Navigational Entanglements

Navigational Entanglements is a science fiction novella by Aliette de Bodard set in the Hollows, a treacherous region of space where rival clans of navigators guide ships safely past the Tanglers, mysterious and deadly creatures that lurk there. When a Tangler escapes the Hollows, the clans are forced to send a joint team to hunt it down. Viet Nhi of the Rooster clan and Hac Cuc of the Snake clan find themselves in charge of a crew of quarreling apprentices who do not trust each other. Their imperial envoy is soon poisoned, and the invisible creature puts an entire city at risk. To succeed, the two women will have to work together across old rivalries. The novella was a 2025 Hugo Award finalist.