Plunged into a war of succession, Terryll Payce, captain of the Black Wind, and Lyrie, a whore from a high-end brothel, are forced into the service of the powerful Earl. Ensnared in a tangle of bargains and betrayal, Terryll and Lyrie fight for survival, finding allies in the unlikeliest of places. A self-contained novella from the mosaic novel The Roads to Baldairn Motte.