Divine Right

As the summer heats up and the tangle-lillies clog the canals, boat traffic slows to a crawl, while rumors of sabotage escalate. But the tangle-lillies are more than a mere nuisance for they have the potential to break the hightowners’ long-standing fuel monopoly. As the plants proliferate throughout Merovingen, their spread generates anger among the dissatified canalers and fear in hightown circles.

But far more than tangle-lillies threatens the peace of Merovingen. For the Janists have found a long sought means for spreading forbidden technological knowledge to the canalers even as the Nev Hettek agents led by Magruder see their plot to infiltrate and gain control of some of the great Houses place in sudden and unexpected jeopardy. And, with the city’s future already in peril, will the discovery of an intelligent, nonhuman native race shift the precarious power balance and spark a long-feared revolt?

Includes:
“Seeds of Destruction” novelette by C.J. Cherryh
“Run Silent, Run Cheap” novella by Leslie Fish
“Farren’s Folly: Meeting of Minds” short story by Roberta Rogow
“Foggy Night” short story by Bradley H. Sinor
“Second Opinion” novelette by Janet Morris
“Red Skies” novelette by Lynn Abbey
“Turning Point” novelette by Mercedes Lackey
“Draw Me a Picture” novelette by Nancy Asire
“Postpartum Blues” novelette by Chris Morris
Appendix: “From the Files of Anastasi Kalugin, Advocate Militiar” short fiction by C.J. Cherryh
Appendix: “Index to City Maps” essay by uncredited
Appendix: “Merovingian City Maps” interior artwork by Pat Tobin
Appendix: “Merovan Sea Floor and Hemispheric Maps” interior artwork by Pat Tobin