In the second book of the "Sword Called Kitten" series, racial tension and rebellion threaten the shaky social fabric of Inderjorne. Kitten is forced to groom an unlikely leader - Eirlin the Healer - for the difficult role of Protector of the realm and its people. But Eirlin's new Magic Scalpel, Excisor, is turning out to be more than a handful, and her romance with Ostersund the Magician has lost its magic. Kitten just can't get the Healer to focus on the task at hand. The Sword is desperate to develop talents she didn't know she had - and some that she definitely doesn't have - but she needs them, and she needs them now!