For years, Always Falling has been content in the capital of the Twin Kingdoms, seeing to its beloved the imperial composer...and there the neuter might have stayed, had it not received an urgent message summoning it home. After the cruelties that saw Always Falling exiled, the last thing it wants is to go back, much less in the company of a near stranger: Amet Emendexte-ilye, the new lover its beloved took to ens breast only a few months ago. But no one else can accompany Always Falling to the harbor city where it was once a member of a rarified aristocracy. And maybe a highland warrior, a stranger, and a musician will be the key not just to the injustices of the past, but the needs Always Falling has never admitted to, even to itself. The sea is waiting.... Heat Level: ** (not-explicit, some sensual thoughts) Relationship: Neuter/male, asexual with implied poly Conflict-level: Low, pastoral Length: NovelAbout the Author: Daughter of two Cuban political exiles, M.C.A. Hogarth was born a foreigner in the American melting pot and has had a fascination for the gaps in cultures and the bridges that span them ever since. She has held many jobs, but is currently a full-time parent, artist, writer and anthropologist to aliens, both human and otherwise. For a complete reading order, check http: //mcahogarth.org. Or for a quick-start: Mindtouch (story of friendship/asexual romance in SF setting) Earthrise (space adventure romance romp) An Heir to Thorns and Steel (epic fantasy) Spots the Space Marine (military SF, tense, quick-paced) The Worth of a Shell (tri-sexed alien society fantasy) The Aphorisms of Kherishdar (sociological SF, philosophical, quiet)