Up Jim River

The Hound Bridget ban has vanished and the Kennel (the mysterious superspy agency) has given up looking for her. But her daughter, the harper Mearana, has not, and she has convinced the scarred man, Donovan, to aid in her search.

But Donovan's mind has been shattered by Those of Name, the ruler§ of the Confederacy, and no fewer than seven quarreling personalities now inhabit his skull. How can he hope to see Mearana through her quest safely?

Together they follow Bridget ban's trail to the raw worlds of the frontier, edging ever closer to the decivilized and barbarian planets of the Wild. Along the way, they encounter, evidence that they, too, are being followed—by a deadly agent of Those of Name.