Some fantasy stories begin with a prophecy. The Raven Assassin begins with a weapon. Azaria spends most of her life inside Halloran’s Queen’s Academy, where loyalty is enforced, weakness is punished, and every lesson carries the quiet threat of failure. She is trained to observe without being noticed, to follow orders without hesitation, and to kill before her target understands they have been chosen. But the world beyond Halloran’s walls is more complicated than anything the