God is dead, but somebody still has to do the job. For almost a thousand years the people of the Crystal Empire elect one of their own to be their God, to assume the mantle of authority and power over all creation, and to burn away in doing so. It is through this succession that the Crystal Empire has maintained its peace and stability for so long. Yet beyond the great crystalline walls that serve as the empire’s borders, each new god brings a change.

Far to the west, at the edges of the known world, lies Erazel, the Sunset Kingdom, a lone beacon of civilization in the wild barbarian lands of a once great empire, though many fear the kingdom’s time has come. The royal line of Chalent has extinguished itself in a blood feud with one of their former vassals turned royal rivals, House Aldrimar, who themselves are on the verge of falling apart.

Far away, at the edge of space and the end of time is the world of Rhial, one of the last vestiges of terrestrial life anywhere in the dark, star-less universe. It is a cold, harsh world, where person’s worth is measured in heat. While the world’s leaders know full well they live on borrowed time as the universe spins down, and are determined to eek out what living they can until then, many of traders and explorers who wander the ice insist the stars will return.

Ten thousand magical words are a listening experience unlike any other, if you can recite them perfectly. One of the only men who can is in the city for just one night, for just one performance that cannot be missed. This award winning novella is a story of magic, music, and the power of what words mean to each of us. Decemilia Verba won the r/FantasyWriters monthly short story contest in November 2014, and was featured in the Champions Anthology collected and edited by Alex S.