**“Good spacefaring fun” as the Unicorn Girl returns in her fourth adventure from the *New York Times* –bestselling authors of *Acorna’s People* ( *Publishers Weekly* ).** Acorna, the “unicorn girl” has made peace with her Linyaari past, and aboard the interplanetary salvage vessel Condor she is finally free. But dread overtakes her when a distress signal summons Acorna and her companions to a nearby planet. For among the myriad wonders of this world of sentient plants and intoxicating perfumes are unmistakable signs that everything Acorna holds dear is in peril. A promise of world-shattering devastation is in the celestial winds—and impending catastrophe at the claws of the cold-blooded insectile race that seeks to eradicate all Linyaari and human life from the galaxy . . . the Khleevi! **Praise for the Acorna series** “McCaffrey and Ball have created a magical alien in this fantasy/science fiction story.” — *Library Journal* “Combining colorful characterizations, lots of fast-paced action, and a decided sense of menace . . . this is entertaining fare, indeed, for sf fans.” — *Booklist*