From publisher blurb: Born to a life of muck and toil among nomadic horse breeders, Isabet left a trail of human misery on her path to the Guild’s highest echelons. She apprenticed with some of the greatest merchant princes of the age: Alhomzira, the Indigo Queen; Lindyana Calaho, master of the qat trade; Nine Stars in Song, whose smuggling fleet they say outsails the Realm’s own biremes. Despite her prestigious education, Isabet found herself stonewalled as a lesser Guild factor, disdainful of and unsuited to the empty pleasantries of politics. Only discovering Cauldron Valley, a lush jungle-demesne on the fringe of the River Province, and her own thaumaturgic talents saved her from a life of mediocrity. Nearing 60, Isabet has reforged herself into a master geomancer, using the Valley’s powers to produce unique slaves. Instead of earning a place on the Directorate, Isabet helped found a secret cabal (see The Gouged Eye Society, Conspiracy of Savants) to further her mastery of geomantic lore. Beyond this, her only concern is for her sons, Imri and Sabet; she would move the Imperial Mountain itself to secure their futures.