Cajek Veilwinter

“Shadows in the Darkroom” by Cajek Veilwinter

As Danny stared at the photo that was developing, a look of fear and confusion spread across his face. His hand shook as he touched the edges of the picture as it became clearer and clearer.Luckily, Danny’s darkroom was in a secluded part of Varunkirk university, behind the costume department’s closet, because when he sprinted out of it no one saw from whence he came... he thought.I’d better rethink where I keep my equipment, he thought to himself as he ran to the college newspaper office. It was after hours, but chief editor Amber was alway...

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“The Greatsword of Azura” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #242

Farah templed her fingers as she watched the two young creatures sitting across from each other at the little wooden table discuss their plan. The storm that usually dripped over the town of Vulane was raging that night, and thus the tavern was nearly vacant except for Farah, her two ‘protoges’ and the barkeep at the other end of the establishment - too busy cleaning glasses and getting drunk on his own supply to bother them. Farah - the renowned ferret thief - had only had one ale and she could barely follow what the other two were talking ...

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“Flickering Candles” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #238

Sneaking into the forbidden section of the library was a coming-of-age ritual for the dark art - and a few curious light art - students at the College of Elements. Very few - perhaps one student a year - could pass through the enchantments that had begun to grow over that part of the library as the centuries passed. Sniptide - a skilled stoat thief - motioned to her vulpine companion to follow through the...

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“A Small Abandoned Reality” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #236

Samantha had been at the same corner table of the greasy spoon since six in the morning. It was eleven twenty-three, post meridian, Pacific Time Zone. On the big, boxy television on the other side of the room was what Sam understood to be an “advertisement” for something. A lone figure with red, electric eyes and clad in leather emerges from the darkness as a deep-voiced narrator says,

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“Reedrascal's Astrolabe” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #232

The court astronomer of Vulane - Reedrascal the Calculating - was a distracted old ferret with a long white beard and goggles that his young student thought made his eyes look ridiculous.  Vulane itself was not ideal for an astronomer, as the ever-present, rain-filled clouds that filled the sky had themselves been... altered somehow. Reedrascal was going to get to the bottom of that: perhaps with tonight’...

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“The Vicar, the Whale, and the Sword” by Cajek Veilwinter

Vulane, the “City of Sin,” was perfect for someone as nosy as Amber. The world was changing, and the clever meerkat had to go where the cogs were turning the fastest. “Journalist” was not a well-known occupation yet, but it soon would be - and because of her.  Amber promised herself that.  She liked the way the Tyrian nuns and priests talked about Vulane. All around her pro...

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“Normalton Nightmare” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #221

It had taken months to find all the ingredients. Some were taken from her mother’s crypt in the basement of her own home, some from her mother’s office, and even one had been ‘borrowed’ from her father’s police station downtown. The fingernail of a dead necromancer was the most complicated to discover, but the location of the grave itself - uncovered from her father’s files at the police s...

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“The Scent of Shadows” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #218

Chief Constable Spot Holland stared down the alleyway, then looked up to check the moon. It was there. Not a full one, but it was there. He looked down the absolutely black alleyway again and checked his right paw.  It was shaking. Not only did the old spaniel smell what he had smelled all those decades ago, but he also smelled Jack too. Or, at least, one of the spells he w...

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“Rare and Exquisite” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #211

Edmund was not his real name.The young man was a librarian by trade, although one wouldn’t know it by looking at him. He wore a double-breasted gray suit, his neck swathed in a long black scarf. In his hand he held an elaborate pocket watch, which he was studying closely. He was standing outside a wrought-iron gate in a slum of Paris in the middle of the night.He watched as two drunkards across the street stumbled out of what was casually known as a “night cafe.” He eyed them nervously, gripping his wal...

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“The Eighth Vile Vermin” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #209

Elara stood in the ornate chamber of the Tyrian Library, her heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation. The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows on the walls, illuminating the rows upon rows of ancient tomes and scrolls that lined the shelves. She took a deep breath, her green eyes fixed on the imposing figure seated at the head of the long wooden table. Before the young ...

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“Rosehearth” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #208

NOTE: Contains depictions of corpses. In the heart of Rosehearth Abbey, where the sun's warm rays bathed the lush green surroundings, lived a young squirrel maid named Hazel.  Hazel Runwhistle was a spirited and curious creature, known for her boundless energy and mischievous escapades with her various friends. Rosehearth Abbey was a haven of tranquility, a...

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“High, Far, and Unknown” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #204

Unknownium was commonly described as a rock, glowing purple from within, that could float given the slightest jolt of energy. The exact mechanism for this was not fully understood, but it was magic - and so was given the benefit of the doubt.The Unknownium rush of ‘49 turned Vulane from a community of farmers with small town values into a metropolis with new Unknownium-powered airships landing every day. It also changed the leadership of the town from poor prey animals like mice and voles - and poor humans besides - to w...

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“Process of Illumination” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #202

The scroll headlines couldn’t be clearer: “Constables Humiliated” “Killer Still On The Loose” “Clerics and Mages Brought In After Magistrate Completely Baffled” Skreet Snickertooth’s heart sank again upon viewing the discarded papers on his partner’s desk and floor. The rat scratched his chin, a few strands of black fur fluttering to the floor on top of the ...

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“The History of the Night” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #199

Edmund was not his real name. The lone man in a brown double breasted suit leaned against the railing as the ship cut its way through the night. There was laughter and light coming from the ballroom above, but Edmund simply ignored it. He arched his neck to observe the full yellow moon in the sky, throwing its light carelessly onto the shimmering sea. It was a warm ...

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“Of Pirates, Bees, and Angels” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #198

The Professor of Forbidden Criminology at Vulane’s College of Elements was a hive of bees. “The Church of Tyr would have you believe that there are seven ‘Vile Vermin,’” the hive buzzed as the students sat around the enchanted tree that held it. “In truth, there are eight!” It then issued a staccato buzz in such a way as to convey a laugh. The three students who were gath...

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