They Eat Their Own

A new year has begun, and the annual Sower’s Festival gala is brimming with Dockhaven’s elite and their entourages. Some attend for the spectacle, some for the exotic indulgences, some to augment or gamble away fortunes. Others come to play opening moves in more subtle competitions, ones that will not realize their endgames for months to come.

After a winter of convalescence, Aliara Rift wonders whether she is ready to return to the Thung Toh and if her remade body will betray her. Her mate,...