A new standalone novella set after the traumatic events of STRANGER OF TEMPEST. Lynx and the rest of the mercenary group he has reluctantly tied himself to find themselves with a little time to kill. Luckily, the city they've ended up in is holding a festival. And nothing spells fun more than a group of bored mercs and a lot of booze. But Lynx has his own plans. A quiet evening with Toil, a woman he hasn't quite worked out yet. Nothing difficult or serious. No fights. No trouble. So it's a shame there's a dead body on her floor. And Toil is missing. And the police are on the way up the stairs... Bridging the gap between novels, but entirely stand-alone, this novella throws Lynx and his companions into a plot which threatens them all.

Lynx and the rest of the Cards are heading south. There's money in their pockets, beer in their hands and a simple job ahead - sun, sea and not getting shot at much. Throw in the prospect of a bar fight and it's almost a holiday. But the volatile Mage Islands are a powder-keg, one just waiting for a spark. A bloody-handed exile perhaps, or the agent of a foreign power preparing for war. Maybe even a bunch of trigger-happy drunks who've upset the balance of magic across the Riven Kingdom. Or all three together, that'd definitely work...