Fiction
March 2022
Il Varcaporta
by Laura Costantini
London, 1897.England prevails over all the countries of Europe thanks to the discovery of Kh-Ram, a mysterious source of energy that freed it from coal and steam. Of course, substance comes at a cost, but Victoria's kingdom acts pragmatically: it hides its dissimilarities and exploits them as needed. Of wretches the streets are full. Some become fodder for processing energy. Another, selected, enters an elite body that masters Kh-Ram, which is only possible for a pair, that is, a pair of young people with certain characteristics, including an exclusive, absolute, and strictly male bond. The substance, in fact, abhors women, movement, and heat. England willingly turns a blind eye to such unions; it also turns two blind eyes to the fate of the unfortunate ones. But what if that is not the only price to pay? Aster Paul, Astrea Lucinda, Zachary Tucker, Devereux Willoghby, and some old acquaintances will find out and will have to decide which side to take. It will be a struggle for survival marked by unpredictable alliances and deception, in which the most intense and purest feelings will become the only guide.
