the night.” His grin is triumphant and sunny.
During the past fortnight, I got a painful crash course on
I wonder how such a simple thing could make him
It’s been two weeks since that magical morning.
so obnoxiously happy. And when exactly did my lover and
why level fives and over don’t have to attend the manda-
my childhood friend begin plotting against me? My stom-
tory six month training camps. Usui and I are in the belly
ach does this weird little flip and my heart aches so ter-
of a military-type transport plane, somewhere over Be-
ribly. It feels like a knife wound that has pierced so deeply
larus.
It feels like I’m going to die but it’s a good kind of agony.
gear. “Nervous?”
In the morning, my growling stomach wakes me up.
Something smells great and Usui is no longer beside me.
His fingers linger here and there as he checks my
My mouth twists in what I hope is a disdainful “hell
no.”
His finger flicks my chin. “You’ll do fine,” he declares
firmly with a confident nod. There’s a slow, deliberate smile and I wonder just what the hell he’s thinking about at a time like this.
His fingers brush behind my ear. “Check.”
My breath hitches but I nod. “Loud and clear.”
“Time.”
“0508.” He adjusts his watch and nods.
I mimic his motions and then finally reach behind
his ear. “Check.”
“Clear.” he smiles. “All right. We’re all set.”
He gives me a hard, toe-curling kiss that sets my
hair on end. The air begins to roar as the maw of the plane opens up.
“Good hunting!” He yells.
“See you soon!” I yell back.
I’m breathless as I release my rappel line and close
my eyes, letting my body fall backwards and somersaulting out of the plane. Usui follows. The breaking dawn is blinding. I’m smiling as earth and wind rush upward to swallow us whole.
20
Jersey Surf preseason
“I think it looks good, so far,” she said. “I feel like it
needs some work, though.”
She looked around the room, at all the beer
posters, trying to avoid eye contact with him. She knew
Glen Binger
21
The only thing they could do was wait. A new
he was attracted to her, so she tried to steer clear of the awkward situations such as these. The office, if one could
summer began soon. Flip flops everywhere were itching to
call it that, was kind of empty for being so close to the
be put into consistent footwear rotation. People’s instincts
start of the season. A few boxes of new security uniforms
were looming and bad decisions were ready to be made.
were stacked in the far corner. There were a few sets of
Working one of the biggest summer bars in New Jersey
furnished desks, each complete with a computer straight
meant more than money; it was a network of everything
out of the early 90’s.
social.
“I guess,” he laughed.
Directly above the description he just read was a
Memorial Day Weekend comes and the season
begins. At the end of every May, nightlife at the Jersey
picture of two half-naked women kissing each other in
Shore explodes with the latest music and hottest people,
some Photoshop waves. A typical Club Surf poster.
completely provided by Club Surf. It’s the perfect mix of
ocean, music, and alcohol. Come paddle out, you won’t
site,” continued Zach.
regret it in the morning!
keyboard.
“What do you think?” asked Zach. “I helped Wayne
“He thought it would make for a good ad on the
Natalie placed it back on the desk, next to Wayne’s
with this one.”
“Why are they making out?”
“I dunno,” he answered, “to attract attention?”
meeting was going to begin. She walked over to him and
Zach leaned back in Wayne’s desk chair and Natalie
laughed, picking up the early flyer design.
started picking at the blotches of teal nail polish on her
Natalie checked her cell phone, wondering when the
fingertips. She walked back to the opposite side of the
Wayne’s. Linda was the floor manager, in charge of all the
room, disinterested.
operations regarding servers. Natalie was very careful not
to mess up anything on the desk.
Natalie sighed. “Where the hell is Chris? Why does
he tell us to be here at three if he isn’t gonna be here ‘til
three-thirty?”
offices and sat down at his desk next to Linda’s. Zach
“I feel like he does this a lot,” laughed Zach.
and Natalie sat up straight in the seats. Sometimes the
She didn’t respond. After checking the time on her
smallest detail could cost someone their job if he was in
phone again, Natalie looked over at the flyer once more.
one of his moods.
“Where’s Wayne?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. But I think this preseason meeting
short notice,” Chris began. “How were your winters?”
“Hey guys, glad you could come today on such
is just for the bartenders and waitresses, not the upper
management.”
work the inside bar.” He laughed.
“Oh.” Natalie forced a smile. “So where’s everyone
else?”
