DakotaRayne writer
Stories
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Of Wolves and Stags by Ria Parisi Tidesend is a simple village. About as boring as can be. Perfect for someone who needs to hide away. Someone like Dalia Arrowwood. She is a Crystalline, a living weapon granted magic through elven experimentation. Three very simple rules have kept her alive: stay as far north as she can, stay put for her sister to find her, and never use her powers. The final rule is the most important of them all. At seventeen, Dalia is no stranger to waiting. She has spent the last decade of her life concealing her true self to stay safe, but safety has a way of feeling like a cage. When Glenn Cahill, a human freedom fighter, washes up on the shore of her humble village, Dalia is faced with a choice. She can break the rules that so far have kept her alive or leave him to die. Unable to remain stagnant any longer, she chooses to use her magic to save his life. This choice not only exposes her to the world that views Crystalline as abominations but allows her to join the resistance in their fight to find the only hope of the humans ever winning their freedom from the elves: the last cache of magical crystals. A shadowy masked figure from Dalia’s past haunts this task, as a fearsome band of elves hunt the ragtag group. Wielding magic of their own, stolen from the hearts of other Crystalline, they change the search for the crystals into a deadly race. The comforts of her cage left behind, Dalia must learn to navigate a world that is set to see her as either one of two things: a weapon to be used or a monster to be feared. |
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With Love, Juniper by Amanda Cessor Juniper Harlow had always been a nervous young woman. Particularly when it came to the social obligations of a well-to-do family in a small village. There were only very few exceptions: her parents and her childhood friend Oleander Ambrose. He always seemed to understand her fears and often went out of his way to act as a shield against the perils of social interaction. Oleander didn’t mind. After all, he wanted nothing more than to make Juniper his wife. As far as he was concerned, it was his duty to protect her. When Oleander left to attend conservatory to gain his sorcerer’s diploma, Juniper was left to handle the overwhelming expectations of the people around her on her own. Which, for her, meant to avoid them entirely, retreating into her work as an herbalist. When Oleander did return, he was unrecognizable, and Juniper and Oleander found themselves navigating an unexpected chasm in their once intimate friendship. Oleander, ever patient with his childhood love, was more than ready to move at her pace. That is until Theo Vervain arrives in the village and sets his sights on Juniper with his own desires of courtship, seeming to have an inexplicable connection to the usually-timid young lady. |
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Millennials Killed the Killing Industry When Jesse Westchurch finds out he’s dying, the last thing he expects is his old college roommate, Lucy Callahan, to climb through the second-story window of his quaint Long Island house and turn him into a vampire. Millennial vampires are killing the killing industry by refusing to sacrifice humans, so Jesse doesn’t even have to drink blood. The ancient vampire government, Carnelian, offers distilled blood pills. But they come at a price: you work for them, you get your supply of pills. Sure, sometimes the work is dangerous, but they are sparing innocent lives. The truth comes to light when Jesse figures out that Lucy and his sister, Ciceline, are Carnelian’s most skilled assassins, forced to pay off a century of debt for their blood pills. When their latest hit on a murderous politician puts Jesse and his doting sister, Stella, in danger, their only refuge is an underground “blood club” run by Lucy’s found family, a group of hardcore Gen X vampires. Jesse has to find a way to expose Carnelian’s darkest secrets and obtain the pills they need to survive, or lose the family (both by blood and by choice) he has just finished putting back together. |
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As We Convene: An Anthology of Time and Place by Casie Bazay, Amanda Bender, Shelli Cornelison, Emiliy Gray, Elizabeth Holden, Sara Kapadia, Jennifer Kaul, Alexandra Z. Lazar, C.M. Leyva, Gerardo J. Mercado, Christian H. Morales, K. Psych, J. Ophelia Vazquez, Angela Sanchez, Nico Vasquez, Mary Winsor The moors of Wuthering Heights. The Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. The Blackwood mansion in We Have Always Lived In The Castle. The planet Uriel in A Wrinkle in Time. Many stories that stand the test of time have a central place at the crux of the plot — a main locale. These places are so central, they seem to transfigure themselves into one of the main characters. The locale grows and shifts, becoming the focus, the place in which the plot hinges and the characters thrive. The locale becomes integral to the story, so much so that it is impossible to set the story anywhere else. In this anthology, sixteen varied locales have been gathered to visit. From outer space to the Grand Canyon, from Florida swamps to the orange groves of California, the setting of these stories takes center stage. The collected stories here range across genre, from speculative to more contemporary works. Each story will bring you into a world, maybe similar to our own, maybe different. Either way, you’ll feel well-traveled after exploring these beautiful locales. |
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Joseph can't live with knowing that he's responsible for his daughter's death. He checks into The Gate, indenting it to be his final destination, but after a guest disappears, everything unravels. Days go missing, people act stranger by the moment, and nothing is what it should be. Worst of all, he's reminded of this most painful mistake at every turn. Joseph disappears down a rabbit hole of mysterious events all while battling his own inner demons. Now he's trapped inside a haunted hotel attempting to find a guest that may not even exist. |
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The world isn’t black and white. Why should our stories be? There is often a moment when we discover the world is nothing like the fairy tales we grew up with. It’s grittier, darker, more complex. Perception isn’t always reality. Sometimes there’s another layer, another angle that demands acknowledgement. Each tale within The First Stain peels back those preconceived layers to expose the cracks in our not-so-perfect world. The First Stain showcases stories with a twist—from haunted visions to heartbreaking omens; vigilante justice to survival amidst metaphysical hellscapes. Enter a fantastical world where karma is Law—merciless and unforgiving. Discover the addiction of memory, and the regrets secreted therein. Within The First Stain, fears become nightmares. Nightmares become reality, and sometimes, the worst that could happen, comes to pass. These thirteen short stories by new and published authors delve into the themes of death, justice, family, redemption, and ugly truths bound in beautiful lies. |