When the Archivists—a mysterious organization that has trailed the crew from the very start—capture everyone but Aliyah, however, their journey grinds to a halt. Still reeling from revelations about themselves, Aliyah must infiltrate the Archivists’ base to rescue their group. The place is half ruined city, half magical wonder—a labyrinth to navigate which will require the help of two unlikely allies: Fragment motes from past citizens willing to guide Aliyah.
To confront the Archivists is to uncover more of the inextricable truths between Aliyah and the Fragments. With every new revelation, the fractures in the Wagon crew’s cohesion and Aliyah’s determination widen. Before they can travel onward, they will need to find the strength to bear the weight of their ruined history.
Claudie Arseneault is an easily-enthused aromantic and asexual writer with a never-ending cycle of obsessions but an enduring love for all things cephalopod and fantasy (together or not!). She writes stories that centre platonic relationships and loves large casts and single-city settings, the most notable of which are the City of Spires series (2017-2023) and Baker Thief (2018).
In addition to her own fiction, Claudie has co-edited Common Bonds (2021), an anthology of aromantic speculative short stories. She is a founding member of The Kraken Collective, an alliance of self-publishing SFF authors, and the creator of the Aromantic and Asexual Characters Database.