Crystal had destroyed Killashandra ’s memory, and only crystal could restore it—if she dared! When Killashandra Ree joined the mysterious Heptite Guild, she knew that she would be forever changed. Crystal singing brought ecstasy and pain, near-eternal life . . . and gradual loss of memory. What she hadn’t counted on was the loneliness she felt when her heart still remembered what her mind had forgotten. Fortunately, someone still cared enough to try to salvage what was left of Killashandra’s mind. But she would have to learn to open herself—to another person, and to all her unpleasant memories. “A treat for long-time McCaffrey fans, a good read and a satisfying look at one of the most haunting facets of the crystal singers’ profession.”— Locus “A treat for long-time McCaffrey fans, a good read and a satisfying look at one of the most haunting facets of the crystal singers’ profession.” — Locus "A treat for long-time McCaffrey fans, a good read and a satisfying look at one of the most haunting facets of the crystal singers' profession." LOCUS When Killashandra Ree joined the mysterious Heptite Guild, she knew that she would be forever changed. Crystal singing brought ecstasy and pain, near-eternal life...and gradual loss of memory. What she hadn't counted on was the loneliness she felt when her heart still remembered what her mind had forgotten. Fortunately, someone still cared enough to try to salvage what was left of Killashandra's mind. But she would have to learn to open herself--to another person, and to all her unpleasant memories. When Killashandra Ree first joined the mysterious Heptite Guild to become a crystal singer, she knew that she would be forever tied to the planet Ballybran. She could leave ... but she would always have to come back, drawn like a magnet by the song of crystal that pulsed through her veins. Crystal singing brought ecstasy and pain, near-eternal life ... and an increasing loss of memory that bit by bit would erase the parts of that long, long life that lay behind her. Over the years, Killashandra had accumulated a multitude of painful memories she could easily afford to forget. She didn't even really mind the little annoyances, like forgetting the names and faces of her colleagues, or needing a locator to find her way back to her own apartment. But she hadn't counted on the loneliness and emptiness a person could feel when the heart could still remember what the mind had forgotten ... Fortunately for Killashandra, someone still cared enough to try to salvage what was left of her memory and her talents. And for the first time it had become possible to access the damaged minds of experienced crystal singers. But in order to avail herself of the new technique, Killashandra would have to learn to open herself up ... to another person, and to all the unpleasant memories she had so willingly relinquished. Killashandra Ree was trapped in the unceasing present of the crystal singer. Only by reclaiming her past could she step forward into the future. Crystal had destroyed her memory ... and only crystal could restore it ... if she dared! Anne McCaffrey , one of the world’s most popular authors, is best known for her Dragonriders of Pern® series. She was the first woman to win the two top prizes for science fiction writing, the Hugo and Nebula awards. She was also given the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement in Young Adult Fiction, was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and was named a Science Fiction Writers of America Nebula Grand Master. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1926, McCaffrey relocated to Ireland in the 1970s, where she lived in a house of her own design, named Dragonhold-Underhill. She died in 2011. “ ‘And a star to steer her by,’ ” Killashandra Ree shouted to herself. Not that Lars Dahl could have heard her over the roar of the sea crashing against the bow of the Angel and the humming tension of the wind through the sail stays and across the sloop’s mainsail.   She pointed to the first star of the evening in the darkening eastern sky and looked back at him to see if he was watching her. He was and nodded, his grin showing his very white teeth against his very tan skin. She was nearly as dark as he was after their circumnavigation of the main continent of Ballybran. But Lars always looked the complete captain, especially as he was standing now—his straddled legs bracing his long lean body on bare feet against the slant of the deck, strong hands firmly on the spokes of the wheel as he kept the Angel on the starboard tack under tight sail. The stiff breeze had ruffled his sun-bleached and salt-encrusted hair into a crest, much like the ritual headdress of a primitive religion.   They had plenty of sea room between the Angel and the jagged stones of the shore, but soon—all too quickly—they would reach the headland and the harbor that served the Heptite Guild headquarters.   Killashandra sighe