How to be a Hero

Eleven year old Jacob longs to be strong. He longs to be a hero, and living in service to one of Cairemia's mightiest knights you would think he'd have the chance. But alas, he is only a servant. That is, until danger strikes and he is the only one who can heed the call. His life endangered, his courage tested—he'll find out if he knows... How to Be a Hero.Eleven year old Jacob longs to be strong. He longs to be a hero, and living in service to one of Cairemia's mightiest knights you would think he'd have the chance. But alas, he is only a servant. That is, until danger strikes and he is the only one who can heed the call. His life endangered, his courage tested—he'll find out if he knows... How to Be a Hero.Set in the ancient land of Cairemia, How to Be a Hero is a short story that gives a glimpse into the exciting world of the upcoming Treasures of Darkness - Treasures of Light series as seen the through the eyes of one of book one's most beloved characters.Enter a medieval world of mystery and adventure.
Views: 798

Half Wild

"You will have a powerful Gift, but it’s how you use it that will show you to be good or bad." In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most powerful and violent witch. Nathan is hunted from all sides: nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted. Now, Nathan has come into his own unique magical Gift, and he's on the run--but the Hunters are close behind, and they will stop at nothing until they have captured Nathan and destroyed his father.
Views: 797

King's Men

Loyalty between a mercenary and his employer needs to be a reciprocal arrangement. When three men are betrayed one time too many, they decide that it's time to stop running and start fighting - elsewise there will be nowhere left for them to run to.‘The narrow stretch of grass separating the chapel from the cloister had saved it from the fire, but not from desecration…’Mick and Aidan are mercenaries on a simple errand - collect the third member of their crew and report back to the king. What they don't know about is the surprise that awaits them at the end of their journey. One that will force them to fight for their own sakes for the first time.
Views: 797

The Ashleys

The Ashleys rule Miss Gamble's Preparatory School for Girls. They are gorgeous, rich, impeccably fashion forward, and, yes, all named Ashley. Lauren Page has gone to the same school with them her whole life, and the Ashleys, if forced to remember, might recall only a faint memory of shoving mud in the poor girl's mouth in kindergarten. But Lauren Page is no longer the mud-eating loser she once was. And though she has completely changed her exterior from bargain-basement cast-offs to off-the-runway couture (props, of course, to her new personal shopper) she is still the same person on the inside. And that person has had enough of the current regime. Look out, Ashleys. There's a new name in school.
Views: 797

Zombies From Space...and Vampires

Alien invasion? Zombies? Vampires!? I don’t think so!When alien zombies invade Earth, vampires emerge to defend their food source, and 19-year-old Aria Danes teams up with the strangest group of eccentrics determined to take a stand for the human race. Caught in the middle of a zombie-vampire war, Aria must discover that her strengths outweigh her weaknesses.Alien invasion? Zombies? Vampires!? I don’t think so!Aria was an average 19-year-old with average problems. Average was quite realistic until zombies landed their UFO in her backyard. If Aria wants to survive, she’ll need some help, and who better than a pirate captain, a steampunk inventor, a bazooka wielding slayer, and a deranged Englishman who insists he is Doctor Who?Stuck in a war between vampires and zombie-walking Weeches, Aria and her eccentric crew take a stand for mankind as they fight for their right to survive. Hey, if you have to slaughter zombies and vampires, why not enjoy it?AUTHOR NOTE: This book is currently with the editor. A newly edited edition will be uploaded shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Views: 797

Spirit Witch

If anyone appreciates what it means to be dead to the world, it's Ivy Wilde. Barely recovered from her brush with necromancy, Ivy is flung once more into a world of intrigue, adventure and potential death and disaster. It's not her fault - it just so turns out that she's now the only person in the entire world who can communicate with the dead. And they're a chatty bunch with a list of demands. When the ghosts offer information about a witch-hating mass murderer in return for Ivy's help, she has no choice but to get involved. She might be getting herself into more trouble than she realises though - and that's even before she's dragged to Sunday dinner so she can meet Winter's family...
Views: 797

A Myth to the Night

Once home to the illustrious Order of the Crane -- guardians of the world's myths and legends -- Stauros Island, now in the hands of the Order of the Shrike, is an elite university whose students are guaranteed positions of power upon graduating. However, a dark curse hangs over the island: students are disappearing. What secrets does the island hold? And who is to blame?Welcome to Stauros Island, a fantasy world where mystery unfolds at every turn. Hugh Fogg, a young monk from the Order of the Crane who died in the 1615 massacre skillfully planned by the enemy known as the Order of the Shrike, has resided on the island for four hundred years as a phantom. He roams the island, which is now an elite university where students are guaranteed positions of power upon graduation.Despite societal changes and the ever pervasive power of the Order of the Shrike, Hugh vows to keep the prophetic myth of the Slayer of the Shadow of Fear alive. However, his plan starts to unravel when students begin to disappear from the island.
Views: 797

