A L Butcher

Dark tales of ghosts of war, blood from the Autumn of Terror, the wrath of nature, an unusual murder and a cynical vampire. Twisted poetry of loss and mayhem. Some adult themes and language.

A dozen tumultuous years after the dramatic events at the Paris Opera House Raoul, Comte de Chagny is still haunted by the mysterious Opera Ghost - the creature of legend who held staff at the Opera House under his thrall, kidnapped Raoul's lover and murdered his brother. In Raoul's troubled imagination the ghosts of the past are everywhere, and a strange and powerful music still calls in his dreams. Madness, obsession and the legacy of the past weave their spell in this short, tragic tale based on the Phantom of the Opera. Approx 8000 words

He who bargains with monsters beware A hero forges an unholy bargain with a witch and learns magic never forgets. A short fantasy tale of magic and monsters.

Naughty imps, missing socks, cunning thieves and baffled gods feature in this collection of short fantasy fiction. Six short tales of mischief and mayhem

What stalks the land cannot be, but is. Where magic is outlawed a troll Shaman calls from her deathbed to her heiress, Mirandra Var, daughter of the storm. Mirandra vows to find her missing kin, sort friend from foe, and claim the dangerous secrets guarded by unthinkable creatures. If she succeeds, she will become the leader of her tribe. If she fails there will be no tribe to lead.

In a dark world where magic is illegal and elves live as slaves, a desperate elf and her human companion seek aid from the mysterious sorcerer, Archos and his lady, the sorceress Dii'Athella. Hoping to unearth the secrets of the Shining Citadel, lost for centuries in the mists of magic and time, they begin a dangerous and arduous journey. Could these secrets change the lives of an oppressed people or will such information bring about a worse fate? Yet all is not as it first appears for the corrupt Order of Witch-Hunters watch from afar and one man's obsession leads to a deadly trap. Avarice and betrayal are everywhere; who can be trusted? Creatures long thought dead rise in the darkness, and forgotten magic burns with a bitter flame. Who makes the rules in this game of intrigue and lies? Shattered beliefs and unwelcome truths abound in an adventure filled with magic, passion, greed and revenge. An adult dark fantasy/fantasy romance.18+ rating - contains scenes of both sex and violence. Extra warning - contains elves