Artwork by Frank Schurter

Captain Christopher and his men face Tir, the God of War.
Artwork Copyright © 2007 by Frank Schurter

From Chapter 4 of The Stellar Glory: 

Christopher had little time in which to take in the whole, seeing at a glance the satin white underside of the wings, their gray-green backs, the fingers jutting out of the wings at their mid-point, the rainbow colored vane above the head which the creature used maneuver in the air. And then there was the unreal, almost mechanical nature of the thing. For no sooner had Christopher begun to believe in the reality of the beast, even searching the air for the scent of the thing, than the beast curled in upon itself, tucking its head and beak between its legs before vanishing in a burst of light.

What it left behind was easily as startling.

An audible wave of shock arose from the men on the ground. More human than the insect creatures --than the demons they had engaged in battle-- this alien nevertheless imposed its own surreal air upon the scene.

Before them stood a thing of stone. It gleamed of polished marble, this being --a sculpture from the past come alive. The head boasted two cat-like eyes and a broad nose; the shoulders and general build were those of an athlete, or a god.

The colonists cowered before it. Where the creature stood, it measured four and a half meters from head to heel.

Christopher found himself as dumbfounded as the rest, the alien drawing all attention to itself, drawing them all into its spell without any deliberate action, as moths are drawn to the flame.

With each subtle movement, the giant poured into the air a sense of its own invulnerability.

(The Stellar Glory is coming to S&FF soon.)

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The Stellar Glory
by Scot Noel

Frank Schurter is an artist and  teacher living in Pittsburgh, PA.

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The Stellar Glory
Copyright © 2007 by Scot Noel
Artwork Copyright © 2007 by Frank Schurter.

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