It’s Here!

 A Dog, 3 Cats, and a Dragon is now available! Read 20+ science fiction, fantasy, and horror tales in Esther Davis’s new short story collection.

Buy on Amazon

Two-Week Countdown

A Dog, 3 Cats, and a Dragon releases in less than 2 weeks! I always hoped to publish a book, but never expected it to happen so soon. Thank you to my readers for all the support! I couldn’t have come this far without you.

In celebration, I’m sharing a sneak-peek at 4 of the 20 short stories in A Dog, 3 Cats, and a Dragon. Make sure to download the two Kindle ebooks while they’re free (“Summoners” this week and “B-4” next week). If you enjoy a story, please share it with a friend and/or leave a review.

“Summoners” (free on Kindle July 17th-21st)

 

“B-4” (free on Kindle July 24th-28th)

 

“Scars” (available on T. Gene Davis’s Speculative Blog)

Servant of the Tiger

by Esther Davis

“Can I see your scar?”

Makoto’s slender fingers brushed his palm. Outwardly, Ichirou remained calm, gaze still fixed on the white and orange coy fish drifting in the shallow pond below. But Ichirou’s breath caught in his throat. Electricity built on the flesh of his excited heart. This energy could’ve cast a dangerous spell in battle.

Ichirou turned to face her while his free hand fell in his pocket. His fingers grasped the cold ring hidden inside. “I call it a scar, but it’s a bit more than that.”

Releasing Aug 1st – A Dog, 3 Cats, and a Dragon

UPDATE: A Dog, 3 Cats, and a Dragon now on Amazon

“Why do we read? To taste new worlds. Worlds of magic and wonder, of fear and suspense, and of the secret chambers of the human heart. Whether it wanders the far reaches of the galaxy or hides in our neighbor’s basement, this creature called fiction ensnares our minds and teaches us truths real life never could.

Drogg

by Esther Davis

artwork by Mohammad Hossein Attaran

“Hide!”

Klon’s voice rasped as he shouted to his wife. But she didn’t duck beneath the stone table or make for the cellar. Instead, Jini stepped next to him at the window, cradling their child in her arm. “They broke through the defenses, didn’t they?” she asked, emotionless.

High above, violet lightning flashed across the billowing fumes of poisonous clouds.

“Let’s go.”

B-4

by Esther Davis

B-4

The vending machine whined. Dr. Jordynn Chambers snatched the deposited vial from the rusting slot and held it up to eye level. Silky white strands floated in the ethanol. DNA.

Stickers had once labeled the machine, but they faded away long ago. The genetic code could be from any plant. Or animal or bacterium for that matter. Honestly, Jordynn was shocked that the machine even ran. It was old enough to take physical quarters, and Jordynn was old enough to still carry them. She wondered if any of the other professors knew this rusted hunk still existed. Doubtful. The storage room held centuries of discarded—excuse her, archived—student projects. They’d probably hidden her thesis design  down here too, where gathered dust for the past sixty-three years…

The Day the Ocean Died

by Esther Davis

It must be another sign, just as Nana said. First the stars died, blackened and unseen. Then the birds died, their corpses filling the sea shores. The nations died too, somewhere in the mess. Great continents of empty homes covered the world, the elders said. If others besides our fellow islanders survived, we would never know.

Now the ocean had died…

Where the Dead Walk

by Esther Davis

Chunks of scoria cascaded from the rising form. The ground trembled. Mina’s szajo reared, and she flung her arms around one of its curled horns to keep from falling.

“Calm, boy. Calm!” Mina’s lips trembled as she whispered in the ram’s ear.

The szajo didn’t calm. It bayed, a guttural sound that reverberated through Mina’s frame…

Summoners

by Esther Davis

“Go ahead. Flood the whole city over your petty grudge. You’re the Lady Monte, after all.” How Heather itched to spit that into Her Royal Plumpness’s face. Or maybe just glare. Glaring worked.

Heather handed the unconscious child to her nephew then splashed down the roadside to the next victim. She weaved through the scattered furniture and scanned the flooded street for any people they might have missed. Her knee-high boots should’ve kept the water out, but the moisture still managed to find crevices to seep though, sloshing between Heather’s toes and making them even prunier.

An Aqua Hound stood on the flood’s surface, sniffing at the hair plastered to a servant’s face. Heather squinted at the hound. All the other water Elementals had Melted. Was Lady Monte still around, or did her spell just need a few more minutes to wear off?

Heather fished a pebble from the flooded street and chucked it at the hound. The stone passed through its midsection. A few drops fell from the aqueous body, but most of the liquid kept its shape. The hound glanced up and barked—a bark that sounded more like a crashing waterfall.

Unwelcome Shrink

by Esther Davis

Warren leaned back in the grimy chair, one arm crooked behind his head, the other dangling at his side. He tapped the floor to spin the seat. Bright blue signs with prices for Time Machine repairs hanging behind the counter, the pile of tools and spare parts shoved in corner, the pristine windows that stared at the brick wall next door, all revolved around him.

The door beeped. Warren stopped spinning. Without leaving his seat, he scooted up to the counter and raised the chair back to its normal height before the customer could see.

Dr. Saman entered, scratching his chin through his beard. Warren nodded in greeting. If Dr. Saman smiled Warren couldn’t see it beneath the white bush growing out of his face. Warren found his own beard much nicer. More luscious.

“It broke again?” Warren asked…