Dark Fantasy Short Stories

Most folks around town thought Lester Talbot was just a lonely, bitter old man who drank too much and talked to ghosts. But he was much more than that, much more. He had a power, a gift, to not only help others in need as if by magic, but to see into the past and future as well.

Vyder Ironstone is an assassin with a troubled past. At the order of his king, Vyder must undertake his most dangerous mission yet - a mission from which he may never return. If he is successful, it might just be enough to alleviate war tearing the kingdom apart. The prospect of failure is not worth considering.

I woke to a mass of men writhing and broken, moving as one in their attempt to reach that great circle of light. They looked like ants, but ants without exoskeletons: their soft bits shredding, their hard bits breaking, to make a sort of chicken-leg jello out of humanity. The cries of pain and cries of triumph mixed. But one man keeps saying, "2π28.57mm. 2π28.57mm. 2π28.57mm.” Pointing at the circle of light. Claiming he cut it. Cut what? And why?

The Reaper did not speak. He did not even move, for what need did he have to chase anyone? Everyone comes to him eventually. Men, women, and gods all are consumed in his ever waiting black. Clive, sighing deeply, turned to look Death in the face. In the form he took for Clive, Death stood around seven feet tall, the hood of his monk’s cowl falling to just above the bridge of the nose, had there been a nose to speak of. Instead, there was simply a hole, a cavernous nothing, like death itself.

Sixteen years old, Caina is a student of the Ghosts, the spies and agents of the Emperor of Nighmar, and from them she learns the arts of stealth and infiltration, of disguise and intrigue. But when a man dies of a mysterious poison, Caina faces a deadly test. Because if she doesn't solve the murder, she might die next....

When 35-year-old office worker Avery Brocus set up a profile on an adult hook-up site, he never dreamed a 22-year-old hottie would contact him. Nor did he imagine she’d want to meet him in person. After agreeing, he immediately has second thoughts. He’s expecting someone out to rob him of his money or identity. He’s not expecting to encounter creatures that want his very soul.

Tales of Vengeance is a collection of short stories based in the same world as the five star fantasy novel Spirits of Vengeance: The Stone of Spirits. While set during the same period as events in that book, the themes and issues in Tales are decidedly different, offering expanded views on minor characters, as well as hints at what lies in store in the sequel, Spirits of Vengeance: The Assassin of Araneque.

"A Walk in the Dark" was first published in the August 1950 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories. Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) is regarded as one of the most-influential science fiction writers of all time. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

In this sci-fi-fantasy, short story, Martin Warwick is a down on his luck racecar driver. His only accolade is to make the other drivers look good with his mediocre performances. It's not that Martin is a bad driver. He's just not had the breaks. He needs a better sponsor which would get him a better car and a little luck to put him ahead of the pack. The break comes in the form of the mysterious Mallory. He doesn't have money or connections. He has a device to make Martin and any car he drives better.

Ave creates her own world, but will spirit be able to enter in? This is the second book in the #AngelStories short story collection by award-winning author Michael Lynes.

Evan Sanders was destined to a life of fighting. He wasn't an ordinary man. He was a lycanthrope. Not only was he a werewolf but he was the pack's leader. His mission in life was to protect humankind from vampires. Everything was on track for their big gathering of the full moon. Battle plans were laid out for the upcoming war between the werewolves and the vampires. Nothing would get in the way. That's what he thought until she walked into his life. Cheyanne Willows was banging on his door one night needing help. She was on the run from vampires.