A mysterious ritual conducted by the High Priest compels a paranoid King to seek its significance and protect his power.

This short story landed me a winners spot in the 2014 Writer's Digest Short Short Story competition out of more than 3,000 entries. You can read it in about five minutes. Let me know if you like it!

Long ago, Vampires, Werewolves, and Dragons dominated Nazra and fought amongst themselves for prey. The land ran with the blood of the fallen and the weak... Until the Reckoning. It's been over eight centuries since the Human race was pushed to the very brink of enslavement and driven far below the earth to live as rats, until a bold move by Queen Lesna took their position from the very bottom of the food chain all the way to its apex. Now, Lesna's descendant, Queen Reyna and her Dracgon-Knights face threats even greater than what Lesna herself did. With the power of the Stars in their grasp and Lesna's sacrificial legacy backing them, the Alabastar Dracgons serving the young Queen Reyna must find a way to ensure the continued human oppression of the other predators of the planet Nazra. Their position atop the throne has been secure since Lesna's reign. Their enemies, however, given time to recover and to plan their revenge, are all too eager to return the humans to the status of prey. To what extremes will they go to once again rise to the top?

[THIS STORY WILL BECOME FREE ON MAY 27, 2021] Ammas Mourthia is a cursewright: an outlawed magician sworn to break curses. Contracted by the Emperor's daughter, he's pursuing a curse he may never break. ***** Ammas Mourthia is a cursewright -- an outlaw magician who casts and breaks curses. Practicing his trade in the bustling city of Munazyr, he is hired by the last person he ever expected: Princess Carala, the daughter of the Emperor who murdered his family. Bound by his oaths, Ammas delivers the cure to Carala ... only for it to fail. Confronted with a sickness he cannot treat, pursued by werewolves who want Carala for their own purposes, and forced to return to a nation where he is a wanted criminal, Ammas must find a real cure. But there are forces at play he cannot control, and dark secrets waiting to be revealed. Fulfilling his vows might be the last thing Ammas Mourthia ever does. [[Wattys 2018 Winner: "The Heroes"]] [[1st Place, Rebel Wars @Rebel_Town]] Trigger warning: Graphic violence, sexual situations, strong language. [[word count: 300,000-350,000 words]]