Tales: A Collection Of Short Fantasy Fiction

By Jason Varrone

From fantasy fiction author Jason Varrone comes five previously published stories about love, honor, vengeance, and bravery. This collection includes:

"Loyal" - Renowned knight Sir Dellan is reeling after a brutal attack leaves his king mortally wounded. Dellan seeks answers, and his world is thrown into chaos once he discovers the truth. Forced to confront the attacker, the knight holds the fate of the kingdom in his hands. This story of 5,800 words tells the stirring tale of a knight's devotion as he faces the ultimate test of loyalty.

"Dragon's Vengeance" - A dragon still mourns the loss of his soulmate decades after her death at the hands of humans. While pursuing his vengeance, his fundamental assumptions about the world are shattered after an encounter with a village girl and her father. This story of 3,100 words is a heartfelt tale of undying love, wrath, and empathy.

"Courage" - Edwyn, an inferior soldier of the King’s Army, is still haunted by the murder of his mother years earlier and his inability to protect her. He finds himself caught in a battle between acceptance by his peers and doing what is right. Now, as his personal demons threaten to overwhelm him, his courage and conscience will be tested against the sociopathic whims of his fellow soldiers. This novelette of 9,600 words tells the tale of a man's search for redemption.

"Knight's Oath" - Danthane has spent decades in service to his kingdom as commander of the army. When the newly crowned king orders the invasion of a peaceful kingdom, Danthane’s loyalty clashes with his long-held oath. Soon, he will have to decide which is more important: loyalty or honor and his life. This story of 5,700 words tells the tale of one knight’s struggle against his own values as he faces his life’s greatest challenge.

"Second Son" - Jonah yearns to be king and to rule with honor and integrity the way his forebears ruled. But fate has cruelly delivered him as the second son of a king who rules with an iron fist. All Jonah can do is bide his time and wait for his father and older sibling to die. When fate hands Jonah an opportunity to rule, he’ll have to decide which is more important to him: his ambition or his morality. This story of 5,700 words tells the story of a boy who struggles to become the leader he always wanted to be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason Varrone
• Release date: Jun 19, 2009
• ISBN: 9781301551699

Jason Varrone

Jason Varrone accidentally stumbled into the world of fantasy fiction in elementary school, becoming quite obsessed with the genre, and then fostered that love by delving into the realm of fantasy role-playing games. Little did he know that his desire to write was born during those carefree days as a child. It took him until adulthood to throw caution to the wind and realize his dream. By day, he is a captain of the insurance industry, a husband, and a father, all the while trying in vain to keep his houseful of cats content. By night, when the magic takes hold and the dreams begin, his mind fills with valiant knights, deadly spells, and flame-breathing dragons. When not reading or writing, he is playing the drums to his favorite '90s-era grunge songs.