The Astral Ordinance, Ayshen's Story

      Meltem Y. K
     The Astral Ordinance, Ayshen's Story

A short story about the character Ayshen from the series The Astral Ordinance.Many years ago, a young woman is dragged to a local mystic by her mother to have her fortune read. Although Ayshen does not believe in fortune telling or anything paranormal she goes along to appease her mother. Within a very short time, everything the old mystic prophesized comes true. A few years later, Ayshen is forced to seek the old woman for answers regarding her mother’s health; but she is in no way prepared to the revelations she will hear. Her life is about to change in a very big way.

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    SongHealer: from Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress XI

      Tammi Labrecque
     SongHealer: from Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress XI

Told that she has inherited none of her parents' powers, not knowing what she really is, Tyrnill escapes from the school that intends to demote her from prized student to kitchen drudge ... only to stumble upon the one person who can teach her how to access her potential and become more than she - or anyone else - ever could have imagined.It's easy to overlook your own worth when no one else cares to look for it either ... Told that she has inherited none of her parents' powers, not knowing what she really is, Tyrnill escapes from the school that intends to demote her from prized student to kitchen drudge ... only to stumble upon the one person who can teach her how to access her potential and become more than she - or anyone else - ever could have imagined. **originally published in 1994, in Volume XI of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress**

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    Summer of the Unicorn

      Kay Hooper
     Summer of the Unicorn

SHE WAS BORN OF MYTH ... BUT THEY LOVED AS MORTALS They were of two different worlds and during one fateful summer, those worlds would converge in a spectacular mountain valley. Siri, warrior, sorceress and siren, the gorgeous Keeper of the last herd of golden unicorns. And Hunter Morgan, myth-seeker, whose ordained quest has led him to this strange place and to Siri. She is woman incarnate, whose purity is akin to her life. He is man personified, whose needs run deep. They were born to be lovers, to come together at this time of enchantment to solve the riddle of their doom--each other's touch--and to fight alone and together against a powerful foe whose evil menace threatened them ... and their worlds.

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    Drolls From Shadowland

      J. H. Pearce
     Drolls From Shadowland

Drolls From Shadowland is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by J. H. (Joseph Henry) Pearce is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of J. H. (Joseph Henry) Pearce then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

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    The Wonderful Bed

      Gertrude Knevels
     The Wonderful Bed

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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    My Son Heydari and the Karkadann

      Peter S. Beagle
     My Son Heydari and the Karkadann

A taut and unique unicorn fable from the Middle-East In ancient Persia, there was an era when magical beasts such as dragons were nearly extinct. Young Heydari, the son of an elephant driver, discovers an injured beast bleeding in a cave. It is a rare type of unicorn known as a karkadann: a terrible horned demon the size of a Greek bull, with double hooves, a tails like a lion, and a hide like thick leather plates. Despite his better judgment, kind Heydari tends to the terrifying animal’s injuries and nurses the fearsome creature back to health. The young man returns day after day, treating and binding the creature’s wounds, bringing it food and water, reciting prayers. If the karkadann recovers, it will become increasingly more dangerous to Heydari and everyone he loves....

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    The Redeemable Prince

      Rachel Higginson
     The Redeemable Prince

Seraphina Van Curen and Sebastian Cartier thought they were soul mates once upon a time. But for over a year, they have been well aware of just how quickly love can turn to hate and how cruel fate can be. They might not be able to stand the sight of each other, but that’s okay since they avoid each other like the plague. When danger strikes too close to home, and ancient Magic surfaces, they find themselves in the center of a deadly war. Seraphina and Sebastian strike an uneasy truce in order to end Dmitri Terletov, once and for all. They must work together to save what’s left of the Kingdom and protect the people they love most. Along the way, they discover fate isn’t finished with them yet. Fate is just getting started.

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    Troubled Waters

      C. J. Cherryh
     Troubled Waters

As winter's deadly cold threatens those who dwell on and around Merovingen's dank waterways and dark, twisting byways, the various forces seeking to wrest or retain control of the city are busily plotting new and desperate plans of treacherous betrayal. And seeking a weapon with which to blackmail Thomas Mondragon into doing his bidding, Chance Magruder - ambassador, spy, master assassin, and chief strategist for the fantastical Sword of God - has seized the opportunity to kidnap Altair Jones. But what Magruder doesn't know is that by imprisoning Jones he and his allies in crime, the slavers of Megary, may have unleashed a new force in the power games of Merovingen, a force which, its anger once roused, may prove completely unstoppable in its quest for revenge! Includes: "Troubled Waters" essay by C.J. Cherryh "A Tangled Web We Weave" novella by Mercedes Lackey "By a Woman's Hand" novelette by Nancy Asire "Strange Bedfellows" novelette by Lynn Abbey "Nessus' Shirt" novelette by Roberta Rogow "Treading the Maze" novelette by Leslie Fish Afterword: "Epilogue (Troubled Waters)" essay by C.J. Cherryh "Raj's Letters (Troubled Waters)" essay by uncredited "The Prisoner" novelette by Janet Morris "Saying Yes to Drugs" novelette by Chris Morris "Merovingian Pharmacology 103, or, Poison in Jest" essay by uncredited Merovingian Songs: "Partners" poem by Mercedes Lackey and C.J. Cherryh Merovingian Songs: "A Song for Marina" short fiction by Mercedes Lackey and C.J. Cherryh

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    An Essence of the Dusk, 5th Edition

      F. W. Bain
     An Essence of the Dusk, 5th Edition

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition.

