Beneath Ceaseless Skies #466, September 17, 2026

“The Cold That Brings You Home” by E.M. Linden

“Sous Lumière Aigre” by Jonathan Louis Duckworth

Reviewed by Budd Trippet

“The Cold That Brings You Home” by E.M. Linden is a tale of a young girl named Yesset and her friend Shay. They live and work at Starch House, a place where the Sisters are midwives who assist and provide for mothers to give birth. The Sisters have names that evoke their functions, such as ‘Sister Grain’ who bakes bread and ‘Sister Yarn’ who makes clothes for the new babies. The story takes place in Selcouth with the seashore to the east, a wild moor to the west and The Hill to the north. The Hill has a circle of stones with a stone gateway that is an entrance to another world, a place of constant wind, snow and cold. Yesset is a girl who loves the cold is often regarded as expressionless and distant. Shay and Yesset are the only females who arrive at Starch House who are not pregnant. Shay does become pregnant with a lover who left before the couple could marry. The married women are honored and go home with their newborns, but unwed mothers lose their babies to the Kind Ones. The custom of putting salt and cold iron into protecting the babies is reminiscent of old fairy tales and the fae who take children. All parents are careful to never refer to newborns as beautiful or handsome and indeed to not even use the words for a baby, lest they attract the Kind Ones. Babies from unwed women are taken to The Hill and left for the Kind Ones. Yesset helps Shay give birth and she finds affection for Shay and her baby. If the mother and child can stay for three days, without the Kind Ones arriving to take the child, the mother can keep her child. This was an evocative story that gave empathy for Shay and Yesset. There is tension and a challenge between Yesset and a Kind One to round things out for a measure of closure.

“Sous Lumière Aigre” by Jonathan Louis Duckworth takes place in France, with the characters of Guy, a poor peddler, and Yanel who is a young girl he meets on the road after he was attacked. In the area there are mischievous sprites called ‘lutin’ and a dangerous creature, Le Roi des Garrigues, who is known by the title ‘Le Roi Bête’. Guy and Yanel stop at a tavern where they are met by the proprietor—Remi le Gateau. Guy, Yanel and Remi soon become paralyzed by a magic spell cast by Le Roi Bête. Guy is greeted by Le Roi Bête, a tall dangerous creature who seeks to find one of the children who serve him. The speech and description of Le Roi Bête are effective in showing a character that is genuinely disturbing. The atmosphere of the story is reflected in the title, which can be interpreted as ‘under a sour light’. Guy attempts to mislead Le Roi Bête about Yanel’s location and is threatened by Le Roi Bête. Yanel reveals herself to save Guy. Guy becomes Yanel’s protector and makes an agreement to take her to her original home in Brunot. Le Roi adds the condition ‘wherever she might find safety’. Excellent dialogue throughout this story and the evolving relationship of Guy and Yanel adds depth and empathy. Le Roi Bête is an excellent villain.