It's a Jumble

Very late, but here's a roundup of some stellar stories that I read this past spring. Perfect leisure reading for these long summer days, with a cool drink beside you. “To Kneel at the Altar of Your Bones” by Valo Wing in Haven Speculative She slices open a vein, and out pours star-matter. Liquid and glittering, the iridescent mess drips from her arm into my cupped palms. And, for a moment, there is only this: breathing in duet ( forte ,  agitato ), her brow a slash of determination worthy of sainthood (she’s my religion, yes), and, too, the dumbass acolyte who made a promise they’re no longer sure they can keep (me).   A failed opera singer, a girlfriend who has spent years with her consciousness trapped in a fungal network, and a shared promise to save the world. But what does a promise mean, after so much time apart? This is a gorgeously wild flash story, an epic written in just over a thousand words, a story that’s both playful and passionate: about love, devotion, pro