by Egow77
In a city where debt is etched into flesh and the Guild of Reckoning measures obligation through a magical system called the Counting, Kade has nothing left to lose. His sister Lira is dying from a lung disease called rusting. The medicine costs more than he can steal. His only hope is the Death King coin—an ancient relic hidden in the temple vault. The coin can buy freedom. But when Kade touches it, the coin speaks. It offers a bargain: take it and become a slave to debt forever. Kade leaves the coin behind. The Guild finds him anyway. They give him three days to pay two hundred silver marks—or Lira's name goes on the Hall's registry. Now Kade must steal something more valuable than coin. He must break into the Guild's record room, find the truth they are hiding, and show the city that some debts are never meant to be paid.
