A girl tries to defeat the Destiny in the flesh...OPEN MIC Reflection of the Street is a poetry book which reads more along the lines of short stories. Each poem is filled with vivid imagery. It explores and reflects issues some face on a daily basis. The author successfully delves into issues, approaches and views that she may not necessarily agree with yet knows that some can and will relate to these stories even benefit from them. This book is its title and may provoke reflection, encouragement, inspiration or anger and was intended to do all of the above. You may not agree with everything in the book though you may gain a better understanding to why some behave in the manner they do. The pieces have more of an urban feel and setting, though these issues pertain to a wide range of individuals regardless of their economic status.The Verbal Artisan is not a one-sided viewer, she attempts to look at situations from multiple perspectives and reflects what she sees.

This is a special short story from the N'Loron Universe. What is that you ask? It's the veil that my Daughter of Ares Chronicles character, Athine, protects. This is the second in a series of free short story e-books. The #2 issue ties in with some of the plots in my current WIP (Cursed Bloods slated for 2014), but anyone should be able to enjoy the short story as stand alone tale.Disaffected Russian oligarchs conspire to overthrow the current government of Russia and a lone sniper travels to the United States. An Army Special Forces officer assigned to the CIA and a Russian intelligence officer begin to find clues that an attempt will be be made on President Putin's life. A raid on an arms and drug smuggling operation in Kyrgyzstan results in the recovery of a small boy that had been abducted from his school in Geneva. As the evidence of the plot begins to mount, the Special Forces officer and the Russian intelligence operative become targets of Russian gang assassins.

A clandestine agent will do anything to get a promotion . . . even hunt a young boy.G.R. Agent 102498 loves his job. "Collecting lives" is what he was made to do. He has worked hard to climb up from the bottom, but lately he feels stuck.He has been a Level 2 Agent for long time now, and he feels he is ready to be promoted to Level 3: Random Works.When he happens across a couple, whose son is just days from turning three, he knows he has finally found the Collection that will convince his superiors to promote him.His boss agrees to the collection, but adds some treacherous conditions of his own. And to make matters worse, a beautiful Agent shows up in his hunting grounds looking for a promotion of her own.This story is approximately 11,000 words long.

Levin Ruck was once a great warrior mage, but in peacetime he serves as Deputy Chief of Dervine Village. When orchard keeper Desma brings news of trouble in the mountains, Lev knows the time for action has come again, but with the Chief refusing to act, Lev and Desma must defy orders to investigate. What they discover is a deadly threat – and they are Dervine's first and only line of defence.Levin Ruck was once a great warrior mage: the battle-scarred wartime hero of the alpine village of Dervine and defender of the Kingdom of Flaran. But with peacetime stretching into its seventh year, opportunities for action have been scarce – even in his role as Deputy Chief of the village. So when Desma the orchard keeper rides in late one night with news of ominous noises in the mountains, Lev knows the time for action has come. But when Chief Magnus refuses to act, Lev takes matters into his own hands. Defying orders, he and Desma ride to the mountains to investigate the source of the disturbance. What they discover is beyond their worst fears: a deadly threat has arrived on the village’s doorstep – and Lev and Desma are Dervine’s first and only line of defence.

Sixteen-year-old Seph McCauley has spent the past three years getting kicked out of one exclusive private school after another. And it's not his attitude that's the problem: it's the trail of magical accidents - lately, disasters - that follow in his wake. Seph is a wizard, orphaned and untrained, and his powers are escalating out of control. After causing a tragic fire at an after-hours party, Seph is sent to the Havens, a secluded boys' school on the coast of Maine. Gregory Leicester, the headmaster, promises to train Seph in magic and initiate him into his mysterious order of wizards. But Seph's enthusiasm dampens when he learns that training comes at a steep cost, and that Leicester plans to use his students' powers to serve his own mysterious agenda.

