Chapter One: The Encore Ten Thousand People Forgot

A thirteen-minute hole yawned in the running order, directly inside the broadcast's most expensive slot. Shen Wu was preparing to explain it herself when a woman in a black coat stepped into her path. She was tall, with short hair sharpened by the wind and an old instrument case in one hand. "Thirteen minutes," she said. "We can fill them." A man waited behind her. Though the desert night was cold, he wore only a white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows. A faded red cord circled his left wrist. He did not look first at the stage. He looked at Shen Wu, as though confirming the return of something long lost. "Who are you?" "Wayfarers." The woman handed her a performance authorization. The official seals were correct.