“A Balance of Power” in Unfixed Timelines 2
I feel like I’ve always had an interest in Jack the Ripper, and I have no idea what started it, though it’s likely the mystery of who he was that has kept me interested over the years. When I finally decided to write a Jack the Ripper story of my own, however, I didn’t want it to focus on that mystery, but rather what one determined woman whose life was at risk with the Ripper on the loose might do to try to stop him. And that became “A Balance of Power” in Unfixed Timelines 2.
The name of the story came from how I established the magic system for this story. Each different type of magic was tied to a chakra, and the practitioner experienced pain at that chakra when they used magic. If they overused magic, their body would pay the price. So my main character had to be judicious in her use of magic, lest she incapacitate herself through the pain. (There’s actually a second system of magic on display in the story, which is a ritual form of magic, and doesn’t have the same consequences, simply because it lacks speediness.)
While my story doesn’t solve the mystery of who Jack the Ripper was, it’s still a fun piece of fantastical history in which a potential victim asserts her power and makes it clear she won’t be taken unaware.
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