Michelle Diener

Some secrets carry the weight of the world.Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.Winner of a SFR Galaxy Award 2016 and the Prism Award 2016 for Best Futuristic.

From nineteenth-century London’s elegant ballrooms to its darkest slums, a spirited young woman and a nobleman investigating for the Crown unmask a plot by Napoleon to bleed England of its gold. Chance led to Charlotte Raven’s transformation from chimney sweep to wealthy, educated noblewoman, but she still walks a delicate tightrope between two worlds, unable to turn her back on the ruthless crime lord who was once her childhood protector. When Lord Edward Durnham is tapped to solve the mystery of England’s rapidly disappearing gold, his search leads him to the stews of London, and Charlotte becomes his intriguing guide to the city’s dark, forbidding underworld. But as her involvement brings Charlotte to the attention of men who have no qualms about who they hurt, and as Edward forges a grudging alliance with the dangerous ghosts of Charlotte’s former life, she faces a choice: to continue living in limbo, or to close the door on the past and risk her heart and her happiness on an unpredictable future.

The mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . . Imogen Peters knows she's a pawn. She's been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker. Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he'd be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she's not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war. Imogen's out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she's good at mind games. She's been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…

Rescue might just be the death of her. Far from home . . . Fiona Russell has been snatched from Earth, imprisoned and used as slave labor, but nothing about her abduction makes sense. When she's rescued by the Grih, she realizes there's a much bigger game in play than she could ever have imagined, and she's right in the middle of it. Far from safe . . . Battleship captain Hal Vakeri is chasing down pirates when he stumbles across a woman abducted from Earth. She's the second one the Grih have found in two months, and her presence is potentially explosive in the Grih's ongoing negotiations with their enemies, the Tecran. The Tecran and the Grih are on the cusp of war, and Fiona might just tip the balance. Far from done . . . Fiona has had to bide her time while she's been a prisoner, pretending to be less than she is, but when the chance comes for her to forge her own destiny in the new world she's found herself in, she grabs it with both hands. After all, actions speak louder than words. Class 5 Series, Book 2.

The Duke of Wittaker has been living a lie... He’s been spying on the dissolute, discontented noblemen of the ton, pretending to share their views. Now he’s ready to step out of the shadows and start living a real life...but when the prime minister of England is assassinated, he's asked to go back to being the rake-hell duke everyone believes he still is to find out more. Miss Phoebe Hillier has been living a lie, too... All her life she's played by society's rules, hiding her fierce intelligence and love of life behind a docile and decorous mask. All it's gotten her is jilted by her betrothed, a man she thought a fool, though a harmless one. But when she discovers her former fiancé was involved in the plot against the prime minister, and that he's been murdered, she realizes he wasn't so harmless after all. And now the killers have set their sights on her... The only man who can help her is the Duke of Wittaker--a man she knows she shouldn't trust. And she soon realizes he's hiding behind a mask as careful as her own. As the clock ticks down to the assassin's trial, the pair scramble to uncover the real conspiracy behind the prime minister's death. And as the pressure and the danger mounts, Phoebe and Wittaker shed their disguises, layer by layer, to discover something more precious than either imagined–something that could last forever. Unless the conspirators desperate to hide their tracks get to them first.

A Secret Treaty and a Secret Life LONDON, 1812: Giselle Barrington is living a double life, juggling the duties of chef with those of spy catcher. She must identify her father’s savage killer before the shadowy man finds her and uncovers the explosive political document her father entrusted to her safekeeping. Posing as a French cook in the home of Lord Aldridge, Giselle is surrounded by unlikely allies and vicious enemies. In the streets where she once walked freely among polite society, she now hides in plain sight, learning the hard lessons of class distinction and negotiating the delicate balance between servant and master. Lord Aldridge’s insatiable curiosity about his mysterious new chef blurs the line between civic duty and outright desire. Carefully watching Giselle’s every move, he undertakes a mission to figure out who she really is—and, in the process, plunges her straight into the heart of danger when her only hope for survival is to remain invisible.

