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The When Swords Fall Silent anthology showcases the imaginations and talents of more than a dozen of the best modern science-fiction and fantasy authors, with each tale centered around one or more characters burdened with a bloody task they will see to completion no matter the cost. Every story takes you for a vicious ride through a world of shadow and death, each as unique in perspective and execution as the contracts carried out within.

Cursed from birth. Forced into slavery. It's time to fight back. The blood of the Ancients is the most coveted ingredient in all of Damaris. The fabled elixir made from it grants those who drink it life that extends far beyond natural means. There is no higher honor in the kingdom then being granted the privilege of bidding for it. And the people found with the cursed blood? By law, they are the rightful property of the kingdom. They are tributes.

The blood of the Ancients is the most coveted ingredient in all of Damaris. The fabled elixir made from it grants those who drink it life that extends far beyond natural means. There is no higher honor in the kingdom then being granted the privilege of bidding for it. And the people found with the cursed blood? By law, they are the rightful property of the kingdom. They are tributes.

The Guild of Navigators has ruled the Aion Sea for centuries, using their fleet of mystical ships to collect trade for the Aurelian Empire. Now, the Emperor is dead. For Calder Marten, Captain of The Testament, the Emperor’s death is not an end, but an opportunity. He and his crew seek the legendary Heart of Nakothi, an artifact that could raise a second Emperor...and earn Calder a fortune. But they’re not the only ones who want the Heart. The Consultant’s Guild, an ancient order of spies and assassins, will stop at nothing to keep the world in chaos.

Digby secured a fragile peace agreement between the empire and Las Vegas. While it’s been only two weeks since then, the city has thrived. A lot can change when no one is trying to smite you off the face of the earth. Unfortunately, more success just means more to lose, and with Henwick hell-bent on finishing what he started, Digby needs power. Enough to protect himself, his friends, and the all-too-fragile peace.

Ethan Blake has dedicated his life to satisfying other people’s appetites. At forty-three, he’s finally landed his dream job—head pastry chef at an exclusive resort. Now he’s got a jet-setting career that’s taken him to romantic locations all over the world. But years before, after his parents threw him out for being gay, Ethan supported himself in a manner he’d rather keep under the covers today.

Charlotte "Charlie" Saxon returns to Whispering Willow Horse Ranch in Jackson, Wyoming, to take over the ranch from her later father. She's met with a neighbor hell-bent on taking the ranch from her, convinced that "a woman like you is too soft to handle these boys" and can't run the ranch. Little does the neighbor know that Charlie is not one to back down from a fight. Besides, she has the best ranch foreman a woman in her position ever needed, Jake McAuley, a man fifteen years her senior who also happens to be her former lover.

A killer walks among the rich and powerful. Who can the Magebreakers trust? Someone is killing the non-magical members of Senate houses - those who might one day be named Protector of the Realm. And that same someone is leaving behind messages for the Magebreakers beside symbols of the shadowy organization known as the Knights of the Emperor. Under suspicion from the constabulary, Tane and Kadka are drawn into the investigation to prove their innocence. What they find is that Audish politics are as dangerous as any Porthaven back alley.

Death cultivator Grady Hake thought his problems would disappear when he and his friends became members of the strongest gang on the prison planet, but all it did was thrust them into the kill-or-be-killed world of the Eight-Legged Dragons. As Hake undergoes the trials of his gang, he'll discover there's a deadlier force on the prison planet than the death cultivator, even deadlier than the Angel of Death, and it wants his soul. Learning to cloak his lethal Spirit attacks in oblivion might help Hake rise through the ranks, but it won't keep him and his friends alive.

Ji Yu Raijin is happy to live out his life serving his school, cultivating his life force, and learning the Path of Darkening Skies, an ancient and noble warrior art—until the day comes when he has to choose: Remain true to the teachings of his path and allow his art to die out or commit an unforgivable sin and save the world.

