Tiassa (Vlad Taltos Series #13)

Once, Vlad Taltos knew his trade: he killed people for a living. That skill got him his foothold in House Jhereg, running the rackets for a chunk of urban Adrilankha. Later, things happened that left Vlad a changed man, on the run from the Jhereg and frequently involved in the affairs of Dragonlords, Empresses, and even Jenoine. Far more involved than the average human.

Meanwhile, in the very distant past, one of the gods fashioned an artifact—a silver figurine of a tiassa, a winged panther-...