A thirst for revenge . . . Ava is committed to vengeance against the man responsible for the death of her parents. The same man, the Queen's Herald, kept her prisoner for two years, until she escaped with Luc, a warlord bent on vengeance just as fierce as her own. He's forged a powerful army of people from all through the region, called the Rising Wave, to march on the Kassian royal family and smash its corrupt power under the weight of their anger. But for Luc, just as for Ava, his true motive is a lot more personal. A hidden magic . . . Luc suspects Ava has magical abilities, suspects he's benefited greatly from them, but he's no stranger to the burdens of power, and he's prepared to let her tell him in her own time-after all, she's his heart's choice and he will give her all the time she needs. Except time is running out for both of them. As they near the Kassian stronghold, forces from within their own camp and without will use every trick they have to stop both Luc and Ava and tear them apart. A secret laid bare . . . Luc knows Ava has a secret she's keeping from him-but what he doesn't realize is she has many. And when those secrets are exposed, everyone will have to grapple with the consequences. Ava is prepared to sacrifice her happiness and even her life to save the Rising Wave and Luc-but she would prefer to use her heart and her head to outwit her enemies instead.

An artist never betrays her patron . . . especially one of the world's most powerful kings. Susanna Horenbout has learned this lesson from the cradle. But when she receives a letter from her father telling her to do just that, she faces a dilemma. Betray Henry VIII, or carry out the request of her father’s employer, Margaret of Austria, and pass secret information to Henry’s queen, Katherine of Aragon. Caught between the machinations of her husband and her nephew, the Emperor Charles, Queen Katherine needs all the allies she can get. But what can Susanna really do to help her, and even if she does, will it be enough? Susanna and her betrothed, Parker——one of Henry's most trusted courtiers——balance on the knife’s edge of treason as they try to make sense of both international and domestic conspiracies. Sometimes, it's better the enemy you know . . .

Kayla's world has been turned upside-down . . . Her father has made her the prize in a deadly, impossible tournament, and Kayla has retaliated in the only way she knows how; by choosing her champion beforehand. But taking control of the outcome changes the game completely, and when the real reason behind the strange test becomes apparent, Kayla realizes not just her life, but her entire kingdom is at stake. Rane's honor is torn in two... In order to save his brother, Rane will do whatever he has to--including deceive and betray a princess. He knew nothing about this tournament would be easy, but when it turns into a deeper, far more sinister game, Rane is forced to see it through to the end, or leave his brother at the mercy of their enemy. Now their fates are entwined, and they must venture into the deep, dark forest together . . . Kayla and Rane are bound to one another by an enchantment and Kayla's actions. But the sorcerer forcing them to do his will may have miscalculated, because no-one comes out of the Great Forest unchanged. No-one. The Golden Apple is loosely based on the fairy tale The Princess on the Glass Hill.

Bjorn needs to find a very special woman . . . The fate of his people, and his own life, depends on it. But when he does find her, she is nothing like he imagined, and may just harbor more secrets than he does himself. Astrid has never taken well to commands. No matter who issues them . . . She's clashed her whole life with her father, and now her lover, the mysterious man who comes to her bedroom in darkness and disappears to guard his mountain by day as a bear, is finding it out the hard way. And when he's taken by his enemies, no one is prepared for Astrid's response. It is never wise to anger the mistress of the wind . . . A captivating and magical adult retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

The second elegant and gorgeously written historical novel from new author Michelle Diener, featuring King Henry VIII’s  deadliest courtier and  a royally commissioned artist caught in a web of Tudor court intrigue. A priceless jewel. A royal court rife with intrigue. A secret deal, where the price of truth could come too high . . . The personal artist to King Henry Tudor, Susanna Horenbout is sought by the queen and ladies of the court for her delicate, skilled portraits. But now someone from her past is pulling her into a duplicitous game where the consequence of failure is war. Soon, Susanna and her betrothed, the King’s most dangerous courtier, are unraveling a plot that would shatter Europe. And at the heart of it is a magnificent missing diamond. . . . With John Parker at her side, Susanna searches for the diamond and those responsible for its theft, their every step dogged by a lethal assassin. Finding the truth means plunging into the heart of the court’s most bitter infighting, surviving the harrowing labyrinth of Fleet Prison—and then coming face-to-face with the most dangerous enemy of all.

