Always Darkest

There is a place held far from the world, secreted away within a prodigious and twisted wilderness, cupped by a perilous mountain range, and accessible by only the most remote turn-offs, far from any significant landmarks; a place known to the locals as that old, misty country. Every night, an inexplicable mist seeps from between the trees bringing for untold terrors, horrid and strange and deadly all. It is best to shun the place, best to leave it undisturbed, for otherwise... Well, it's best to Hope It's Fiction. While that remote collection of towns known locally as that old, misty country has always held a threat of danger lurking within the dimmest corners of its encroaching forest - monsters and phenomena beyond measure or understanding - the people who live there have always managed to survive (to varying degrees). Keep a light on and shun what bumps might be heard in the night. Outside of a few mysterious tragedies, most can live in relative peace; some might not even believe the rumors of their more experienced neighbors. Call it all superstition. Dare to laugh. Less so now. Regardless of how optimistic or sheltered one might be, it is hard to ignore that things are growing worse. More and more strange occurrences are breaking through, to the point that even the landscape itself seems to be bristling against some looming catastrophe. Most turn to Mr. Brightmore, the renown philanthropist and unofficial heart of the area. He has downplayed things - acknowledged an unusual number of disquieting events but promises that everything will get better soon. Reciting that old proverb: "It's always darkest before the dawn." He has a plan, though whether it proves a boon or a bane to those terrified constituents remains to be seen. How does his young daughter, Theodora Brightmore, fit into his scheme? And others are making a move too. The ruthless holdover, George Walter Michaels, seeks to reclaim a power once lost, using the poor Mimiko Talzman as a vessel to enact his bloody schemes. The enigmatic "Young Master" is dragging the unsuspecting Tully closer to the conflict. Alliances are forming. Machinations rumble to life. Blasphemous spells are being chanted aloud after untold ages. Featuring 20 new stories set within and around that old, misty country, ALWAYS DARKEST prepares the reader for a collision of terrible forces and apocalyptic powers. Mr. Brightmore assures us that everything will turn out alright in the end. But even if that promised dawn never comes, you only need to Hope It's Fiction.