In the School of Assassins, Stone Orphan waits for a first assignment. After their first kill, they will graduate, and attain the coveted cloth of bone. But instead of a commission, Stone Orphan gets an inquisitive linguist, Ulin. Ulin has heard the Orphan Star's song of despair, mirroring her own, and drawing her to the School of Assassins. But Ulin is far more interested in learning Stone Orphan's language than deciding whom she wishes to kill. Unable to contain their curiosity, Stone Orphan offers to exchange stories with Ulin to help her decide the fate of three men. In R. B. Lemberg's newest, lyrical Birdverse novella (The Four Profound Weaves; Geometries of Belonging), an assassin and a linguist negotiate their very different languages, past betrayals, and an unexpected bond. By turns, Stone Orphan and Ulin narrate tales of love, suffering, exile, and self-determination, and two hurt souls find hope in each other through a radical act: listening.
