When country boy Teo arrives in the coastal city of Tabat, he finds it a hostile place, particularly to a boy hiding an enormous secret. It’s also a city in turmoil, thanks to an ancient accord to change governments and the rising political demands of Beasts: the Unicorns, Dryads, Minotaurs, and other magical creatures on whose labor and bodies Tabat depends. And worst of all, it’s a city dedicated to killing Shifters, the race whose blood Teo bears. When his fate becomes woven with that of Tabat’s most famous Gladiator, Bella Kanto, his existence becomes even more imperiled. Kanto’s magical battle determines the weather each year, and the wealthy Merchants are tired of the long Winters she’s brought. Can Teo and Bella save each other from the plots closing in on them from all sides?

Issue #170 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies online magazine, featuring stories by Cat Rambo and Heather Clitheroe.

In this short story, which originally appeared in the Glitter and Mayhem anthology, small-town Indiana in the 80s is an uncomfortable place for Arturo, who has a secret life at the local gay bar. When he introduces his best friend, Anna, to the place, he finds both of them swept up in a story of magical obsession and servitude.Find out why Endeavour, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award nominated Cat Rambo's been called one of the strongest storytellers in a generation of speculative fiction writers. Her emotionally rich stories play out against worlds that are evocative, imaginative, and beautifully but economically realized.

In this short story, which originally appeared in Fantasy Magazine, a sorceress in the Southern Isles mourns her dying lover while being wooed by a pirate lover.Find out why Endeavour, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award nominated Cat Rambo's been called one of the strongest storytellers in a generation of speculative fiction writers. Her emotionally rich stories play out against worlds that are evocative, imaginative, and beautifully but economically realized.In the Tales of Tabat series, Rambo explores a fantasy world where intelligent magical creatures co-exist uneasily with human beings in a social order on the verge of upheaval.Discover why World Fantasy and Nebula Award-nominated Cat Rambo's been called a master storyteller in this story set in the world of Tabat, a frequent setting for Rambo's short stories.

Whether set in terrestrial oceans or on far-off space stations, Cat Rambo's masterfully told stories explore themes of gender, despair, tragedy, and the triumph of both human and non-human alike. Cats talk, fur wraps itself around you, aliens overstay their welcome, and superheroes deal with everyday problems. Rambo has been published in Asimov's, Weird Tales, and Tor.com among many others. She was an editor for Fantasy Magazine, has written numerous nonfiction articles and interviews, and has volunteered time with Broad Universe and Clarion West. She has been shortlisted for the Endeavour Award, the Million Writers Award, the Locus Awards, and most recently a World Fantasy Award.**