Mahtan Runya

“Wrong Flank” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #256

In fourteen years of war across two major continents, General William Henry Magellan had never, NEVER, been defeated in combat. By cannon and musket and the sheer courage of Her Majesty’s men, he had marched against the enemies of Great Britain and brought them to her knees. From an officer in the Light Dragoons to commanding ranks upon ranks of his very own army, he had never once lost a battle. Until now.  The battle had started well. Despite being outnumbered, his men had been the swiftest off the mark and had seized the high ground...

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“The Remembered Commander” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #252

The attack was sudden, devastating, and of unequaled brutality, lines upon lines of soldiers marching in neat order the perfect target for gunners hidden in trees to the right of the company, the first volley sending the troops into a panic. As their officers yelled at them to form up as still more shots rang out, hidden pits to the left of the road, and consequently now directly behind the forming lines were thrown open as more gunners opened fire on the forming ranks. The officers, many on horses and behind the lines, were the perfect targ...

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“Hidden Past, Guarded Future” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #251

The discovery was an accident, honestly.  The Library of Al-Keta was hailed to be the greatest source of knowledge on the continent of Caltoura, if not the world. The building itself was nearly a mile long and half that wide, six stories of nothing but scrolls, tomes, even the smallest scraps of parchment recovered from the ashes of towns that had been razed. The uncounted shelves were set in an orderly fashion like so many soldiers, a neat labyrinth that one could simultaneously easily navigate through yet get lost in for hours, if not...

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“The Wind In The Willows” by Mahtan Runya

It seemed like a moment frozen in time. The clouds sat frozen in the sky, the leaves on the trees refused to rustle, and not even the birds chirped from their perches. The creek was muted, the grass still, and his burning lungs failed to breathe in any fresh air. He had always read about one’s heart pounding in their ears in moments of panic, chaos, danger, but no such sound echoed in his ears. His heart simply hammered away in his chest. The small meadow he had run to had always seemed to provide protection when he was a boy. When his fathe...

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“To Raise Them Up” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #221

“Scath Kokori.”  I looked up from my desk, scattered with the latest reports from my spies and commanders on the front lines. Death tolls, enemy movements, proposed strategies. All of them thinly veiled with desperation, every one of them saying the same thing: ‘We are losing.’ With a simple gesture, I set them aflame as I looked at my right-hand man, Captain Adalyn Belos. Older and wiser than me, he had acted as a sure, guiding hand, and now that I was the one in command, he had been invaluable in both aid and criticism, often in eq...

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“Devil In Disguise ” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #204

To any passerby, the man who rode into the town of El Caso late Friday afternnon was like any other, a dusty cowhand simply seeking a drink, or perhaps 'company.' He wasn't the type to scream 'Danger! Gunman!' His gun belt was old and dusty, his holster not tied down, and it sat high up on his hip. His clothes were hardly expensive, worn pants and an old shirt that was threadbare, and his old hat didn't advertise an expensive hatband, but rather a cracked strip of leather.  Indeed, the young man was hardly the material of legend, more l...

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“Immortality ” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #188

"So, what's the catch?""The catch?""You're offering me immortality. There's got to be a catch.""Oh, you sweet summer child. Of course there's a catch. I'm offering you immortality. "A beat passes. "Well?""Well, what?""What's the catch?""Immortality.""...Wut."The cloaked figure leaned forward. "Dear one...you still don't understand, do you? I'm not offering you a gift.""But…you're not asking for payment. I was expecting like, my firstborn, or my eyes, or whatever soul I have. You're not asking me to kill anyone or manipulate something, or lik...

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“Blackout!” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #184

Tires squealed and rubber burned as William Anderson tore up the back country roads. A resident in America’s Pacific Northwest, he had been at work when the power had shut off. No flickers, no warning, no explanation. As far as he had been aware, there had been no storms that had occurred, and over the past two days, the news had just got worse. The gas stations were shut down due to no power, the generators at the grocery stores were running on fumes, and the power company couldn’t say anything more than ‘we’re working on the problem, plea...

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“"Let's Go For A Walk."” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #181

“Tawson.” The word was spoken softly by a man who, despite the fact the birthdays that had passed him were few, looked far older. Speculations ranged from dark magic to a rare disease, but Fel Knight Enair Tawson knew it to be nothing more than the burden of command, the decisions that haunted one throughout the oppressive night and into the dawn’s feeble rays. It was a voice, however, that sent a chill down his spine, one that had nothing to do with the icy twilight. “Ser.” He responded, managing to ensure the word came out smoothly desp...

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