The Yonder

Grief sends Constance into the Yonder after her husband, who has vanished there. For the dangerous crossing she hires Magpie, a grotesquely misshapen man who works as a Seeker. On the far side she finds a realm where recollections blur and people lose hold of who they are. She soon learns that, under the Yonder's rules, she belongs to a man who intends to take her back. Magpie leads her away from him again and again while they hunt for her husband, and along the way they encounter people with extraordinary powers, some kind and some hostile. Magpie keeps secrets of his own, and eventually, against his will, he returns Constance to her master.

That betrayal starts a new road for Magpie. He stakes his liberty on a game of chance, and losing would mean losing his freedom for good. He also owes a debt to Death, and he is bound by a string of strict conditions that came from a reckless wager he made with the Devil.

The odds against him are overwhelming, yet Magpie holds one formidable advantage and refuses to be turned from his purpose. His aims are to free Constance, reunite her with her hard-to-find husband, cheat Death, and outplay the Devil at his own game.