Collected here are thirteen stories of fantasy, horror, and the supernatural. Written in the Gothic tradition, they tell of ruined castles and forgotten curses, of woods that hold dark secrets from the past, as well as the fate of a doomed town. In these tales horror awaits; on country estates and in lonely villages. And on a planet far from earth, where a terrifying winged foe has dominion, a powerful sorcery is needed to survive. Against these many landscapes, the ghosts of the past press close, deception is real, and death is never too far away. But so also is beauty if you know where to find it. While ominous forces have sway in many of the stories in this volume, so also do the tragic figures that rise and fall in the play of events. Seen against a backdrop of gloom and darkness, these figures are often distant and little understood, yet in their very mystery they are a source of wonder in who they are.