WHAT HAPPENED to the days when fiction had an idealistic magic to it, created by literary magicians like Robert Louis Stevenson or F. Scott Fitzgerald with tales of mysterious personas with unreal qualities– romantic characters who in Fitzgerald’s timeless phrase were “simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” Does one find that magic from today’s writers?

Not often, but alert editors can occasionally stumble upon it– as we did with our new feature story, “Killian and the Black Blade!” by C. A. Shoultz. An exciting narrative about a fencing club. A story designed to be read. Enjoy.

No further time to mark the oddness of her foe. The two girls tossed salutes and bent their knees to ready. Killian, as was her habit, advanced first, and broadly, long steps directing her with strident purpose. This flicker of initiative was usually enough to pass the opposition into defense, quail them back and give her early triumph. But the sable girl, to Killian’s shock, advanced as well, every bit as swift as she. In fact, the girl moved faster, so that abruptly both were in each others’ range. Killian lunged and thrust-–