22
Five silent minutes later, Chris walked into the
“Not bad,” Zach smiled. “Didn’t do much aside from
They relaxed, seeing as Chris wasn’t stressed and
annoyed. The upstairs offices were only used by the lower
“That’s okay,” said Chris. “Summer is more fun,
level staff for two things: meetings and hiring/firing. For
anyway.” He laughed and looked at Natalie; “And yours?”
Zach and Natalie, today specifically, it was between a
meeting or losing their jobs. Waiting up here this long
month left of teaching.”
did not help their jitters. Especially so on the Sunday
before Memorial Day weekend. Zach tried to fend it off by
end of your first year, right?”
making small talk. Natalie picked at her nails.
“Yeah,” she smiled. “It’s great! I love it.”
“No idea. I guess they’re not here yet,” he replied.
Zach glanced over at Natalie, her warm, dirty-
Natalie took a seat in Linda’s desk, opposite of
blonde hair distracting him. Even though she was here,
Natalie replied, “It was okay. I’ve only got another
“Good, good. How do you like it so far? This is the
23
waitressing almost every other night during the winter, he
forgot she had an actual day job. He nibbled the inside of
of hiring the summer help and scheduling everyone,
this lower lip, quickly remembering that he was jealous of
while, at the same time, still working at the bar and on
her for it.
the floor. But you both knew that, right?”
They nodded.
only called the two of you in.”
“If anything too crazy happens this summer, you
will be held responsible.”
“Great. Okay, well you might have noticed that I
Zach and Natalie looked at each other then back at
“Great,” said Chris. “This means you’ll be in charge
Chris, both anxious as to how he was going to finish the
Again, they nodded.
statement.
“Okay, great! Well, Linda should be in any moment
“The reason is that you both have the most
to give you the paperwork. We’re officially opening the
experience in your areas and with the summer season
doors for the summer season this Friday.” He motioned
coming this weekend, we need to reopen our summer
his index and middle fingers while saying ‘officially.’
management positions.”
Zach thought it was tacky.
Club Surf was open all year round, however, the
Chris suddenly smiled. Zach and Natalie sighed
together, almost in unison, as their apprehension
amount of staff drastically increased in the summer.
softened.
During the winter months, mostly locals were the only
ones to visit and the outside areas were closed off due
“I want to appoint both of you to the head positions,
as last year’s managers will not be returning. Zach, you’ll
to the change in weather. So in preparation for summer
be head bartender and Natalie, the head waitress. What
every year, Chris, the general manager, rehired many
do you think?”
returning employees. Most of them were college students
who could only work during the summer, anyway.
Zach instantly thought about the pay increase and
smiled. “Absolutely!”
Memorial Day weekend marked the annual opening of the
outer bars and tables. It also marked the deadline to get
“--Definitely!” Natalie cut in.
24
all staff back.
for me, let me show you the desk you’ll be sharing.”
Chris continued, “Try your best to hire the new
“Anyway, unless you guys have any other questions
employees by then. Linda has the list of returning
employees, so get them from her when she comes in. I
of the corner of her perspective. She tried to hide any
understand this is so last minute, so try to schedule the
expression that would give away how unfortunate she was
current bartenders and waitresses as much as possible, at
feeling. She stood up and followed Chris, Zach behind her.
first; then you can weave in the returning ones. Natalie, I
know you still have a month of teaching left. Are you sure
was just a regular empty office desk with two chairs on
you’re able to do all of this much at such late notice?”
each side in the far corner of the upstairs room. Zach
attempted to make conversation with Natalie about
Zach leaned back in the chair and folded his
Natalie immediately noticed Zach glance at her out
Chris had left the two of them at their desk; which
arms across his chest. Natalie paused for a moment to
Chris’s fashion sense and failed. She stood next to the
contemplate rejecting the position. But she could use the
window across the room. Seven blocks east, she could
extra money.
barely see the ocean. A half hour later, Linda showed up.
Quickly, both newly appointed supervisors took a seat at
“Absolutely,” she said. “My lesson plans are already
done for the rest of the year, so I’ll have time after school.
her desk.
That’s okay, right?”
at noon.”
“As long as you get the work done, I don’t care
“Here are the forms you need to fill out by Thursday
when you do it,” he laughed.
separated in the force of the throw and several pieces fell
He stood up from his desk and stretched. At this
Linda tossed two piles of paper at them. Zach’s
point, Zach first noticed the polo, jean, flip-flip combo
onto the floor.
that Chris was wearing. He made note of it in order
“Do you have any questions?”
to have something to talk about with Natalie after the
Linda was in a mood, as usual. Natalie wanted to
meeting.
kick her in the vagina and Zach was scared of her.
