To my kid brother, mark Savage, who encouraged, browbeat, and cheered me all the way to the finish of this book. Thanks for all the years of solving Ultima games and reading fantasy novels. You're the best.

Bundled safe in her underground burrow, with eight fuzzy babies snuggled against her warm body, the ishkabiddle woke to a curious rumbling.

But for that one brief instant the voice he thought he'd heard belonged to Master Therapass.