Page 1 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

Chapter

One

My father was the deadliest man in Warriath. Even more so than the king. While the royals had their army, including the four guilds, Cyran Rebec boasted an entire underground network of assassins, thieves, prostitutes, and couriers.

I was summoned to his hidden sanctum, a subterranean chamber devoid of windows yet immaculate, its expensive furniture arranged with military precision. The polished stone floor and dark, carved wood gave the room an eerie, calculated calm.

“You called for me?” I asked, my voice steady despite the flutter of apprehension in my chest. I couldn’t fathom why he’d sent an enforcer to collect me rather than come to me personally. I had learned long ago that my father’s methods were as ruthless as his reputation.

He sat before me, a man who, though fifty-seven, looked scarcely older than forty. His athletic, tall frame was etched with scars that mapped countless battles. His salt-and-pepper hair was slicked back, and his dark-brown eyes, cold and calculating, fixed on me without a hint of warmth.

“Yes, Ashe, I have a job for you,” he said in that low, measured tone that had both commanded respect and instilled dread.

“What kind of job?” I asked before the door was thrown open, and Solei stormed in.

“Don’t you fucking do it!” she snapped, her long blond hair braided tightly against her fierce face. The fitted leather outfit she wore accentuated her every defiant curve as she advanced. Her blue eyes flashed with both anger and warning.

“What is going on?” I asked, glancing between them, my voice firm despite the unease that prickled at my skin.

“The king has opened the guild to commoners, offering a thousand gold coins to the family of any accepted recruit,” she hissed.

My heart pounded; King Rayne was notorious for his stinginess, and his army already boasted an abundance of true halflings.

“Why would he break centuries of tradition now?” I asked.

Cyran’s stare, icy and unyielding, made it clear that affection had never been his forte—even though he had raised me, protected me, and provided for me in his own merciless way.

“That is the question, isn’t it?” he said, his tone void of any real explanation.

“There is no coming back from this,” Solei whispered, the anger in her words sinking into every corner of that impeccably arranged room.

With a nod that sent a chill down my spine, Cyran stared at me.

“Ashlyn Rebec, you are officially called to enlist in the king’s army.” I recoiled, a single step backward, as disbelief and dread coiled in my chest.

“There is no way they know about me...” I murmured, my voice barely audible.

Solei exhaled deeply before adding, “The head of the household is to report commoners with… special abilities.”

I stared at my adoptive father, struggling to reconcile his past promises with this betrayal.

“You told the king about me? But you said you wanted me to develop my skills. You trained me as a thief, even as an assassin, knowing I would never be a killer like Solei.”

His response was a dismissive shrug.

“Yes. But you need fae blood to get inside the castle, and you are the only trusted member in the Order of Thorn that has it.”

I ran my fingers through my long white hair, an emblem of my heritage. I always wore a hat when venturing out, though it was rare unless Cyran’s business demanded it. My heart squeezed painfully as I realized the depth of his betrayal.

“You are selling me to the army so I can uncover why the king has allowed commoners into the guilds?” I asked, the words thick with hurt and disbelief.

“It’s more than that, I’m sure. You will be my new castle liaison. Though the royals will never know about this little arrangement.” Cyran’s tone remained implacable as he stared at me.

“How can you do this to me?” I whispered, barely managing to force the words out as my voice cracked. “I’m your daughter…”

He rose to his full imposing height, his eyes narrowing as he delivered his final decree.

“You are a chosen daughter, Ashlyn. You are special, and if circumstances were different, you would have honed your skills for the Order’s sake. But the war with the Blood Fae is escalating. The outer kingdoms have suffered multiple attacks, and even the warders are proving inadequate. Everyone knows the most powerful warders are stationed at Warriath and its neighboring realms. On the continent of Earendall, the weaker membersof the guild have always been consigned to defend the outer borders.”