Skylight

Abandoned by everyone, Skye strikes a bargain with the Assassins Guild at the tender age of 14 to work off her education. But in the years that follow, her training proves she must escape an assassin's life.

After failing one final test, she learns her fate—a fate no one can see coming.

This story marks the origin of Skye, the heroine of A Spy to Die For.

"'Skylight' takes one of the less likely aspects of fantasy—the Assassins Guild—and not only does a science fiction take on it, but also makes it seem sensible. …Kristine Kathryn Rusch makes the entire concept work with a story about morality and hard choices."

—Tangent Online

"Her method for dealing with the problem, and the ultimate solution, left me hoping for another story or six starring Skye as an iconic space-opera wisenheimer which is about as strong an endorsement as I can give 'Skylight.'"

—Primary Sources

"Kristine Kathryn Rusch has created both a compelling protagonist and an equally compelling setting. Rusch writes the world in which Skye finds herself as an insular place filled with mystery, revelations appearing slowly and carefully as the reader learns more about Skye, her past, and her present. While 'Skylight' feels as if it could be the first chapter of an ongoing new series it also works well as a stand-alone story."

—SF Signal