The Inquisitor spoke, “Do you remember me?”
“It would be better for you if I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“You are interfering with Council business.”
“Which council?”
“The Senatorial Council. If you think this night is about anything else, you’ve been horribly misled.” I knew the inquisitor and some of his crew—some well and some not at all. I could only hope they weren’t aligned with the powers that be.
“That young woman is your second?”
“Yes, and I am hers,” I said.
“I was told you two are connected—the phantom and princess.”
“Those are merely names on an assassin’s list. They only tell half the story.”
“Your list of enemies is long.”
Anger elbowed its way into my gut. “Are there others among Malleus?”
“Yes.”
“And Hereticus?”
“Of course. Some are over quick to mind the presence of a rogue.”
My anger surged, not at Locke but at those who fought without consequence in a game without end. The pure emotion drew me back to the situation at hand and the fact that I was tottering on the edge of a black abyss.


Book #5 of the Hiveworlds series is different than the first four. The perspective varies by chapter from first-person to third to third party first. Paric is ever central but his solitary existence is at an end. Others have stepped in. Their stories are crucial and must be heard for the overall Psyker saga to make sense.

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Princess is launching December 8th, 2023 in ebook and paperback. An full cast, multi-voice audiobook is in the works.