PAGAN FIRES, by Rev. Joe Kelly, artwork by Karolína Wellartová   1   The peaceful still of the mire burst apart with the pounding splashes of panic-winged feet. Small furry animals scrambled for cover, little wading birds tittered and took flight, as the lad tore through the rushes, his streaming sweat half-frozen, his lungs aching from […]

THE UNBITTEN FRUIT, written and read by Oliver Smith   In the desert’s empty heart, it whispered, “I am the wind who wore smooth the tomb. Yet, still fair Aždaja, whom you loved and who loved thee, came to search the musty, statued halls; among the mould of skulls, forsaking her golden crown, for pages […]

THE GOBBLER RAID, by Aidan Redwing, pending artwork by Simon Walpole   Pit-pat, pit-pat fall the raindrops from a grey moonless sky. Clink-clank, clink-clank from the mine shaft, the Gobblers creep below. And the villagers lay sleeping, all a bed a-sleeping, on this wretched and dreary night.   Skit-scat, skit-scat, scratch their long claws, creeping […]

February, named after the Roman festival of purification ‘Februa’.  Have we finally purified ourselves of the year 2020?  Let’s hope so!   We here at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly are attempting to purify ourselves of being over three weeks late in our issue updates—which may sound a bit hypocritical being that this issue is two weeks late—but […]

EVERYDAY SOMETHING TRIES TO KILL ME, by Todd Honeycutt, artwork by Andrea Alemanno   Timo had left the Queen’s court three weeks ago, too long for such a simple errand. “Bring me a giant’s eye,” the magician had requested. “The left one, of course, is preferable.” As if the side of anything mattered. Two days […]