In a kingdom where the law protects the powerful and abandons the innocent, nineteen-year-old Kiera Ashenblade-daughter of the King's executioner-discovers a horrifying truth: seventeen girls have vanished into a network of nobles who trade in human suffering. When the authorities look away and justice becomes a privilege of the wealthy, Kiera faces an impossible choice: remain invisible in the shadows of her father's profession, or become the blade that cuts through the darkness.What begins as a desperate hunt for missing children evolves into a forty-year odyssey that will redefine justice itself. Kiera and her band of unlikely allies-the brilliant scholar, the scarred warrior, the poison master, and the ghost who walks unseen-operate in the spaces between law and morality, hunting monsters while struggling not to become monsters themselves. Each kill weighs on their souls. Each saved life justifies the blood on their hands. Each choice asks the question: when the system fails, who decides what justice looks like?THE BLACK OATH is an epic tale spanning generations, following Kiera from idealistic teenager to hardened vigilante to wise elder. As she trains the next generation, exposes corruption at the highest levels, and builds institutions that outlast her, she grapples with the ultimate question: can violence in service of good ever be truly justified, or does it merely perpetuate cycles of darkness?Perfect for readers who loved The Name of the Wind, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and Six of Crows, this morally complex fantasy asks uncomfortable questions about justice, power, and the price of protecting the innocent. With unforgettable characters, heart-stopping tension, and emotional depth that will stay with you long after the final page, THE BLACK OATH proves that the greatest battles aren't between good and evil-they're between different shades of gray.Some oaths are whispered in darkness. Some change the world.