Empty picture frames. A perfect red rose in a snowy garden. There is rich and powerful magic here, and a mystery to unravel... When Natasha is forced to take shelter from a sudden, terrible blizzard, she is lucky to see a mansion looming out of the snow. Inside it's beautiful: the fire lit, the table set. But there is no one there. And on the walls, instead of paintings, are empty frames. In the garden, she finds one perfect red rose about to bloom, a vivid splash of scarlet against the snow. Dreamily she reaches out a hand... Only to have the master of the house appear - a terrifying, gigantic creature who looks like a cross between a bear and a man - and demand vengeance on her for taking his rose. So begins an extraordinary adventure that will see Natasha plunged deep into the heart of a mystery. She begins to realise she has stumbled onto a great tragedy - a spell of revenge laid on the young man the Beast once was, devised by a powerful sorcerer. But even if she can break the spell, the Beast she has now come to love will be snatched from her. Natasha will have a long journey, and many ordeals, ahead of her before there can be a happy ending. Inspired by two beautiful Russian fairytales - The Scarlet Flower (the Russian version of Beauty and the Beast) and Fenist the Falcon, Scarlet in the Snow is a beguiling mix of magic, romance, adventure and mystery.

    The last of her kind, she finds a new purpose in protecting the remaining few thousand humans from the hostile alien races called The Compact. As humanity teeters on the edge of extinction, one human male helps her to realize her destiny. She takes on a new role as the last of the mythical Valkyries who have been given the power to decide who lives and who dies. She will need all that power and her Warrior Code discipline when an old threat from the past re-emerges, a threat that this time, she must face alone. Excerpt: A double ping brought his attention back to the display. The Compact fleet had just crossed the outer boundary of the sphere. He watched as the side bar data showed her four turrets’ status which shifted from ‘Tracking’ to ‘locked on’. He shifted his gaze back to the yellow dots just in time to see them flash brightly for half a second before becoming very faint dots that were now falling behind the rest of the still advancing fleet. “Targets hit and disabled,” said Val Ky Ree. Before Ronson could say anything, she continued. “Val Ky Ree to Compact Fleet. I have disabled the three Trior ships that are carrying torsion beam weapons. If you board those ships and examine their cargo compartments, you’ll see what’s left of those weapons. I could have destroyed those ships completely, and I can destroy all of your remaining ships just as easily, but I would prefer not to do that. You are being used by the Trior for their own ends. Now that you have seen my power, you are advised to take advantage of my patience and immediately decelerate to zero velocity. If you do not do so, I will take whatever measures are necessary to defend the humans. If all humans are killed, either now or in the future, the race that is responsible for their elimination will face the same fate. This I swear as an Aesir Warrior!” Ronson held his breath as he watched the velocity data of the Compact fleet. It wasn’t slowing down. Another translated text message scrolled across the display. [The decision to destroy all humans was made by the leaders of our races. Your Aesir are gone! By what authority do you interfere in our quest for justice!”] When Val Ky Ree replied, the volume was deafening. “I AM THE LAST OF THE VALKYRIES! THE GODS GAVE US THE POWER TO DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES! YOU HAVE DETERMINED YOUR OWN FATE. IN ORDER FOR MY HUMANS TO LIVE, YOU MUST DIE.” Keywords: Space Opera, military science fiction, space fleet, galactic empire, war

    Brilliant dreams and dazzling nightmares with meaning for today and tomorrow...“The Giant In Repose” Nathan Ballingrud.“Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me” Christopher Barzak.“Tales That Fairies Tell” Richard Bowes.“Warrior Dreams” Cinda Williams Chima.“Blanchefleur” Theodora Goss.“The Road of Needles” Caitlín R. Kiernan.“Below the Sun Beneath” by Tanith Lee.“The Coin of Heart’s Desire” Yoon Ha Lee.“Sleeping Beauty of Elista” Ekaterina Sedia.“Egg” Priya Sharma.“Lupine” Nisi Shawl.“Castle of Masks” by Cory Skerry: this version © 2013 Cory Skerry.(An earlier version appeared in Fairy Tales in Split Vision, ed. Cindy Lynn Speer, Drollerie Press, 2009).“Flight” © 2013 Angela Slatter.“The Lenten Rose” Genevieve Valentine.“The Hush of Feathers, the Clamour of Wings” A. C. Wise.“Born and Bread” Kaaron Warren.“The Mirror Tells All” Erzebet YellowBoy.“The Spinning Wheel’s Tale” Jane Yolen.