“Yes, Master.” I choke out the words to relieve the pressure on my throat. Finally, Kaelthar releases me. I stumble back, gasping for air.   He stands from the desk and stalks toward me. I slink away as he draws close.   “The others won’t believe you if you tell them.” Is he reading my thoughts? “They took my word about the planet, and they’ll do the same now.”   He’s right. They’re trained to trust him, have been their ...

Screaming pierces my eardrums. The door slams, and suddenly, we’re all capable of calling light to the tips of our fingers. In the crackling glow, panic flares in Tyrak’s eyes as he turns and nearly trips over me to run to the staircase. Ember grips my hand, and we bolt, Jelric to my side.   We stampede as if Ortha’s body could fly, hands twisted ...

“But what about the movie? The rental expires tonight.” Clara watched James get ready to leave. “This is a tremendous opportunity!” She scratched the back of her neck until the skin hurt. “It’s not even your band.” James slipped a secondhand suede jacket over his stocky frame. “These guys are good. They sell out every ...

Nobody questions how the Sorcerer Kaelthar grows the most potent herbs in Anacaris, but an hour into tilling his garden, I discover the bones. I loft a glittering femur, too long for a dog, too short for a stag, and present it to Ember’s kneeling form. “What is this?”   Ember snaps to attention, sandy hair ...

The field erupted into a spray of dirt, wood, and golden blood when Zeus’ chariot was knocked out of the sky. The Lord of Thunder was ejected from the wreckage, rolling a good ten feet away. He shook the daze from himself and stood, preparing for his father to be upon him. This future king ...

Louise tossed on her bed and turned onto her back. She twisted a blond curl splayed out on the pillow. The lights strung on the bushes outside her window took turns glowing red and green on her ceiling. In the predawn hours, Louise rose and pulled on a flannel shirt and jeans. She slid on ...

I turned the key to my front door as the familiar click echoed in the quiet morning. With only the occasional hoot from the nocturnal predator, the atmosphere was eerie. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed movement beside the big sign announcing the neighborhood watch. However, the closest thing to security in ...

The sound of urgent footsteps and panicked voices jolted Roxanne awake. Surrounded by empty seats, she sat alone in a bus that could accommodate seventeen people. Outside, the other occupants were busy packing up their belongings as they dismantled the beachside campsite. What’s going on? She lazily stretched her body and tried to shake off ...

Marley’s eyes bulged at the sight before her. In all her years using the abandoned plantation as a shortcut from school, she had always found the cellar door of the dilapidated mansion secured. Two padlocks restricted access. Not only were the devices missing, but the double doors were open, exposing a flight of wooden stairs. ...

It happened again, like many times. The sheer euphoria of being beside her, the moonlight cascading her bare skin. Her angelic face with a peaceful, serene expression. I brush a strand of auburn hair from her face, careful not to wake her. Her smooth, cream-like appearance radiates in the night. I glance at the alarm ...