Book excerpt: At last, here is the eagerly anticipated new novel by Rosemary Kirstein, critically acclaimed author of The Steerswoman and The Outskirter’s Secret. This though-provoking story calls to mind the writing of Ursula K. LeGuin and Sheri Tepper. How do you find a person you have never seen, or have never heard described? And what if the consequences of not finding him are too terrible to imagine? The steerswoman Rowan has learned that Slado, a mysterious wizard, has secretly been working spells of incredible power. Both the Inner Lands and the Outkskirts are now threatened by his magic—and before the destruction becomes too great to reverse, Rowan must find Slado so that he can be stopped. But how does one stop the most powerful man in the world? In the seaside town of Alemeth, the Annex holds centuries of steerswomen’s journals. They may contain clues to Slado’s location, but combing through them would take more time than Rowan has to spend. Then she encounters a lost friend: Janus, one of the few rare Steersmen. But Janus quit the order without explanation. Now the bright, beloved companion of Rowan’s student days has become a man dominated by dark moods and even darker secrets. When sleepy Alemeth transforms into a place of chaos, terror, and sudden death, Rowan wonders if all the secrets are connected. The shocking answer will change the steerswoman—and her world—forever. . . .