Skyblaze (Adventures in the Liaden Universe, Volume 17)

Liad. The ultimate destination for the cosmopolitan traveler and the source of Liaden culture and strength. Solcintra. A place where Korval's tree was a distant sentinel and the Liaden Code a constant guide to right living, a place where the wrong bow might be your last, and where a simple Balance might destroy one life, or a Clan entire. Solcintra, where the High Houses reign through the Council of Clans and chafe against the wildcards dealt by Korval and their minions, the Scouts. Solcintra Port -- High and Low -- the source of income, power, and annoyance to the Council and the High Houses, the place where intrigue and trade and desperate social climbing come together, as they have for centuries. Here the fate of people and Clans and worlds is routinely determined, here day in day out, relumma in relumma out, Standard in, Standard out, the fates contest, the while maintaining Liad and Solcintra as the center. One seemingly ordinary day comes a warning: turn away, close your eyes, duck your head, hide if you can -- there's a Balance at hand, and Korval has gone mad. This is the day things change. This is the day some will call Skyblaze