Showing results by narrator "Gabrielle de Cuir and Stefan Rudnicki" in All Categories

Now genuinely a Spirit Knight, 16-year-old Claire wants to know everything about the job. Fate dumps a dragon on her, and she only has more questions. She knows how much she needs training and wishes she could snap her fingers to learn everything at once. Justin can answer Claire's questions, but between his demanding young daughters, his sarcastic horse, and the recent loss of his own mentor, he'd rather just be a Knight.

James Wong built a billion-dollar software company with his childhood friend, Maria Cortez. He had everything until an ultra-rich investor stole control of his company with a shady contract. How do you fight the rich and powerful? In a video game, he would use a power-up to defeat the villain. Maria tells him there aren't power-ups in real life, but James finds the ultimate power-up: become the president. They must uncover secrets about their company, themselves, and the dark forces aligned against them.

Now that the Spirit Knights have accepted 16-year-old Claire into their order, she just has to convince all its Knights she belongs. Forced into a test to prove her worth, she discovers more than anyone wants her to. Meanwhile, Justin runs around playing janitor. He's made some big messes, but cleaning them up puts him on a new path, one he never imagined his future could hold. All on Thanksgiving.

The war between the Court of Dark and Light waged for far too long. But at long last, each side has set their elemental magick and weapons down, and the Treaty of Bodhicitta is signed. The rules are clear. Never again will the Fae spill their own blood, and human worship must be equal to both courts. But while Queen Aurora and King Jarvok were playing their war games, the outside world has moved on from polytheism to monotheism. Now, the humans understand worship, equals power and wealth.

Once, peace between the Court of Dark and Light seemed possible. A treaty was signed, a new balance was agreed upon. But now it all may go up in flames. Queen Aurora and King Jarvok are refusing to end their battle. And with neither willing to surrender, their kingdoms are on the edge of destruction. Until a ghost from the past intervenes.

Here are 10 stories from the May and June 2003 issues of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, including a tribute to SF great Barry M. Malzberg.

Death didn't solve anything for Claire. Now condemned to an eternity of roaming the Earth as a 16-year-old, she has to figure out this whole ghost thing from the other side. Lesson one: Memories are power. Lesson two: This sucks.

Magee was given a key to the Baldpate Inn so he might write in solitude, but he soon discovers that he is not the only person with a key. In fact, he is only one of seven! And the other guests, including a young woman who catches Magee’s eye, are all there on a mission to find a mysterious package with a large sum of money.

When three-year-old Joshua Gortler and his family were forced from their hometown in Poland during World War II, they scrambled for safety across border after border, finding refuge at last in Europe’s Displaced Persons Camps. Undocumented and unschooled, Gortler spent his adolescence learning to survive. When his family eventually relocated to the US, Gortler found himself starting over, and after teaching himself English, Gortler managed to complete high school in three years, earn an MSW, and begin what would become a distinguished career in the field of eldercare.

Originally published in 1951, the story is set on the Northumberland moors, where Daphne Hazel appears to cross the boundaries of time, becoming involved with terrifying personalities from the mysterious past.

Mikhail was fired for blowing a deal with the Italians and throwing an unauthorized office party that got him arrested, so he can’t believe his luck when his former boss offers him easy money and the Land Rover of his dreams for the simple job of teaching the boss’s son, teenager Sergei, how to "be a man". Of course, Sergei’s not the Internet-obsessed recluse his father believes, and Mikhail can’t help but fall for Sergei’s beautiful secret girlfriend, Marina, himself. Mikhail finds himself lying to his boss about Sergei’s activities, lying to Marina about Sergei’s identity, and lying to Sergei about his love for Marina.

There are those who once believed that the Courts of Light and Dark could finally be united. But now a new Queen has taken the throne, and the Court of Light has descended into darkness and turmoil. Broken-hearted and devastated, King Jarvok can no longer ignore his centuries-old suspicions. While he looks towards the shadows, his second-in-command Asa is determined to focus on the light. In doing so, they both realize there are secrets among them that some will die to keep.

A new era is dawning for the Court of Light and the Court of Dark. Queen Aurora will soon be married to King Jarvok, and for the first time in history, Dark and Light Fae will be united. Except Aurora is also concealing a secret from everyone—she is with child. Not everyone is pleased with the upcoming nuptials. Queen Aurora’s closest advisors have long held that Virtues and Power Angels are sacrosanct, and her bishops view her upcoming marriage as an abomination.

Silvariah and Walter’s little girl is in danger, and facing the tyrant, Penn, is the only recourse left. In a brazen act of desperation, they travel to the Moon, convinced it holds the secret to his nefarious empire. They know Penn is baiting them. They go anyway. When Scarlet disappears, they face off against their enemy with all their wits and strength, hoping it will be enough. Penn is confident he can’t lose - but there are factors no one could have anticipated.

It's been almost 2,000 years since the mer-shifter Skyla walked the streets of Athens - not since her heart was broken by a human man and she exchanged the land and sky for the ocean depths. Ever since, she has lived in the underwater ruins of Atlantis, studying with the priestesses of the goddess Amphitrite, refining her mermaid powers and ignoring her human half.

A beautifully crafted collection of eight short stories by Edna Ferber: In Gigolo, Edna Ferber delves into the minds of eight diverse characters from all walks and stages of life.

First published in 1864, decades before there were official female detectives or female police officers in Britain, The Female Detective features the original lady detective: the determined and resourceful Miss Gladden, known as “G”. She examines crime scenes incognito, tracks down killers, and solves mysteries employing all manner of skill, subterfuge, and charm to achieve her ends while attempting to conceal her own identity from others..

In The Breakthrough in Two Acts, Dr. Fredric C. Hartman paints a vivid picture of emotional pain and its context within the human mind and brain. Set in the dramatic backdrop of a therapy session as a stage play, featuring Dr. Hartman as the psychologist and Human Consciousness itself as “the patient”, this is a practical guide for anyone who struggles with negative or painful emotions.

Four curiously gifted children from different parts of the world come together in a kingdom ruled by a peanut brittle-addicted monarch who wishes to destroy their uniqueness in his quest for absolute power.

In a distant past, during the dawn of civilization, a group known as the Guardians seek to gather and destroy forever the Royal Stones of Eden and their power to control time and space and spirit. Legends of the past collide with each other as the secrets of ancient elements are discovered and explored by several time travelers as they travel through a land of fantasy, magic, and intrigue; journey to Wales, Egypt, and to the time of the Old American West and the rule of King Arthur.