Category: Flash Fiction

Representation – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“You did threaten to dissolve your last attorney.” Winter kept digging in her large, pale denim hobo bag without looking up. The occasional soft chink of thick glass tapping glass rose from the wide opening, the sweet tones of steel striking steel. Something was loose down there. Wonderful. If this kept up, she’d have to go back to the purple bag. But to start, how could a stack of folders that thick go missing in here? There were two full surgical kits, not to mention the complete stock of medical potions, for heaven’s sake. “That’s not how I’d put it.” Read More …

Waiting for Word – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Cian sat, eyes glued to the clock high on the wall and hands absently bouncing Noel in his baby seat on the worn kitchen table. The second hand dragged its way around the face. The minute hand jumped. 11:28. It was almost time. The mail was usually in the box at the end of the mile long Mulcahy Drive by 11:45. Cian had learned this week that it took him thirteen minutes to calmly walk from the front door to the mailbox. On Monday, he had done it in nine minutes, running with Noel bouncing in his chest carrier. But Read More …

Stolen Goods – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Color had always had meaning, especially among the fae. Blue and its dance of hues was for weddings. It wasn’t often seen in formal ceremonies. The fae didn’t habitually marry, because vows came with weighted strings. Green celebrated birth, no matter how or who. Even little calves and ducks would parade around with their modest, soft weed wreathes until they were finally broken up and eaten. Purest white was for mourning. Etienne watched the waning sunlight move across the wide stone windowsill, holding still for the royal dresser to wrap yet another layer of white, embroidered spider silk about his Read More …

Kissing – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Cian loved these early mornings with Winter, when the house was quiet, and it was just the two of them, the scent of rising bread, and the constant warmth of the English stove taking the chill off the predawn air. They would talk about the day, sometimes work on replenishing Winter’s stocks, and inevitably practice Cian’s favorite new skill, kissing Winter. Soon the house would wake—Etienne heading out to the forge, Noel needing to be fed and changed, Jessie getting ready for school, and Alerich and Fitz possibly pouring themselves into bed, still buzzed, from a long night talking literature Read More …

Be Mine – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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The February wind chased Cian across the wind-chilled patio concrete and back into the house. He closed the sliding-glass door against the onslaught and set his covered basket of fresh cuttings from the winter garden on the table, tickling little Noel’s toes with cold fingers and eliciting a squeal of delight from the baby. He shrugged out of his coat and draped it across the back of a chair, stooping to kiss his son’s round cheek, then straightening and crossing to the big island counter to lay a kiss on the back of Winter’s neck. “I think I got everything.” Read More …

Ink – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“You doing okay?” Alerich grimaced in the chair, the uncomfortable feeling of the needle penetrating his skin like the rough tongue of a cat scraping over a sunburn combined with thousands of tiny claws perforating his chest. The pain seemed to grow more intense the longer the artist worked on him, but Alerich was determined to see this through. “I’m fine.” The tattoo artist grunted and bent his head back over the design, wiping away blood and excess ink with a practiced swipe. Alerich watched him work, the outline of the blond raven done in white ink finished, and the Read More …

VHS – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Alerich swirled the tumbler in his hand as he surveyed the disaster that was his new office. It had been weeks since his father’s things had been sent from Ashimar House in Surrey. Granted, it had been a busy time between the mess with the raven murder, Bertrand’s visit, and of course, going to war, but still, he felt as if the piles should have gotten a little smaller. The truth was, he was procrastinating with this project, sorting through his father’s papers. He was sure that there were dozens of things in these boxes that he needed to tend Read More …

Understanding – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Winter tied the last stitch and gently patted the therian wolf’s shoulder. “All done.” The wolf growled, and Winter slowly removed her hand, her eyes hardening as she stared the young therian down. The wolves of Seahaven used dominance fighting as their favorite sport, but Winter was in no mood to resort to fisticuffs against an amped up injured therian with something to prove. Not that she would have any chance against him in a physical match. Wizards were neither as fast nor as strong as therian, and they didn’t heal as quickly. Then there was the problem that wolf Read More …

Monster – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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He was coming back. Jessie whimpered and bit her lip, hating the sound for making her look weak and vulnerable. Of course, she was vulnerable, hanging from the chain in the vineyard’s barn. Helpless against the cuts and blows the red-headed freak was inflicting on her. Her body was tender with fresh bruises and sticky with drying blood. She was dizzy and exhausted, her throat raw from screaming, and her arms trembling where the chain held her upright. She had no idea how long she had been here. Less than a day but far too long already. Winter would come Read More …

