Splintered Ties

In a world shattered by ancient catastrophe, trust may be the most fragile thing of all.

After a devastating attack on the Port of the Air, Tavian, Cassandra, Corlianthe, and Zylric find themselves caught between political suspicion, buried history, and a threat they barely understand. Their pursuit of the elusive spy Kaonashi draws them deeper into the mysteries left behind by Gozu's lost civilization-and toward Namaruun, the ancient capital hidden within the dangerous Faerie Incursion.

But the greatest dangers do not all come from without.

Corlianthe's connection to the Faerie grows increasingly unstable. Cassandra struggles to find confidence in powers she does not fully understand. Tavian's instinct to act collides with Zylric's caution, while Thalassin's fear of the Faerie begins to challenge the trust holding the group together. As old prejudices and new loyalties collide, each of them must decide how much faith to place in one another-and whether a person should be judged by what they are, what they have done, or what they still might choose to become.

Their search eventually leads to the Abyssal Library, a vast and perilous repository where forgotten knowledge lies buried alongside things best left undisturbed. There, the companions must confront fragments of Gozu's past while racing to understand an enemy whose plans may reach far beyond any single city or nation.

The second volume of *Planet of Shards*, *Splintered Ties* is an epic fantasy of friendship, prejudice, identity, and moral choice set on a broken world where ancient magic is awakening-and the bonds between people may prove either stronger than the forces dividing them or the first things to fracture.