Thorn and mercy

In Valcrest, every Gifted child belongs to the crown. Sixteen-year-old Jia Malichore has spent her life hiding beneath gloves and silence, terrified of the power in her hands. Her touch can close wounds, draw sickness from the dying, and transfer pain into another living body. But every injury she takes must go somewhere, and Jia’s mercy has already killed once. When her secret is exposed, the royal Legion comes for her family. Forced into the hands of the Sisterhood of Mercy, Jia enters a world of holy conspiracies, succession wars, slave markets, and kingdoms preparing to tear the continent apart. The Sisterhood promises protection, but every crown, rebel, and assassin wants to decide what Jia’s gift is worth. Then the Calamities begin to appear: Gifted people infected by a mysterious Blight and transformed into monsters. To some, Jia is a miracle. To others, she is a weapon, a threat, or the key to humanity’s survival. But mercy has a cost, and Jia is tired of paying it alone.