Handful of Souls

Mud, gold and lies. That''s all you get in Branera. You''ll find no better expert on these things than Lily Kale-Tollworth. Yet she has no clue of the events already in motion around her.

Weeks ago, a murderer with a bleeding grin was released from the Mountain Head. Lily doesn''t know this pale-skinned giant has been writing to her. She doesn''t even know he''s coming to find her. But as her father, Husker Tollworth feels like it''s his right.

Days ago, a tax patrol was slaughtered. Lily doesn''t know her brother''s corpse was pulled from a ditch, stolen by a man who can raise the dead. Lark Kale-Tollworth will follow this bizarre scholar to the Southlands. He will forget how many times he''s died.

Hours ago, an informant showed Lily''s stepfather an incriminating note. Branera has taxed its villages too hard. An uprising is massing in the Northlands - and they have a noose with Josef Kale''s name on it.

At this very moment, Josef is frantically packing their coach, while Lily is drinking whisky in a brothel. She''s met the arrogant idiot who will be their guide south. She doesn''t know he has a hollow soul, filled with thousands of spirits. She doesn''t know his mouth is filled with as many lies.

But if there are three things Lily''s good at, it''s mud, gold and lies.