Beneath Ceaseless Skies #455, April 16, 2026

“In the blood” by Alex Irvine

“The Long Weeping Arms of the Parasitic Horde” by Bee Hyland

Reviewed by Mina

The narrator in “In the blood” by Alex Irvine makes a living from harvesting dragon shit to find swallowed treasures. It is a dangerous job because the shit is toxic and lethal. The shit harvesters die young and their ranks are replenished by orphans, those who have nowhere else to go. The narrator remembers his uncle, his father and his grandmother. His uncle “knew the great secret of life, which is that humour can be found even in the direst circumstances.” But his uncle dies a brutal death at the hands of brigands.

The narrator is careful to befriend the crows, who understand dragons and humans. He finds a strange gem one day and discovers how crows make dragons. The dragons in this tale are not cuddly creatures; they cannot be, born as they are from human treachery and blood. An imaginative and melancholic tale; with one very violent moment that may give you nightmares, fair warning.

“The Long Weeping Arms of the Parasitic Horde” by Bee Hyland is a creepy tale. The hero in this tale is the knight-of-Syl Jain Balsam. The first half of the tale contrasts the real Jain with the idealised stories told about her. The format of addendums constantly interrupting the flow of the tale was annoying but did serve a purpose. I would personally have kept this section shorter to pack more of a punch.

The second half shows how Jain willingly lets a parasite take over her body and displace her soul. It successfully seduces her by playing on her loneliness, her need to be seen, admired and loved. The creature promises her godhood and power: it can turn myth into reality. A comment on those who give up autonomy and individuality to feel part of something and not have to think or feel any more?