The General's Wrath and Other Short Stories

By Laura M Austin

"Swindling Ulse" is a suspense filled story about a gang of thieves who want to take a dragon's treasure through stealth, rather than battle. Unfortunately, their actions bring down the wrath of a fierce dragon, but not on themselves.
In "Hunting One Another", Manuel finds himself being stalked and is determined to turn the tables on the monster who attacked him. When he catches her, he faces a life altering decision.
"The General's Wrath" takes readers under the sea and into the life of Amarah. She's a young mermaid who is finally old enough to explore the seas, but what she finds horrifies her! Trash and chemicals are killing the ocean and she knows exactly who is to blame. She seeks help from many other creatures, including one that is least expected. She must decide- declare war, or go back to the deep ocean trenches of her birth and hide.
May is desperate for a job in "The Applicant". She knows there's something not quite right about her possible employer, but can she afford to walk out on a great opportunity?
Predators hunting their prey is a story as old as nature itself. In "Predator", it isn't clear who is preying on whom. It's a determined gold-digging woman vs a hungry Incubi. Maybe they've both met their match!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura M Austin
• Release date: Mar 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005502034

Laura M Austin

Laura has been published by many online and in print anthologies. She has proudly served as a judge for Ageless Authors and has self-published two picture books. She has a passion for writing about mental health and trying to reach out to others.

Book preview

The General’s Wrath

And other short stories

By

Laura M. Austin

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2022 by Laura M. Austin

All rights reserved.

Table of Contents:

Swindling Ulse

Hunting One Another

The General’s Wrath

The Applicant

Predator

Swindling Ulse

Ulse the dragon peeked around the cliff face, expecting to see her pursuers giving chase, but found only barren rock, scrubby shrubs, and the shadows being cast by the setting sun. Her emerald scales glittered with alarm, and her slanted eyes widened. She had never known anyone to sneak away without her knowing. Worried that her senses were being dulled by time and ennui, she spread her leathery wings to fly home- to her underground haven.

***

Did you see the size of that female?, Ortha exclaimed. She must be at least 500 years old! The oldest I've seen in years!

Yes, well, dragon hunting is becoming less and less popular, replied Gruzz. It's a good way to die young and die hard. Being roasted alive tends to put people off a bit.

Ortha frowned. Yes, but I thought warriors craved challenge and the opportunity to show their courage and prowess. Not everyone is willing to leave them be, and hunt their treasure instead.

Oh, the hunters of old wanted their treasure, too! Gruzz guffawed. They just knew that getting a dragon's gold is nearly impossible with the dragon still breathing. We, on the other hand, will use our wits, not brute force!

Ortha shook her head silently. She wasn't as arrogant as her friend. If outsmarting a dragon was so easy, she was sure someone would have already done it- and lived to tell the tale.

***

Ulse curled around her own body, tucking her tail in close. Her treasure glinted with the reflected light from her scales. Smoke curled from her nostrils, and she sighed in agitation. Those humans had gotten away. Maybe they wouldn't come back, but if they did... well, it had been awhile since she had tasted their flesh. It would be a welcome change from her tiresome diet of fish and deer. Actively hunting the pesky two-legged creatures was stupid. Dragons who did that didn't last very long- but if they provoked her, she'd gnaw their bones and suck their marrow with pleasure. She reached out with a clawed paw and rifled through some of her gold coins. The gentle clinking sound was like music, soothing her, and she soon drifted off to sleep.

***

Ortha led her determined band of fifty brave men and women back to the dragon's territory. Dragons were known to sleep quite a bit, and if the people were quiet they should be able to get quite close. The previous day had been a fluke and a shock to the careful leader. They had stumbled upon the large female dragon while she had been sunning herself, and had they been any closer when they'd spotted her, she knew most of them would have died in battle. That would have been a shame, even though it would mean less people to split the gold, but Ortha had honor, and she would get as many of these brave souls through this challenge alive as she could.

Although they were lightly armed for their own protection, they weren't here to fight or kill the beast. Ortha felt that too many dragons had died already, but not because she had any love for them. She wanted them to live on and do what they did best- hoard treasure! No one and nothing could collect gold the way these winged beasts did. Gold that could later be harvested by clever people, such as Ortha herself! The trick was to get in silently and get out, without leaving a trail for the dragon to follow. She felt a smidgen of remorse for the closest village, as they would likely bear the wrath of the monster, but she tried to focus on other things- like the riches she would soon have.

***

Ulse dreamed of fighting- swords of long ago clashing with her tough scales, the sounds ringing off the cliffs. Her roars echoed through the canyons, terrifying anything with a lick of sense. Her fire flowed from her throat like poetry, engulfing her attackers and making music with their screams. She feasted on charred flesh, peeling armor away