An unconventional woman. A deadly enemy. A clash of intrigue, deception, and desire. . . . 1525: Artist Susanna Horenbout is sent from Belgium to be Henry VIII’s personal illuminator inside the royal palace. But her new homeland greets her with an attempt on her life, and the King’s most lethal courtier, John Parker, is charged with keeping her safe. As further attacks are made, Susanna and Parker realize that she unknowingly carries the key to a bloody plot against the throne. For while Richard de la Pole amasses troops in France for a Yorkist invasion, a traitor prepares to trample the kingdom from within.Who is the mastermind? Why are men vying to kill the woman Parker protects with his life? With a motley gang of urchins, Susanna’s wits, and Parker’s fierce instincts, honed on the streets and in palace chambers, the two slash through deadly layers of deceit in a race against time. For in the court of Henry VIII, secrets are the last to die. . . .Brilliantly revealing a little-known historical figure who lived among the Tudors, Michelle Diener makes a smashing historical fiction debut.

Waking up alone . . . Ellie Masters comes out of a coma to find herself the only inhabitant of an eerily empty moon station. She’s not on Earth any more, she’s not even in the right solar system. So when someone reaches out to her, tells her he’s her friend, she’s happy to believe it. The alternative is to be stuck alone with an enemy. The hunt of his career . . . Grih Battle Center captain, Renn Sorvihn, has been chasing a rogue Tecran ship for over a month, convinced its captain is simply trying to delay his inevitable surrender and punishment. But when Renn follows the Tecran ship into an unchartered sector, and realises the Tecran have been working their way to a secret moon base for weeks, he suddenly understands things are most definitely not as they seem. Caught in the crossfire . . . When the Tecran arrive, with the Grih hot on their heels, Ellie finds herself the catalyst for heightened danger to everyone. The Tecran see her as evidence of their military’s crimes, the Grih see her as a massive diplomatic complication, and her presence brings the whole confrontation up several thousand notches. But Ellie isn’t alone, and her new friend has ways to help her. Time to outclass them all . . .

He's on a mission . . . She's running for her life . . . And if they get off-planet alive, she'll have to trust he won't reveal her darkest secret. Tally Riva is not what she seems, and even she's not happy about it. Infected, invaded, she's not quite sure how to describe it, but on a disastrous mission to a ghost ship, something burrowed its way into her body. Into her mind.When her commander decides the best cure for what he thinks is Tally's trauma is to send her on the famous Veltos Trail, Tally goes without revealing what's really behind her mental anguish. Anything to be seen as normal again, anything to ignore what she's afraid is happening to her.But Veltos isn't the safe place it seems. The chosen military personnel lucky enough to be offered the chance to walk the Trail are supposed to be the only people on Veltos. But Ben Guthrie, a captain in Arkhoran Special Forces, knows they're not. He and his team have been on Veltos for a month already, tracking suspicious enemy activity, and he's gone undercover on the Trail in search of a satellite his superiors are sure has been shot down.When Ben's worst fears become reality, and they find themselves hunted by a cunning enemy through the thick forests of Veltos, Tally and Ben fight together to survive. And Tally has to decide if accepting the changes inside her will save them both, or be her doom.TRAILBLAZER is the third book in the Verdant String series but can be read as a standalone novel.

It's been months since Rose McKenzie was taken far from Earth. She's trying to make a place for herself amongst the Grih, with help from her Grihan lover, Captain Dav Jallan, and the dangerous and loyal Sazo, a powerful artificial intelligence who's integrated with an infamous Class 5 battleship. When Rose gets the chance to join an exploration team going down to collect information from a planet in Grihan airspace, she jumps at the opportunity to stretch her legs and breath some real air. But someone is already on the planet—the Krik—and they don't want anyone to know what they're up to. The Krik are the chaos agents of the United Council, often riding the edge of the law or over it. They ambush the exploration team and take them prisoner, but they don't realize they didn't get everyone. They didn't get Rose. With Dav, and his spaceship the Barrist, lured away by a distress signal, Rose and Sazo, along with a furry friend Rose has made, are the exploration team's only hope at rescue. And Rose never leaves a friend behind. NOTE: This novella was previously published in the PETS IN SPACE 5 anthology. It is book 4.5 in the Class 5 series.

