Ariadne loves calligraphy, the pen and ink meeting paper and the strange rituals that go with it. It gives her a focus and a reason to move forward, day by day. The rituals move her along, and it is her skill with the pen that gets her into the Volunteer Program. Training as a scribe brings her to the empire of Hredu as the means to slow the flow of requests to the emperor. She has no idea that she was summoned there for more than her penmanship. Usorn has led his people for years, but he needs an heir and a woman who is genetically neutral is his only option. If she can double as a scribe, it is a win-win situation.