The Babbler and the Balance Keeper
The truth won't set Quincy
free, but her lies will.
For a balance keeper, suffering is a way of life. Chosen from the inhabitants of one of humanity’s last cities to atone for its sins, they are the only hope of stopping the advancing desert. But Quincy doesn’t believe in the gods she must appease. The desert still threatens to swallow the city whole, and no god has struck her down yet. Quincy wants freedom, for herself and her disgraced friend Monroe. But defiance means death.
Hope arrives with a prisoner from the outside world. The rebel follows a savior, who she claims has rescued her before. With freedom finally within her grasp, Quincy attempts to win the woman’s trust. If Quincy can convince her she believes in her strange religion, this mysterious savior will have to free her and Monroe too.
But the outsider is more interested in uncovering Quincy’s most dangerous secrets than discussing escape plans. And every passing hour increases the threat of discovery. A powerful visitor has arrived, with schemes of his own for the prisoner—and Quincy.
Execution awaits Quincy if she fails, but her gamble for freedom could cost her what she treasures most: Monroe's friendship.
It was a tiny chance. It was playing with fire in a barrel of kerosene and she knew it.
But perhaps it was worth it, to win or to burn.
Meet the Characters
Quincy
Quincy is fluent in sarcasm, fiercely protective of those she loves, and bitterly cynical of the hypocrisy around her. Outwardly one of the most respected balance keepers in the anchorage, she lives a carefully crafted lie calculated to keep her and her best friend Monroe alive. She wants nothing more than to be free to live her life on her own terms, with Monroe at her side. But her lies are starting to catch up to her, and they could cost her everything.
Monroe
Monroe is tender-hearted and quiet, happiest when she is alone with those she trusts or safely unnoticed in the background. Naturally pious, she struggles with her need for forgiveness and the conviction that she can never be forgiven. She treasures her friendship with Quincy, but not even her best friend can get her to deviate from her conscience. She longs for peace from the horrors of her past, and for her best friend to treat her as an equal.
Bird
Bird is Quincy's name for the unknown prisoner held captive in the catacombs beneath her chamber. Naturally compassionate, occasionally stubborn, and possessed with scruples unusual for an outsider, Bird has sacrificed friendship and her place in society for her strange new faith. When chance brings Quincy across her path, she could hold the key to what Quincy needs most. But with the darkness threatening to overwhelm her, will Bird dare to break the silence?
The Examiner
Everyone fears the Examiner, the living scourge of the gods, for he has been gifted with the ability to discern even the most carefully hidden sins and secrets. He is intelligent, adept at manipulating others, and capable of playing the long game to get what he wants. He’s convinced that he knows how to fix their broken world, and he'll have no mercy on anyone who stands in his way. In Quincy he sees an opportunity. It won’t be easy to stay one step ahead of him.
Sometimes, all it takes is one voice in the darkness to bring the truth to light
