The Still Parade

 

The Still Parade is a short story that acts a fourth installment for Circle of Magie, a series of stories centered on various sorcerers who live in the fantastical land of Oliviani, itself based on the nation of Belgium at the turn of the 19th century. The Still Parade takes place several weeks since the events of The Barren Fields, with Marcel Recker having spent several weeks away from most of the cast from the previous stories, Tanneke Daamen having vanished, and Felicity Pavona and Agnés Robben remaining in Stavelot. Walking back to his apartment within the bustling city of Leuven, however, Marcel ends up reuniting with some of his old friends, while also finding himself in the midst of both a conspiracy in his city, and a complicated familial conflict.

The Still Parade can be downloaded as a PDF in the following formats:

Complete
    Part 1
    Part 2
    Part 3

The above photograph is that of the real-life Leuven, a capital city within West Flanders, where Flemish / Dutch is the primary language (in French, it's called Louvain instead). As a capital city hosting some of Europe's oldest and largest universities and libraries, alongside the world's largest beer brewer, it made sense to name my own large fictional city after it. Leuven itself also has a sadly chequered history, having been occupied and attacked by innumerable armies over the years, including during both World Wars, which felt rather fitting given what happens in this story. Hamont, where Tanneke's family lives, is another actual city within Belgium as well, located in the far north of Flanders, right against the border with Netherlands. Hamont itself is known for being a major fruit-growing area in Belgium, with its denizens speaking the Limburgish language and speaking Flemish with a marked accent, making it a fitting place for Tanneke's farmer background.

Machines On Titan

 

Machines On Titan is a short story I wrote in May to August of 2024, in the midst of other larger writing projects. Acting as a companion piece to the previous Photos From Europa, Machines On Titan looks at the Saturnian Bureau of Interplanetary Affairs, located on Titan, and its tech division. For the day shift, Cale and Ram, the tech division's most effective, but most unruly employees, have punched in, ready for the typical day of fixing up devices and technology from around the galaxy. While their superior does eventually come in with news of refugees that may need some tech repaired, a more pertinent task for the day involves a later middle-aged man from the nearby moon Dione, bringing in a particularly unusual bit of tech for the two to inspect.

Machines On Titan can be read here.

The above image was drawn by Bukimi Isan, whose online portfolio can be found here. While it's not quite evocative of what Melissa's appearance should be, I felt the basic concept of the image was fitting for this story's tone.

Through The Castle Garden

 

Through The Castle Garden is an installment for A Call to Arms, a series of stories inspired by Dungeons & Dragons. Taking place late in the canon of the series, a middle-aged Anry Muse chooses to fulfill an old promise by visiting Huaisheng Temple within Minwa Dynasty. Upon his arrival, however, he discovers that his old friend Taizong Muhtar has been deceased for some time, though his spirits are lifted upon learning that his younger sister, Zetian Muhtar, is still alive, albeit out in town at the time. After exploring the temple grounds and meeting both one of the Muhtars' mutual friends, Laleh Gulyar, and their impersonal and distant father, Shimin Muhtar, Anry ends up meeting a ranger like himself from the northern forests of Mwalakore, named Migizi; almost instantly, however, the two discover that their personalities are completely incompatible despite their shared goal of ridding the world of otherworldly beings and threats to their plane. Outside of Huaisheng's grounds, however, the two are given a joint task that forces them to cooperate for at least a few moments.

Through The Castle Garden can be read here.

The above photograph is that of an entryway to the real-life Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou, China. As mentioned before, Huaisheng Mosque is China's single oldest mosque and one of the world's oldest mosques, estimated to have been built in about 627 CE. A unique blend of Chinese and Muslim architecture, it acts as a perfect stand-in for the fictitious Huaisheng Temple.