Whose bright idea was it to annoy a city full of monsters?

The world may have moved on from Mischief's cataclysm, but conflicts continue to erupt. Most of the fighting is on the plains, as Constantine forcefully rebuilds his rigid society. In the Medials, Mischief's domain, while it hasn't all been sunshine and flowers, humans and creatures have learned to live side by side, if not quite together.

But when Bailey Sunderstrom, head shaman of the human town of Jasper, leads a salvage group to the old, broken city of Califfa, they're greeted with hostility by the local elves and ogres, something Bailey has never encountered before. Apparently, humans from the town of Merridale attacked Califfa, killing creatures, calling them scum.

The creatures are furious, have banned humans from entering Califfa, and threaten retribution. Bailey, flummoxed, travels to Merridale to ask what happened. He finds the locals preparing for war, claiming the monsters started it all.

What exactly caused this animosity? As both sides barrel towards a violent engagement, Bailey tries desperately to reason with them. Has war finally come to the Medials? Or can humans and creatures somehow return to living in peace, and bury their differences?

This book contains the fourth set of episodes from Mischief's Journey — The Chariot, and Strength. You can continue to Book 5, Solitude, or simply go to the complete volume, The Skin of the World: Mischief's Journey, if you want to get all the stories in one place.