A MUST READ FOR FANS OF HORROR, DARK FANTASY, AND THE WEIRD ""Where there is no imagination there is no horror."" "-Arthur Conan Doyle" Dark Covenants: Tales of Horror and the Weird Join us for nine short stories of women and men making promises they can't keep, promises they shouldn't keep, promises sure to drag them down paths both dark and sinister. What they discover at the ends of those paths will prove malign, menacing, murderous. Please, enjoy. The Spectre of the Covenant: Forty souls perished in the slaughter. But she survived. She made a vow, a covenant, and she changed. Now, at the bottom of a bog, she lies in wait. Her people were wronged, violated, murdered, and she was promised a reckoning. That reckoning comes now. Captives: Jacob locked her away, castigating her, imprisoning her behind the steel doors and padded walls of an ungodly institution. Samantha. He said she was insidious, evil, unfit for civilization. He was right on all three counts, but really, was he any better than her? The Agreement: It hurts to move. It hurts to think. But she does so anyways. Endlessly she shambles on through the urban labyrinth of back alleyways and brick monstrosities, searching for something she's lost and forgotten long, long ago. Heaven help her when she finds it. Growling at Quarks: An old tin can. Hannah found it in the back of the store a long time ago. Its label read dark matter. Against better judgment she opened it. Whole new worlds, new universes opened, glistening cyclopean vistas expanding before her eyes. Captivating. Ethereal. Brilliant. So beautiful it took her breath away. Then it took more. Be Nice: Jarno has a simple life philosophy. Just be nice. So simple. So easy. If everyone could share that same philosophy, the world would be a better place. Even if only the people in power could share it, how much good could be done? Well, Jarno's going to find out the answer to that question. In fact everyone is. And soon. Muse's Lament: Soul mates, they were cast together through serendipity. She became his inspiration and he the love of her life. They were made for each other. Or was it that she was just made for him? The Brazil Business: Encased in iron, Wilbur's beloved wife Kate lies wasting away on the cusp of death. Her only hope for salvation lies in the quest he must undertake in the slim hopes of discovering an ancient cure. But to do so, Wilbur must abandon all he knows, all he loves. Will he find what he seeks? And if he does, will it prove a cure or a curse? The New Guard: Raff and Maria drive the bone-box burning through the streets and barrios of Mexico City's gangland. Bullets fly, men die and the crew does their best to save lives, and their best is damned good. Every night they face tragedy. Every night they dodge danger. Every night they survive. Tonight promises to be different Turbulence: James flies cross-country as a matter of course. His job demands it. His lifestyle demands it. He's married to a beautiful woman and has two wonderful children. But that's not all he has. He also has secrets. What - or who - will James sacrifice to keep them in the past? About the Authors Gary Bonn lives in Scotland with his family and writes fantasy, sci fi, dark fantasy, horror and a host of other genres. JAE Erwin lives in the UK and loves reading fiction, especially if there is a thread of the weird and mystical running through. Russell Jones is a new writer with works that include horror, fantasy, the supernatural, and science fiction. William Sauer: is a former musician, former photographer, graphic designer by day, book designer and writer by night. Patrick LeClerc writes and is published in the realms of science fiction and urban fantasy. Kevin Wright writes mainly in the genres of horror, fantasy, and dark fantasy.