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A Space Between
An excerpt from the fantasy anthology "A Prayer for Dead Kings and Other Tales", "A Space Between" is a dark story of passion and murder (unintended and otherwise). Charan and Jalina, sibling heirs to the throne of empire, share a bond of blood and a dark secret — both of which threaten to destroy them when their father is killed…
EXCERPT
Steel flashed as she spun away from him, his own knife in his hand somehow. They locked guards at the first strike, then Jalina was fading back, footsteps splashing clumsily as her blade slashed past Charan’s neck. He slid to let it miss him, parried the next blow, returned with one of his own that she caught and twisted past, behind him suddenly.
Where Jalina crouched, her eyes were bright with the fear he recognized.
“I knew it would end this way,” she whispered.
Charan’s hand was shaking, the battered blade of his knife weaving points of bright fire in the half-light. He tried to trace back the two dozen heartbeats just past, but his sight, his mind and memory were the same blur of red.
He had drawn on her, he thought. But he wouldn’t have. Couldn’t have. The evenlamp was in the water behind him. He had dropped it in expectation, needing to free his other hand for balance. Impossible. He shook his head, saw his sister flinch in expectation of another strike.
The feeling he had ever been afraid to name rooted deep in his chest. He felt the scent and the sight of her overwhelm his memory.
He felt the pain that her words made, felt the fear in her that was the knowledge that her brother had tried to kill her rather than lose her, that he would try again. He felt the weight of the knife in his hand…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Fitzgerald Gray is a specially constructed biogenetic simulacrum built around an array of experimental consciousness-sharing techniques — a product of the finest minds of Canadian science until the grant money ran out. Accidentally set loose during an unauthorized midnight rave at the lab, the S.F. Gray entity is currently at large amongst an unsuspecting populace, where his work as an author, screenwriter, editor, RPG designer, and story editor for feature film keeps him off the streets.
More info on Scott and his work (some of it even occasionally truthful) can be found by reading between the lines at insaneangel.com.
EXCERPT
Steel flashed as she spun away from him, his own knife in his hand somehow. They locked guards at the first strike, then Jalina was fading back, footsteps splashing clumsily as her blade slashed past Charan’s neck. He slid to let it miss him, parried the next blow, returned with one of his own that she caught and twisted past, behind him suddenly.
Where Jalina crouched, her eyes were bright with the fear he recognized.
“I knew it would end this way,” she whispered.
Charan’s hand was shaking, the battered blade of his knife weaving points of bright fire in the half-light. He tried to trace back the two dozen heartbeats just past, but his sight, his mind and memory were the same blur of red.
He had drawn on her, he thought. But he wouldn’t have. Couldn’t have. The evenlamp was in the water behind him. He had dropped it in expectation, needing to free his other hand for balance. Impossible. He shook his head, saw his sister flinch in expectation of another strike.
The feeling he had ever been afraid to name rooted deep in his chest. He felt the scent and the sight of her overwhelm his memory.
He felt the pain that her words made, felt the fear in her that was the knowledge that her brother had tried to kill her rather than lose her, that he would try again. He felt the weight of the knife in his hand…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Fitzgerald Gray is a specially constructed biogenetic simulacrum built around an array of experimental consciousness-sharing techniques — a product of the finest minds of Canadian science until the grant money ran out. Accidentally set loose during an unauthorized midnight rave at the lab, the S.F. Gray entity is currently at large amongst an unsuspecting populace, where his work as an author, screenwriter, editor, RPG designer, and story editor for feature film keeps him off the streets.
More info on Scott and his work (some of it even occasionally truthful) can be found by reading between the lines at insaneangel.com.
- GenresFantasyDarkShort Stories
28 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2011
5 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Scott Fitzgerald Gray
67 books13 followersScott Fitzgerald Gray is a specially constructed biogenetic simulacrum built around an array of experimental consciousness-sharing techniques — a product of the finest minds of Canadian science until the grant money ran out. Accidentally set loose during an unauthorized midnight rave at the lab, the S.F. Gray entity is currently at large amongst an unsuspecting populace, where his work as an author, screenwriter, editor, RPG designer, and story editor for feature film keeps him off the streets.
More info on Scott and his work (some of it even occasionally truthful) can be found by reading between the lines at insaneangel.com.
More info on Scott and his work (some of it even occasionally truthful) can be found by reading between the lines at insaneangel.com.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 20, 2019
You know when someone says "indie grimdark fantasy" and sigh because you're sure it'll end up being yet another badly written sex and violence marathon set in a ill-described fantasy land with pretensions of being George R.R. Martin? Well, you better raise your expectations for this one because it actually delivers.
Charan and Jalina are left with a dilemma after the accidental(ish) murder of their father the khanan, ruler of a great Empire. Jalina stands to inherit power, but Charan fears they will both be blamed for their father's death. They must hide the body deep where no one will find it, and hide the secret he died to discover that could cost them both dearly. But in the darkness of the palace sewers, things between them will change forever.
