Cajek Veilwinter

“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 provincial, ancestral town, the Tyrians had taken over - or pretended they had. The ‘God of Justice’ was like a smothering blanket over her life, and all the ...

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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 station - were the most delicious. When Arachne had uncovered that one, she couldn’t help but let out a little cackle. It was the night before Hallowe...

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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 was known for casting. Darkness. Spot tried to catch his breath. He didn’t need to see what was down there. He didn’t need to see it. He didn’t need to see b...

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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 walking stick tightly as they walked away....

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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 hare archivist sat the Lord Head Cleric: a venerable badger named Lord Thorne, flanked by his council of esteemed scholars. His fur was a...

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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 place where peace reigned and the soft glow of contentment enveloped every corner. The abbey itself was nestled in a serene valley, surrounded by rolling hills and vibrant wild...

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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 wealthier creatures wi...

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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 drawings of confused constable dogs and dreadful headlines. “Rusty, come on,” Skreet said, making his way to the other side of the desk and trying to rouse his friend. He could ...

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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 summer evening, but still he shuddered.  He examined his ticket again, recalled what his contact whispered seductively over the phone:  “Nine o’clock.”  ...

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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 gathered around the Tree - as familiar as they were with the more hidden elements of the world - shuddered as a few bees crawled out of the hollow and buzzed furtively on th...

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“The Caged Sphinx” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #191

The golden bird alighted upon the recluse’s walking stick, its beautiful plumage - mostly gold but with colorful glass intermixed - flowing all the way to the dirt and rocks below. The scent from the trees reminded the recluse of her. Even the ever-starry sky above.He wondered where she was, now.“You cannot still be melancholy?” It asked in his mistress’s voice. The recluse stopped his daydreaming under the full blanket of space and adjusted his attention to the delicate automaton. It cocked its mechanical head as he stopped his climb.The re...

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“Clocks in the Fog” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #185

Frances Whisperwheel had run to the basement of his clock shop when the ruckus began.  Two huge creatures - one a reptiloid and one a black bear - had crashed through the wall of the Fog District in what Frances assumed was some kind of bloodsport. The sound was gigantic: louder than any of the annoying fireworks from the Entertainment District that the little raccoon had heard in his years in Vulane. By the time the two had crashed through the front of his shop, Frances had estimated the loss in his head: forty thousand gold pieces...

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“Scarararcarsarjarcar” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #184

I don’t remember a time when I was truly sane. Perhaps when I was very small.I woke up on that Brunsday at eleven in the morning in one of Vulane’s many opium palaces, merely four blocks from Veilwinter Temple.My turban was full of wine so, of course - not wanting to be rude - I drank it. I then touched the huge paw of the creature beside me.“Spar,” I said. “Spar, you awake?”Spar, a huge black bear in armor, lolled his head to the side - a little trickle of spittle coming out of his maw. I looked around me at the other myriad creatures splay...

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“House of the Moon” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #183

I woke up with a vicious hangover. Vulane’s ‘Nightlife’ district was not a place for casual tourists... or detectives. Bleary-eyed, I looked around my temporary lodgings. I grabbed my tail: yup, still there. I must’ve barely made it through the door last night. It was still raining as I looked through the misty window. The street below was filled with performers, families, pickpockets, and - somewhere - a heinous villain. I could hear the sound of drums, fiddles, and laughter from what seemed like every direction: including from within m...

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“Unwoven Threads” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #182

Danny blinked awake to the red light blinking next to his bed on the table, next to a shot glass and an alarm clock - almost in sync with a lightning flash outside: Someone had tripped his DYI home alarm system. He didn’t own a gun for various reasons, so he quietly reached for the fighting baton he kept under his bed. Creeping out of his small room and into the hallway, he saw yellow light pouring out of his dining room. Either it was someone wanting to be noticed or a trap to distract him. Doing a dodge roll into the kitchenette, he ...

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