25
“No? Okay. My work-cell number is listed at the
the positions you’ve worked into these supervisor titles.
bottom of the pink guidelines page, as is Chris’s. Please
Under no circumstances are you to be biased while
don’t hesitate to call us when you need off. You are
creating the schedules. Do you understand? Do not give
required to work Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.”
your friends more hours or off certain nights just because
you are sleeping with them.”
Tuesdays were famous at Club Surf. The special
they offered was ever-so-cleverly called “Miller Nite;”
featuring seventy-five cent beers beginning at eight
at equal eye-contact level, Linda seemed to sit taller,
and then at eleven the price increasing to a dollar. To
larger, and more superior. Zach pictured tiny horns poking
customers, it seemed like a deal, but really it didn’t
out of her scalp from beneath the shiny black hair. Natalie
cut into the budget too much. It was Miller Lite in eight
still fought the urge to kick her in the vagina.
ounce cups. Customers would literally buy trays of beer
at a time. Combined with the ten dollar cover, it grossed
paid online-training by Friday at noon. Any questions?”
higher thousands of dollars after salaries in a single night.
Fridays and Saturdays were obviously big nights, as well.
scared. So he just politely shook his head.
She continued, “All schedules must be submitted
Even though the three parties in the room remained
“Okay, in that case, you both have to complete the
Zach wanted to ask about the salary, but was too
“Yeah, actually,” replied Natalie. “How much of a
to me no later than two weeks prior to the start of each
pay increase do we receive?”
month. Because I am your direct supervisor, I reserve
the right to alter the schedule at any time without your
then what you are currently making, plus tips if you are
permission. Yes, I will tell you when I do. No, you cannot
serving. In the office you make fifteen dollars an hour,
question the adjustments. Are we clear?”
as you will not have many office hours – about eight per
month.”
They both nodded, their eyes wider than before.
“On the floor you make ten dollars more per hour
The room’s apprehension tightened, again.
Zach began calculating his paycheck.
“Okay, cool. Thanks,” said Natalie.
“Now, I realize you are both coming straight from
26
Linda nodded: the most affection she had shown
did not quite catch his well-mannered gesture, as she just
the entire meeting. “Anything else?”
kept talking. He quietly sighed as he took the first step,
now behind her.
Zach came back to the conversation; “No, ma’am.”
Natalie shook her head and smiled.
“Last summer’s head waitress. She was the tall
“Okay, I have another meeting. If you would like,
brunette.”
feel free to use the computer at your desk to begin the
training. Otherwise, you are free to leave.”
absolutely right about the intimidation thing.” Zach
laughed.
Linda closed a folder and placed it in the organizer
“Oh, right! The one with the nice butt. Well, she’s
on her desk.
“For sure,” she laughed, too.
“Thanks, again,” said Natalie.
Natalie paused, trying to figure out what exactly
The three of them stood up and Linda went
about Zach she didn’t like. She couldn’t come up with
downstairs. Zach turned to Natalie and laughed.
anything.
“What’s so funny?”
“She’s scary,” he smiled.
avoid her all the time.”
Natalie chuckled. “Yeah she is. But I’m sure we’ll be
“Yeah, that’s what Pete said. He told me he tried to
“I don’t blame him,” Natalie smiled. “Is he coming
okay. She hasn’t fired any of the supervisors, I think.”
back this year?”
“How do you know that?”
The two of them began for the door to leave, Zach
scared him away from being the head barkeep.”
“I thought he was? I’m not sure now. Maybe Linda
in front of Natalie.
stairs. Zach was unaware of the history between Pete
“Well, Kim said that she’s not really a complete
They both laughed, reaching the bottom of the
bitch. It’s just her way of being intimidating.”
and Natalie, even though they had been friends since last
“Who’s Kim?”
summer.
Zach motioned Natalie to head downstairs first. She
Zach continued, “Is Kim?”
“Is Kim what? Coming back?”
by the consistent awkward efforts he gave. But Natalie
He nodded.
was never one to listen to her instincts.
“Yeah, she texted me last week to tell me that she
was but not as the head waitress.”
“Oh, cool.”
“It’s okay, I think we’ll be alright,” Natalie reasoned
out loud. “I mean, between us, we have almost ten years experience right?”
Zach agreed.
Both followed the cement path through to the rear
exit by the parking lot. Zach checked the time on his phone. It was only 5:30.
“Besides,” continued Natalie, “there’s no way
anyone can be that stone cold of a person.”