It is grim, it is dark, it is actually fantasy. The setting is so fleshed out there's perhaps a hint of TMI in the world building department - consider that it's only 28/35 (listings vary) pages long and I've gotten a potted history of the Empire alongside the sordid backstory of the two main characters. The sex and violence aspects are very much there in relatively adult terms, but nothing that any GoT fans would shy away from. The Thrones comparison will always be the elephant in the room, so for the Trigger Warning people out there: murder (obvious) and royal twincest (it's not much of a spoiler considering it's explained in the first page or so).
I did get confused by the amount of detail it gave for such a short story. There are a lot of names of places, references to things that happened in the characters' pasts that popped up mid-action that could mean I didn't always find it easy to focus on the main plot line.
As it's to be part of a larger anthology of short stories set in the same world and time, those extra details will probably make a lot more sense in context. But dang, you want adult fantasy writing? It's nasty, twisted grimdark, but that's the point. You can't go far wrong with this.
Charan and Jalina are left with a dilemma after the accidental(ish) murder of their father the khanan, ruler of a great Empire. Jalina stands to inherit power, but Charan fears they will both be blamed for their father's death. They must hide the body deep where no one will find it, and hide the secret he died to discover that could cost them both dearly. But in the darkness of the palace sewers, things between them will change forever.
It is grim, it is dark, it is actually fantasy. The setting is so fleshed out there's perhaps a hint of TMI in the world building department - consider that it's only 28/35 (listings vary) pages long and I've gotten a potted history of the Empire alongside the sordid backstory of the two main characters. The sex and violence aspects are very much there in relatively adult terms, but nothing that any GoT fans would shy away from. The Thrones comparison will always be the elephant in the room, so for the Trigger Warning people out there: murder (obvious) and royal twincest (it's not much of a spoiler considering it's explained in the first page or so).
I did get confused by the amount of detail it gave for such a short story. There are a lot of names of places, references to things that happened in the characters' pasts that popped up mid-action that could mean I didn't always find it easy to focus on the main plot line.
As it's to be part of a larger anthology of short stories set in the same world and time, those extra details will probably make a lot more sense in context. But dang, you want adult fantasy writing? It's nasty, twisted grimdark, but that's the point. You can't go far wrong with this.
January 3, 2025
First off, I’d like to say I enjoyed this story. It’s gritty and dark, full of strong emotion and a great amount of turmoil.
Where it fell short for me was in cramming too much world building in for a story of this length. There’s history and magic systems, religion and all manner of intrigue and mystery brought up in this that doesn’t fully have time to be developed.
It is clear to me that the author is drawing from a world in which they have put in a lot of time, effort and resources into. A world that is as fully formed as possible making it a rich and complex beast.
Knowing how much to give and not give is something unique to each story. This one didn’t quite get the balance right.
On occasion, the writing got a little purple and difficult to follow. Plus there was a lot of repetition in certain scenes.
Would I read more by this author? Absolutely!
Where it fell short for me was in cramming too much world building in for a story of this length. There’s history and magic systems, religion and all manner of intrigue and mystery brought up in this that doesn’t fully have time to be developed.
It is clear to me that the author is drawing from a world in which they have put in a lot of time, effort and resources into. A world that is as fully formed as possible making it a rich and complex beast.
Knowing how much to give and not give is something unique to each story. This one didn’t quite get the balance right.
On occasion, the writing got a little purple and difficult to follow. Plus there was a lot of repetition in certain scenes.
Would I read more by this author? Absolutely!
February 1, 2013
The writing in this story is magnificent. The author has an amazing command of the language, and I only noticed a single typo in the whole work (which is really saying something in this age of e-books). The subject matter is dark and full of symbolism, and the descriptions are clear yet overflowing with imagery. It is the kind of story that will haunt a reader's thoughts, and maybe even dreams, for weeks.
The only reason I hesitate to give it 5 stars is that it's a little too dark for my taste, but I haven't read anything as magnificently written in a very long time.
The only reason I hesitate to give it 5 stars is that it's a little too dark for my taste, but I haven't read anything as magnificently written in a very long time.
September 29, 2014
I did not like much the ending... maybe scarier than all the rest of the story. but for the rest is a very interesting short story, full of horror and other horror, insanity, morally atrocious acts etc.
I don't suggest to read it if you're someone scared of the dark that is inside the human soul. or if you're afraid that your lily-white perfection might be damaged by acknowledging that darkness exist.
I don't suggest to read it if you're someone scared of the dark that is inside the human soul. or if you're afraid that your lily-white perfection might be damaged by acknowledging that darkness exist.
November 5, 2012
all I have to say about this is it was a little bit interesting and a lot weird!!!
July 8, 2013
Beautifully written. A love-hate relationship between brother and sister, spanning incest and murder. Too dark and twisty for my taste.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews