Tangled Past

Fate and friendship brought the Wagon Crew together in Rumi's sentient, self-propelling wagon. Their travels across a world haunted by Fragments, dangerous shards that can possess travellers, has unravelled part of the mystery behind Aliyah's past, her strange abilities, and the Fragments themselves. At last, they have reached the forest of Aliyah's dreams, in which they hope to find the rest of their answers. Hiding within the green foliage are the forest's magical dwelllers, small spirits with bodies of mulch, faces of bark, and eyes that shine the colour of Aliyah's magic. Their curiosity and wonder are only rivalled by Horace's, and soon the Wagon Crew is hard at work trying to communicate with them and understand their place in the puzzle. The idyllic cultural exchange is interrupted by an assault from Archivists. They know Aliyah has reached the end of their Journey, and they intend to shape the story to their liking. The faintest hint of their presence sends the forest sprites scurrying with fear. If the Wagon Crew wants to unearth the answers they've travelled for, they will first need to confront the dangerous organization in a final stand.

Claudie Arseneault is an easily-enthused aromantic and asexual writer with a never-ending cycle of obsessions but an enduring love for all things cephalopod and fantasy (together or not!). She writes stories that centre platonic relationships and loves large casts and single-city settings, the most notable of which are the City of Spires series (2017-2023) and Baker Thief (2018). In addition to her own fiction, Claudie has co-edited Common Bonds (2021), an anthology of aromantic speculative short stories. She is a founding member of The Kraken Collective, an alliance of self-publishing SFF authors, and the creator of the Aromantic and Asexual Characters Database.