Audie Award Finalist, Science Fiction, 2014
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 a far 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.