Where does a broken-hearted Trickster go when her own people have kicked her to the midden pile?

Poor Mischief. She thought she was building the perfect haven, a place where everyone, both humans and monsters, could live peacefully; a world based on respect, creativity, and a dislike of anything to do with Constantine and his rigid views on how society should work.

But the purity of that concept came tumbling down in the battles between the human town of Merridale and the creatures from the old city of Califfa. That's sorted, for now, but the realization of how easy it was for her people to be manipulated into pulling out their knives is crushing.

So Mischief wanders, not thinking, not seeing. Time for a little introspection.

Time to find a place to hide away, now and tomorrow. Even though Mischief's master, Mother, has zero patience for her minions shirking their duties.

Time to... wait ...who's that, knocking on the door? Or rather, landing with a solid thump on her brand new roof?

This book is the fifth in the series, containing a single episode from Mischief's Journey — The Hermit. You can continue to Book 6, Eruption, 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.