Six years have passed since the failed uprising of the High Holders, and Charyn, the rex's heir, has come of age and wants to learn to be an effective rex after his father. His father disagrees, so Charyn sets out to educate himself. But when privateers attack the rex's ships and threats escalate against the rex and his family, Charyn will realize that no one is safe--for an assassin stalks them all.--

A collection of short stories set in the world of the Recluce saga features seventeen new tales and four popular reprints spanning the thousand-year history of Recluse, in an anthology complemented by a background essay.

"Sixteen years have passed since the mage Beltur helped to found the town of Fairhaven, and Taelya, Beltur's adopted niece, is now a white mage undercaptain in the Road Guards of Fairhaven. Fairhaven's success under the Council has become an impediment to the amibition of several rulers, and the mages protecting the town are seen as a threat. Taelya, a young and untried mage, finds herself at the heart of a conspiracy to destroy her home and the people...

Alastar finds himself in the middle of a power struggle after taking the helm of the declining Solidar's Collegium of Imagers. Four centuries after its founding, Solidar's Collegium of Imagers is in decline. The dying Maitre summons Alastar, an obscure but talented senior imager from Westisle far to the south who has little knowledge of politics in the capital, as his successor. When Alastar arrives in L'Excelsis he finds disarray and lack of discipline...