The Thief at Deceus (The Heart of Elroi, #1) / The Heart of Elroi (ePub)

Trapped by a mob in the town of Deceus, Senra, one of the elite zora of Honar, seeks sanctuary in the local stables. She is not alone; her companion is a brown thief called Farr. Together they escape the town and then part ways, leaving Senra to report to her company about the gathering unrest in Honar that threatens the zora themselves.

Gradually the zora of Honar are drawn into endless war in defence of their country and their right to exist. Together with the armies of Honar they fight on, while their queen flees from Honar to seek sanctuary in the land of another traditional enemy. Life contracts to one battle after another, yet time and again the thief named Farr appears, riding into the chaos of war laughing and with no apparent care for her own safety. A redoubtable fighter, nonetheless once the crisis is past she slips away into the darkness without explanation. To Senra's frustration, no attempt to recruit Farr's considerable talents into the zora of Honar succeeds.

As the zora are drawn deeper into the turmoil of a nation invaded on two fronts, Senra finds herself at war not only with their enemies but with herself. Her own past conspires to work against her, drawing her back into the hell from which she had escaped as a child. Once again she finds that Farr is there, and the strange, unexpected knowledge and understanding shown by her thief companion begins to intrigue her as much as it intrigues their captor. Farr understanding of the hidden powerwithin Senra is far beyond that of their captor and Senra herself.

As their friendship deepens, Senra begins to wonder how much of the thief is real, and how much is a façade; and if it is a façade, what does it hide?