Knitting for Pixies – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Knit one, purl two. It was a simple pattern, as patterns went. Knit one, purl two. Knit one, purl two. Etienne could have done something more elaborate, of course, but that would mean more delicate knitting needles. More attention to the details. He was only knitting blankets for pixies, and pixies didn’t care about elaborate patterns. They liked color and they liked being warm in the January nights. That suited Etienne just fine. He could just let his hands go and let his mind wander as he knitted in front of the fireplace. Bess had been the one to teach Read More …

He Offers Countless Hearts – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Rome. The Olmec stood on the parapet of the long wall guarding the boundaries of the ancient city that sprawled across the seven hills, facing the darkness to the east. If his calculations were correct, and they had been correct for thousands of years, the Sun would rise within the next few minutes. Rise. Please rise. Woodsmoke and the smell of emptied chamber pots tickled his sensitive nose, and somewhere below a drunken fight broke out. Somewhere a whore hawked her wares. Somewhere shops were pushing their eaves open, preparing for the day to come. A city that never truly Read More …

Proof – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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George Joji took another close-up shot. It was real. It was really real. The thickness of the nail, the toughness of the callouses on both hands and feet. The wicked nail edge that could probably slice through flesh. Everything else about the naked man seemed perfectly normal. No fangs, no fur. So where did they keep it all—? “George, you know you’re not supposed to be down here. The mortician is threatening to turn you into a classroom skeleton.” Detective Lawrence Robertson approached from one side of the gurney, George stood on the other. George peered closely at the body’s Read More …

Underwater – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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The crowd finally thinned as they got near the octopus tanks, and Jessie felt something tight inside her uncurl for the first time since they’d arrived at the Seahaven Aquarium. She hadn’t realized it would be this crowded, but she should have, she guessed. The place was lousy with families trying to entertain kids who, like her, were out of school for the holiday week. She desperately wished she had chosen somewhere quieter, maybe the art museum, or hell, what was wrong with an old-fashioned movie, except that her date preferred to watch at home where he could turn on Read More …

Social Climbing – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Jessie set two overly full fountain drinks on the small table and flopped down into the empty chair. “Rock climbing is thirsty work.” Cat Chen, her new friend from Seahaven Academy of the Arts, smiled around her straw and took a long drink as she adjusted her harness. “Fun though.” Jessie took several long swallows and nodded. “I’m glad we did this today. It’s been a rough month, and like half my house is in mourning. I feel bad for them and everything, it’s just…” “A little much sometimes?” “Yeah, a lot much sometimes. It’s good to get out of Read More …

A Midwinter Night’s Reading – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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A warm glow peeked out from under the Mulcahy Library doors and Cian smiled. Rick must be up late again. He had only been here at Mulcahy House a couple of weeks, but already it felt like he belonged in the Library. The House felt happier with him in there. Cian backtracked through the dining room and butler’s pantry into the kitchen and heated milk for cocoa. Rick had a sweet tooth, Cian had discovered, and would surely welcome a warm, sugary drink on this chilly January night. Though it wasn’t nearly as cold as last January had been in Read More …

Epiphany – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Fire and chaos sluiced from Winter’s thin body down the shower drain, the remains of the vineyard that they had left burning in their wake. The humans could not be allowed to find evidence of the demons who had hunted them through the winter-dry vines, no evidence of the murders that had been committed in the night. No evidence that magic was real and would eat them in the dark. As soon as she shut off the water to the shower, Winter heard Etienne’s voice coming from her bedroom across the hall. She twisted the excess water from her white, Read More …

Recoil – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“Spread your feet to shoulder width. Right foot back. No, not that far. Your shoulders are too thin.” Etienne narrowed his eyes. “When was the last time you ate?” Winter gave the faerie knight at her side a wry expression. “This morning, with you and Cian. Remember?” The November wind whispered over the water and blew loose tendrils of hair across her face. She was grateful for the warm felt coat she wore. “Then you need a snack or something. You’re still sickly.” His voice was gruff. She sighed softly. He was only trying to take care of her. She Read More …

Daughter – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“What is wrong with you?” Aodhán surged into the room, fae energy roiling out in front of him like an approaching firestorm.  The Eldest Himiko, the Jómon, settled a paper onto a neat stack on her desk and looked up, calm. “Good morning to you too.” “No, it’s not a good morning,” he growled, throwing his customary caution to the wind. “I thought you had gotten this out of your system.” Himiko gave him a bland look, the warning in her dark phoenix eyes still subtle, and smoothed a tiny wrinkle in her silk kimono. “To what are you referring?” Read More …

The Parting Glass – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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The wizard, Alerich Ashimar, ran a loving hand down the neck of the old guitar, chord after gently played chord resounding in softness, the mellow sound filling the dark music room. It wasn’t his rosewood-fretted Hummingbird beauty, hidden away in his rooms at Ashimar House in England, but the old Martin Dreadnought he had found still fit his hands well and was a joy to play. “Of all the money that e’re I’ve had,I spent it in good company.And all the harm that e’re I’ve done.Alas it was to none but me.” “Alas it was to none but me.” But Read More …

