Tag: Fantasy
-
The Mad Monk of Geylang Part 5
Successful magic, as with all things, follows the KISS principle: Keep it Simple, Stupid. Forget complicated rituals, rare ingredients, hours-long chants and lengthy evocations of gods and spirits. Once you understand the principles of magic, complexity is a curse. I don’t usually dabble much with rituals myself. But a case like this requires extra…
-
The Mad Monk of Geylang Part 4
Over the phone, Diana spends the next hour explaining her situation. Shortly after leaving her home, Somchai’s followers began bombarding her. They filled her inbox with messages, some honeyed, some vitriolic, calling her to return and receive the monk’s forgiveness, else she be damned for uncountable lifetimes. The senior members kept calling her, either telling…
-
The Mad Monk of Geylang Part 3
I free my Benchmade from my pants and pop the blade open. ‘Leonhard, Lupin, what’s going on?’ I ask. The wolf materializes before me. ‘Intruders!’ A full-throated leonine roar fills my head. I burst out the bathroom, knife by my hip, and hit the lights. A wind chime lay by the window next to my…
-
The Mad Monk of Geylang Part 2
‘You dare defy us?!’ the naga roars. I stride over to it and clear my throat. “Naga, your work is done here,” I say out loud. “You have delivered your message and you have fulfilled your duty. I bid you now to return to your home in peace.” The naga laughs, its sibilant voice filling…
-
The Mad Monk of Geylang Part 1
Evil spirits always do everything in their power to disguise themselves from human ken. Natives of the astral plane, they are invisible to everyone without the second sight, and they act through means so subtle most humans can’t connect the deed back to them. But sometimes, you just can’t ignore the elephant in the room.…
-
Instrument of Wrath
The penthouse was a hard target. On the upper floor, armed guards peered out the windows, watching for the cops. At least two of them, with body armor and carbines and white full-face masks. On the lower floor, two more patrolled the outdoor terrace, watching over the hostages. I counted six captives, hands cuffed behind…