She called herself Audra, though that wasn’t her real name; he called himself Miles, but she suspected it wasn’t his, either.
She was young (how young she would not say), beautiful (or so her Emil had told her), and she had a keen interest in stories. Miles was old, tattooed, perverted, and often mean, but he knew stories that no one else knew, and she was certain that he was the only one who could help her get back home.
She found him among the artists, makers, and deviants. They called him Uncle, and spoke of him sometimes with loathing, sometimes respect, but almost always with a tinge of awe-a magician in a world of technicians, they did not know what to make of him.
But Audra saw him for what he truly was.
Christie Yant is one of the hardest working, most genuine people you’ll find in the publishing industry. She’s been a well of wisdom for me as I’ve pursued the publication of my own fiction, and so it’s an absolute delight to see her story, ‘The Magician and the Maid and Other Stories’, from the John Joseph Adams-edited The Way of the Wizard, featured in its entirety on the almighty io9.
Go check it out. And if you enjoy it, her story ‘The Gift’ is also available for free!
