The Fate of Thieves

by Tori Tecken

A Legends of the Bruhai Novella

Always leave a way out... 

Orphaned thief Dilim has dreams of becoming a powerful soldier someday and righting the wrongs that have been done to him. Loyally devoted to Kala, his one friend, Dilim is swept into an unrelenting tide of daring escapes, street fights, and a desperate bid for vengeance.

Armed with the king’s seal, Master Scholar Lohi travels to Mijaro to mediate the trade of weapons to the barbarian tribes of the south. But there is a second, secret reason for his journey: to gather a group of boys who will be forged into the bruhai, elite bodyguards for the future prince.

Set months before the events of The Blood Stones, this origin story brings Dilim straight into the path of a man who will forever change his life…

Note: this novella is not recommended as an entry point to the Legends of the Bruhai series.

Genres: Fantasy

116 pages, Paperback

Published April 21, 2026

Reviews

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally published on Grimdark Magazine

Well, I have been impatiently waiting for a sequel to The Blood Stones since that was first released in 2023, so when Tori Tecken showed up with The Fate of Thieves as a prequel novella instead, I can't deny that I had a tiny moment of panic and dramatic sighing. But you know what, I should have just trusted that Tecken knew what she was doing, because this was exactly what I didn’t know I needed.

Even after a few years away, it honestly took me about five seconds to fall right back into this world, and everything about The Fate of Thieves just clicked into place so easily. Tecken’s worldbuilding is still doing the absolute most in the best way possible, and I loved how this little novella added even more to the already rich cultural depth of this world in such a short pagecount. Also, the strong atmosphere just drips off every page, which just makes it impossible to resist completely losing yourself in this world.

Then add to that the fact that Fate of Thieves does not believe in easing you in gently, but instead just grabs you by the collar and gets moving. The stakes ramp up fast, the tension is immediate, and I was locked in way too quickly for my own good. You’ve got Dilim out here trying to survive the streets with his ‘found sister’ Kala, getting into fights and bad decisions and worse situations, while Lohi is off doing his whole calculated, diplomatic, secretly sinister thing. For a while I couldn’t quite see how their paths were going to collide, even knowing where things were headed, and that weird sense of dread and curiosity just kept me on my toes the entire way through.

To me, both perspectives in The Fate of Thieves are very strong, and I think the balance between the two worked really well. Dilim’s chapters bring the action and emotional punch, especially with his bond with Kala, while Lohi’s sections slow things down just enough to let the political tension and quiet manipulation sink in. Still, I have to confess it was Lohi who really stole the show the most for me, even though the scrappy, loyal Dilim is probably the more easily rootable and likeable character. What can I say, I just love me some morally gray enigmas who make you feel uneasy in the most morbidly enjoyable way possible, sorry not sorry.

Now, this is very much a novella for the fans of the series, so please take Tecken’s warning at the start seriously and do not read it if you have not read book 1 yet. Yes, it is a prequel that takes place months before events that kick off the main series, but there is a major spoiler for one of the best twists in The Blood Stones sitting in here like a loaded weapon, and it will go off. Just be happy that you get to read book 1 first if you haven’t already, it’s a real treat, trust me.

The Fate of Thieves might not have been the return to The Legends of the Bruhai series that I was expecting, and yet I absolutely loved it anyway. Similarly to The Blood Stones, it never really grabbed or hit me on the emotional level that I would have liked, but it has so many other things going for it that I didn’t even mind. This just reminded me exactly why I got so hooked in the first place, and now I’m back to yearning for book two like my life depends on it. Tecken just does not miss.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Fate of Thieves is scheduled for release on April 21st, 2026.

