After the death of her daughter, Tensor Sanao Mokoya has abandoned her position as prophet and now spends her time hunting naga in the wilderness.

Four years after the death of her daughter Eien, Sanao MokoyaA has separated from her husband Thennjay and spends her time hunting naga.

Mokoya meets a mysterious person named Rider, who uses advanced slackcraft for teleportation; she falls in love with them and begins a physical relationship.

Raja Choonghey, leader of Bataanar, calls for Protectorate aid in the face of the naga attack.

Mokoya attempts to subvert the prophecy in order to avert Rider's death; she leaves the camp and confronts the naga alone.

[1] The contrast between the formats of The Black Tides of Heaven and The Red Threads of Fortune draws attention to the themes of each novella.

A reviewer for Locus found The Red Threads of Fortune to be more enjoyable than its prequel, stating that it had a more compelling emotional arc.

[4] Writing for the New York Times, Hugo-winning novelist N. K. Jemisin highly recommended the Tensorate novellas, praising their worldbuilding and magic system.

[5] Publishers Weekly gave a mixed review, praising the novella for its action sequences and depiction of trauma, while criticizing it for "murky" and "underdeveloped" descriptions of diplomatic conflicts.