An Instant New York Times Bestseller!An Instant Indies Bestseller!A scrappy former maid and
jewel thief must outwit gods injustice and her own past in this sequel to the Indie Next Pick
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen. Let's get one thing straight - Vanja Schmidt wasn't trying to
start a cult. After taking down a corrupt margrave breaking a deadly curse and finding
romance with the vexingly scrupulous junior prefect Emeric Conrad Vanja had one great mystery
left: her long-lost birth family . . . and whether they would welcome a thief. But in her
search for an honest trade she hit trouble and invented a god the Scarlet Maiden to scam her
way out. Now that lie is growing out of control-especially when Emeric arrives to investigate
and the Scarlet Maiden manifests to claim him as a virgin sacrifice. For his final test to
become a prefect Emeric must determine if Vanja is guilty of serious fraud or if the Scarlet
Maiden-and her claim to him-is genuine. Meanwhile Vanja is chasing an alternative sacrifice
that could be their way out. The hunt leads her not only into the lairs of monsters and the
paths of gods but also the ties of her past. And with what should be the simplest way to save
Emeric hanging over their heads he and Vanja must face a more dangerous question: Is there a
future for a thief and a prefect and at what price? From the indie bestselling author Margaret
Owen comes the thrilling next installment in the Little Thieves trilogy with all new interior
illustrations from the author.
