A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair

In this world, mortals, fae, and elves coexist—or rather, they did. The elves were driven to extinction by the King, leaving only mortals and fae. The fae are divided into two factions: light and dark. The light fae have also vanished, and the King has enforced a treaty that confines the dark fae to the Faelands.

Anyone with elf blood—known as halflings—is considered property of King Aemon. Halflings are essentially enslaved, forced into servitude in various roles. Among them is a group of female halflings trained from childhood to become the King’s Shades, a specialized force of assassins. Taken as children, they are brainwashed into loyalty and trained to kill without question.

Keera, one such halfling, has risen to the rank of King’s Blade, the King’s personal assassin. Though skilled and feared, Keera detests her role. Her guilt over the lives she’s taken has driven her to alcoholism; she admits to spending decades in a drunken haze.

Keera receives two missions: first, to ensure Lord Curringham’s loyalty amid rumors of his dealings with the dark fae; second, to hunt down a mysterious criminal known as the Shadow.

During her investigation, Keera discovers that Lord Curringham harbors no intentions of allying with the dark fae. She initially considers the mission wasted until she learns that one of Curringham’s servants is working with the Shadow. Keera manages to arrange a rematch with the Shadow, whom she had fought before. The Shadow surprises her by showing up, and the two clash. Keera, impaired by alcohol, finds herself evenly matched. During the fight, the Shadow removes her hood, revealing her face. Something about her stops him, and he impulsively kisses her. Keera responds by trying to stab him, but he escapes.

Though Keera keeps her failure a secret, she returns to find the King planning trials for new Shades—accelerating their training to just eight years, spurred by the Shadow’s actions. Furious, Keera resolves to find and kill the Shadow to protect other halflings like herself.

Keera reports her suspicions to the King, suggesting that the Shadow may be a dark fae or an elf and could be hiding in the Faelands. The King grants her permission to pursue him, though doing so violates the treaty, leaving her completely on her own.

In preparation, Prince Killian, unlike his cruel brother Damien, shows kindness to Keera. He gifts her a book on elven and fae history to aid her journey. Damien, responsible for the scars on Keera’s back, remains a looming threat.

Upon entering the Faelands, Keera is immediately noticed by Lord Feron, who invites her to the royal palace. To her surprise, Feron is a gracious host and reveals secrets about the King, including one he would kill to protect. Keera begins to question whether the fae are truly her enemies, finding unexpected fairness and camaraderie among them.

With the help of Nik, a fae ally, Keera locates the Shadow. Their fight reveals his name: Riven. Keera initially suspects the dark fae are plotting against the crown, but Riven clarifies that the rebellion is led primarily by halflings. Though distrustful, Keera offers to help.

Riven consults his allies, Syrra and Nik, before agreeing to an alliance. Syrra, wary of Keera, advocates for killing her, but Riven recognizes her value. Despite tension, the group reluctantly bands together.

Their first mission—to divert the King’s forces—ends in tragedy when Riven’s people attack Shades, killing one and capturing another. Keera intervenes but realizes the captive must die. She forces Riven to take responsibility, further straining their alliance.

Haunted by guilt, Keera relapses into drinking. Surprisingly, Syrra comforts her, understanding the burden she carries. During this time, it’s revealed that Keera marks herself with an enchanted pen, inscribing the names of those she’s killed onto her skin.

Realizing her drinking endangers herself and the mission, Keera vows sobriety despite the severe withdrawal symptoms.

At the Harvest Ball, Keera and Riven execute a plan to steal a key. The diversion succeeds, but Keera narrowly escapes a deadly blast, sustaining severe injuries. Riven rescues her and brings her to a healer. The healer discovers that Keera has fae blood, granting her enhanced healing abilities. Many of her old scars vanish, though those inflicted by Damien’s enchanted pen remain.

Later, Riven sees Keera’s scars, and she shares her past. She once loved a fellow Shade named Brenna, who was killed by Damien as punishment for their relationship. Damien marked Keera’s skin with a mage pen to ensure her scars would never fade.

Keera and Riven grow closer, sharing a kiss and acknowledging their feelings for each other. However, Keera remains loyal to her mission, reporting back to the King, who grows impatient with her progress.

Keera’s newfound alliance is tested when she’s kidnapped by Nik and brought before Killian, who reveals himself as Riven’s half-brother. Nikolai and Syrra are also working with Killian. He offers Keera a choice: join him in overthrowing the King, or die. Begrudgingly, Keera agrees.