Sanjen Laurelius, a lute-wielding bard, is a rising star. He's also wanted by the emperor. When he calls upon his special brand of song-magic to fight off a rampaging harpy, he finds himself the object of unwanted a attention: a powerful officer in the emperor's service hires Sanjen to find the cure for a curse that has transformed a favored concubine into a bloodthirsty monster. But Sanjen's past is catching up with him. Can...