Kelli Barrack has spent the last three years imprisoned in Dr. Greenway's facility plotting her escape, but when her chance comes one Halloween evening, it's in a way she never expected.Nate Halliway is being removed from the facility, but he refuses to go without his special forces team-mate, Giles. When his resistance lands him in Kelli's cell, they both get a chance for freedom, a chance they take with both hands.But as Giles, Nate and Kelli fight their way out, Kelli discovers that the most insidious danger to her freedom might lie within her, rather than in the small army out to stop them.Please Breaking Part I is a short story of 11,000 words and was originally included in the ENTANGLED Anthology, for which all proceeds went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and then late in 2014, in the ENTRANCED Box set. Neither anthology is available for sale any longer.

Kelli, Nate and Giles know what it is to be imprisoned. They spent years locked away in a secret research lab. But now they're free, and they stole something important just before they escaped – a list of others like themselves, sent to other facilities for further experimentation. Their plan? To break out every single one. Nina Calvados has been in a new facility for four months. She's kept a low profile, been careful to be cooperative and helpful. And so far, she's been mostly left alone. So when two other inmates appeal to her for help, her heart may want to oblige but her head is screaming walk away. Only, something bad is going down, and Nina realizes she's been fooling herself. No one's bought her low profile act. And if she's going to crash, she might as well crash hard. After all, it's not as if anyone's coming for her, is it? Please Breaking Part II is a novella of 21,000 words and is the sequel to the short story, Breaking Part I.

A princess intent on escape . . . Ava has everything ready for her last chance at escape from her years’ long imprisonment. She knows if she doesn't succeed this time, she will die. When an injured warlord is thrown into her cell with her, upsetting her plans, she faces a dilemma . . . leave him to die or try to take him with her. A warlord intent on rebellion . . . Luc may lead a rebel army, but now he's at the mercy of his enemies, and they have no mercy to give. All except the woman imprisoned with him. She not only has mercy, she has a plan to escape. He just has to convince her to let him come along . . . A partnership forged in adversity . . . Unable to leave him behind, Ava includes Luc in her plans, but escaping the castle where her cousin has imprisoned her is only the first step. Hunted by their enemies, she and Luc will have to trust each other, no matter how many secrets they're keeping. NOTE: The Rising Wave was first published in Warlords, Witches & Wovles: A Fantasy Realms Anthology. It is the prequel novella to the Rising Wave series and precedes The Turncoat King.

The planet Aponi sits at the outer edge of the Verdant String. For Wren Thorakis, working as an Aponian Special Forces artifacts consultant, it means interesting assignments and unusual discoveries. Being captured and held for ransom by a strange cult while working on the moon Ytla was not something she expected, though. However, while escaping her captors, she stumbles across what could be the discovery of her career—one that no artifact consultant could possibly ignore—a genuine ancestral mothership. The mothership isn’t just amazing in itself, though. Wren finds herself the recipient of crazy-powerful nanotech. It helps keep her alive and one step ahead of those trying to hide the ship’s existence. When Wren starts working out who’s behind keeping her discovery secret, and why, she is plunged into a bigger plot than she ever imagined. A shadowy organization has its eye on Aponi, and isn’t shy to use the Verdant String’s fiercest enemies, the Caruso, to help them take it from the Coalition. When an Aponi Special Forces soldier, Ed Zeneri, who’s existence is also inconvenient to Wren’s enemies, is lured into a trap with Wren and they both come under fire, Wren’s nanotech does whatever it has to to keep her safe—including enthralling Ed to protect her at all costs. Ed knows his reaction to Wren isn’t normal, or even sane, but as the compulsion to put himself in front of anything coming at her recedes, he finds he’s more than inclined to do it of his own volition. He joins forces with Wren to try to stop the takeover of their home planet, and as they race the clock to find the answers they need, he also has to convince Wren that what he feels for her is real. As real as the enemy battleships hovering in Aponi’s nearspace. As real as the deadline to bring them down. As real as it gets.

