Dark Fantasy Short Stories

For an imperial assassin, assignment as a courtesan in the Floating World seems like a waste of her talents...until killers target her clan sisters. In the legendary Floating World, wars are waged with wit, the strongest soldier can be bound with threads of silk, and flesh is the currency by which life, death, and freedom can all be purchased. Half-elf Jie bemoans her temporary assignment as a Night Blossom in the most sought-after house, even if it's the perfect cover for her real work as an assassin in the emperor’s service.

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a short story about love and letting go. Join Joliver Barleywood, a halfling bard of the Aevalorn Parishes, on a heartfelt journey through the enigmatic Athenaeum, a secret library only found when needed. Just before midnight, Jak Lot frantically busts into the library, seeking words to convince their love to stay and not sail away for a distant suiter, engaging in a marriage of convenience and status. Through the magical power of words, Jak seeks to pen the plea that will anchor her heart to his. Joliver offers to help Jak, but in the process, he ...

* Originally Shortlisted in a 2023 Writing Competition * From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about hubris and the abuse of knowledge. Set against the backdrop of the fantasy world of Aevalorn Tales, we follow the ambitious Mulzunite academic Vabriel Shuno on his quest to possess luck itself. After spending two years collecting purportedly lucky creatures, Vabriel seeks one last creature believed to be the pinnacle of good luck. And armed with the luck of his collection, he believes he’s too lucky to fail! On a gloomy night near the Free City of Enceröss, Vabriel ...

Once upon a time, the stories that came to be known as "fairy tales" were cultivated to entertain adults more than children; it was only later that they were tamed and pruned into less thorny versions intended for youngsters. But in truth, they have continued to prick the imaginations of audiences at all ages.

An incubus disguised as a high school girl puts a disturbing spin on the teacher/student fantasy. An engineer creates a robot with unexpected consequences during the end of the world. A man becomes the pet of alien invaders. From stories of aliens in other worlds to those living among us, these tales will move you out of your comfort zone and open you up to experiencing something - or someone - completely different.

They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark collects 13 chilling tales that weave through the shadows, exploring the nature of fear, powerlessness, and control.

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about doing the wrong thing to do right. Maeree Emberbloom lives in a comfortable home on a quiet hill overlooking her hamlet of Pondaroak. But she has a problem: her magical shop is overrun with piskies. With her business suffering, Maeree is at a loss for what to do. Gammond Brandyford, a young halfling widely regarded as a town menace, offers to "help" Maeree and sets out to capture one. Gammond, though, knows nothing about fae or the danger they represent. Armed with only magicked trinkets and ancient lore, he heads into the ...

A volume of short stories by the best-selling author of The Broken Empire series, Mark Lawrence This is a collection of 14 stories of murder, mayhem, pathos, and philosophy, all set in the world of the Broken Empire. Within this audiobook, you will find tales of men such as Red Kent, Sir Makin, Rike, Burlow and the Nuban, telling of their origins and the events that forged them.

One of Canada’s most acclaimed horror writers, Gemma Files presents a mosaic of interconnected stories about interconnected families. After fleeing Scotland, five clans settled in the fictional town of Dourvale in northern Ontario. Known as the Five-Family Coven, they are the descendants of witches and witch-children, none of whom were spared persecution in their native country. Now shamans, spellcasters, singers, and thieves, the members of the Devize, Druir, Glouwer, Roke, and Rusk families survive by trading their occult powers and talents.

A woman meets her next-door neighbor and loans her a spatula, then starts suffering horrific gaps in her memory. A man, feeling jilted by an unrequited love, becomes obsessed with sorting through his neighbors' garbage in the belief that it will teach him how to better relate to people. A landlord decides to raise the rent, and his tenants hatch a plan to kill him at a team-building retreat. In 10 captivating, unnerving stories, Flowers of Mold presents a range of ordinary individuals who have found themselves left behind by an increasingly urbanized and fragmented world.

In the province of Santé, an old woman with connections to the gods runs afoul of the connection and plans to assassinate her grand daughter to appease them. The plan itself goes awry when another announces that he too has connections to the gods, and his are the true connections. Will the grand daughter survive? Will the old witch survive? And who is this newcomer?

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.

Introducing The Stubborn Suitor, the hot and sexy new series by Alexa Wilder! Cami Hendricks has a lot on her plate. She's a single mom, works full-time, and her ex is a nightmare. Plus, every time she sees her mother, Cami has to tolerate her jabs about her weight. As if all that wasn't enough, the first guy Cami thinks she might really like seems to be playing games with her. His hot and cold attitude is not what she needs, especially with her ex playing hardball for full custody of her daughter. Drew Sloane is torn - he can't get Cami out of his mind. Ever since he met her at a party, ...

Spook will do that. Five spooky tales that transcend the barrier between reality and fantasy! Wrap up warm as you'll shiver!

This short story collection by J. Reder White is an ecclectic patchwork of plots and characters and ideas, some worked out while waking and pondering, others slipped into his mind while sleeping. Some come from a dark place, but most sparkle in that darkness. If they amuse you, then they have done something good. If they make you think, then they have started to work their magic. If they touch you, well, then I have little to do with that, do I?

An incurable sickness has infected a fishing village along the coast of Ishalar. The sick do not die - they vanish, leaving behind footprints and ashen shadows. Delanis, the fourth throne of Ishalar, has already lost his wife to The Vanishing, and now his daughter is deep in the throes of the illness. More in his village are succumbing almost every day.

From the haunted hills of Roman Britain to the sewers of occupied Warsaw … in the bloodied streets of Revolutionary Paris, and the anarchy World War II Shanghai … out of the wilds of America, India, Africa and Europe … down the long savage darkness of the centuries, monsters have fed upon us. They are shapeshifters, vampires, sorcerers and spirits—things named only in myth, and things for which we have no name. They are our demons, our reflections, our desires and our nightmares. And all too often, they are … only human.

Want to explore new worlds, escape reality for a few hours, and enjoy amazing stories? Then Fantasy and Science Fiction Stories is the book for you! With 12+ different tales, you'll never be bored or lack new material. Fantasy and Science Fiction Stories is for anyone who loves to read both genres. Whether you're a child looking for a new adventure, an adult looking for a new escape, or someone who loves to explore different worlds, this book has something for you. With 12+ different stories, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Get lost in these amazing science fiction and fantasy ...

Previously available on audio cassette from Darkscribe Press, this collection was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992. Dark Dixie collects the following works of southern horror by author Ronald Kelly. This audiobook includes all the stories from the original audio and several more: Introduction by Ronald Kelly (2010); "Yea, Though I Drive", previously published in Cold Blood (1991); "Miss Abigail's Delicate Condition", previously published in Noctulpa (1988); "The Cistern", previously published in Cemetery Dance; and five more.

Beast Hunt invites you to step into the claws, wings, and scales of the creatures humanity has feared for centuries. From mighty dragons to forgotten forest spirits, from mechanical monstrosities to cursed beings of the deep—these are the stories of the unseen, the unheard, and the misunderstood.