“The paint dripped off me like a liquid coat and I inhaled the toxic fumes, sucking the undiluted scent into my lungs. My pupils dilated as I sank into the vision of a pain so absolute, it went beyond pain. It should have rendered me unconscious, it should have affected my ability, it felt like it should have killed me. As it was, the pain distracted me so badly that I was unable to focus on any other details. I painted turquoise wounds that wept turquoise blood onto the paper floor, and when I was finished, I painted more. I painted the walls, the floor, the back of the door and the boarded-up windows. I covered the room in wounds and fumes, and then I curled up in the middle of the mess, weeping my heart into my paint-covered hands.” The past few months have reduced Seraph Black to a permanent state of fight, and now it is all that she knows. She is fighting her friends and family to go off on a suicide mission to rescue Silas, she is fighting the fragmented memories that clamour for recognition inside her mind, and she is fighting a guilt so magnificent… it might just force her to betray the very people that have sacrificed so much to keep her safe. She had asked for space, and it had been given to her in the most heart-rending of ways, leaving only one of the four brothers remaining by her side. Miro Quillan is her last hope. Without him, she may never get her pairs back. Warning: While this book is intended for a young adult audience, it is not recommended for persons younger than 15 years, due to some themes.

Fellow orphans, amateur vigilantes, and members of the Santitos, Loup Garron—the fugitive daughter of a genetically engineered "wolf-man"—and Pilar Ecchevarria spent their entire lives under military occupation in a cordoned off Texas no-man's-land that used to be called Santa Olivia, now known as Outpost 12. But now they're free, and they want to help the rest of the Santitos escape. During a series of escapades, they discover that Miguel Garza, Loup's former sparring partner and reprobrate surrogate brother, has escaped from Outpost 12 and is testifying on behalf of its forgotten citizens—at least until he disappears from protective custody. Driven by a sense of honor, Loup vows to rescue Miguel, even though venturing into the U. S. could mean losing her liberty. Driven by love and loyalty, Pilar promises to help her. It will take a daring and absurd caper to extricate Miguel from the mess he's created, but Loup is prepared to risk everything. . . and this time she has help.

Thomas Anstey Guthrie (1856-1934), was an English novelist and journalist, who wrote his comic novels under the pseudonym F. Anstey. He was educated at King's College London and at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and was called to the bar in 1880. But the popular success of his story Vice Versa (1882) with its topsy-turvy substitution of a father for his schoolboy son, at once made his reputation as a humourist of an original type. He published in 1883 a serious novel, The Giant's Robe; but, in spite of its excellence, he discovered that it was not as a serious novelist but as a humourist that the public insisted on regarding him. As such his reputation was further confirmed by The Black Poodle (1884), The Tinted Venus (1885), and A Fallen Idol (1886). Many of Anstey's stories have been adapted into theatrical productions and motion pictures. The Tinted Venus (1885) was adapted by S. J. Perelman, Ogden Nash, and Kurt Weill into One Touch of Venus in 1943.

Epic fantasy meets fast-paced police procedural in Michelle Sagara's gripping action-adventure series The Chronicles of Elantra, where law enforcer Kaylin Neya investigates crime armed with magic and a sharp wit. Bundle includes Cast in Shadow, Cast in Courtlight and Cast in Secret.

In the Celtic land of Eileanan, witches and magic have been outlawed, and those caught for practicing witchcraft are put to death! It is a land ruled by an evil Queen, where sea-dwelling Fairgean stir, and children vanish in the night. But in a valley deep in the mountains, young Isabeau grows to womanhood under the guidance of an elderly witch, and must set out on a quest, carrying the last hopes of the persecuted witches.

Amateur sleuth Jack Clay hunts a spirit from hell – a Black Dwarf! When Gumshoe finds the stars of Capricorn at a bloody crime scene, he calls for help! In hot pursuit, Jack chases a trail of murder and mayhem to a mysterious Black Dwarf armed with magic and an army of dwarves! Can Jack find the Black Dwarf before he destroys Jack?! Find out in the Strange and Quirky Odyssey of Cretaceous Clay!Biots Are People Too!Amateur sleuth Jack Clay hunts a Black Dwarf possessed by a spirit from hell! When Gumshoe finds the stars of Capricorn at a bloody crime scene, he calls for help! Nodlon is paradise, if you’re not a biot! Biots work jobs no one wants to pay for, and Evan Labe is a biot. Evan Labe is a biot – a black dwarf model – living in quiet despair. Tempted by an infomercial, Evan looses a serpent into the garden! An epidemic of missing dwarves plagues Nodlon. Thinking freedom will cure the problem, and fearing for the lives of the dwarves, Princess Virginia asks Jack Clay to help her free the biots. But another dwarf goes missing, and this time someone left a bloody Capricorn on the girl’s video screen. Swamped with questions, Gumshoe of Nodlon Yard is out of his league. Was the maiden abducted? Is her life in danger? Is he a kidnapper in league with Mars? Has the dwarf maiden gone rogue? Gumshoe calls his friend, Jack Clay, a celebrity elf, a freedom fighter, and a magician to help him find the girl!Freedom fighting must wait! As the clock ticks, the body count rises. In hot pursuit, Jack chases a wicked warlock armed with magic and an army of dwarves! A trail of murder and mayhem leads to a mysterious Black Dwarf! Can Jack find the Black Dwarf before he destroys Jack?! Will Jack save Nodlon?! Will Jack prevent a war with Mars?! Will Jack free the biots?! Find out in the Strange and Quirky Odyssey of Cretaceous Clay!