“Warriors” – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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The sun flared over the horizon, blinding him for a moment. Erik Eriksson shifted his stance, taking the measure of the warriors on either side. They seemed like a seasoned lot, their armor well-crafted and their weapons honed sharp. He gripped his bow and notched an arrow. The battle was coming. He could feel the anticipation among the ranks swelling their number into a throng, warriors jostling in position, checking their weapons, watching the horizon. A horn sounded and they surged toward the enemy, some riding, others, like Erik, running ahead, weapons at the ready. Their enemy poured over a Read More …

One Step at a Time – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Ice crystals frosted the window, catching the early morning sun and splintering it across the palm of his hand. Alerich sat on the padded window seat and stared at the prism effect. The light was beautiful, but broken, diminished. Like him. He rested his head against the alcove and looked above the frost toward the cold ocean he could see rolling beyond the cliffs the house perched on. He had been so excited to see it last week. Had it only been a week? It felt like months had passed since he, Thomas, Fitz, and Elspeth had sped their way Read More …

Welcome to Seahaven Arts – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“Are you new?” Jessie looked up from the slip of paper she was reading, her new class schedule. She was finally here, at The Seahaven School of the Arts, where she had been dreaming of going for as long as she could remember. She nodded. “I seem to be a little lost. I’m looking for Room 311B, but I can’t find it. It goes from 311 to 313, but no B.” The girl in the long broomstick skirt and lacy purple poet’s shirt smiled. “That’s because it’s in the old building. All of the classrooms that have a “B” in Read More …

Personal – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“I don’t have this recipe. Are you sure this is right?” Winter frowned as she seeped magic into the thickening crimson liquid while she stirred with her focus object, a graceful oaken spoon thickly engraved with spell glyphs inherited from her great-grandmother. The nascent potion—poison?—had little odor, but the color just looked… malevolent. “Yes. Just keep pouring in power. It’s just about there.” Elspeth picked up her own focus object, a large silver spoon with glyphs elegantly engraved over the handle following the art deco pattern of polished and unpolished metal and began tapping it in a rapid pattern on Read More …

Lead Me Not into Temptation – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“It would be so easy.” Elspeth blinked, confused. She did not remember coming outside. Could not remember anything past laying down for a nap. But here she was, in the cold quiet shade of the clifftop gazebo, staring at Winter’s back with Arariel’s voice in her head. Again. Nothing she did would shut him up. No matter how violent, how painful, she could not chase the demon away. “Just a push. No one is looking. And you’ll have Alerich all to yourself again.” Elspeth’s breath caught. She didn’t want that—did she? To be honest, she did not like the other Read More …

Midnight Feeding – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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A plaintive cry pierced the night and woke Etienne from a light sleep. His son, Noel, was hungry and it was his night to tend him. Etienne swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, running a hand through his hair, then catching it up in his hand, and securing it with a hair tie from his nightstand. He stood and stretched to his full height, his back popping, and pulled on the pair of jeans he had thrown over the back of the chair when he had gone to bed. As he reached for the Read More …

Musketeers – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“Work in groups of three and be ready to present your project to the class at the next session. I’ll give you the rest of our time to find your groups and get started.” Alerich looked to the desk on his right at Thomas, his roommate and newest friend. Thomas was kind and funny and put up with Alerich’s melancholy and exuberance, both. They had been thick as thieves since the first day of term. “You and me then, mate?” “Yeah, but we’ll need a third, won’t we?” Alerich looked from the chestnut-skinned boy to the other lads in the Read More …

A Difference of Opinion – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Lunch with his fiancé. Alerich stood beside the corral gate, watching Celia’s car arrive. That was going to take some getting used to. Lunch with his fiancé. His grandmother, Hildreth, the matron of both House Ashimar and House Van de Mere, considered it the arrangement of the decade, and it seemed a lot of their set agreed. The congratulations flowed in in an endless stream. Grandmother thought Celia was perfect for him. She was politically powerful, the only child of Roland Carralond, the Archwizard of the Wizard’s Council. With Alerich as his father’s heir, marrying Celia would give their family Read More …

Lively – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“Girls, it’s time to stop playing and help me get dinner on the table. Sorcha, Mirilyn, you two go out to the garden and dig up a basket of potatoes and half a basket of carrots. Winter, you can help me snap beans. Now everyone, scoot!” Winter giggled as Grandma Maria brandished her spoon at her and her sisters, but they all moved to obey. Grandma Maria might look funny shaking her glyphed focus object, but she was also known to apply it liberally to shirking backsides and none of the girls relished a spanking today. Six-year-old Sorcha and Mirilyn Read More …