[T Adventure · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an eARC from the author.
Although this is chronologically a prequel to The Legends of the Bruhai, it should not be read until after The Blood Stones.
This is a pretty fast paced novella following Dilim and Kala, two street thieves trying to survive. Tecken does a great job in these short pages at making our characters interesting, relatable, and dynamic, while feeling their age. She also fills out the world and adds some interesting cultural development. My opinion of Lohi was already pretty firmly established, but this just reinforced it. I love Tecken’s writing, and I found myself understanding intention and intonation before it was clearly indicated. That’s not something I can say I notice often, so seeing it here was cool. I will say I anticipated a bit of where this was going, but that was due to setup and foreshadowing. Very enjoyable overall, and I loved being back in Dry’Llar. Excited for what’s to come.
Full review to come on the channel.

[Andrews WizardlyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me a while to get back to but I finished my arc! I loved the beginning and the classic Tori Tecken. The middle was rough for me simply because street thief isn’t my favorite story element. Never understood why I don’t personally resonate with it I never have. Otherwise a great prequel to the bloodstones. Highly recommend.

[Leah Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fair warning: this review is going to be a rave.

Returning to the world of the Bruhai made me so happy! The Blood Stones, book one in this series, was a major contender for my favorite book of 2025 (it came in second, just barely). Tori has a refined, beautiful, tightly constructed prose style that I love reading. Her world building is expansive, detailed, and thoughtful. The characters are fully formed, complex, and recognizable as human beings rather than trope stand-ins or stereotypes. She is a character first writer, and while her plotting and pacing are second to none, I love that she lets the characters and their growth (or lack thereof) drive the story forward. All of that is present in this novella, and she managed to do it in a scant 115 pages, which is a feat.

This novella is a prequel to The Blood Stones and should not be read without first having read that book. There are major spoilers for The Blood Stones in The Fate of Thieves, and you would be doing yourself a disservice as a reader if you skipped book one to read this. The novella adds depth and history and expands the world of the Bruhai in a dynamic way. It gives context and background to characters from book one that only made them more compelling, and the handful of new characters we meet intrigued me. I’m very excited to see them in later books!

The world here is dark, grim and tense. But something I deeply appreciate about Tori as a writer is that she conveys all of that atmosphere without making cheap choices. She manages to illustrate the risks and dangers of a grim fantasy world without exploiting her characters. There is violence here, yes, and much of it is on page, but what I found powerful is what she chose not to show. The threats of violence against women, for example, are written superbly without ever crossing the line into using those threats for shock value, or as shorthand for development. An unfortunately rare experience in epic fantasy these days.

From an aesthetic point of view, I loved the detail that went into the physical book. The chapter headings are illustrated and there is a beautifully drawn map inside. It goes above and beyond what I would expect from a novella. I am running out of superlatives for this, so just take my word for it: read The Blood Stones, read this, and then read everything else Tori has written. You won’t regret it.

[P.L. Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The king’s bleary eyes turned from the fire to start through Lohi instead. His dry lips parted, but he said nothing. It was as if the black tendrils of grief had stolen away his spirit, filling the room with their soulless malodor. Not just this room…the whole place reeked of grief. Outside the walls even the city mourned, it its way. The Crown Prince had been nothing but a faraway figure to most of them. A dignified person who occasionally stepped into their midst, surrounded by his garatelhai guards. He was the great son of Katesh. But he was not their son. And the man who sat in the king’s chair was no longer a king. Only a father bereft. but Keld did not need a grieving father. She needed her warlord.”

I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the author, in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided below. Please – all who read this review, including the author – forgive me for what I’m about to say. I truly mean no offence. As a writer myself, I should know better. An author is entitled to work on whatever kind of projects they like, when they like. And the multi-talented author of this book, has proven she can write extremely well in other sub-genres, including urban fantasy with werewolves, and fantasy western with necromancers.

But all I want from author Tori Tecken is more of the world of Bruhai. Because it’s THAT good.

And I finally got my wish, in this incredible novella 'The Fate of Thieves', a prequel to the first book in the main 'Legends of the Bruhai', which is entitled 'The Blood Stones'. Tecken re-immerses those who have read 'The Blood Stones' in her world, as we are transported to the vibrant yet dangerous city of Mijaro, ruled by the jolly, pandering Citylord Padin.

