Cast in Fury

## **Blurb**

When a minority race of telepaths is suspected of causing a near-devastating tidal wave, Private Kaylin Neya is summoned to Court—and into a PR nightmare. To ease racial tensions, the emperor has commissioned a play, and the playwright has his own ideas about who should be the focus…

But Kaylin works her best magic behind the scenes, and though she tries to stay neutral, she is again drawn into a world of politics…and murder. To make matters worse, Marcus, her trusted sergeant, gets stripped of his command, leaving Kaylin vulnerable. Now she's juggling two troubling cases, and even magic's looking good by comparison. But then nobody ever said life in the theater was easy…

## **Plot**

The Elantrans have never liked the Tha'alani, and seeing them stand at the harbor as a tidal wave builds has pushed them into full race riots. Kaylin is detailed to the palace to help the tempermental court playwright Richard Rennick write something about the Tha'alani that will stop the violence; she keeps herself out of it, but does drag him into the Quarter to see why this is more than made-to-order propaganda and his depictions of them as humans in love are stupid and counterproductive. They debate the power of words, fiction and story, and what art is like in a culture without secrets or lies. While there, four Tha'alani men beaten to the point of death are brought in, and Kaylin heals them though the expenditure of magic causes her to pass out.

When she returns to duty, Sgt Marcus has been arrested for murdering his best friend in front of witnesses, and replaced with insufferable martinet Sgt Mallory from Missing Persons. She rushes to Marcus' Pridlea, where his four wives explain Leontine culture, jurisprudence, and importantly, that youngest wife Sarabe's red fur makes her "witch-marked", and it took a special dispensation for her and twin Marai to not be killed at birth; any son they bear will be.

This is a problem, since at the start of Book 3, Kaylin had indeed assisted Marai to birth a son, symbolically licked him clean, and he has her name as his middle one. She meets Marai in secret, but her mate Orogrim attacks them with magefire, shifts with Marai into big cat form, and tries to kill them. After some casting around for leads, Sanabalis explains Leontines were brought into existence when the Old Ones told a story of sentience to animals, and people who can use Old Speech can tell them different stories. Sanabalis helps resurrect Marcus' victim to prove he was ensorcelled by Orogrim; Leontine Castlord Adar--the only son of generations of only sons back to the beginning--lets him go. The Arkon determines that Orogrim himself is being controlled by the Outcaste dragon Makuron the Black, who is attempting to became Lord of the fallen fief Ravellon , and thus invincible within that area.

Tiamaris, Senabalis, Kaylin, Severn, and Nightshade go to the border between Nightshade and the Ravellon for a showdown; using the Old Speech, Kaylin is able to give the werecats enough of a choice to die rather than serve Shadow, and while dragon-form Tiamaris and Makuron battle, she shields the rest from fire, tells Makuron his True Name, and forces him to retreat yet again.

Once her ribs have healed enough, she uses her favor with The Emperor to petition for Marai's orphaned child, and gives him to Foundling leader Marrin. Ybelline, who has helped free Marcus and coach Rennick, convinces Marrin's orphans to come to the first performance of the play, performed on the square in the Tha'alani quarter; all the tough guys "protecting" the humans from the Tha'alani slink away as they see the children entering unafraid, and the play turns the tide of public opinion.

## List of Characters

1. Kaylin
2. Clint
3. Caitlin
4. Marcus
5. Teela
6. Sanabalis
7. Severn
8. Quartermaster
9. Richard Rennick
10. Voone
11. Demett
12. Ybelline Rabon'alani
13. Kravel
14. Ellis
15. Scoros
16. Breen
17. Marai (Leontine)
18. Kevan
19. Mallory
20. Perenne
21. Grammayre
22. Kayala
23. Tessa
24. Reesa
25. Sarabe
26. Graylin
27. Adar
28. Orogrim
29. Roshan
30. Amos
31. Marrin
32. Dock
33. Cassie
34. Tiamaris
35. Nightshade
36. Andellen
37. Moran
38. Lannagaros
39. Evanton