BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES

Issue #29

An on-line magazine of literary adventure fantasy

Sarah L. Edwards

The Woman and the Mountain
The mountain would not watch her without replying, for such was too close to deceit. But before he turned his thoughts away from the valley and the woman standing in it, he saw once more her face, her eyes that had glittered moments ago with threatening tears. He felt the shapes of her feet, pressing into the soil. Then he looked instead to desolate ridges of stone and silent peaks, but the image of her remained.

Stephen Case
The Silver Khan
I was fascinated by the statues in the Khan’s gardens. They were all of men, clearly warriors, dressed in a strange armor. One night in the gardens I met an artist who sketched the statues in secret. He showed me his portfolio, which contained drawings of the face of a certain statue he had sketched night after night for years. “He is speaking,” the artist said. “See the movement of the lips and the line of the jaw. I do not know what he says, but he is forming words over the months and years.”

www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

APHELION

Free Science Fiction and Fantasy Webzine which offers original fiction by new and established writers.

Moldable By Blake Datch

All Jenkins wanted was to connect with his teenage son. He thought that giving him a Transficube -- a nanotech device that could become anything its user desired -- might help.

Gynoid By Ben Cooper

Arnold was thrilled when his new gynoid arrived -- the most advanced and lifelike sex android on the market. **CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND SITUATIONS**

Rad Day By Roderick Turner

Most people sealed themselves in their homes on Rad Days, when radiation levels rose to dangerous levels. But intrepid reporter Kayla Foster knew that the best stories happened when the weirdos figured there were no witnesses...

Artifact By E. S. Strout

Mysterious radio signals led them to the strange object in two-thousand-year-old volcanic rock. Then they detected more signals, as if the artifact had triggered something dormant for even longer.

The Devil's Compass By Jason Dookeran

Terri couldn't explain why she bought the old -- and apparently broken -- compass from the old man. And surely it could have nothing to do with the sudden series of terrible accidents on her family's plantation...

Cognition By Mike Wilson

The subject for the experiment had to meet certain conditions -- body beyond repair, brain intact. Billy's accident seemed like the perfect opportunity. Of course, nobody's perfect.

Slammer By Chris Nardone

McGee had retired from the game after a horrific accident. Now as an Enforcement Agent, he must face danger of a different kind -- a murderer with powerful connections.

Air By Chris Castle

The young man had been lucky -- somehow, the plague or poison or curse had passed him by. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide in his parents' house forever.

Outpost By Dave Weaver

The astronaut who stayed in orbit while his crewmates took the first steps on the Moon has a secret... (*Lawyers: Any resemblance to actual people and situations is, well, not a coincidence, but not intended to imply that this story is true. At least we hope it isn't true.*

20% Off Designer Genes! By Lee Gimenez

There wasn't anything really wrong with their son Tommy, but John and Ann Williams thought they could do better with their next child.

www.aphelion-webzine.com/

HEROIC FANTASY QUARTERLY

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is an ezine dedicated to publishing short works of heroic fantasy. More than that, through both prose and poetry we hope to hearken an older age of storytelling — an age when a story well told enthralled audiences. Traits of great oral storytelling survive the ages to influence treasures of literature, the pulps, radio plays, late-night game sessions, and now Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.

Here’s what you’ll find inside Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Issue 2:

Fiction Contents

THE HAND OF AFAZ, by Euan Harvey A perhaps cautionary tale of the dangers of non-secular government. We think you’ll love Farid, a hero who must correct the injustices of his religious masters but do so without turning his back on Afaz — the god both Farid and his masters claim to serve.

MONSTER IN THE MOUNTAINS, by William Gerke This is why you don’t open the door to strangers. Especially if you’re stranger than the stranger.

THE WAKING OF ANGANTYR, by Marie Brennan Ancient magics, old secrets, and new fates meld in this retelling of an old Norse poem. HFQ has found its first female hero!

Poetry Contents

THE LAY OF CUTHRED KING, by Joshua Hampton A shining example of epic poetry by a contemporary writer. How the heck could we be the first outfit to discover this guy? Go Josh, go!
COURAGE, by Teel James GlennA spearman’s last thoughts before the battle is joined. Another reminder of why most of us prefer adventures of the mind to adventures in the field.

www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/

SORCEROUS SIGNALS

Come, follow the Sorcerous Signals into new realms: Realms of Imagination, Wonder and Magic. Places where heroes walk, wizards weave magic and mystical creatures dwell.Sorcerous Signals is an award winning magazine.Let our writers and artists weave their magic as they beckon you --to step beyond the mundane and into the fantastic.

The November 09 - January 10 issue of Sorcerous Signals contains:

Beast Lord's Captive - Margaret L. Carter The Baron hires sorceress Verlaine to rescue his sister from a powerful magician in the shape of a beast. At first glance the mission seems routine—but is there more to it than meets the eye?

Spirit of the Glade -Barbara Davies During times of war we all do things we normally won't do to preserve our homes from those who destroy without concern for others. But how do we protect the innocent who get caught in the middle?

The Cats of the Silverhawk Wood - Christine Lucas A Mage has a most unusual encounter with one of the shapechanging Cats of the Silverhawk Wood.

Rime & Frost - Christopher Marshall Flash Fiction

The Truth - Della Buckland A courtesan is pulled unwittingly into a mob only to prove to them and herself the power she truly holds.

A Costly Wager - C.J. Carter-Stephenson When Lothar Cadicorne gave his word about something, nothing in the world would induce him to break it, even if it meant venturing into the land of the dead and asking the goddess Ereske to let him kiss her. He did not know what would happen when he got there or if there was any hope of getting out alive, but he did know one thing—he would think very carefully indeed before accepting another wager.

Dragon Mistress - Marge Simon Poetry

Whisperthief - James Lecky It more than talent to be a great artist—it also takes great passion. When Isovella Grandini's passion is stolen she seeks revenge on the young singer who took it from her by contracting with a demon to have a whisperthief steal three little words from him. Three small, but very powerful words—I Love You.

The Dragon's Love Song - Matti Lena Harris When a Dragon finds he loves something more than his gold, powerful magic is released.

Sorceress of Avalo - Therese Arkenberg Every few years, the priests of Ilnar send a warrior to the Sorceress of Avalo to have her read the omens—however, the sorceress demands an unusual price for her services.

http://www.sorceroussignals.com/