Sofie lives in the shadow of Felicitos--the tethered way station built to funnel Garmen's mineral wealth up to the top of the atmosphere, where it's loaded onto space ships. Because Garmen is a breakaway planet, not part of the Verdant String Coalition, the companies that control it are free to run things as they see fit, and Sofie is part of the resistance that wants to end their rule. Her main goal, though, is to get away from Garmen altogether, and leave the drudgery and violence behind her. That goal is complicated by her involvement with Leo Gaudier, a shadowy crime lord whose ability to cheat the companies that own Garmen is something she admires. And when she stumbles on a terrible new direction the companies are taking, a secret alliance that will endanger everyone she cares about, she sees her chances of escape slipping away. Leo is all too aware he doesn't know enough about Sofie, something his own security detail is not slow to point out, but he can't keep away. When Sofie reveals her links to the resistance, and shows him those in control of Garmen have begun swimming in dangerous waters, he realizes his plan to overthrown them in a careful operation of a thousand cuts is no longer workable. The time has come for a single, lethal strike--and that will not be without consequences . . .

A step into the unknown . . . Rose is looking forward to meeting the Fisone as part of the United Council’s outreach mission. Since the Tecran were defeated, and the full scope of their crimes were uncovered, the UC has wanted to find the Tecran’s victims and extend the hand of friendship. The fact that Rose is close to having her baby is just another element to the adventure of finding the Fisone’s planet and seeing if they could be potential allies. An explorer’s dream . . . Dav Jallan has been captain of the Barrist for a few years, but this is the first time he’s headed for a planet inhabited by advanced sentients. The Fisone exist—that is indisputable—and every part of this mission is why he became an explorer in the first place. The goal is to find them, form alliances, and make friends. The fact that he’s about to become a new father simply adds to his sense of excitement. A collision course with reality . . . When Sazo’s Class 5 and the Barrist enter the Fisone’s airspace, what they find is far from the uncomplicated meeting they had envisioned. The Fisone are divided, carrying a grudge, and are sure the Grih are no different from the Tecran they encountered the year before. When they take Rose as a hostage, both Dav and Sazo focus everything they have on finding her, and as the Fisone’s actions create more and more danger, ideas of alliances, friendship, and cooperation become less and less important. The only comfort both Dav and Sazo have to draw from is that Rose has been taken by others before, underestimated before, and her abductors have lived to regret it. They are counting on history repeating itself.

Join Rose, Sazo and Dav for one last adventure.

Join Ellie and the rest of the Earth women, their partners, and the Class 5s on Larga Ways for a reunion that will make more than a few members of the UC uncomfortable. Dark Class: Bonus Epilgoue is a 14K word novella. This free bonus epilogue to DARK CLASS, book 5 in the Class 5 series.

Garek returns to his village, Pan Nuk, eager to check in with his mentor and then leave to find excitement and adventure anywhere but the suffocating confines of home. He knows he's one of the strongest guards in West Lathor, and than no one can call the change as well as him, but his mentor has a special job for him, an investigation that piques Garek's interest. What piques Garek's interest even more, though, is his mentor's sister. Taya captivates him, causes him to reconsider whether leaving Pan Nuk really is the best decision for him. As their relationship blossoms, he finds the mystery Kas has given him to solve starts to endanger the woman he is falling in love with, and he will have to open his heart, and use every bit of his awesome strength, to keep her safe. For fans of the Sky Raiders series, this one is for you . . . SKY RAIDERS opens with Garek returning home to Taya, only to find her gone, and the whole village of Pan Nuk deserted. Garek is prepared to do anything to find his intended, and so begins the Sky Raiders trilogy, but how did Garek and Taya firest meet and fall in love? This novella (12,500 words) is for fans of the series, set before the sky raiders arrive and before Garek goes off to Garamundo. For those new to the Sky Raider series, an equally warm welcome—this is the prequel to the series, so you haven’t missed anything :).For fans of the Sky Raiders series, this one is for you . . . Intended is available exclusively to subscribers to Michelle Diener's new release notification newsletter, which can be joined through her website.