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    The Strange Case of Finley Jayne

      Kady Cross
     The Strange Case of Finley Jayne

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined.

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    The Hellandback Kids: Be Careful What You Wish For

      LL Helland
     The Hellandback Kids: Be Careful What You Wish For

This book has won: The Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Mom's Choice Award and The Royal Dragonfly Award. When the four Hellandback kids visit their great-grandmother in a strange Scottish hospital, they unknowingly fall into a series of bizarre adventures in an alternate reality. Once the reader is introduced to the four very different personalities of the Hellandback Kids the fun begins.Rating: 5.0 stars Reviewed by Anne B. for Readers FavoriteAfter realizing a Bundlebob was in Chris’ closet, the Hellandback parents decided it was time to send their 4 children to Scotland for the summer; they would be staying with their 83 year old great-grandmother in a large building that used to be a hospital. The kids were dreading the trip that seemed to offer only boredom. Unbeknownst to them it would be anything but dull for the house had a mystical quality. During their visit each of the Hellandback children were transported to a different realm where they learned a life lesson centering on their greatest weakness and strength. They quickly learned they had to take their scenario seriously. Chris ended up in the land of the Bundlebobs and had several interesting conversations with his great grandfather. Brittany was transported to the 14th century where the Black Plague was at its worse, Trisha was transported in the 18th century where she was about to be married and Jon’s scenario placed him in a corporate jungle complete with backstabbers and sharks, it was each man for himself. The Hellandback Kids: Be Careful What You Wish For is a great read. Laura L Helland has combined just the right amount of action, adventure, humor, paranormal characters and fantasy to keep readers not only interested but eager to continue reading. The author developed the characters personalities in the first few chapters allowing the reader to understand the importance of the scenario the character faces. Helland has included plenty twists and turns. The author has cleverly included ghosts, vampires, and some very original creatures that exist only in the mind of the author. There are several life lessons to be learned from this tale. This book is based on real people, the author’s children. I’d be remiss if I did not mention the marvelous cover; it fits in well with the plot and just begs to be read. Even the title of this book is well done and humorous. I hope the author is planning series of Hellandback books and I would love to see this tale on the silver screen. Well done MS Helland.

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    The One Who Grumbled

      Jeff Miller
     The One Who Grumbled

It took the brightest US Navy officers to crack the top secret Japanese Naval code 25, and Lieutenant Michael Holland was among the best. When Lieutenant Holland intercepts an eerie signal from a sunken Japanese aircraft carrier he finds that too much knowledge is not such a good thing.Then the Order doctors were worrying after Rosetta, and Keaton stepped back to let them tend to her wounds. Representatives for the various Parchments and Speakers asked him questions and he answered. Yes, he and Rosetta were in a relationship. Yes, he was very impressed with her performance. Yes, he was very prepared for his fight with Mantis.It worried him that this last felt like a lie.“What do you think about the announcement,” one of the writers asked, “that Rosetta is set to fight the Queen of Foxes in just over a month?”Keaton was confused. “Doesn’t the Queen have at least one more fight between now and then?” he asked. “Rosetta should have at least 12 weeks preparation time.”"Shinen was next in line, but she was injured in training,” the writer said. “Rosetta is stepping in to replace her. What do you think of the match up?”Keaton felt cold. “I think Rosetta is ready for anything,” he said.This also felt like a lie.Keaton looked through the mob of people and stared at Rosetta. She was sitting on a stool, eyes closed as the Order doctor stitched up her arm. She looked so small sitting there.He had to train her, and he had to beat Mantis. So he would do both.If that was even possible.

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    The Trauermarsch (A Short Story)

      Ryan M. Murphy
     The Trauermarsch (A Short Story)

Kay is transported from the confines of her music appreciation class to a mysterious land where a man-boy named Rabenold wants nothing more than to fulfill his life's mission to defeat the dreaded Trauermarsch.Approx. 1,700 wordsThis is the highly anticipated sequel to DEATH TIMES TWO. T.K. and Sunny think they've dodged the bullet, but the notorious Boss Lady and her lieutenant are still free. They have other plans. Three more must die so the Norfolk mob can set an example . . . a warning that involves more murders and blood running in the streets. After all, it's strictly business.

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