Sword Craft

Thousands of years before the Age of Elminster, dragons rule the skies of Faern, and elves dominate the huge forests that cover the land. Only in the mighty, magical empire of Netheril are men a force to be reckoned with. Bored and haughty in his midair castle, the Netherese mage Candlemas bets fellow wizard Sysquemalyn that a certain barbarian who has caught his eye can survive the most savage tests his friend - and deadly rival - can devise. The only rule: The tests must offer the subject some slight chance to survive.

Magenta: The day my mom took up with Black Reign was the worst day of my life. She became ol' lady for their president. I became another whore for the club to push around. I fought them at every turn because death was preferable to living this life. Beaten, downtrodden, I was about to be given to yet another man. The scariest man I'd ever seen. He was intent on having me on his own turf, and I wasn't sure I would survive.

These ladies aren't waiting. Twenty best-selling and award-winning authors offer enchanting tales of women and girls forging paths through darkness and peril. Cleverness, curiosity, and determination make worthy heroines in fantastical new worlds. Featuring stories by: Elmdea Adams, Sarah Bartsch, Robyn Bennis, Lou J. Berger & Ian Berger, Jeffrey Cook & Katherine Perkins, Katie Cross, Lee French, Fulvio Gatti, Connie J. Jasperson, Frog and Esther Jones, Edward J. Knight, Robert J. McCarter, Jody Lynn Nye, Raven Oak, Dawn Vogel, Matt Youngmark, and Jeremy Zimmerman.