Fantasy
Date Published: January 23, 2025
Publisher: Dragon Soul Press
Caution: Dragons ahead.
Prepare to delve into fiery worlds full of dragons. From hatchlings to
ancients. From tame to wild. Many have their own goals, and most want to see
the world reduced to ash. To reshape the world in their own reptilian image.
Others struggle to survive, but heroes rise among them.
Which side will you choose?
Featuring 27 stories by the following authors: Vicki Erwin, Bruce Buchanan,
Demi Michelle Schwartz, Sadie Lielle, Andreas Flögel, Desirae Gracyn, C.L.
Hart, Kristen Argyres, Sandy R. Stuckless, Jessica Lee Minneci, Rae Evans,
S.E. Reed, Larry Hodges, David O’Mahony, Mae Thorn, M.L. Quinn, Racquel
Sims, Sierra Jackson, Daniel DiQuinzio, Ana Cordoba, Gabriella Balcom, D.J.
Elton, Ann Stolinsky, Charles Barouch, Arwyn Sherman, Kiera Kearsey, Binod
Dawadi, and J.E. Feldman.
A Night In the Magical Menagerie
Can creatures with radically different motivations get along?
In this fantastical tale a fox named Tod and a tortoise named Torte are
brought to the Forest Environment of the Magical Menagerie of Celephaïs by
the Outer God Nyarlathotep and his daughter. The friends encounter a
wheelbarrow full of peculiar fruit and several exotic creatures. Will they
enjoy a good life in their new home, or is this strange place as filled with
peril as the one they escaped?
Excerpt
In the Forest Environment of the Magical Menagerie of Celephaïs, a fox and
a tortoise gave one another a puzzled glance as they examined a wheelbarrow
filled with strange yellow fruits.
“Before Nyarlathotep and his daughter left us here last night, they assured
us that King Kuranes’ gamekeepers would care for us,” the fox said. “I am
not sure the gamekeepers know what they are doing. What are these, and how
is one meant to eat them? They are covered in spines like a hedgehog, and
the green growth on the top poked me in my nose! Come to think of it, Torte,
I’m not sure I trust Nyarlathotep or his daughter. After all, he is the
great Cosmic Trickster, and surely, the apple does not fall far from the
tree.”
“This is only a name imparted to him by humans, Tod,” Torte said. “Humans
are a peculiar lot. Nyarlathotep was forthright with Captain Sammy, and he
has been forthright with us.”
“I defer to your intuition, my friend. You are slow to anger and take the
time to thoroughly assess situations. Very well, rather than postulating
malice on the part of Nyarlathotep, I postulate that he does not know what
my kind eats and nor, apparently, do King Kuranes’ gamekeepers.”
“Perhaps these were left here for those animals that eat fruit,” Torte
said. “I have never before seen the like of them, but they have a pleasant
scent. On the other hand, perhaps they were left here inadvertently. Upon
discovering their mistake, the gamekeepers will return with the correct
foodstuffs.”
“If you believe they have a pleasant scent, I will knock one to the ground
for you,” Tod offered.
About the Author
C.L. Hart had a stormy start to her life. She was born at 6 A.M. the
morning after Valentine’s Day in 1965 during a raging blizzard.
She has been a fan of horror and weird fiction for as long as she can
remember. She used to read horror comics under the covers with a flashlight
as a child.
She started reading Edgar Allan Poe when she was six years old. In her
early teens, she discovered H.P. Lovecraft. She pretended to lose the copy
of At the Mountains of Madness that she borrowed from the school library and
paid the fine so she could keep the book.
Ms. Hart blames the team at Chaosium Role-Playing Games for renewing and
strengthening her obsession with Lovecraft’s writing. She lives in a small
town on the northeastern plains of Colorado in an appropriately old and
storied house with her son and cats. She enjoys watching the normal people
pass by as she records the happenings in the weird worlds of her
imagination.
C.L. Hart writes poetry and nonfiction as Cara Hartley, and erotica as Lil
DeVille.
http://naughtynetherworldpress.start.page
