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A magical collection of 17 original stories by an amazing list of contributors—including a Dune story by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson!

Stranded on the coast of an uncharted land, Ryl will be tested as the world outside the Palisades proves darker than within. With little to no direction save the cryptic information from a mysterious stranger, Ryl must rely on his new-found skills and place his trust in his new companion. Together they forge onward into the barren wastes of the Outlands. As the sickness approaches, their time and hope fades. Surrounded by uncertainty, will they discover there is more to fear than just the unknown?

The might of nations rises and falls with the same inexorable certainty of the oceans. Powers, unseen and unknown, push and pull with relentless determination. The currents that shape the world are easily ignored, until the waters rise and the people drown. In the Kingdom of Wahrheit, the tide has turned, and the water is rising. A new ruler sits upon an ancient throne. Foreign nations, for centuries cowed by the strength of Wahrheit’s dragons and her armies, rise in defiance to throw off the old order.

Secrets destroy relationships, and Loki and I have too many. They aren’t the only barrier between us. The Bride Trials has turned on me, and the blood contract demands I murder my fated mate. As I race to find the hellfire crown to prove I’m meant to be the queen of the underworld, the king turns to the dark side, at the risk of losing himself and his wolf to keep me alive. To win this treacherous game, we’ll have to throw all our cards on the table and bare our souls. And, even that might not be enough if we’re pawns, instead of becoming the masters of our own fates.

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.

Beset by nightmarish creatures from the caverns below, Jason’s tribe is slowly being whittled away. He dreams of joining the glorious Shadowfront and battling the enemy known only as the Void. But, as a lowly Pastfinder, he is denied that path - until he chances upon the ruins of a long dead civilization and discovers a forgotten form of cultivation, one fueled by the ghosts of centuries-lost history and powerful, forbidden knowledge. If his fellow tribesmen learn of his new power's cursed origins, the Void will be the least of his concerns.

Alex can’t wait to dive into the latest cutting-edge VRMMORPG: Dungeon Core Online. It boasts an ever-changing, ever-growing dungeon with an AI so advanced, it feels practically human. Funny huh? Forming a two-man dungeon party with his best friend, Fel, Alex is keen to sample everything DCO has to offer. From delicious fried Dicken to a fiery whiskey brewed from demonic corn, the friends eat and drink their way through the chaos that is DCO. Gaming is supposed to be fun after all, and leveling is always a little better when you’re tipsy right?

The circus of death to prove the worth of mankind is reaching its bloody finale. Fighting the monsters threatening to overwhelm mankind brought out the best and the worst out of humanity. And true to its purpose as a measurement of worthiness, ultimate victory in the raids would require more than just strength. The final chapter awaits, the judgment of the fate of mankind is about to begin.

With regenerative abilities, a badass tail and the potential to evolve his body, how could Art resist choosing a lizard man as his avatar? All’s well until he accidentally joins forces with an acid-spitting, enemy-consuming shadow-bound grub, causing his light-bound guild members turn against him, and a deadly fire mage to wage a vendetta against him.

After his little sister vanishes before his eyes, Kellen awakens in another realm inhabited by mythical creatures and people who shape the very forces of nature. These are the Beastcallers, wielders of elemental magics who ascend alongside their beast companions.

Grant Leap is an orphaned, mortal farmhand in a world where cultivation methods and Weapons of Power are jealously guarded and only passed down among family. He’s not content with his lot; as a Januarian, someone living in District January, he should be living the good life just like everyone else. Food, parties, food, entertainment, and food are the minimum requirement. As an orphan, specifically a reviled Leap, there’s not even a chance of being treated as a human.

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.

Calder has been declared Imperial Steward, the official successor to the Emperor. He leads the Empire from the throne, just as he has always wanted. In their tombs, the Great Elders stir. The crack in the sky becomes more alarming by the day, so Calder and his loyal Imperialist Guilds seek a truce with their Independent opponents. Both sides know the Elders are the true enemy, but that does not make peace easy. Blood has been spilled already, trust is hard to come by, and the Guild Heads under Calder see him as little more than a figurehead.

Songs of the Amaranthine is a collection of short stories set in Forthright's Amaranthine universe. Before the Emergence, the clans were nothing more than whispers and mysteries and legends and lore. But every so often—in out-of-the-way places or shockingly close to home—an unsuspecting person stumbled into a fateful encounter with someone who was decidedly other.

Artorian wakes on a brand-new planet, refreshed and ready to make some mischief now that he’s back in Cal’s soul space! Eternium is old news; in fact, now that Barry is completely forked, the curtains on Eternia’s Alpha have closed. Being awake has its upsides, but there are a few...concerns. Cal, even unconscious, is pushing the boundaries of the double-S ranks. With oaths and promises in peril, should he breach that rank before letting people live their lives, Artorian will hustle and bustle to lay the groundwork for mass-decanting. Surely nothing will go wrong.

Wu Ying saved his master from the machinations of the dark sect, but was gravely injured during the process. His body has changed, his bloodline awakened and his cultivation compromised. Physicians and healers at the Verdant Green Water can do nothing for him. Forced to travel to a new sect for healing, Wu Ying might find opportunity in his distress. But the dark sect is not done with him, or their machinations. Caught up in the winds of war, Wu Ying and his friends must continue to balance their journey to immortality against the pull of mortal politics.

Following a challenging battle, the foursome is regrouping in a reality not unlike their own, where magic, instead of the system, saved the world. Sev, the team's human priest, is still trying to figure out how his history plays into everything that's been happening. The normally brave half-orc Misa is grappling with failure and fear. Lizardkin wizard Vex is haunted by his past as he works to pave a path to the future. And sentient suit of armor Derivan must navigate both the mysteries of days gone by and his new relationship with Vex.

A small-town kid from a trailer park in Canada, Deke already had all the odds stacked against him. Even with his slim chances, he got recruited as a scholarship athlete. He joined the University of San Pandero in California and took his first step on his road to the top. He was flying high until he landed wrong. The doctor's planned recovery time ruined his season. That changed Halloween night when Deke tried to save a teammate. His hobbled flight from the goons beating up Ronnie would change his life forever. The harrowing escape ends when Deke finds an unknown needle sticking out of his leg.

Alistern “Stern” Masterson never expected to have the sort of life he found himself living. He was an irregular - a person who looked like the undead and had unusual perks - and his life hadn’t been very pleasant, so he’d written off the idea of ever finding anyone who understood him. Then, an old lady had asked for help, and he’d given it....

Betrayed. Murdered. Reborn. One last chance, to make it right. Theo's adventure ended with his mentor's hands around his neck. The betrayal cost him his friends, allies and everything he had built... but not his life. Though broken and powerless, Theo has one last chance to enter the Nine Worlds, wielding the knowledge and expertise of his first life. This time, he needs more than just power, he needs to unravel the deception that killed him once... and is coming for him again.