There was a brief end to the conversation on the
walk to their cars in the employee lot. Zach felt it was a challenge to ask her out.
“Hey,” Zach said, looking up from his keys, “what
are you doing right now? You want to get a drink or something?” He smiled.
Natalie didn’t know what to say. To buy some time,
she fiddled with her keys. She liked his smile and thought
27
he was good-looking. At first, she decided not to, judging
“Sure,” she smiled, giving in to his. “Where do you
want to go?”
Blood Binds episode 1 Tonya Moore Hel stumbled into her kitchen. She turned the tap
with dark magic. Hel had barely escaped alive. They obviously hadn’t been after the dragon’s potential. They’d attacked neither with regard for preserving nor with the intention destroying what she carried. They had to have been completely oblivious to its
on in the sink, full force. She started with her arms,
existence. So then, why had they sought her out? How
water splashing all over. It was useless. There was blood
had those vile creatures even managed to track her down
everywhere, hers and theirs. God, she was so thirsty. She
to into territory so far removed from the central domains?
cupped her hands under the tap, dipped her head to suck
Breaching the barriers of a non-magical world was heavy
in mouthful after mouthful of the chlorine-heavy liquid.
business. Aside from that, what kind of magic was so
She shrugged off her jacket gingerly. Besides the ick,
powerful that it could unmask an incognito wayfarer?
there was a scorched hole through the front. The attack had been swift and by whatever gods
Waves of pain were cascading through her body. Her trembling legs couldn’t hold her up anymore. She
there were, the she could kick herself--unexpected. Five
toppled, doubling over on the bathroom floor. Her
of them! How could she not have sensed an incursion
bones still hummed from the witch’s blood spell. The
as significant as that? They’d ambushed her at Bacchi’s
transubstantiation of ill-will was poisoning her from the
old farmhouse, a witch, a seer and three howling things.
marrow and outward. A trembling hand went to her
She didn’t know what they were. Cats possibly, had been
stomach. She summoned every remaining ounce of
corrupted and deformed into giant, snarling beasts. Her
energy. Her hand glowed a for brief moment. Too brief.
protection spells hadn’t been quite strong enough to repel
Panic clawed at her chest.
all three of them. While she’d been distracted by the cats,
28
the witch and the seer had attacked, their words heavy
“Stay alive!” she urged desperately. “Please, just
stay alive.” Those whispered words became a mantra
the drawer. Out came a dagger, so seldom used it was
falling from her lips as darkness descended.
still shiny at the tip. A little jolt went through her spine
Hel awoke with a massive headache. That she’d awakened at all was miracle enough, she supposed. She
whirled with a snarl, hurling it as hard as she could.
winced her eyes opened to a painful brilliance. Actually, it
A microsecond too late, she yelped in dismay as she
was just the lamp on her beside table. She frowned. How
recognized her would be victim.
had she gotten into bed? The last thing she remembered
“Charls?”
was engaging in a none too friendly meet and greet with
She gaped at the man standing in the doorway. He
the floor.
was so tall he had to dip his head low, just to enter the
She slipped out from under the covers, astounded
room without banging his head on the top of the doorway.
that she could even stand. The crippling pain was gone.
Liquid black irises bored into hers. A jagged scar ran from
Her limbs still felt like jelly. She was weak and dizzy but
his left ear to cheek. She winced at the memory of the
aside from the headache, all of her parts seemed to be
blade that had done that. Hers, to be specific and in a
intact. Her bedroom door was open. Strains of Brahms
disconcertingly similar manner to what she’d just nearly
came from her living room stereo. The volume was turned
done. He looked older than she remembered, which made
down so low, she could barely hear the notes. Her heart
sense. It had been fifty years and a hundred worlds since
tripped a little. She hadn’t forgotten the attack so soon.
she’d last laid eyes on her estranged husband. How had
Her eyes narrowed. Needless to say, whoever had invaded
he found her? What was he doing here now?
her home had probably saved her skin. Still even such a
“Well, hell,» she frowned. «All the ghosts of my
person was suspect, at a time like this. She could bash
distant and regrettably unforgettable past seem to be
their head in first and thank them for saving her life later.
resurfacing all at once. How exactly am I supposed to
Hel tiptoed to her bedside table sifted through
29
as the weight of another body filled the doorway. She
take this? I wonder.”
