Epic Fantasy Short

The first time Darrion struck her, Lana loaded her wagon and left Cynegil. Two-year-olds should not hit like that. She draped the windows of her cottage with dense cloth and worked by a single candle. If she timed her flight well, she could pass through the market during changing of the guard. In another era, under another king's reign, Lana would have rejoiced that Darrion had inherited his father's gift. Now, if Lana does not present her son to the king, she could lose her head.

This story originally appeared in Mindflights Magazine in Sept. 2008.

The City on the Rock is dying. It rests on Salan, Captain of the Tower Guard, to find out why.

Horror, Humor, and Heroes is a collection of twelve short stories, one novella, and a preview for my next novel that should contain enough variety to entertain you readers. Sample some of my finest offerings, such as - a guardian wolf fearing the coming of man, a producer willing to do anything to bring the first pay per view live werewolf hunt to the world, and a zombie running for congress.

As the Order celebrates its union with the crown, a founding member of the secret society plots its demise. Wanting to use the potential of the Soul Stones - legendary relics of unspeakable power - Victor gathers his supporters to rise against the Prophet and all those who wish for the stones' existence to be kept unknown. Caught between his duty and his heart, Lucian must either stand with Victor and betray his fellow brethren, or take his true love, Sarie, and leave it all behind.

Chloe has never run away from a battle in her life, and she's not about to start. As an apocalyptic nightmare unfolds before her, the enigmatic Bram Tice joins her quest as they try to undo the damage the unseen powers unleashed on their world. Chloe races to unlock her murdered professor's secrets, the key to it all. But she discovers her reluctant companion has even darker, more dangerous secrets of his own. Feeling every ounce of her mortal being, Chloe enters a new world of high- and low-caste fae, vampiric scabs, and still, somehow, finds a strength within herself to fight back.

Welcome to Necrolopolis, a fantasy world with a postal system as inefficient as our own, an undead pharaoh with an ego as big as his pyramid, a ghoul with an unhealthy interest in soup pots, not to mention a faction war between mummies and ashlings. A necromancer's job is never done, especially in a city of four million undead souls!

A beleaguered dryad in search of safe harbor in a land ravaged by an invasive fungus finds herself at odds with a young dryad who wields the blasphemous magic of men. The two of them must find a way to work together before a vicious sorcerer hunts them down and puts an end to them both.

Logan Braxton faces impossible odds as he attempts a coup against the powerful Alpha of the Texas Pack - his brother, Richard. Ruled by terror and violence, the pack is crumbling and none are powerful enough to challenge the alpha. Logan will risk his life, his honor, and his place in Lycan society to save those dearest to him.

In a world ravaged by climate change and teetering on the brink of disaster, marine biologist Elaine embarks on a life-altering journey. When her research submarine becomes trapped beneath the ocean's floor, Elaine discovers an extraordinary underground civilization—the enigmatic Luminari. These advanced beings hold the key to Earth's salvation, but their offer comes with a condition: humanity must change its ways.

A new full-length collection of high fantasy by Dave Smeds. A lover spun from moonlight. A wife banished for carrying the child of a demon. A queen, beheaded ten years ago, whose sage counsel may still save the realm. Here are tales of swords, of magic, of romance. And of the struggle to be splendid of heart whether the opponent be within or without.

Dreams of Unity: Michael's Extraordinary Journey is a captivating tale that explores the remarkable odyssey of Michael, a paraplegic man, who embarks on an extraordinary adventure beyond the confines of his wheelchair. Through the power of lucid dreaming, he discovers a hidden world, where dreams hold the key to transcending limitations and reshaping reality. With the support of a mysterious dream-world companion, he faces challenges, confronts prejudice, and ultimately strives to bridge the gap between two interconnected realms—the waking world and the dream world.

With a single blow, Cete won both honor and exile from his last commander. Since then he has wandered, looking for a place to call home. The distant holdings of the Reach Antach offer shelter, but that promise has a price. The Reach Antach is doomed. Barbarians, traitors, and scheming investors conspire to destroy the burgeoning settlement. A wise man would move on, but Cete has found reason to stay. A blind weaver woman and the beautiful sunset mantle lure the warrior to wager everything he has left.

In the dungeon diving business and life, things haven't been going Amabel's way. Passed up in progressing up the tiers of power by friends and former teammates she finds herself at the end of her rope and purse adventuring wise. In that tight spot, she finds herself making choices and agreements she wouldn't usually make.

Each of the best-selling writers represented in these selections from Legends II returns to the fantasy universe he or she made famous throughout the world. Whether set before or after events already recounted elsewhere, whether featuring beloved characters or compelling new creations, these masterful short novels are both mesmerizing stand-alones - perfect introductions to the work of their authors - and indispensable additions to the epics on which they are based.

In this psychic magical-fantasy short story tale, Amanda, Jeff, and Lukas travel to South America for their vacation. Later on, after an unfortunate incident leaves the trio stranded on a remote and vast stretch of land, they’re forced to find their own way back home. Yet as the group encounters an unknown tribe in the thick wildness of jungle, they’d come to find all of their initial suspicions about the place to be wrong...Where the heck were they? How were they still alive?

Out of time and place, Wreaker walks into a coffee shop on Long Island. They do not take gold bullion for payment. They do not hand pluck their tea leaves from the tree of life. Their tables can't even support the weight of Öfugr, his sacred ancient weapon. So how will he ever get his coffee?

Hyaryl Rainmaker was an ordinary young girl living the jungles of MesoAmerica on the Realm of the Light when an expected visitor changed the course the rest of her eternal existence. This is a short story from James Quinlan Meservy's Rai Saga.

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.

Decades of deception rule a land built on mystic traditions, shrouded fables, and heroic legends. A village bent by the tyranny of an oppressive overlord rallies behind the single, strong-willed man who can save them from destruction. His name is Ralic, the son of Ralic the 11th and chosen liberator of his people. Armed with the Sword of Destiny, the only weapon powerful enough to destroy the evil overlord, Ralic seeks the hidden, dark castle tucked away in the furthest recesses of a forbidden forest.

James is tossed into the flames, so to speak. He has a pair of masked assassins on his tail. After finding himself having been teleported to a different realm, James finds refuge in Grace’s willingness to rebel against the Shadow Clan - an oppressive regime. Thus, Grace will side with anyone that the Clan deems as a threat or an enemy. In truth, James discovers that Grace’s motivations are tied to the prophecy of the rise of the King Maker. Who was this King Maker? Does James ever get to go back home? Do the people of Tartra ever get their freedom?