Please enjoy this excerpt from my novella, Sense Shattered, Riven Origins Book 3, Prequel to the Far Stone Cycle.

“When will Lady Naamit return?” Lord Khoo Geng-Yang demanded, thick black eyebrows furrowed in disapproval, like he were talking to an errant daughter.

Arviser Yaw Yue-Wan schooled her features into equanimity, even if she did not feel it. “Is there a pressing matter, Lord Khoo?”

“The provinces are in an uproar, and she leaves us without guidance,” the Duke of Xindong said w...