My short story from the September 2023 issue of Birdy Magazine, with art by Moon_Patrol . It has generous helpings of Power Rangers and ’80s fantasy, while the twist – a inappropriate suggestion from one of the male characters – sends up a notorious scene from Stephen King’s It.

“In shadows deep and light’s embrace,” sang Cassandra.

“We forge a bond, a sacred space,” sang Tom.

“With every heart and spirit true,” sang Phil.

“Our magic makes the world — fuck me!” spat Lys, ducking as a collie-sized spider leapt at her face. Tom took a quick step and smashed the arachnid with his baseball bat.

“Should we retreat?” Phil suggested. “Considering there are about a hundred more of these little buggers, and, you know, that.” He pointed at the eighty-foot tall monstrosity down in the valley, the other-dimensional spider titan Urglash, from whose belly the smaller spiders were dropping like a wave of paratroopers. Fortunately Urglash was too occupied with spitting acid at the U.S. Army’s tanks and helicopters to pay attention to four puny humans. On the other hand, her spiderlings alone seemed more than capable of turning them into human juice boxes.

Irina Razok, the Virgin Queen of San Lavinia, simply had no notion of morality. Turned vampire as a girl of six, she was famous for her capriciousness, her cruelty and her power of command, which even most other vampires could not resist.

“Phaser Heralds” appears in Birdy Magazine #112, April 2023:

When the moons align, they slip between worlds. He is constantly comparing calendars, weighing energies, choosing which star to pray to, which gate to enter. They pass through hot savannahs, dusty shantytowns, shining crystal wastelands. Finally they reach a red desert where stacks of distant columns climb the featureless sky. Their arcane robes and filigreed plate have phased into peculiar and unflattering space suits with prominent shoulders and enormous bulbous helmets.

Jon was hopeful. Any tech’s a good sign. We may be able to find an AI within the sim. If we can do that, we’ll effectively be talking with the Evreware AI itself.

Because the AI inside the sim is the same as the AI running the sim.

Exactly. It’s like, either you’re talking to God, or you’re not.