Mask and Dagger Series by Jennifer Roberson, Laura Resnick, Teresa Edgerton, Michael A. Stackpole, Rosemary Edghill, Susan Shwartz, Kate Daniel, Jo Clayton, Doranna Durgin, Deborah J. Ross, Jane Emerson, Ashley McConnell, Laura Anne Gilman, Lawrence Schimel, A.C. Crispin, Janny Wurts, Melanie Rawn, Christie Golden, Anne Yvonne Gilbert, Dennis L. McKiernan, Bruce D. Arthurs, Alfred Noyes, Lois Tilton, Esther M. Friesner, Josepha Sherman, Kathy Chwedyk

Coffins float down the river, alchemists turn mandrakes into men, the gentlemen scoundrels known as the Knights of Mezztopholeez practice bloody rituals as vicious as they are depraved . . . and one man fights a secret battle against villains and blackest sorcery, with wit, ingenuity, and a lethal lack of compunction.

Enter a sweeping world of charm, wit, and deceit with this new anthology of dashing and intriguing anti-heroes who have long been a staple of fantasy and romance fiction. Inspired by Alfred Noyes's famous poem, and spanning subjects from the strictly human to the supernatural, this book will take readers on an adventure they'll never forget... moreEnter a sweeping world of charm, wit, and deceit with this new anthology of dashing and intriguing anti-heroes who have long been a staple of fantasy and romance fiction. Inspired by Alfred Noyes's famous poem, and spanning subjects from the strictly human to the supernatural, this book will take readers on an adventure they'll never forget.v • The Highwayman • (1946) • poem by Alfred Noyes11 • Wreckers, Rooks, and Books: An Introduction • essay by Jennifer Roberson17 • Give a Man a Horse He Can Ride • novelette by Esther M. Friesner [as by Esther Friesner]41 • Kid Binary and the Two-Bit Gang • short story by Michael A. Stackpole61 • The Moonlight Flit • short story by Rosemary Edghill79 • The Bandido of Pozoseco • short story by Kate Daniel97 • We Met Upon the Road • short story by Doris Egan [as by Jane Emerson]117 • Where Angels Fear to Tread • short story by Laura Anne Gilman137 • Diana's Foresters • short story by Susan Shwartz155 • Fool's Gold • novelette by Doranna Durgin177 • Highwayscape with Gods • poem by Lawrence Schimel183 • The Bishop's Coffer • short story by Janny Wurts199 • The Abbot of Croxton • short story by Melanie Rawn215 • The Dowry • short story by Kathy Chwedyk227 • The Rest of the Story • short story by Bruce D. Arthurs247 • Watch for Me by Moonlight • short story by Lois Tilton259 • The Forest's Justice • short story by Josepha Sherman273 • Highway to Heaven • short story by Laura Resnick287 • Rogue's Moon • short story by Teresa Edgerton307 • Ghost Rot • novelette by Jo Clayton331 • For King and Country • short story by Deborah J. Ross [as by Deborah Wheeler]347 • A Slight Detour on the Road to Happyland • short story by Ashley McConnell365 • Though Hell Should Bar the Way • novelette by A. C. Crispin and Christie Golden387 • By the Time I Get to Phoenix • short story by Jennifer Roberson395 • The Lesser of ... • novelette by Dennis L. McKiernan less