The title of the book was Principles of Light-Bearing, and Sharide was engrossed in it by the second page. It described how light was the underpinning of the world. She had dreamed of being a weaver, and a fisher, and a soldier, and many different wives, but the life of a seeker of knowledge had never come to her yet. When next she slept, she decided, she would try to find a life wherein she had read this book, and other books, and understood them.

An Invitation via Email by Mike Allen Some of the asides in your article made me realize (Gods, can I be dense sometimes) that when you spoke of concerns about “arcane rites” in response to the invite to my Halloween party the next evening, that you possibly weren’t kidding and perhaps had some genuine anxieties. …

Help Summon the Most Holy Folded One! by Harry Connolly You’ve Heard The Experts How many styles of taco are there? Not just fish/pork/beef/chicken, but also puffed, breakfast, even Chocotacos (if you can stand the very thought). There are disagreements over whether they should be made with corn or flour tortillas, whether they should be …

The Narcomancer by N.K. Jemisin “Death is not a Gatherer’s business,” Cet said. Did the woman realize how greatly she had insulted him and all his brethren? For the first time in a very long while, he felt anger stir in his heart. “Peace is our business. Sharers do that by healing the flesh. Gatherers deal with the soul, …

Stay by K.C. Ball An almost-bass voice said something I didn’t catch. Higher voices giggled, then five kids moved out of the shadows into the hard light of the parking lot. Two boys, three girls; none a day beyond eighteen. Bumping against each other. Laughing for no reason. At ease and full of life, the …

Read (or listen to) “The Ninth Seduction” by Sean McMullen. http://t.co/86rIiolYU3 #FreeFiction #Fantasy http://t.co/oJN8za9Ft4

LIGHTSPEED fiction: “The Iron Hut,” by Maurice Broaddus (@MauriceBroaddus). http://t.co/3AtD5gVK0a #FreeFic #Fantasy http://t.co/W1dORVCz5i

Read (or listen to) “Ghosts of Home” by Sam J. Miller (@sentencebender). http://t.co/tCTj3xBqQL #FreeFiction #Fantasy http://t.co/nomPW18OsF

LIGHTSPEED fiction: “Python” by Ursula Pflug. http://t.co/cEjyqMbgNI #FreeFiction #Fantasy http://t.co/rXDa9blWNt

LIGHTSPEED fiction: “To See Pedro Infante” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. http://t.co/2hLjDo4Xfe #FreeFiction #Fantasy http://t.co/QWsIhmonTq

LIGHTSPEED fiction: “Ana’s Tag” by William Alexander. http://t.co/On3euwkbPw #FreeFiction #Fantasy http://t.co/54ylH0kwyZ

Today's delightful #lunchread was @NisiShawl's The Pragmatical Princess (via @bogiperson and #diversestories): http://t.co/xsFsq9DSfz

The Great Zeppelin Heist of Oz by Rae Carson and C.C. Finlay Scraps, the patchwork girl, witnessed the wizard’s arrival. She sat beneath a tree watching the most spectacular show ever performed by a summer sky. White clouds swirled above an emerald colored sky like whipped marshmallow topping on a glass bowl full of lime …

Bonsai by Shaenon K. Garrity Uterine cancer, the doctor is saying, and the world ends. Stage Four. That means advanced. It means bad. Your arms and legs and throat go numb. All you can hear is his question, looping: when was your last exam? You can’t remember. Not that it matters now. In cases like yours …