Padin’s role as city overlord is complex, but it helps when you’re an elite, swathed in luxury and privilege. Padin and nobles like him can afford to overlook the seething poverty and crime that teems in the slum areas of his city. For all its shiny splendour on the surface, like many major cities, beneath that, the bustling Mijaro is simultaneously a smelly, dark, and oppressive place, where homeless and orphan children are forced into a life of banditry, prostitution, and worse, at the mercy of crime lords, who use them solely for their own purposes, and will kill and discard them like refuse if they prove useless or disloyal.

One such crime boss is Hazaro. His fiefdom, Hazaro’s Den, is situated in the Copper Quarter of the city. Hazaro’s top thief is the fierce and nimble Kala. Kala is the mentor and sister-figure to the main character of the novella: a cunning young street urchin turned thief named Dilim.

“Besides, he had nothing else of value. Nothing in except his life, which was worth far less than the scraps he carried. The true predators roaming the alleys in Mijaro were the other street rats, the ones who were two or three years older than he was.”

Thus, simply trying to find his next meal, earning trust and proving himself useful to the crime boss, is actually the least of Dilim’s worries, in his troubled, miserable life. Because an older thief, a merciless bully named Yai, constantly makes Dilim the target of his greed and cruelty, preying upon the younger boy, assaulting him alongside his gang of thugs, and robbing in turn from what stash Dilim has stolen from the more fortunate denizens of the city.

Dilim dreams of becoming an elite fighter one day – a garatelhuai. But he’s just a child, far physically weaker than those like Yai who torment him. It seems hopeless that he will be able to stand up to Yai, without getting himself seriously hurt, if not killed. And though Dilim has the sole person in the world of Kala to guide and try to shield him from harm, Kala may not be able to protect herself from Hazaro’s plans for her.

Soon, Dilim and Kala find themselves embroiled with rival thief-bosses from the Copper Quarter outside of Hazaro’s territories, including the beautiful and cunning Ursua, whose own surrogate mother is elderly crime boss Mumal the Thorn.

Meanwhile, an aging warrior-king, Kinhariian, mourns the loss of his heir, distraught with grief and the looming succession crisis, and failing of legacy, that seems unavoidable without a crown prince. But the king’s main counsellor, the gifted but manipulative master scholar Lohi, always has a trick up his sleeve. Lohi is determined, at all costs, to do what he thinks is best for Kinhariian, the realm, and most importantly Lohi’s own ambitions, in finding an heir worthy to succeed Kinhariian. And what better way to find an appropriate heir, than to forge one.

Those from very different classes of society meet by happenstance, storylines intersect, and the result leads to tragedy, yet also new hope, as the novella ties into the creation of the bruhai, in poignant, shocking ways.

Tecken’s character work shines in this novella, as it did in 'The Blood Stones'. The characters are vivid, and one can’t help but root for a young boy like Dilim, mired in penury, squalor, hunger, crime, and desperation, who daydreams impossibly of being a noble warrior, and escaping his lot. And though they are thieves, there is still some measure of humanity, even honour with characters like Kala, Ursua and Mumal, which provides them some likability as well.

The reader may also feel empathy (to a point) for the aristocracy such as the grieving but volatile and acerbic King Kinhariian, and even the plotting Lohi, who ultimately thinks he’s doing the best for the realm, despite his self-serving ideals. Still, overall, the callousness, lack of regard, and looking down on those below them in society by the nobles in the book, makes them very realistically drawn, compelling, and highly interesting if not endearing.

In terms of the rich worldbuilding, while the magic is light, very subdued, prophecy and superstitions beliefs definitely play a role in the story. The incredible descriptive passages, expanding on lore and culture, woven seamlessly throughout the narrative to give a highly definitive sense of place/setting, without long bouts of exposition that a novella of this length could not realistically contain in the short word count, and still maintain effectiveness and story integrity. Tecken deftly uses epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter to frame the narrative, set the tone, provide more insight into the lore, and add context for the reader. We learn much of the history and customs of various cultures who inhabit the world, what transpired in the past, and in the future, regarding the bigger picture, and how those aspects impact the present-day story.