Charls Balaishakra deflected the dagger with a slight motion of the wrist. If Hel had been in full health, he might have worried a bit but the attack was half-spirited at the best. He didn’t miss the split second of pure panic in her eyes and lovely amber eyes they were too, when she realized it was him. He suppressed the immediate surge of triumph brought on by the realization that she didn’t harbor enough resentment against him to actually want to kill him. He grinned at her. “I see some things haven’t changed much. Now really, is that how you go about thanking the man who saved your life?” She glared at him and sank down onto the bed. She was having a little trouble breathing and trying to hide it. Still, it wasn’t bad enough to worry him. He kept staring. Her hair was different. It was short and flecked with specks of black. It suited her. Against her almond skin, it reminded him of the sunset. She was scrutinizing him, annoyance level increasing, as expected. “Well?” She was demanded breathlessly. He didn’t think she realized that she was leaning sideways, on the verge of toppling over. The odd
30
pose didn’t make for a very intimidating attempt at interrogation. He blinked. “Well what?” “What the hell are you doing here? Why are you in this world?” She enunciated slowly, like she was speaking to an idiot, eyes sharpened into glittery slits. “Why now?” She’d never been a very patient person. He stared at her for a long, hard moment. “I see you’re still not quite yourself yet. Why don’t you lie down a while longer?” He could hardly keep from laughing when she shot upright. Her mouth opened and clapped shut. She bit her lower lip and glared at him some more. She hated it, absolutely hated it whenever he pointed out that she was being ungracious. It was a bittersweet realization. The years that had passed and the distances between worlds hadn’t really changed that much between them. He smirked and dipped his head to leave the room. Hel detoured to the shower before going after her dubious savior. She dragged on jeans and a rumpled shirt before joining him in the kitchen. The small television on
the counter was turned to a low volume. This time, she took note that he was wearing new jeans and a cable-knit sweater. He looked disconcertingly ordinary. Well, as close
He shot her a quizzical glance then shrugged. “I don’t believe so.” She narrowed her eyes at the way he alternatively
to ordinary as a dimension hopping sorcerer, slumming it
hummed along with the stereo and smiled when someone
in a non-magical world could look.
cracked-wise on the TV. She frowned. He hadn’t been in
He was manning the stove with an incomprehensible this world long enough to learn to move about with such level of ease and seemed to be making dinner and
ease or casual understanding of all it’s little quirks and
potions all at once. The edible thing on the stove was
nuances. He had deft fingers, always in motion. Stillness
nearing readiness to eat. Her nostrils twitched. Hunger
was his enemy. She was starting to feel tired already, just
warred with disgust. Tiny droplets of sweat beaded on
standing there, watching him work. Apparently this much
his forehead. He grinned briefly at her before turning his
had not changed over the past several decades since
attention back to something green and slimy looking that
she’d last seen him.
was brewing in her brand new saucepan. He murmured a brief incantation and Hel struggled valiantly to not cry at the way her shiny pan instantly became a soot coated lost cause. She watched in speechless horror as he poured the resulting green goo into a clear glass vial, which suspiciously resembled a test tube. No wait, it was an actual test tube. He had several trays lined up along her counter. “Did you rob a pharmacy?”
31
“Must have been one hell of an assimilation spell.” His hands stilled momentarily and he regarded her owlishly. “What exactly are you getting at?” “Well, that was a bit reckless, don’t you think? This civilization’s foundation is built upon a non magical construct. There are no natural systems in place to absorb the repercussions of a spell as massive as that. You could have caused a major disaster.” He set the ruined saucepan down with a small clatter. “You presume to lecture me about the
fundamentals of magic?”
know it will.”
“Dare I not?”
Hel scowled. “Blood binds.”
Their eyes clashed. There was a fierce mutter
He gave her a slow, lazy smile. “We’re already
under-breath, some other-world expletive she didn’t
bound.”
recognize. “We’re not having this argument again already,” he
you’d summon the decency to recall the details of what
declared firmly, after a few tense seconds. “I am always
you did to me.” He really had some nerve bringing that up
careful, whether you’re capable of discerning that or not.
now.
I have not and will not do anything to damage this place. Can you trust me at least this much?” He relented after a moment. “Sit down, Hel. You look like you’re about to topple over. I’m making you some stew. It should help.” He held his wrist above stove and with a quick
She sat down suddenly, vision blurring. That receding headache suddenly galloped back at full speed. “All right. I’ll eat the damned brew. I think some of that witch’s icky magic is still in me.” “I searched for you,” he set a full bowl before her. “Long before I even knew that there were Dealers after
motion of the other hand, he slit it open with a crude
you. Searched in a lot of places for a very long time.” He
handled blade. She balked, watching drops of crimson fall
shrugged. “You were pretty good at covering your tracks
into the pot.
though.” He sat down on the bar stool beside hers. There
Her brows drew together in a mutinous bunch. “I’m not eating that.” Untroubled, Charls picked up a wooden spoon and stirred. “Don’t be churlish. It’ll speed up your healing, you
32
“Not by my choice, you incorrigible ass. If only
was a bemused scowl. “You can be pretty adept with magic. When it suits you.” Her mouth fell open. He’d followed her? Across how many worlds?
