Ties of Blood and Silver

By Joel Rosenberg

David is a young human thief. He works with a little girl, Marie, and they work for a cruel master, Carlos One-Hand. On the world where he lives, another alien species is also making a living, the schrift. The schrift are all connected telepathically. As David is admiring a handmade schrift pitcher, the schrift who made it, Eschteef, feels a telepathic connection with David. So, due a series of bad decisions on One-Hand's part that resulted in One-Hand's and Marie's deaths, David tries to rob Eschteef and gets caught in the act. Eschteef captures him and decides to keep him and try to make David part of the schrift community.

This was a good story. Interesting world, interesting aliens, but more violence than I care to read about.