PART ONE Faylor woke to the sound of people working on something outside. The sounds were not the usual sounds he knew in a mage’s tower, but the sound of men working was unmistakable. He had gone to bed early…

PART ONE The thin tent canvas let in enough light to see by, but not enough heat out and the enclosure was warm and stuffy. Two men and two women stood around a table slapped together from rough, untreated wood.…

PART ONE Faylor’s hands did not wait for his mind to wake from sleep. His right hand had already grabbed the blade, and his left landed flat on the radio before he realized he was alone in the woods. Yesterdays…

PART ONE Fleeing through the woods in the middle of the night had its advantages, but there were too many hitches to make them count. The mindless golems would run as long as they were commanded. They do not need…

PART ONE His sleep that night was fitful, filled with dreams of murder and vengeance. In his mind, all the servants rose up against their master. Armed with the power of their machines, the mob dragged the magician from his…

PART ONE Faylor stared at the dials and the gears, the rough grain of the wood. He had heard about such devices, fantastical machines with exotic names like radio, airplane, television. Faylor had heard them all and even passed along…

This story is the product of the Foil & Phaser collaboration workshop. Because it is the combined efforts of several writers, the style and content vary from section to section. In order of appearance, the authors are: Lauren Jokl, James Hedrick , Sean Sandulak, AJ Muller, Richard…