The Lilac Child

When Emperor Kow'ho met an untimely end, his children were bereft, without a mother or father to care for them. But they weren't alone. They had Zini'la, a friend in the guise of a spy who would do anything to protect them.

As an orphan rescued from the slavers by Mother Olo, the self appointed imperial spymaster, Zini has no family other than the one she has made for herself. From The Grand Temple on the northern hill to the Imperial Palace on the southern, Zini is known in every corner, not always by the same name. With the death of Emperor Kow'ho, his eldest son Ell'ha is forced to ascend the throne and take control of an empire under attack from within.

The Lilac Child, continues the story of The Last Herald, but takes place in Nesher, the capital of The Sondaran Empire. It introduces new characters while bringing back some old, before returning to The Thousand Lakes in book four, The White Owl.