Adventurous in her youth, Cassandra built gateways between Domhan and its parallel realm of Earth. Now she's too old for that kind of thing. But something is making it easier for demons to pass into Domhan. Not only that, but their behavior becomes inexplicable: whenever Cassandra banishes one, it laughs at her rather than resists, and it promises it will soon devour her essence and that of every resident of her small village. Cassandra is certain such a thing is impossible, for strong wards protect her village. But then Cassandra's granddaughter Aine falls through an unstable gateway....

Parallel worlds. Angst-ridden assassins. And rodeo bull riding? This collection of short stories by Jamie Marchant covers the fantasy genre from deadly serious to ridiculous. When a blood curse threatens his daughter, a former assassin must break his vow never to kill again. The stakes are even higher when his victim turns out to be the king. A werewolf begs a college secretary who doesn't know she's a shaman to save her toddler from being trapped in her were form. She is reduced to singing nursery rhymes to rescue the child from her own stubbornness--despite the fact that she sounds like a...