Healed of her scars and given back her voice, the former mute known as Imrhien now carries an important message to the King-Emperor of Caermelor. Disguised as a noble to gain admission to court society, Imrhien finds that the emperor has embarked on a war against a hostile army of unseelie creatures (malevolent fairies) bent on the destruction of humankind. Her eventual meeting with the emperor proves both surprising and bittersweet, for as she finds her heart's desire, Imrhien also discovers that she is the target of the unseelie hordes.
Here McCaffrey introduces another generation in her saga of a family of powerful psionic Talents ( The Rowan and Damia ) raised to serve the Nine Star League. The eight children of Damia and Afra Raven-Lyon approach the threshold of maturity on Iota Aurogae, where they have been raised with young Mrdinis, the only other intelligent life that humankind has encountered--save for the pernicious Hive Culture, which has sought to destroy all other species in its drive to expand through the universe.
Last year's best short-form SF—selected by acclaimed, award-winning editors and anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer—offers stunning new extrapolations on what awaits humankind beyond the next dawn. The art of the story is explored boldly and provocatively in this powerful new collection of Year's Best speculative fiction.
