New characters and new mysteries change Sanctuary forever. The immortalized cavalry commander, Tempus, leaves Sanctuary in the hands of Straton, the witch-cursed Stepson; his partner Critias; Sync of the Rankan 3rd Commando, and Kama, Tempus' daughter. Each feels that being left behind is punishment, and may be correct. Sanctuary goes from bad to worse with the arrival of the ominous Shepherd and a disturbing god. Meanwhile two local girls, Shawme and Merricat, find arcane articles on the Downwind beach that few understand but which the Stepsons' mage believes will shape the fate of the Sacred Band. This classic Sacred Band of Stepsons story, from the 2012 Perseid Publishing anthology "the Fish the Fighters and the Song-girl, is newly revised and expanded by the author and first appeared in somewhat different form in Thieves' World(R), the million-copy bestselling fantasy series.