When genderfluid thief Sal Leon steals a poster from a royal scribe announcing open auditions for The Left Hand, Sal knows it's a chance for a better life. The Queen's powerful personal assassins are named after the rings she wears-Ruby, Emerald, Amethyst, and Opal-and are her most trusted advisors.

But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly qualifies as preparation, but with each success, Sal comes closer to victory…and to the nobles who destroyed everything. Because Sal is there not only to win-but to get revenge.