The patrician class was established in the 8th century BCE when Rome's legendary founder, Romulus, selected 100 distinguished male citizens to serve as his advisory council. These men formed the hereditary aristocratic core that monopolized the city's religious, military, and political power. By Miriam bat Isaac’s time, over 800 years later, patrician status became an honorific title that could be directly bestowed or created by the emperor. In “Sweet Revenge,” Miriam must co

Plant tinctures have been used as herbal remedies for millennia. Tinctures are concentrated herbal extracts made by soaking the bark, berries, leaves (dried or fresh), or roots from one or more plants in alcohol or vinegar. The alcohol or vinegar pulls out the active ingredients in the plant parts, concentrating them as a liquid. Some plants have proven health benefits, while the effects of others are less clear and may even be poisonous. Theodora in “Sweet Revenge,” (see the

Look for the story in the October 2026 issue of Down in the Dirt! Don’t just read about this Upper West Side murder. Be there for the almost perfect crime. The killer just didn’t figure on getting caught in the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965. To read the story now, click here.

Theodora made it just like she always did: the wine-soaked dates stuffed with honey-drenched chopped nuts and a pyramid of berries on the side. But with one exception. All she wanted was to see him die slowly, raving in madness, his eyes rolling back, and his face twisted into an expression of utter horror. To find out why she did it, whether she succeeded, and whether the method could work for you, read “Sweet Revenge” in Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction, No. 54, S

This ancient dog, the Melitan, is said to be ancestral to the modern Maltese Terrier, although it does not closely resemble it. But because of surviving depictions, including vase paintings, grave reliefs, and terracotta figurines, we can see that it was a miniature, fluffy, spitz-type dog, commonly white, with a pointed, fox-like muzzle. It was an energetic, playful companion dog especially popular among children and women, though it was also loved by men. Doting owners some

In The Deadliest Hate, Miriam first meets Nathaniel ben Ruben at The Pegasus, a sleezy waterfront inn. She wants him to carry a message to Judah that she will be arriving on her cousin’s ship, the Orion. She tells us about that encounter: The public room seemed virtually empty save for the ferocious flies. I figured the boarders must have supped last night on rotten fish and rancid mutton washed down with stale beer. Adding to the foulness were the tang of putrefying garbag

While her name has come to be associated with madness, Mania’s role originally was more spiritual than psychological. Her terror would be felt when boundaries were neglected, when obligations were forgotten, as in my story “Sweet Revenge” in the September 2026 issue of Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction. “Sweet Revenge” is about Theodora, a woman scorned. Though still desperately in love with her estranged husband, she is eager for revenge. But a slow revenge. So, s

The nightshades are a family of about 2700 species of flowering plants including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, even the petunia. But many, such as tobacco and belladonna (a.k.a. deadly nightshade), have a high alkaloid content, which makes them extremely toxic, some even to the touch. Alongside the side effects of insomnia, local paralysis, and dizziness, are the interchanging states of mood swings from excitement to absolute rabidness. In “Sweet Revenge,” a story

Mercury is known as the fastest of all gods and therefore wears a winged hat and winged sandals. These wings allow him to travel seamlessly between the mortal realm, Mount Olympus, and the Underworld. He carries the caduceus, a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes also surmounted by wings. Mercury is Zeus's messenger and the guide of the dead. In “The Bodyguard”, the first story in The Deadliest Returns, Miriam recalls the day her twin brother Binyamin left Alexan

The dark horse is Theodora, the worst kind of woman scorned, still desperately in love but eager for revenge: Leo never notified me that he was divorcing me and never returned my family’s estate and the betrothal gifts! That ring I gave him. A carnelian intaglio of a two-faced Janus to represent his life before and after our marriage. And three solid gold snake bracelets he said symbolized the immortality of our love. I don’t miss him so much as remember how he used to make