«Why?» He stood before she could say anything else, stalking into the living area. “You insult me by asking that question, Helioselene.” She cringed inwardly, the old habit resurfacing and
turning off the TV. He came back to sit beside her. His expression was grave and full of regret. “Charls?” His palm covered hers on the the counter. “I found
stared down into the bowl miserably. It wasn’t just his
you the same way the Seer found you. Blood finds blood.
rampant use of magic that had driven a wedge between
It never fails.”
them. She’d always possessed a talent for this, inciting him to anger. Hitting him where it would hurt. It was never something she actually set out to do. That was just the way things had always been between them. Too many aspects of what she was clashed with too many elements of what he was. Wayfarers weren’t typically loners for no reason, after all. Charls picked up the television remote and turned it over in his hands for a few seconds. As she ate, Hel watched the way it leaped to life under his fingers. Skills he’d acquired on some technomagical world, no doubt. The man was a marvel. Were there any limits to his capacity for absorbing magical disciplines? “What’s different now? How did you find me when you couldn’t before? After all this time.”
33
She watched warily as her husband flicked a wrist,
“Whose blood?“ The implication was clear. To find a wayfarer by magical means, you’d need the blood of another wayfarer who shared his or her blood. He shook his head. His eyes were full of pity. Her throat tightened. A heavy, cold fist squeezed at her heart. Hel suddenly felt sick all over again. “Who else did they go after?” She shoved the bowl of half-eaten stew away. “Charls! Who in my family is dead?” He released a shaky breath, dealing the blow as gently as he could. “It’s more a question of who isn’t. This wasn’t some random attempt on your life by the average power seeker. It was a blood-grudge.”
Hel shook her head vehemently at the notion that some higher power issued a kill order on all of her kin. «There isn’t anyone so foolish, is there?” She was on her feet, shaking. Her watched her back away, as if some part of her believed that retreating could distance her from the pain that he’d brought. It weighed heavily on his heart. Was despair fated to be the one constant thing his presence in her life would herald? “Charls!” Her entreaty was a strained and watery
Her hands went around her stomach. “All of these worlds. Eternity stretched out before me. Oh god. I think I’m--» Bile filled her throat. He reached for her but she lurched away toward the bathroom. He leaned on the closed door, palm poised uselessly on the knob, listening to the muffled sounds of retching and sobbing. He fought the urge to bully his way in. After a while, he heard water
whimper. “Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me I’m not the only
running. When she finally emerged, he was still waiting.
one left.” He stricken eyes trapped him. “It can’t be
When she tiredly sank into his embrace, he had the good
possible!”
sense to say nothing.
He went after her but she only moved farther out of his reach. Wayfarers were odd in this way. On the surface, they didn’t appear to be a close knit lot. They wandered, rarely crossing paths, sometimes with centuries between meetings. Still, losses like this were difficult from them to bear. If Hel hadn’t strayed so far from the central worlds, she most certainly would have felt the deaths of her siblings. She would have immediately gone to their aid. Most likely, she would have been killed as well. He swallowed hard, stood there awkwardly,
34
helplessly as she crumbled before him. “Helioselene...”
Metaphor for Passing
Lies of Man
Suzanne Haskew
Chasity Hendrickson
The tall Ash tree by the pond, is dying. Early this spring when her leaves were still fresh I saw them turn on their white side, As if a strong storm was coming. The bore which tunnels beneath her skin Has grown stronger now, And the west wind tosses Her tallest branches skyward in a naked ballet.
Why are you the only one that is all-powerful? You cast your wrath out upon us. Am I supposed to beg at your feet, asking you to be merciful? Rotting in darkness; as you cheat your way to success. You sit on your throne, with a smile of victory, knowing you have already won. However, I know something you do not, you cannot submit to something that is not real.
While I, helpless in this tragedy, Watch day by day as green leaves now fall. A summer witness to the passing of my friend. And I am trapped by failing limbs in a warm womb
All submitted work is property of the respective authors. eFiction Magazine founded by DW Lance is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting the editors of the magazine here
35