Game of Souls

Their soul is their magic. The nobility scheme and kill for it. Keedar Giorin's people were once rulers, the most revered in the land. Now, they're dregs, the lowest of the low. Defeated, diseased, and scorned, they live in the Smear, a district where crime is like breathing, where only the quick, the strong, and the ruthless survive. Yet their status does not prevent the nobility from harvesting his people's most precious asset: the magic contained within their souls. For centuries, the nobles have played their Game of Souls, breeding dregs like cattle to gain advantage in their unending struggle to usurp the throne. For centuries, they forced his people to serve. For centuries, they ripped away gifted young dregs from their parents, ingrained an unfailing loyalty to the Empire, compelled them to become King's Blades, and convinced all it was an honor. Keedar was one of those young, kept secret by his mother even as the king murdered her. Forced to help two young noblemen in order to stave off a repeat of the massacre that brought about her death, Keedar calls upon his power. Now, the hunt is on. Can he elude the most dangerous of assassins? Can he prevent a count from stealing his power?**