Tin Lizzie – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“You bought another one?” A shameless smile pulled at the Vampire King’s lips, and he made a sweeping gesture to the shiny black automobile parked in front of the Seahaven Opera House. Under the August sun, the sheen to Erik’s new toy gleamed. “‘Another one,’ Katherine? You’re making it sound like an old nag!” Katherine cast a long-suffering look at Bridget, assuming that her ward would be as tired of Erik’s antics as she was. But the young seer grinned back at her. Apparently not. She smiled fondly at the girl—really a woman full-grown and at the height of her Read More …

Exposure – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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“Erik, you have to hold still for this to work.” “I still feel like it needs some adjustment.” Jason rolled his eyes in the direction of the new, breadbox-sized Kodak ‘Brownie’ camera and muttered softly in ancient Greek before raising his voice. “You do know that Katherine’s going to kill you, right?” He returned his attention to the viewfinder. Erik had a bee in his bonnet about getting this… picture… taken and wouldn’t be dissuaded. The Vampire King laughed. “Isn’t that the point of this exercise?” “Hold still. I’m still getting the exposure.” Dammit, Erik had moved again. “We’re going Read More …

Leftovers – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Jessie St. James felt a grin growing as she watched Justin MacDowell toddle around the worn wood floors of Otherworld Books, the stubby felt feathers on his turkey outfit sashaying with each bit of progress he made. She looked at Brian and found him grinning, too, teeth a flash of white against terracotta skin, before he leaned over and redirected his adopted little brother. “It’s hard to believe how much he’s grown in just a month,” she said, and decided to plant her plump butt in the doorway of the stock room to corral him a little. Brian chuckled and Read More …

Things Fall Apart – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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He sniffed the air. The scent of burnt bones and under it—blood. A lot of it. And the outhouse smell of violent death. He walked the utility area carefully, reconstructing the deadly dance from a lifetime lived among its devotees. The spatters of brown flecks. The dust-free smears where a body had been dragged, struggling. A broken fingernail caught in the chain-link. The cloying smell of burning hair and garbage, and just a hint of cucumber. Acetone. At least they had destroyed the body, but it meant the attackers were not human. A human gang might have doused the body Read More …

There’s A Monster at the Door – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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The little monster crept toward the door of the enormous stone house. Maybe this was not such a good idea after all. Her friends had dared her to come here. They’d called her weak and scared. She swore she would show them that she was made of tougher stuff than they thought. But standing here, at the end of the mile-long drive, the house gave her pause—squatting here on the edge of the world, nothing but water as far as the eye could see on the other side. She eyed the door and tried to summon her courage. It was Read More …

Liminal Space – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Etienne paused within the cold-flame-wreathed rift, within this liminal place between realms. Before him lay the Mortal Realm, and behind him, Faerie. He had spent weeks seeking a rift to pass through. He had wandered alone, his body aching with the agony of knife and fire that still wracked each step. His mind aching with the sting of humiliation, desperation, and betrayal. He had endured it all, looking for this passage—this escape. But now, he paused There was nothing for him among the mortals. Not anymore. Not since his beloved Bess had died. Not since the plague that had robbed Read More …

Uh-Huh – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Elspeth plunked down the last square tile with enthusiasm. “I’m out.” Alerich eyed the pieces, trying to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching into a smile. He waved at the board. “You’re cheating.” Indignation gave her voice an edge. “Am not.” “Elspeth, ‘spong’ is not a word.” “Yes, it is.” “No, it’s really not.” “Yes, it really is.”  She picked at a speck of lint on her blouse. “It’s a potions word.” “Uh-huh.”  Alerich settled back in his chair and took a sip of his bourbon, then motioned at her with the glass.  “Define it.” “A spong is Read More …

Sleight of Hand – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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Winter Mulcahy thought the girl by the necklace rack was maybe eleven, probably twelve. She had a bruise peeking out just beneath the collar of her oversized coat, fingermarks if Winter was any judge, and she was an excellent judge of abuse. The girl was heavy in that way that said weight would follow her throughout her life, but she moved easily through the store, caramel eyes flickering constantly towards Winter from behind too-large glasses. The girl was stealing. That wasn’t unusual, though. Homeless kids often stole from the stores in the Historical District, trying to fill empty pockets and Read More …

Seashells – A Books of Binding Flash Fiction

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The boy was crying under a picnic table, but Winter didn’t know why. He was a lot older than her, six, maybe even seven. She crawled beneath and sat down next to him, not caring that her red and white sundress would get mussed. She’d lost her sandals somewhere but she’d managed to hold on to her red hat. Grandma Bridget said it was important so she didn’t burn in the summer sun. The boy looked up at her, his expression wary, and wiped his face on his coat sleeve. It was peculiar, wearing a suit jacket to a family Read More …