The Sable City (Norothian Cycle, #1)

Tilda Lanai does not have great timing. For three grueling years she has honed the skills of a Guilder in the service of an Island Trade House, skills ranging from business to burglary. Now the sudden death of her House Lord threatens to unravel all of Tilda’s plans. The search for an exiled heir takes Tilda across a war-torn continent and to the gates of the Sable City, where centuries ago dark magic almost destroyed the world. Along with a sinister sorceress, a broken-hearted samurai, and a miscreant mercenary long on charm but lousy with a crossbow, Tilda must brave the demon-infested ruins to find the heir who may save her House. Only then can she return home to the life she thought she wanted.