The Keeper Origins

Sable would do anything to break free from the ruthless gang boss she's indebted to before he corrupts her younger sister or discovers Sable's magical ability to sense the truth in people's words. In a last desperate attempt at freedom, Sable stumbles into unexpected help—Atticus, the famous playwright, and his traveling theater troupe. Far more than a means of escape, the mismatched band of actors is destined to become the family Sable never knew she wanted. They help awaken her magic until she becomes the burning symbol of truth that the entire land needs.

The truth is neither plain nor simple. Sable, a reluctant thief from the slums, can feel truth when people speak. For years she’s been using that skill to try to break free from the vicious gang boss to whom she's indebted. Escape comes in the form of an odd set of companions: a dwarf running from the past, an actor with a magical, glowing tree, a too-helpful kobold, a playwright with a knack for getting stories out of people, and a man and woman with suspicious, magical powers. But Sable’s freedom is short lived.

A year ago, on the land’s biggest stage, Sable’s voice nearly burned down the carefully constructed lies of the Kalesh Empire. Now, Sable’s skills are merely tools in High Prioress Vivaine’s desperate negotiations with the new Kalesh ambassador, who’s denounced Sable as a zabat. A rebel. A firestarter. Sable would love nothing more than to burn down the empire. But with threats against her sisters looming, the acting troupe driven away, and no news of Reese for a year, she’s too chained and alone to even light a spark.

I wish more of the nudges that shaped history were the gentle kind—the signing of a treaty, the commitment to protect the weak, the spreading of a story that would enlighten minds. Alas, humans are more prone to stagnate than to change willingly, and so most nudges are given with force and terror and blood. Most nudges come at the slicing of a blade or the searing of a flame. The final chapters of Sable’s beginning certainly did. More blades than I hope to see again, and the fire…who could ever forget the fire?