Dark Fantasy Short Stories

Hidden beneath the waves, a secret power risesIn the depths of the pool at SUNY Rochester, Anna Taylor isn't just any swim coach. Beneath her clothing hides a secret; growing scales and an ability to manipulate water in ways she's just beginning to understand. As whispers of her newfound abilities reach the wrong ears, Anna is pulled into a turbulent world of intolerance, where even her estranged brother, Joel, stands on the side of the oppressors. Thrust from the sanctuary of the university, Anna's journey to seek refuge takes her from the tumultuous streets of Rochester to the possibility...

Can Valerie, a superficial and arrogant 20-year-old, outsmart a powerful futanari mermaid? Find out what happens in Oceana the Futa Mermaid, the first installment of the Alpha Futas of the Sea series.Valerie lied there speechless, shivering out of fear and coldness... She also felt the heat of the young woman’s body, the way she shook involuntarily and the pounding of her frightened heart. An unexpected feeling of pity suddenly filled the mermaid and she loosened her grip. Sensing an opportunity, Valerie wiggled free, and as she was about to make a run for the higher part of the island, ...

At 10-feet, four inches tall, Gowanus was the runt of the litter. Working the mines of No’ad took strength and height, unless you had the smarts to be able to help the dwarves invent and build new mining tools. He didn’t have smarts and didn’t have height, and yet his curiosity got the better of him: Where had Sakima gone? In an attempt to find the rogue giant Sakima, Gowanus learns the secret to how the giants have spread so far, so fast and comes face-to-face with the worst betrayal of giant-kind.

Meet the Caanlin, a race of shape-shifting humans of dark skin that can become leopards. Enslaved by the Salesicans, a half-breed joins a revolt in Leopard of Night. In Sight For Jaygas, a man attempts to find a purpose in his tribe. A breeder finds love and shame in Disgraced. Sythara of the Hicaanlin leads a group of warriors toward certain doom. Finally, how the Caanlin War is envisioned.

Experience three exciting stories of fantasy and science fiction, each immensely different from the last.

FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of 'The Dark Door'. In a future where insanity is spreading like a disease, scientists are driven to extremes to investigate and discover the cause. But what if the truth is so strange, so unexpected, so dreadful, people would rather believe the discoverer insane?

Welcome to six of the most amazing fantasy stories you'll ever hear. This volume includes five full-length fantasy stories plus an exclusive bonus short story.

Sometimes the world is a very dark place. You know the magic is still out there, but it feels distant or displaced. Voices in the Darkness is an attempt to create a link, to bring some of those voices together in a single work of art. Six award-winning authors lent their talent to this work. The stories are unique and dark, filled with wonder and emotion.

In a world much like our own, Tom lives a mundane, directionless life, with the only respite being his weekends. A serendipitous encounter with a charismatic stranger named Lila leads to a reckless decision at a tattoo parlor, where Tom unknowingly chooses a tattoo with mystical powers. What follows is an enthralling journey of self-discovery and transformation.

A horror story with a thrilling and suspenseful plot that will keep listeners on the edge of their seats. The concept of a haunted theme park that comes to life at night and demonic characters that devour guests is sure to be an intriguing and chilling listen. The idea of a family trying to find a way to escape the night adds an element of humanity and relatability to the story.

In a world where her magic means death, she doesn’t know how to live.Mizna’s existence is worthless. She has no life skills, her magic will kill her before her thirtieth birthday, and the recent death of her first love has left her hopeless and empty. So when a dangerous encounter threatens her father’s life, she plunges recklessly into a violent conflict she can’t possibly win. Acting as a sacrificial lamb gives her life the sort of value she thought impossible, so she clings to it desperately. But she’s not alone in this bloody fight, and she can’t save everyone. Will she ...

From astronauts in deep space to the ghosts of the Civil War, New York Times best-selling author Alethea Kontis creates worlds of wonder and delight, of weirdness and despair, of whimsy and darkness. Here are 20 stories and poems that will transport you to the magical dangerous worlds you've always known should exist, but have never quite been able to find.

Once every 10,000 years, the walls between worlds grow thin. The stars align, and Hell is close. It is the time of the Sha'Daa. The hordes of Hell are about to ride out upon mankind; the forces of evil are trembling with eagerness at the doors of our dimension. Oh, wait a minute.... Actually, they’re not all eager. Some have become members of the Elks, or are involved with a fun crowd at the local high school (though, granted, they’re drinking the cheerleaders’ blood. Not enough to do any real harm).

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!

One family rule has shaped Esson’s life: never open a door. Esson comes from a family of doormakers - people who unleash otherworldly violence when they open something even as simple as a refrigerator door. Esson’s family lied to him. Esson didn’t die when he opened a door.

When a strange scale is discovered in a nearby lake she regularly swims in, Esther Montgomery panics. How could she be so foolish? After her shoal died from the red tide, she’s been on her own struggling to fit in on land. Shortly after the TV announcement, she receives a strange note from someone claiming to know what she is. Against her better judgment, she goes to the meeting place. That’s when events take a turn for the worse. TW: Dark fantasy with torture and death.

A woman finds a head in her mother's garden. Things get weirder when the head talks to her....

First you discover you might have some supernatural helpers on your lonely third shift job. And then you discover that even supernatural helpers sometimes need human assistance....

Journey from the fabled city of fabric in Paeu to the demon-infested landscape of Ishambria, from the Machiavellian scheming in Quing Tzu to the cat-littered crags of Al Kutz as you embark on a vivid voyage through this immersive high fantasy anthology, encountering along the way legendary Guardians, magic scarves, barbaric priests, duplicitous gods, cackling Witches, and wind-riders.

Award winning-narrator Mike Vendetti takes us to an old church in Providence, Rhode Island, where H. P. Lovecraft dedicates this horror story to Robert Bloch, who has killed Lovecraft's character in "The Shambler to the Stars". Lovecraft repays the favor by killing off Robert Harrison Blake (aka Robert Bloch).