No one crosses the Onyx Queen and survives. Lance is a Knight of the Onyx Order and one of the Queen's favorites. When a change seeds into his soul, he discovers his heart belongs to a shieldmaiden of the Pearl, a female warrior whose eyes blaze like the sun. When the Onyx Queen discovers his treachery, she'll give them both a chance to survive in a series of trials, if only for her own amusement. But this is no game. The Pearl have a trick up their sleeve. The Onyx Order could unravel completely and Lance must choose where his loyalties truly lie. Misguided Knight of the Onyx Order is the first novelette in the "Ancient Realms" collection.

An award-winning Viking tale of the Draugr King and the Last Oracle. Torunn's sister is the last oracle and the Draugr King has come to claim her magic. His father had always been a vessel for the gods, but now Torunn will take up his father's axe and fight, even if the spirits of the long dead oracles forbid it. He'll help his sister gather winter's magic through three tasks. They must find the heart of the gods that lies in a single snowberry in the forest protected by ancient powers. Next will be to recruit spirits of their long dead ancestors, for humans have magic too and take it with them into death. Finally, he must build a sacrificial bonfire so that his prayers can ride on the smoke into the skies and rain down the power they'll need to take down the Draugr King. What Torunn fears most is losing his sister. The magic of the draugr and oracles are a never-ending cycle of suffering and pain. To break the cycle, he'll have to do the unimaginable, even if he must steal all of winter's magic himself to be the vessel his father had never been.

Only once a generation will a vessel be born… blessings on his poor, empty soul. Jakob has shown all the signs, but he can’t believe it’s really happening. Could he be a vessel? How is it that his remote water village far south of Tiebern would need such intervention? Only sin draws the gods’ attention. When evil coalesces, they send a vessel to drain the weighty muck of it from lost souls, hoping to save their creations from generations of doomed torment. He’s supposed to die. He’s to be the sacrifice to save his people from damnation. Instead… his people do not deserve to be saved. When a vessel finds a use for sin… he’ll find the strength to Awaken. “The Awakening” is an expanded version of a 2017 Parsec Short Story Finalist.

Ragnarok comes, and only one Valkyrie stands in its way. Astrid is the youngest daughter of Freya and part of a tribe of Valkyries. She is flawed and hopeless to become the great warrior she wishes to be. Her flaw is extreme near-sightedness, but it’ll be her flaw that’ll save them all. There is only one way to avoid the end of the world that is Ragnarok, and that is by keeping the careful balance of godly powers. She must face the last living gods and convince them to sacrifice their hard-earned gifts, or the world will descend into Loki’s dark chaos forever.

The World Ends Every Thousand Years. Eliza is an empress and her heart breaks with each new cycle that is marked by the clash of two moons. Today is the death of L'Orenia... and the birth of something new. When Eliza is alone on a desolate planet ready for her magic to bring it life, her tears birth the First of Da'Trille. He's unlike anything she's ever created, and may just be the key to breaking the cycle of the lunar clash. The Lunar Clash is a tragic tale of love and sacrifice and an Ancient Realms installment you won't want to miss!

Not my fault I found a shiny bauble that gave me legs. Amber isn't like her sisters. She dreams of the world above the waves even if it's forbidden. When she finds an ancient artifact that allows her to explore the world of man, she discovers that a local sea witch has been waiting for a red-haired mermaid to make the mistake of walking among humans. Now she's stranded. Amber will go on an epic adventure to discover the truth of her people, the power of her own heart, and a sacrifice that only love can bring. "Stranded" is an Ancient Realms novelette and a tragic Little Mermaid retelling.