Thematically, Tecken brilliantly explores coming-of-age, found family, survival at all costs, elitism, courage, hope, sacrifice, betrayal, the ends justifying the means, and how the rich and powerful will always be willing to take advantage of the downtrodden, to serve their own ends. Tecken writes with a sophistication yet simplicity, that demonstrates what an experienced and gifted author she is. I find her prose absolutely beautiful, elevated enough to appeal to my love of language and desire for evocative prose to keep me grounded in the fantasy setting, yet very accessible, full of lovely and moving passages that stuck with me.

Though the novella is more of a slow-burn, there is plenty of suspense, and tense situations, as we for the most part follow Dilim’s POV, learning his backstory, while he tries to navigate the unforgiving, cutthroat underworld of street thieves, where even one’s closest friends will sell you out in a heartbeat, for self-preservation, or simply profit. Lohi’s POV provides the high-level part of the plot, where we see more of the thruline between the main focus of 'The Blood Stones', and 'The Fate of Thieves', tying the two works together, in the overarching scheme that robs unwilling participants of their identity in service to what is deemed a greater cause, becomes apparent before the end of the novella.

With Tecken demonstrating she’s this refined at her craft at writing epic fantasy, with only one main book, and this novella to her credit in 'The Legends of Bruhai', I can’t wait to see how much the writing has progressed by the end of this series. If it continues on the current trajectory, this series will consistently appear on reviewers’ ‘best of’ lists for Indie fantasy. Even now, 'The Legends of Bruhai', very early, seems destined to be one of my top Indie SFF series of all time. I just need more installments to cement this opinion.

And utterly selfishly, I need them now.

[Kaat Verschueren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have rarely if ever come across a prequel novella that is truly everything i've ever dreamed of in a book and becomes a new favorite. This one didn't change that, but i had a great time and i think it's a good version of what it is. We get some extra information, some of which was i could have done without, but some of which was interesting. Especially Lohi's character is developed a bit more and we see some more of the world, which i'm never mad about. Some characters are introduced who i assume will play a bigger role in the rest of the series, so i'm excited to see how they're going to come into play. The plot of this novella and Dilim's character are a little forgettable for me, but nevertheless this was a fun experience that got me really excited to be back in this world.

Disclaimer: I am online friends with the author and she sent me a copy of the book. I try not to let this influence my opinions and review the book as honestly as i can.

[Ven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure:
ARC copy received for free in return for an honest review.

I have been waiting (im)patiently for the follow up to The Blood Stones, so when I saw the ARC call go out I jumped at the chance to request one, and I was not dissapointed.

First off, this is set before Blood Stones, however this is not where you should start the series, what this does is fill in some of the gaps with certain characters histories and builds out some of the foundations of book 1, and I am here for it, adding even more depth to an already complex world and building out those key characters in ways in ways that adds even more layers to the already impressive complexity that they had.

This also does inverse of a lot of novellas, in that its so dense that if feels considerably longer than it is, which I mean as a compliment. My only complaint is that i still have to wait for book 2 proper, but this has more than scratched that itch for the time being

[Angie Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent novella that takes the reader through some character backstory leading up to events in The Blood Stones. There is a significant spoiler for The Blood Stones, so while it chronologically takes place first, do not read it if you haven’t read the first book.
Tecken has a talent for introducing characters in such a way that makes the reader invest in them early on without forcing it. I came away in with pretty intense feelings about various characters… some good, some not so much, and even one the jury is still out on.
The prose is descriptive and easy to read. It flows nicely and creates vivid imagery without being excessively wordy.
I eagerly await the next installment of this series and appreciate the novella to satiate my excitement. Temporarily.

[Shaun Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I enjoyed the first novel and Tori doesn't disappoint with this prequel novella, fast paced, easily digestible prose and compelling characters I hope it's not too long for book 2 of the Bruhai.