Nothing can break the bond between a familiar and a wizard.Except death.Nothing can break the spirit of a bonded familiar.Except the murder of her wizard.Someone—or some thing—murdered an elderly wizard who practiced black-market magic, leaving a young familiar caught between her human and animal forms. Twig, a street-wise elf, becomes embroiled in an elaborate game of murder and revenge when she joins forces with the familiar to track down the wizard's killer."One of the best writers I've come across in years. Annie excels at whatever genre of fiction she chooses to write." —Kristine Kathryn Rusch, award-winning editor and writer of The Retrieval Artist series"You can't go wrong with Annie Reed. Her deftly-crafted tales—with characters as memorable as the stories themselves—far surpass most of what's out there. She deserves a wide audience." –Michael J. Totten, author of Resurrection