Dindi knows her life is forfeit if she cannot solve the faery riddle of the Unfinished Song. But to do that, she must first unravel the mystery of why the Aelfae hexed her whole lineage long ago.

Meanwhile, Kemla and Tamio connive together against her. Desperate to prevent Dindi from dancing in the upcoming competition, and Kemla convinces Tamio to seduce Dindi. If at first they don't succeed, they aren't above hexcraft to get their way...

And then there is the Man in Black. Devastatingly handsome, darkly powerful...and determined to kill her. If at first he doesn't succeed, he isn't above starting a war to get his way.

As war looms on the horizon, Kavio continues to teach Dindi forbidden magics. Dindi’s cohort of fellow Initiates secretly select her to be the target of a vicious prank; an enemy of Kavio has targets her for an even viler crime. Meanwhile, Brena seeks allies hidden among the enemy, which puts her on a collision course with her former captive and husband, Rthan, who is sent to stop her by any means necessary. As powerful magic spins out of control, the fae themselves are in peril, and what started as a tribal war could become the cataclysm that wipes humans from Faearth. For, in Faearth, there is a price to be paid for breaking taboos, and it can only be atoned for with a terrible sacrifice.

This book has some violent content; it is appropriate for older teens and adults.

Tara Maya’s previously published short stories, most of them no longer available in print, are gathered together here for the first time. A number of the tales are short shorts or flash fiction, including the poignant, "Ghosts on Red Strings, " and the biting alternate history, "Best of All Possible Worlds. " Longer stories and two novelettes round out the collection. The emotional timbre ranges across a wide gamut. "Tomorrow We Dance" is a bleak retelling of the fairy-tales Pied Piper and the Emperor's New Clothes. In the more heroic and romantic Painted World stories (two are here), artists are able to bring their paintings to life. For fans of hard sf, there is "A Thousand Blossoms With The Day," which starts from the premise there might have been life in the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang. An Author's Note, and author Comments on the story behind each story, enliven the volume with the author’s own strange journey from homeless street person to published author.

Two stories set in a world where portraits can enslave and paintings can come to life:

"Portrait of a Pretender" - The king has been murdered, the heir is missing, and Othmordian's path to the throne seems clear. Only three women stand in his way: His powerful sister, who suspects him; the Queen, who hides a secret that could destroy him; and the woman who once loved him.

"Drawn to the Brink" - Sajiana's job is to hunt down monsters brought alive from paintings. She never expected to meet one so handsome... or to need his help.

A DEVESTATING SETBACK

Enemy tribesmen attacked the Initiates during the ritual Test to find magic users. Dindi’s dreams are in shambles. In despair, she decides to step into the forbidden faery ring, and dance herself to death with the fae. Then she discovers another choice that saves her life…but breaks the ultimate taboo.

A DESPERATE OUTREACH

After being unfairly exiled from his own people, Kavio may have found a new home, but only if he can protect it from another attack by the enemy. He gathers a small group to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory in search of the ultimate prize…peace.

But by the harsh laws of their land, one cannot both break taboos and keep the peace. They will have to choose, what, or whom, to betray.

DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL...

Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.

AN EXILED WARRIOR...

Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.