Little Plum

The young and clever queen has a job to do. She must conceive an heir. The future of not only her new husband's kingdom, but also of her own native land, hang in the balance. But will her husband, the aging king, live long enough to do his part? Not that he remained fully present even now. Even a young woman as innocent of the ways of the world as the queen knew that conception required some sort of contact between wife and husband, didn't it?

When a mysterious stranger arrives at court claiming great knowledge and pledging great loyalty, the queen find a possible solution. But can she she trust him? Dare she? A tale of magic, of court intrigue, and of the people it touches.

Michael Canfield writes about monsters, superheroes, couples, bank robbers, babies, astronauts, paranoids, background artists, hobbyists, and other people. He has published mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror, or just-plain-odd stories on StrangeHorizons, futurismic, EscapePod, M–Brane SF, in dead-tree magazines including Realms of Fantasy, Talebones, Black Gate, Flytrap and other places. His novelette “Super-Villains” was republished in the prestigious The Year’s Best series, edited by Rich Horton. Born in Las Vegas, he now lives, works, plays, writes, and watches television in Seattle.