Beneath Ceaseless Skies #446, November 27, 2025

“Little Thief and the Martyr’s Head” by J.A. Prentice

In “Little Thief and the Martyr’s Head” by J. A. Prentice, a homeless beggar is able to communicate with the head of a rebel, who is still alive despite having his body chopped into pieces and scattered to various places. The undead rebel asks for the beggar’s help, but she is reluctant to take the risk of facing the wrath of a tyrannical emperor.

Most of the story consists of the beggar torn between remaining safe and aiding the rebel. Readers will not be surprised by the decision she eventually makes. In an odd way, this story is both too long and too short, continuing in an anticlimactic manner after the decision is made, but also ending in an open-ended way that promises more to come.

The title protagonist of “The Unmasking of Fioha Dubhan” by Samuel Chapman is a professional fighter who agrees to lose to a man who wishes to gain social status through his paid victory. To make the bout seem more real, she also arranges to have another opponent lose to her before the main battle. Things don’t work out exactly as she expected.

Although this story takes place in a fantasy world, there are no supernatural elements. The same events, with some tinkering, could take place in the realm of boxing or wrestling. The plot depends on one character being more deceitful and another being more foolish than seems believable.

Victoria Silverwolf is working an extra day today.