Exiled at the age of thirteen for being different, Lozen, a half-Aelf thief, has survived the underworld of Ravnborg with wit, speed, and a lock pick. When she's caught, her choice is grim: dungeon or spy for the crown at Helsgaard Keep, the red-stone fortress guarding the edge of Hel.
But Helsgaard isn't what she expected. Among scarred warriors and outcasts, Lozen finds something she's never known-family and acceptance. More or less.
Yet whispers of a prophecy haunt her steps: a half-Aelf destined to unite warring kingdoms. Now war looms. To protect her new kin, Lozen must lead an ambush against the land that cast her out. Victory may win her a place at Helsgaard's hearth. Failure will cost them everything.
