The True Faith

A novella. A group survives a battle with pirates in the Quarthari desert. Stranded, they take refuge in a village, awaiting a ship to take them off-planet. There, they must deal with the continued threat from pirates. One of the survivors, Rori Cloudd, learns of a mysterious ritual that's meant to end a long drought. When she learns the nature of the ritual, she must decide what to do about it.