The Gate that Locks the Tree — Sharon Lee; Steve Miller

A cat may look at a tree

This is especially true when the winds of change blow through the universe, leaving eddies of luck, uncertainty, and necessity in the strangest places â€" and surely Surebleak qualifies as a strange place, as Korval's Tree qualifies as a strange attractor.

In the rough and tumble aftermath of Clan Korval's arrival, Surebleak attracts rude mercenaries, pilots galore, Scouts, grifters, and, from time to time, those who have lived under the promise of Korval's Tree, elsewhere. Chaotic change is in progress, daily.

Bring together legitimate cabbies and fare-jumpers, a sudden Surebleak blizzard, a pregnant cat, and odd young woman with a mission; add the heat of promises made light years away, and you find the winds of change rocking the very roots of the Korval's house, blown against the very gate that locks the tree. It may be that not even the Tree knows what happens next.

This is a brand-new novella set in the bestselling Liaden Universe® created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller!