According to Hahtooshan legend, they were the mythic birthplace of their people. Nobody, though, actually thought they existed, or that there was any way to reach them. Nobody, that is, until Khusaaq, unexpected 'hero of Cotopaxi' heard voices that told him to find those mountains. Now, though, the Night Mountains seem more distant than ever. Khusaaq has been condemned by his own people, and the fragile alliance he's created between the human-dominated Coalition and the Hahtooshan Orthodoxy is under attack. Opponents of the alliance strike first, attempting to destroy the medical team working for a cure to the disease that threatens all Hahtooshans, abducting the force Khusaaq left behind on Rasal Ghul and finally kidnapping Sirin, Khusaaq's mate. They've laid an obvious trap but Khusaaq has no choice but to walk into it. Author J. E. Bruce continues the exciting space adventure set in the Coalition/Orthodoxy Universe.