Short Fiction, Poetry and Classic Book Reviews
At the top of the staircase, Victor looked both ways along the hall: it was quiet and still—almost pleasant. He turned to his left and walked slowly; two unopened doors waited at the end, on the right-hand side. He stopped in front of the first door and looked it up and down. Shifting his sword,... Continue Reading →
Victor found himself in a dark, musty wine cellar. He still had the scimitar the wolf knight had given him, but every other trace of the great hall was gone. Tall wooden racks, cradling hundreds of dusty wine bottles, spanned the walls. A small candle in each corner of the room cast a feeble light.... Continue Reading →
The light surrounded Victor and hurled him into the air. He tumbled through nothingness, a great wind rushing against him. By lying face down with his arms outstretched he found his balance; the wind seemed to glide beneath him and support him. The golden light changed to an infinite pale blue, with far-off patches of... Continue Reading →
Victor leapt from his seat. “That’s it? We’re done?” The Spectre nodded. “We just need to clean up, put everything back where it was.” The knights rose from their stools and picked up their weapons, conversing excitedly about all the things Victor had taught them. “Sir Victor,” said the ram knight, from across the circle,... Continue Reading →
Victor slapped his hands on his knees, and pushed himself up off the stone stool. “Well, if that’s everything...” “Not quite everything,” said the Spectre, rising from the throne. He descended the platform steps and stood in the centre of the circle of chairs. “I have one more question for you to answer.” “Uh, okay,”... Continue Reading →
Victor moved on to the next knight in the circle, the dragon knight. “My name is Sir Verdun,” said the knight. “I heard that when you go through puberty... you get a, um... you get a permanent... you know.” He made a kind of flexing gesture with his arm. “A permanent erection?” asked Victor. A... Continue Reading →
Victor nodded and looked around at the knights, their fearsome helmets facing him. "Okay, well let me just say that I used to be your age. And I know it's an awkward, uncertain stage of life—your body's changing, you're interested in girls [here there were a few snickers], and you're trying to figure out what... Continue Reading →
There was a creak to Victor's left; he turned and saw the knight whose armour bore the ram emblem had raised its hand. Victor jumped up from his seat, but a wave of the lion knight's hand told him everything was fine and he should remain seated. The ram knight was an intimidating figure, with... Continue Reading →
"Right," said the Spectre. He looked side to side again; Victor followed his gaze and saw nothing but the columns and the suits of armour. The Spectre leaned forward until he almost slid off the throne, bending his head down toward Victor. "My first question," said the Spectre, "is about..." "Yes?" "Well, it has to... Continue Reading →
