
Conger, a former trader turned prisoner, is offered a grim bargain: use his hunting instincts to track down a mysterious target, armed only with a centuries‑old skull hidden in a forbidding church. The Council that frees him speaks of a delicate balance, warning that killing the wrong person could tip the scales of a fragile war. As he steps through the dim nave, the echo of clanking armor and the smell of incense create a tense backdrop for a hunt that feels more like a ritual.
The skull is the only clue, a silent witness to a man long dead, yet somehow still vital to the Council’s plans. Conger must navigate the uneasy truce between the militarized Council and the enigmatic First Church, questioning his own code of conduct while the shadows close in. Listeners are drawn into a maze of loyalty, secrecy, and the unsettling notion that some enemies cannot be killed the usual way.
Language
en
Duration
~45 minutes (43K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Oct 14, 2009
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1928–1982
Best known for mind-bending science fiction that asks what is real, what is human, and who gets to decide. His novels and stories fueled classics like Blade Runner, The Man in the High Castle, and A Scanner Darkly.
View all books
by Philip K. Dick

by Philip K. Dick

by Philip K. Dick

by Philip K. Dick

by Philip K. Dick

by Philip K. Dick

by Philip K. Dick

by Philip K. Dick