It's coming up on Cajeiri's birthday. The boy has been promised he can
have the young human children he knew from his voyage sent down from the space station for a two week stay.
But there's far a darker
business going on in the background - a major split compromising the
Assassins' Guild, which furnishes security and law enforcement to the
whole continent. Tabini's consort's own father has been barred from
court, and may be involved in a new conspiracy against him.
For safety reasons, Tabini wants Bren and Ilisidi to take charge of
Cajeiri, and protect him and his young guests. They themselves are very
likely targets of whatever's going on, no question of it. So is Cajeiri. But having the targets separated and contained is an advantage.
It's Bren's responsibility to entertain the guests, keep the security
problem secret... and let a lonely eight-year-old prince reestablish his
controversial relationship with the only other children he's ever
met... inside the best security they can manage.
C. J. Cherryh (born 1942) is the pen name of Carolyn Janice Cherry, a multiple-award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer. She currently resides in Spokane County, Washington. Cherryh is pronounced ”Cherry”. The author appended a silent ”h” to her real name because her first editor felt that ”Cherry” sounded too much like a romance writer. The asteroid 77185 Cherryh has been named in her honour.
