by Cat Rambo
“I forgive you!” she says loudly.
The life goes out of her with the suddenness of a stone sinking into water, and she is gone, along with the cat, and now I remember wanting it. Wanting it more than anything else in the world.
It's probably apparent that this story is largely autobiographical. I'll leave it at that, and dedicate it to Nellie Warner MacDonald. You'll be missed. The story won 2nd prize in the ChiZine contest in 2005 and was my first pro publication.
A Chronology of Tabat
The Shadow Wars
Love, Resurrected
A Twine of Flame
Early Tabat
How Dogs Came To The New Continent
99 Statues And A Murder
Modern-day Tabat
The Bear
The Bumblety’s Marble
Dryad’s Kiss
Events at Fort Plentitude
I’ll Gnaw Your Bones, the Manticore Said
In the Lesser Southern Isles
The Moon’s Accomplice (novel)
Narrative of a Beast’s Life
Sugar
Legends and Fairytales
The Dead Girl’s Wedding March
A Key Decides Its Destiny
As noted elsewhere, the seaport of Tabat is a major seaport in the world in which many of my stories and the novel The Moon’s Accomplice are set. It is located on the south-eastern coast of the New Continent, an area settled by refugees from the Old Continent, destroyed by wars between rival sorcerers, as detailed in “A Twine of Flame” and “Sugar.”
I originally designed Tabat for an online game that never came to fruition. I found, though, that I’d imagined it clearly enough—as I should have, having drawn out and described its major streets and landmarks—that I felt compelled to tell some of the stories taking place within it. I can say with assurance that it has plenty more to supply.
One of the neat things about working with the game was that I could add descriptions that were conditional, that only appeared under certain circumstances, such as a reek of decaying seaweed at high tide or drifting petals in a garden in early spring when a wind was blowing. It's because of that, I think, that I know the landscape of Tabat well – the Piskie Wood, which celebrates an ancient war; the great Plaza which holds the most wonderful waterfall on the continent; the trams which move pedestrians along its terraces; the College of Sorcerers; the Moonway, whose tiles change color with the phases of the three moons. It's my city and I love it. I hope you enjoy your stays there as much as I do.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted, in part or whole, by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from both the copyright owner and the publisher.
Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight © 2009 by Cat Rambo
Introduction © 2009 by Michael Livingston
edited by Michael Livingston and Lawrence M. Schoen
“The Accordion” first appeared in Cafe Irreal.
“I’ll Gnaw Your Bones, the Manticore Said” first appeared in Clarkesworld.
“Heart in a Box” first appeared in Strange Horizons as “Foam on the Water.”
“In the Lesser Southern Isles” first appeared in Black Sails.
“Up the Chimney” first appeared in Postcards.
“Events at Fort Plentitude” first appeared in Weird Tales.
“Dew Drop Coffee Lounge” first appeared in Clockwork Phoenix.
“Eagle-haunted Lake Sammamish” first appeared in Shimmer.
“Sugar” first appeared in Fantasy Magazine Sampler.
“A Key Decides Its Destiny” first appeared in Say...What’s the Combination.
“The Towering Monarch of His Mighty Race” first appeared in Intergalactic Medicine Show.
“The Dead Girl’s Wedding March” first appeared in Fantasy Magazine.
“Worm Within” first appeared in Clarkesworld.
“Magnificent Pigs” first appeared in Strange Horizons.
"Grandmother's Road Trip" first appeared in Chiaroscuro.
The hardcopy version of this book is available in both hardback and trade paperback from, Paper Golem LLC, 1049 Union Meeting Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422 USA
http://www.papergolem.com
Cover Art by Carrie Ann Baade
Cover Design by Mary Robinette Kowal
Book Design by Lawrence M. Schoen
DEDICATION
For Wayne, always.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When I first went to Clarion West in 2005, I had no idea what an amazing journey it would launch, or how many friends and family-of-affinity members I would acquire along the way. I’d like to particularly acknowledge the following:
• My fellow members of Clarion West 2005, who saw several of these stories in embryo, and who have been sources of encouragement, inspiration, and the occasional kick in the ass. And our instructors: Octavia Butler, L. Timmel Duchamp, Andy Duncan, Michael Swanwick (who did not make us cry), Gordon Van Gelder, and Connie Willis. And last but never least, Neile Graham and Leslie Howle, who kept us all sane.
• Members of the Codex Writers’ Group as well as the Redmond Riters and Horrific Miscue, Seattle Branch.
• Lawrence M. Schoen, Michael Livingston, and Mary Robinette Kowal.
• Kris Dikeman, to whom I owe so very, very much.
• Sean Wallace, who always tells me the good gossip.
• Jeff VanderMeer, who rocks my socks off.
• Ken and Sarah, most excellent proprietors of the Griffon Bookstore, which made adolescence bearable.
• And my mother, who started reading F&SF because I was writing “that kind of stuff.”
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Electronic Version
Eight Letters of Wonder, by Michael Livingston
Her Eyes Like Sky, And Coal, And Moonlight
The Accordion
I'll Gnaw Your Bones, the Manticore Said
Heart In A Box
In the Lesser Southern Isles
Up the Chimney
The Silent Familiar
Events at Fort Plentitude
Dew Drop Coffee Lounge
Narrative of a Beast's Life
Eagle-haunted Lake Sammamish
Sugar
A Key Decides Its Destiny
The Towering Monarch of His Mighty Race, Whose Like the World Will Never See Again
In Order to Conserve
Rare Pears and Greengages
A Twine of Flame
The Dead Girl's Wedding March
Worm Within
Magnificent Pigs
Grandmother's Road Trip
A Chronology of Tabat
Notes
Acknowledgements