Outside of the city, rebellion stirs. The young outcasts of Odalia's poorest district have recently joined forces with the local sorceress guild in order to challenge the power-mad Emperor. Meanwhile, her ancient enemies to the South must discover why the monstrous and bloodthirsty Gigantes have suddenly reappeared in startling numbers.The city of Odalia, capital of Lycania and home to the famed White Palace, is the most beautiful place in all of the Empire - at least to the citizens within her walls. Those not privileged to live within them are deemed unworthy and looked upon as savages. But, as the Empire begins to crack due to the ever-growing delusions of her ruler, Tiberius, the world around Lycania soon becomes a battle, not for the heart of the Empire, but for survival itself. Even as the contenders for Odalia's future start to move into place, personal stories of love, lust, betrayal and triumph begin to emerge:Timonus, the General of Tiberius' armies and his childhood friend, is torn between loyalty and honor as he must decide which path to take - even if it means betraying his lifelong friend and country. The reluctant gladiator, Juko, is being forced to fight against his will in the Amphitheater in order to discover the truth about his brother's suspected murder.Outside of the city, rebellion stirs within the young outcasts of Odalia's poorest district who have recently joined forces with the local sorceress guild - the darkly sensual but extremely dangerous Veneficas.The Cavalli tribe, Lycania's ancient enemies to the South, plot revenge against the Empire for old wounds but first, they must discover why the monstrous and bloodthirsty Gigantes have suddenly reappeared in startling numbers.In the midst of all the chaos, a child is born in secret, under cover of darkness. Tiberius' fanatical laws have outlawed her very existence but when a kind-hearted soldier hides her within the palace nursery, will her clandestine origins be discovered as she's raised among the Emperor's own concubines?

A collection of twelve Sci-Fi and Fantasy short stories by Gabe Sluis.Refering back to the Chaos Gate in the short novel Other Worlds Than These, Beyond the Gate is a collection of a dozen Sci-Fi and Fantasy short stories that give further views of the worlds beyond our own.A Story for Enchu- A young Amazon child is told a story about the days proceeding his birth.And the Scroll Read... - Old scrolls always say interesting things!Statues in the Southern Marsh- A young magician living in a swampland meets a friend of his late father.Chapter 20- The Lost Chapter- The missing chapter from the book Saving John.Hill 136- An airship crew pick up an unexpected passenger on a secluded hilltop.The Treasure Map- On a summer morning, three youths have the adventure of their young lives.The Bronze Coin- A gas station attendant flips a special coin, sending him places he never thought he could be.The Supervisor- The final part of The Treasure Map trilogy finds Aros and Vega confronted by a tourist with the upper hand.Seven Forty Seven- An EMT on a transfer ambulance has a patient he will never forget.Blackheart- Across a shallow sea on a clouded world, a nameless traveler walks toward a great mountain and his fate.A Deep Dive- A group of four divers go for a dive in the morning and come back with a fifth late in the evening.Vega's Lullaby- "They had just made it out of one war and found themselves thrust into another..."

Sam Hillman was just a normal girl, raised in a quaint small town with a typical clique of friends at her side. Little did she know that her and her close friends were part of a 'higher race' of human being. As their powers start emerging, enemies pop up in unexpected places. Now not only are Sam and her friends trying to understand their new abilities, they're also fighting for their lives.Peta has been living in London and having a great time. Then she finds herself heading home to Australia, as her parents have gone missing whilst bush walking near the town of Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains.Unsure what to do, as the search continues for her parents, Peta does manage to uncover some very interesting information about her family and finds out that, people are not always what they seem.