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Other titles by Tanya Huff

The finest in Fantasy and Science Fiction

by TANYA HUFF from DAW Books:

THE SILVERED

* * *

THE ENCHANTMENT EMPORIUM

THE WILD WAYS

THE FUTURE FALLS

* * *

The Confederation Novels:

A CONFEDERATION OF VALOR

Valor’s Choice/The Better Part of Valor

THE HEART OF VALOR (#3)

VALOR’S TRIAL (#4)

THE TRUTH OF VALOR (#5)

* * *

SMOKE AND SHADOWS (#1)

SMOKE AND MIRRORS (#2)

SMOKE AND ASHES (#3)

* * *

BLOOD PRICE (#1)

BLOOD TRAIL (#2)

BLOOD LINES (#3)

BLOOD PACT (#4)

BLOOD DEBT (#5)

BLOOD BANK (#6)

* * *:

THE COMPLETE KEEPER CHRONICLES

Summon the Keeper/The Second Summoning/Long Hot Summoning

* * *

THE QUARTERS NOVELS, Volume 1:

Sing the Four Quarters/Fifth Quarter

THE QUARTERS NOVELS, Volume 2:

No Quarter/The Quartered Sea

* * *

WIZARD OF THE GROVE

Child of the Grove/The Last Wizard

* * *

OF DARKNESS, LIGHT, AND FIRE

Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light/The Fire’s Stone

Title page

Copyright

Copyright © 2014 by Tanya Huff.

Jacket art by Steve Stone.

Jacket design by G-Force Design.

DAW Book Collectors No. 1669.

DAW Books are distributed by Penguin Group (USA).

Book designed by Elizabeth Glover.

ISBN 978-0-698-17388-0

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Nearly all the designs and trade names in this book are registered trademarks. All that are still in commercial use are protected by United States and international trademark law.

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Dedication

For Gary and Sheryl,

who trusted me a TRULY TERRIFYING AMOUNT to get it right.
Thank you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

With thanks to Vicki Farmer, who brought JPL to life, to Alex Potter, who did the same for Vermont, and to John Chew, who helped with two plus two. Any deviation from reality is on me.

CHAPTER ONE

She lay stretched out under a beach umbrella, long silver braid coiled on top of her head, the fingers of one hand wrapped around a piña colada—made with real island rum and fresh coconut milk—the fingers of the other drumming against the broad teak arm of the lounge chair. She’d been watching a beach volleyball game and she hadn’t appreciated having her view of half-naked, athletic young men bounding about on the sand interrupted by the Sight of a falling rock.