God of the 4th Sun

Despite their many sacrifices, Tesetra’s people have been forsaken by their gods. Having accidentally come across a member of the supposedly legendary Snake People, Tesetra sets out to find where they live. At first she finds instead the survivors of many other legendary people, all who came before her own people; and all of whom were destroyed when their gods had abandoned them.I see a burger joint around the corner. I turn on that corner and I head towards the drive thru. I start to pull up to the microphone so they can take my order. I get up to the microphone and I order some hamburgers and fries and some chicken nuggets.The guy, I hear at the microphone, he tells me to pull up to the drive thru window. I slowly pull up to the drive thru window and look at that window. The window is so big someone can fit through it. I turn off my car, thinking it will be awhile. I see there are no customers in the restaurant part of the place. I start to feel weird. Just that quick, a guy grabs me out of my car and pulls me through the drive thru window. I scream and struggle, but to no use. He sets me down on a chair, inside this restaurant.He says, “I need you to save my planet. You were meant to be here. This small town doesn’t really exist.” I look at him like; he has just grown two heads. I say, “Did you have to grab me like that; you scared the crap out of me. You’re lucky, I didn’t bring a long my baseball bat. I would have hit you.”
Views: 796

Daphne and the Silver Ash: A Fairy Tale

In the weary old city of Trevell, young Daphne happily divides her time between caring for her family and crafting the finest shoes in town. But when she is summoned to sing for a panicking phoenix afraid of its fiery rebirth, Daphne is swept up in a thousand-year-old struggle for survival between immortal spirits.For fans of The Last Unicorn, Labyrinth, Legend, and other fine stories that begin with "L":In the weary old city of Trevell, young Daphne happily divides her time between caring for her family and crafting the finest shoes in town. But when she is summoned to sing for a panicking phoenix afraid of its fiery rebirth, Daphne is swept up in a thousand-year-old struggle for survival between immortal spirits. Endowed with the phoenix's powers of air and fire, as well as the creature's beautiful golden skin and ruby feathers, Daphne has only a few hours to save a dying tree, restore a crumbling city, and stop an invading army before the phoenix's fire consumes her mortal heart.Genre: fairy tale | fantasy | adventure | romance | mythology | novella
Views: 796

Insider Threat: The Mogadishu Diaries 1992-1993

This story is a fictional account of the mission and execution of the neutralization of a sensitive intelligence collaborator that potentially endangered the lives and welfare of the men and women who supported Operation Restore Hope, a UN Humanitarian mission that erupted into violence in 1993. The US Marine Corps sent the 6th Counterintelligence Team to disrupt the threat.Somali Warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid ruled the streets of Mogadishu with an uncanny elusiveness that frustrated US/UN coalition strategists. Our mission was to quell intra-Clan violence and secure major supply routes for aid. It was assessed that Aidid might be the beneficiary of an intelligence leak. Joint Task Force Headquarters responded with a clandestine Counterintelligence operation designed to identify and neutralize this “Insider Threat.” This classified operation was known as Operation Looking Glass. The Counterintelligence community pinned the success of this sensitive operation on the shoulders of one man. Political infighting would complicate the mission’s agenda, but not after a relentless pursuit to expose a collaborator., This novel was subjected to a Department of Defense pre-publication review on 8 January 2013.
Views: 795

El Rey Del Mar (The King of the Sea)

Fernando Alberto Ruiz, AKA El Rey del Mar, may have been the world's most famous (or infamous) drug lord. But even after a Hollywood film, not many know the true story of his wild life. The drugs. The violence. The mermaids. 2900 words.Fernando Alberto Ruiz, AKA El Rey Del Mar, may have been the world's most famous (or infamous) drug lord. But even after a Hollywood film, not many know the entire story of his wild life. The drugs. The violence. The mermaids.Now, with the news of the late drug lord's passing, what better time than to take a look back over the life of one of the world's most interesting men. A hero to some, a criminal to others. He was Fernando Alberto Ruiz, El Rey Del Mar. The King of the Sea.Approximately 2900 words in length.
Views: 795

The Fall of Neskaya

The Fall of Neskaya, Book One of the Clingfire Trilogy, marks the legendary author's final return to Darkover before her death. Set in the tumultuous era of The Hundred Kingdoms, a terrible time of strife and war, this unique fantasy world is divided into a mutlitude of small belligerent domains vying for power and land. One ambitious and corrupt tyrant will stop at nothing to control Darkover-even wield the terrifying weapons of the matrix.
Views: 794