In this newest novella from the queer, mystical Birdverse, an apprentice assassin and an inquisitive linguist share their tales in order to make a fateful decision. Lush and lyrical, this cross-cultural tale of the beauty of language is a gift to anyone who appreciates the transformative power of storytelling.

In the School of Assassins, Stone Orphan waits for a first assignment. After their first kill, they will graduate and attain the coveted cloth of bone. But instead of a commission, Stone Orphan gets an inquisitive linguist, Ulin. Ulin has heard the Orphan Star's song of despair, mirroring her own, and drawing her to the School of Assassins. But Ulin is far more interested in learning Stone Orphan's language than deciding whom she wishes to kill.

Unable to contain their curiosity, Stone Orphan offers to exchange stories with Ulin to help her decide the fate of three men. By turns, Stone Orphan and Ulin narrate tales of love, suffering, exile, and self-determination, and two hurt souls find hope in each other through the radical act of listening.

'Over the years, R. B. Lemberg has built a world of serpents, deserts, stars, and bones, where transformation is omnipresent and restlessness rewarded.' C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Bone Swans, Stories