Epic Fantasy Short

Private investigator Samantha Moon gets up close and personal with her dead ex-husband's mistress, Nancy, who might be a woman who knows too much. When Nancy opens up to Sam about her history with Danny, Sam tries to forgive her and move on with her life, maybe even be friends. After all, Danny didn't play it straight with either of them. Despite her good intentions, something rises up in Sam, something dark and evil, and something that she can barely keep under control.

Across the Azkhantian steppe, warrior women ride to battle against foes both human and supernatural. From the world of The Seven-Petaled Shield come four fantasy tales, originally published in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword & Sorceress. Prophecy links a mother and daughter in an unbreakable bond. A young woman defies tradition to become a shaman. When twins are magically divided, the survivor searches for the other half of her soul. A warrior woman discovers that to wield a magical blade dishonorably carries a heavy price.

Renowned and knighted for capturing the fearsome Dark Elf of Syron, Sir Fredric has nagging doubts about his victory. His brother Malgrid's drunken remark strengthens dire suspicions. Was it all some devious scheme? Fredric has enough enemies who would want to compromise his honor, especially with the prestigious Jewel Quest coming up. It seems that there is only one person who can possibly shed some light on the situation - the Dark Elf himself. But will the captured enemy speak? Will Fredric discover the truth before a plot far more elaborate and danger much greater than he realizes take his life?

King Gelleran is facing a dilemma. The dangerous dark elf he holds captive and uses as his protection from the neighboring country of Kerbia has drawn the attention of Welmar, a kingdom even more powerful. The Welmarians have offered a generous sum for the prisoner; refusing the offer could mean war. As the king tries to find a way to handle this, he learns a devastating news: Things are not as they appeared, and the prisoner he thought securely jailed is playing a game of his own, threatening vengeance if it's not played by his rules.

Intelligence told the High Command that the Mar Tabban, arch enemies of the Citizens' Army, had moved into the territory garrisoned by Larian's Regiment. In response, the Regimental Commander sent the B company scouts, Larian's unit, out to investigate. On his first operational assignment, Larian has to overcome inexperience and his own fear and uncertainty if he wants to survive and get the information his Regiment needs to emerge victorious.

The dragons had been created by ancient sorcerers deep beneath Firestorm Mountain. The most powerful of these deadly creatures was Gilmreth. After the Worldfire, the dragons escaped from the mountain to prey upon the few living creatures left upon the Earth. Over the centuries, living sources of food became harder to find and the dragons took to preying upon each other. In a small secluded valley, a few humans still struggle to survive. Just when their lives are finally turning for the better, the surviving dragons find them.

The Harper family has quite the reputation of being a powerful force in the magical world. Sister witches Samantha and Kathy have taken out their share of bad guys long before Samantha had Josh and Chris to take care of. Still, the power that they all wield is regularly put to the test with the many enemies who come their way. Meanwhile, the Bowen family has been fighting to survive a curse put on them by the evil witch Toxanna. So far she has succeeded in her quest to kill every last member of the family.

After escaping the harsh desert with his fox companion, Benjamin, an elf with amnesia finds relief in a large grassland. The elf soon discovers a lizard-like creature who steals his magical dagger. The weapon holds secrets that the elf has yet to discover. In the course of recovering his dagger, the elf discovers a small human town in dire need. Their food supply is cut off after their farms were invaded by the lizard creatures. The elf decides to help the humans and ward off the threat before the town starves.

Pietro, a young man, has never killed: something rare for the corrupt city of Peregoth and totally alien to the tropics of Molkoro, where circumstances will soon take him. In the sweltering jungle, his purity has become a commodity to the ettin invaders and their lord, the dark Vexor. But how long can his innocence last in a godless land?

In this second volume, the party reaches the sea, a vast and impassable entity. They encounter a reclusive clan of magicians, and the generous but reluctant Findadors, who produce music from their souls, and reveal how the quest may be carried on. The travelers depart, and on their way discover a place that takes them to the beginning of time.

The ancient tale of the duel of the dragons and the birth of the cosmos. Tiamat vs. Marduk cuts the table talk and plunges strait into the dragon's fury. Describes dragons of dynamic unspeakable power playing with fire.

Argentus fights for his life against Orryn Ghostblade in a heist gone wrong. But the treasure that he does find will change his destiny and the destiny of the world.

Richard of Tenneth, after witnessing his father murdered over mounting debt, flees to the city of Loridium to be taken in by the Holy Order. Protected and educated, the lecter grooms young Richard to lead the faithful, to sit atop the Order and follow the bidding of the Almighty without question, without mercy, and with absolute devotion. This is the second of three short stories from the world of the forthcoming series, Kingdom of Ash, to be released in autumn of 2012.

Quite long after the world we occupy, when man reaches the very heights of decadence and treachery, the first great breaking upends dominance and sends us into the ashes of failed greatness. Fire and stone ground down the vast masses into flickering tribes of roving survivors, the world unfriendly to those solemn few who so tirelessly remain. And yet, as always, humanity survives...

Welcome to the magical land of Snowybrook Vale! While you're here, enjoy the good company, fine drink and elegant lodging to be had at the Vale's premier vacation spot, Snowybrook Inn. But if you venture into the countryside, watch the shadows! Because Goblins lurk behind every rock, and Imperial soldiers are always around, looking to teach an unruly frontiersman a lesson. Snowybrook Inn is a series of ongoing whimsical fantasy short stories. Each story is mostly self-contained, so you can pretty much listen anywhere in the series without missing anything crucial.

Before coming north, Brandin of Lotin, a farmhand, fought for his independence in the southlands. Battling against the tyrannical rule of Bradick of Thukra, the hopeful King of the region, Brandin risks everything for a chance at true freedom. How can such a man keep his dignity and hold to bravery under oppression, against odds, with his life teetering precariously at the edge of reason? (A short introduction to the world of the forthcoming "Kingdom of Ash" series, to be released in autumn of 2012)

For Ahren, it's no longer a question of someone trying to kill him; it's who will try next. Still on the run for a murder he didn't commit, Ahren adapts to life as an outlaw as his reputation of the Black Raven grows. Yet nothing comes easily. Dogged by bounty hunters, he finds himself crossing steel with pirates on the high seas and battling monsters in subterranean cities. If that wasn't enough, he's paid to assassinate an immortal and must break out of a heavily fortified prison.

The Lost Elf is a medieval fantasy series about an elf who struggles to understand his true identity. The elf wakes to find a strange environment for which he is ill prepared for. He must learn how to survive by learning about who he is and discovering his strange powers. Unable to remember anything about himself or how he arrived at the desert, the elf struggles to adapt to the reality he must face. His loneliness is quickly shattered after discovering the power to communicate with nature through his mind.

Welcome to the magical land of Snowybrook Vale! While you're here, enjoy good company, fine drink, and elegant lodging, all to be had at Vale's premier vacation spot, Snowybrook Inn. But if you venture into the countryside, watch out for shadows! Because Goblins lurk behind every rock, and Imperial soldiers are always around, looking to teach unruly frontiersmen a lesson.

Angrok, a great warrior, is called many things: a terrible destroyer by his many enemies, and a powerful avenger by those he chooses to save. This collection brings together two of Angrok's adventures as told from the perspective of his assistant Marcellus. In "Angrok the Avenger", Marcellus and his master take revenge upon a dangerous city of spider worshippers. In "Angrok the Destroyer", they come to Bezakirah, a desert city controlled by two fanatical and increasingly warlike houses. Whether he is a destroyer or an avenger, you decide.