From USA TODAY Bestselling author Michael James Ploof. Before Dirk Blackthorn became known as one of the deadliest assassins in the four kingdoms, he spent his childhood as a street urchin, fighting for survival in the shadowy streets and back alleys of Agora's toughest cities. For ten long years young Dirk has followed his drunken father from one city to another, always having to cheat and steal for his next meal, and never knowing what the future might hold. A magician turned con artist, Dirk's father Thad has taught him everything he knows. After being driven out of just about every...