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NB: This is the sequel to The Empyrean. If you haven't read it and would like to before reading this, I can hook you up with a copy. ----------- An uneasy truce holds between Hegemony and Protectorate, but it won't take much for the galaxy to slip back into war. In these uncertain times, Ferrash and Palia find themselves separated. After her lack of control leaves her memory in tatters and Ferrash's status unknown, Palia resolves to find him and fix what she has broken. Ferrash has his own plans. Back in the shadows from which he prefers to operate, he treads a dangerous path through the heart of the Protectorate. But with his attempts to suppress his emotions verging on destructive, can he stay hidden from the Keepers and in control long enough to see the job through? Their twin paths trail across the galaxy, from battle on a desert world to the silent peril of space combat, from the isolationist forests and castles of Rythe to the frozen ocean depths of Hesperex. What Ferrash has planned could reshape the face of the galaxy. Will Palia find him in time? If she does, will she stop him, or help him along his path of destruction? -------------------- Sorry if the quotes look weird – I write in 4thewords, which can't handle smart quotes, then paste into Word, which can. So there's currently a mix, but I can run it through a converter later to fix it.