Ten short stories - some to make you smile, some to make you shudder. Tales of the Fantastic and the Macabre for people who love speculative fiction. Be a visitor to these worlds, just a little off-kilter.The stories are:"Unwanted Attention": Running a business can be risky, but no one signs up for this."To the Steppes": What really happened out there?"Better Angels": A morning swim is a great way to start your day."A High Cost": Classic fantasy in an a...

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Cryptology and Network Security, CANS 2015, held in Marrakesh, Morocco, in December 2015.The 12 full papers presented together with 6 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers cover topics of interest such as internet of things and privacy; password-based authentication; attacks and malicious code; security modeling and verification; secure multi-part...

"The Desecrator" is an original short story from the Draegaran Empire, by bestselling author Stephen Brust. This is a tale of the Hawklord Daymar, and of a particular Morganti blade. Vlad Taltos fans will enjoy new insight into Stephen Brust's fantasy series.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

John Charming. Ex knight. Current monster hunter.When Tom Morris encounters a naked man walking along the interstate with no memory of how he got there, the smart thing to do is drive away. The only problem is, Tom Morris has secrets of his own. Like the fact that he comes from a long line of witch finders, monster slayers, and enchantment breakers, or that his real name is Charming. John Charming.This is a short story from contemporary fantasy author, Elliot...

John Charming. Ex knight. Current monster hunter.Somewhere in Alaska a locked house full of ripped apart bodies and one teacup poodle covered in blood. Somewhere in Alaska, the voice of a dead woman speaks through a car radio. And somewhere in Alaska, the last surviving descendant of one of John Charming's only friends is being pursued by nightmare hounds. The dog days have begun.This is a short story from contemporary fantasy author, Elliott James, within hi...

Rekka has just finished another adventure and saved a new series of heroines. But when he gets back home, he finds a new girl who demands that he run away and marry her! When a disaster involving Harissa makes him realize how dangerous it is to be around him, he runs away with the new girl, Hibiki Banjo, leaving the other heroines behind. But how can Rekka fight when he's cut off from all the girls he's worked so hard to save?

Tense, tightly-focused, and brimming with corrosive wit, Hidden Wounds is absolutely addictive—every page is a gripping reminder of O’Flynn’s grasp on the thriller genre and the hidden psychology of serial killers. Fans of Claire MacKintosh, Chelsea Cain, and Gilly MacMillion will love the Born Bad series.She’s not fragile like a poppy. She’s fragile like a bomb.Poppy Pratt isn’t sure whether it’s normal for a recently widowed psyc...

Princess Rosemary von Velfalt continues her quest to lead a peaceful life in the Kingdom of Nevel and win the heart of her beloved Sir Leonhart. Though she’s already stopped one war, enemies still lurk beyond Nevel’s borders, and the threat of a plague looms large. And then of course, there’s the issue of the malevolent demon lord... Or so she thinks, until one day her carriage narrowly avoids crashing into Michael, a goofy boy who happens to be physically identical to the demon lord’s gam...

Their resolve renewed, Keisuke and Nito continue their journey through this ashen world, still searching. Though they each have their own goals, they now travel their path together as true companions. While looking for a map that might offer them clues, the pair arrive at a temple venerating a saint the people of this world believe in. At first, the temple seems to be abandoned, but in fact various other survivors have gathered around it, each carrying their own pain and their own story to...

In Strange New Words, let Ari Marmell guide you through over a dozen windows into the fantastic. Heroes, horrors, and hijinks await you, including:"The Cemetery Wyrm": A childish fascination with the old, pitted monument was understandable, but not the ongoing obsession—or his certainty that the effigy was something more . . ."The Purloined Ledger": In the early days of the Great Depression, a PI who is far more than he appears must outwit a gangster whose efforts may have ...

After a daring robbery, Lauren, a professional thief and sometimes mage, finds himself on the run from the monstrous Devildins as he tries to warn others about the invasion. Unfortunately, the one person he has to convince happens to be the person he just robbed.This story is one of many in the Tales from Another Place (TFAP) story universe.