In pre-Civil War Delaware, farmer Thomas Garrett is part of a network of Quakers who help escaping slaves headed north. When he shelters a runaway, a slave-catcher comes calling…only it's not human. The hunter is an automaton, relentless and incapable of mercy. Dealing with the automaton will test Thomas's Quaker belief that there is "that of God in every person," and force him to consider whether the mechanical intelligence may be enslaved by its programming, leading to unexpected questions for the Abolitionist movement.

Deborah J. Ross writes and edits fantasy and science fiction. Her most recent books include The Children of Kings (with Marion Zimmer Bradley); Lambda Literary Award Finalist/TipTree Award recommended list Collaborators (as Deborah Wheeler); and The Seven-Petaled Shield, an epic fantasy trilogy. Her short fiction has appeared in F & SF, Asimov's, Star Wars: Tales From Jabba's Palace, Realms of Fantasy, and Sword & Sorceress. Her work has earned Honorable Mention in Year's Best SF, and nominations for Gaylactic Spectrum Award, the National Fantasy Federation Speculative Fiction Award for Best Author, the Nebula Award, and inclusion in the Locus Recommended Reading List and Kirkus notable new release. When she's not writing, she knits for charity, plays classical piano, studies yoga, and rehabilitates service dogs.