(Excerpt only.) Things are not going well. Zhiv's true identity has been revealed and the Dogs are waiting for them to slip up. And when an unexpected enemy arrives and kills the royal family, Zhiv and Krysilla find themselves running for their lives and into the only safe haven Zhiv has left...without Daegan, or Krysilla's sister and niece. Zhiv wants to go back after they've rested, and destroy the murderer who drove them out. And Krysilla agrees he should. The murderer who wants them dead must be stopped. But Zhiv no longer has the same power in society he once did. And he's willing to step outside the law to get the job done, even if it means the death of more innocents. Even if it means destroying the patchwork family Krysilla has sworn to protect. Meanwhile, the Dogs have begun the hunt. As they get closer, Krysilla must sort through her heart and decide what kind of man the great Zhiv Mikailsin really is. Full of intrigue, adventure, and a dash of romance, The Baker's Wife (a serial novel in three parts) is the first in the Trial of the Ornic series.