This 18th anthology of short stories set in the beloved Valdemar high fantasy universe features tales by debut and established authors and a brand-new novella from Mercedes Lackey. Now, twenty-two authors ride with Mercedes Lackey to the beloved land of Valdemar, where feuds are brewing. Familiar faces await: in her brand-new novella Mercedes Lackey brings fan-favorite Vanyel back to the page, along with his aunt, the indomitable Herald Savil. So come explore Valdemar in these fantastical tales where: Vanyel is enlisted in a clandestine mission, but when his investigation into two squabbling noble families reveals a pair of lifebonded lovers, he and Savil find themselves scrambling to prevent an all-out war--and the King himself is watching. A duel between two small town bards abruptly crosses a line, and their battle of wits explodes beyond verbal showmanship. A student of the Bardic college is increasingly frustrated by a peer's insistence that she's seeing ghosts, but as her visions escalate she begins to wonder and to worry.