"When his older sister, Quedra Sa-Yool, was brought down by her political enemies, ne'er-do-well and pilot extraordinaire Zham followed her into exile. Quedra, a military genius once known as the Diamond Knife, now commands the mercenary airship Last Stop and its motley crew, and Zham leads its tiny air wing―when he's not roistering in bars and dodging moneylenders, that is. The one thing keeping this ragged outfit together (besides Quedra's blistering stare) is everyone's desire to survive on the edge, even if that means smuggling, battling pirates, and flying too close to the solid floor of clouds known as the Layer, below which the merciless insectoid mantids hold sway. Indeed, few who dare to venture there ever return . . .But when the Last Stop is enlisted to search for a lost expedition that may have discovered a haven for humans beneath the Layer, it's the chance of a lifetime. What awaits Zham and team at the end of this dangerous mission might just change their lives―and their world―forever. Then again, it might mean the end of both."--Back cover.