DARK MATTERS . . . taking matters into her own hands A time bomb, waiting to go off . . . Lucy Harris is on the run, not sure where she can turn to for help, or if help is even available. But even as her abductors chase her down, she realizes they don't just want to recapture her, they want to erase her. When your very existence puts a planet at the risk of war, there's no choice but to do everything in your power to stay out of your enemies hands. A predator . . . waiting for the chance to pounce The powerful AI battleship, Bane, is accompanying the United Council envoy to Tecra to mete out the punishment the Tecrans have earned for breaking UC law. He revels in the power he's about to have over his old masters. But his mission isn't only to rain down retribution on the people who kept him chained for years, he's also looking for a human woman his fellow Class 5 thinking system mentioned in the final seconds of his life. Paxe admitted to taking Lucy Harris from Earth, and Bane has been looking for her ever since. A warrior conflicted . . . Commander Dray Helvan thinks the Grih made a mistake in not pushing for war with the Tecran, but he's had to accept the compromise, that he and the other envoys from the United Council will go to Tecra and dismantle its military from the top down. His mission is not one of his choosing, but when he and his team arrive, he's handed a very different job. While he distrusts Bane on principle, when the thinking system tells him there's a woman running for her life on the planet below, he will do whatever he has to to see her safe. And if that means war for Tecra, well, then it means war. This is book 4 in the award-winning Class 5 series.

A conqueror's victory is never assured . . . The Rising Wave may have taken control of Kassia, but hot on the heels of their victory, Luc receives word from one of his spies that the Jatan, emboldened by the Kassian army's withdrawal, have crossed the border. More worryingly, they haven't just moved into northern Kassia, but also east to Luc's home region of Cervantes, and with all the Cervantes warriors with Luc in Kassia's capital, Fernwell, cementing their hold on power, his home is vulnerable and defenceless. Luc has no choice but to leave securing Fernwell to Ava, gather forces, and head north, to try to push the Jatan back to their side of the mountains. A queen's safety is never a given . . . Finally, after months of trying, a minion of the Speaker of Grimwalt's court manages to snatch Ava from under the noses of her friends and allies, off the streets of Fernwell and onto the back roads to Grimwalt. Ava has to struggle against an insidious assault on her vitality and magic, fighting a power that isn't just strong, but malevolent. And nothing is set in stone . . . As Ava tries to escape her captors and Luc races to defend his homeland, they draw closer and closer to each other, until finally their paths cross, as they always seem to do. As they once again face their enemies together, they will have to use all their strength to salvage the victory they've worked so hard to accomplish.

A Fantasy Realms Anthology Warlord, Witch, or Wolf: what’s your poison? Whatever your fantasy, dive into 11 original stories from bestselling and new Australian authors for a limited time only. Featuring rousing action, sizzling or sweet romance, and journeys to far-off lands, the heroes and heroines of Warlords, Witches and Wolves will keep you on the edge of your seat and conjure your darkest desires. What are you waiting for? Unleash the beasts, summon the magic, and conquer new worlds today! Eleven novellas include: The Rising Wave by Michelle Diener Of Kisses & Wishes by Lana Pecherczyk The Heart and Soul of Ragnar the Red by Daniel de Lorne The Daughter's Duty by Claire Leggett Wolf Blood by Shona Husk Courting the Witch by MJ Scott Witch Bound by Leisl Leighton The Soldier's Familiar by TJ Nichols Salvation by Cassie Laelyn The Shadowed Moon by SE Welsh Curse: Rose Red Retold by Demelza Carlton

When the people of Barit first saw the sky craft, they felt awe. Then awe turned to fear and they found a name for the mysterious newcomers. Sky raiders. Garek's one year of duty as a guard walking the walls of Garamundo was extended to two when the sky raiders appeared. Two long years away from home and his lover, Taya. When he finally returns, the town is empty. While Garek was protecting Garamundo, the sky raiders were taking their victims from his hometown. Taya can't bear looking into the night sky. All she can see is Barit, her home planet. Impossibly, the sky raiders have brought her and their other victims to Shadow, the planet that shadows her own, and looking up makes her aware of everything she's lost. Garek is out there somewhere. She knows he'll look, but he'll never find her. She and the other captives have to find a way to escape. Without the food and clothes the sky raiders bring them from their raids on Barit, they'll starve on the almost barren wastes of Shadow. And when they've given the sky raiders enough of what they want, that's exactly what the sky raiders will leave them to do. She does have an idea of how she can break free--the sky raiders have brought them to Shadow to mine for ore. A very special ore which Taya has worked out is as dangerous to the sky raiders as it is valuable. What she doesn't realize is she'll have some help with her plan. Because Garek isn't giving up. And he's even more resourceful than she could ever have imagined. Nothing is going to keep him from Taya. Not even space itself.