Artorian shrugged off moonfall and war like it was a gentle rain and must now face new trials. Specifically: life in the world created by the Dungeon Core, Cal. Unfortunately, Cal has only put together the most bare-bones of systems. He's no stranger to solving near impossible problems; how difficult could it be to smooth out the slew of angry Mages with bitter rivalries, uncountable hidden secrets, a complete inability to cultivate, and a Dungeon creating messes at full speed? One way or another, it is up to Artorian to pick up the pieces.

Wang Fan will bring forth the storm of souls, or die trying. Once a simple detective, Wang's world changed forever when he learned of Sinotech's evil plan to sacrifice humanity for the sake of a few elites. But now that the Naturalism Sect has the Sun's Blood, they have a chance to end their foe’s tyranny. It all depends on a simple mission in the First Heaven, the foundation and heart of the Grand Kingdom. But plans rarely go as intended.

Stranded at Stately House, Suuzu Farroost is restless and fretful and lonesome for Akira. Waiting is a misery, and all he has to hold onto is the memory of a fleeting kiss, a circlet of nippet eggs, and one very stubborn, very outspoken valet. To keep him from wallowing, Suuzu's friends find ways to distract him, and as one story leads to another, the phoenix learns about the special place nippets hold in avian lore, especially where courtship is concerned.

Two months ago, Clay Jaeger, his wife Alex, and his chainsaw-toting brother Joe came to the Infested Zone on a mission: kill a Dungeon Lord. What they found along the way was a land of opportunity. Gold-dropping monsters, magical weapons, and best of all, freedom—all there for the taking. If they can live long enough to grab it. Surviving in the wasteland has been a constant fight, but thriving in it, that’s going to take something more. Not just power, but the brains to use it in ways nobody’s seen before.

Farmer Brown is going on vacation. He asks his brother, Bob, to take care of the animals. "But keep an eye on Duck. He's trouble." Bob follows the instructions in Farmer Brown's notes exactly. He orders pizza with anchovies for the hens, bathes the pigs with bubble bath, and lets the cows choose a movie. Is that giggling he hears? Giggle, giggle, quack, giggle, moo.

After an exhausting trek through seven hells, all Lazarus wants is to kick back and relax through the holidays. Unfortunately, the supernatural has other plans. Three murder-suicides in as many weeks has New Orleans on edge. The killers? All family men, loving fathers, and wizards. Two is a coincidence, but three is a pattern Lazarus can't ignore, especially since he fits the profile. Something is driving these men insane and making them murder their beloved families. Something that strikes only at night and leaves only nightmares behind.

An end of the world. The start of a new one. A thousand places to be. Artorian has survived his encounter at the Ziggurat, but at a sharp cost. However, the powers in the world are moving and there is no time to rest. Even if Artorian doesn’t realize his part in it, the next stage of the great plan is set in motion. In a place of mountains and dales, the old scholar must seek new information in order to puzzle out the last pieces and gather victory with his own two hands.

The novel captures this gripping drama in rich and vivid detail as political pressures mount and the threat of war looms. A Spy in Vienna recreates for listeners the fraught atmosphere of 1930s, when the threat of Nazi violence hung over Europe. Aficionados of that epoch will relish the authenticity of the novel, which reawakens the tensions and turbulence of the era, with its undercurrent of violence and fear. The narrative recaptures the urgency of the crisis as repeated confrontations escalated to an explosive conclusion.

The war between Dicathen and Alacrya is over and Arthur Leywin has vanished. In the uncertain aftermath of this decisive loss, a few familiar faces navigate peril–both political and moral–as they are now forced to make a difficult choice: accept life under Vritra rule or keep fighting despite impossible odds? As Dicathen falls, Mica Earthborn, Lilia Helstea, Emily Watsken, and Jasmine Flamesworth must each answer this question for themselves.

A ruthless wizard lord conquers a neighboring wizardom, increasing his magic far beyond mere mortals. The more power he gains, the more he craves. While wizardoms war against one another, the Dark Lord rises. An army of monsters invades, sending the world toward the brink of doom. A team of misfits find themselves the fulcrum point of destiny, their world teetering upon their actions, certain to crumble should they fail.