The twelfth book in Hugo Award winner C.J. Cherryh's epic Foreignerseries. The civil war among the alien atevihas ended. Tabini-aiji, powerful ruler of the Western Association, along with Cajeiri his son and heir, and his human paidhi, Bren Cameron, have returned to the Bujavid, their seat of power. But factions that remain loyal to the opposition are still present, and the danger these rebels pose is far from over.