Thief of Hearts Characters

A Thracian warrior and battle-favored woman who spars with Lia, is sent to Calydon, enters the Sagaris tournament, and is later forced to impersonate Queen Thalia. She wants to lead her clan, win the diviner stone, save the Thracian concubines, and prove herself after her mother calls her an accident. Zain nicknames her 'illora.'

Arc: She begins wanting to change her mother's mind about the heirship and to prove herself; after winning the tournament and being betrayed by Zain, she takes Dione's blood oath, resolves to free the Thracian concubines, and vows to hunt down the king of thieves.

• Lia — her sister-in-law and family; she spars with her and goes to Calydon at her request
• Thrax — her brother, once her closest sibling and best friend
• Quynh — her brother's wife and family
• Minha — her niece, Thrax's daughter
• Kyra — her niece, Lia and Xander's daughter
• Xander — family through Thrax and Lia
• Katisa — her eldest sister, chosen by their mother as heir
• Basileia's mother — her mother, who argues with her about war and peace and names Katisa heir
• Zain — fellow competitor, romantic interest, captor, and betrayer
• Dagger — Zain's dog and her companion
• Invara — the goddess who appears in her dreams and commands her to win
• Dione — Epirian who swears a blood oath to her
• Nesdahlia — Thracian concubine she promises to free
• Cotys — Thracian concubine she promises to free
• King Actos — her captor and coercer in Epirius
• Graarvin — dragon she frees from his collar
• Thearides — Daemonian leader who offers her future aid
• Levern — tournament rival
• Erebus — pankration opponent

The Epirian king who holds collared concubines, including Thracian girls, and coerces Basileia into retrieving the caduceus of Eramis from a crystal dragon. Dione describes him as a false king who killed her family and rules through secrets, blackmail, and hostages.

Arc: He remains a coercive threat, using hostages and surveillance; his demand for the caduceus drives the Epirian quest.

• Basileia — captive and guest he coerces into retrieving the caduceus
• Zain — the pretended manservant who helps deceive him
• Dione — servant whose family he killed
• Nesdahlia — concubine whose mother he holds hostage
• Cotys — concubine whose mother he holds hostage

An Epirian tournament competitor who insults Basileia, bets her 500 staters, and loses; he later admits raping a woman and calls it semantics. During the final event he attacks Basileia, throws a dagger after elimination, and is shot by the Daemonian leader.

Arc: His rivalry escalates from insults and a bet to rape confession, arena violence, and a thrown dagger; he is shot for violating tournament rules.

• Basileia — rival he insults, attacks, and tries to kill
• Zain — adversary who forces him to apologize
• Thearides — Daemonian leader who shoots him for violating tournament rules

A charming thief who competes in the Sagaris tournament under the name Theogenes and is revealed as Autolycus, king of thieves. He defends Basileia from the registrar and Levern, tends her wounds, and courts her, but also steals her diviner stone, drugs and binds her, and later steals the caduceus.

Arc: He shifts from charming ally and suitor to betrayer when he steals the diviner stone and later the caduceus; his apologies and choices leave Basileia torn between desire, distrust, and the need to stop him.

• Basileia — fellow competitor, romantic interest, and the woman he betrays by stealing the diviner stone and caduceus
• Dagger — his dog and companion
• King Actos — king he deceives while posing as Theogenes
• Levern — Epirian competitor he confronts and subdues
• Dione — Epirian ally who supplies him books
• Eramis — god of thieves whose code he follows

Basileia's sister-in-law and queen of Ilion, also referred to as Queen Thalia; she spars with Basileia, uses her savior aspect to win, and sends Basileia to Calydon because her pregnancy keeps her from going. She later enters Basileia's dream through her goddess and offers to send Rokh to rescue her.

Arc: She supports Basileia's mission and remains concerned for her; Basileia cuts the dream connection to keep her location secret.

• Xander — her husband
• Kyra — her daughter
• Basileia — her sister-in-law and family; Basileia later impersonates her as Queen Thalia
• Thrax — her brother-in-law and family
• Suri — her adelphia sister
• Io — her adelphia sister
• Zalira — her adelphia sister
• Ahyana — her adelphia sister

An Epirian attendant assigned as Basileia's liaison, who discovers that Basileia is not Queen Thalia and swears a blood oath of loyalty to her. She hates Actos for killing her uncle and parents and wants to help save the Thracian girls and Epirius.

Arc: She moves from Actos's servant to a blood-oath ally of Basileia, committing to save the Thracian girls and oppose the false king.

• Basileia — blood-oath ally
• King Actos — false king who killed her uncle and parents and made her his servant
• Nesdahlia — Thracian captive she helps
• Cotys — Thracian captive she helps
• Zain — ally who requests books about diviner stones

Zain's dog, first described as a wiry, rat-like creature that is friendly to Basileia. When Zain removes his collar, Dagger transforms into a larger horned creature with golden eyes and escapes through the portal with Zain.

Arc: He appears as a small, ratlike dog and is later revealed to transform when his collar is removed, becoming a larger horned creature that escapes with Zain.

• Zain — his owner and companion
• Basileia — companion who pets, feeds, and carries him

The goddess Basileia serves, who appears in her dreams and commands 'Win'; her aspects include fertility and fighting. In Zain's myth she loves Eramis and is bound apart from him by the gods, and Graarvin is her servant.

Arc: Her repeated 'Win' command drives Basileia through the tournament and quest; Basileia's invocations of her aspects produce overwhelming desire and failed attempts at fighting power.

• Basileia — goddess and dream patron
• Eramis — her true love, separated from her by divine decree
• Graarvin — her servant

The god of thieves whose code Zain follows and whose caduceus Actos sends Basileia to retrieve. In the myth Zain tells, Eramis loves Invara and is bound apart from her by the gods; he also appears in Basileia's dream alongside Invara.

Arc: His myth explains the forbidden divine love, and his caduceus becomes the object driving the Epirian quest; Zain steals it.

• Invara — his true love, separated from him by divine decree
• Zain — follower of his code
• Basileia — appears in her dream alongside Invara
• King Actos — seeks his caduceus

A fourteen-year-old Thracian concubine captured with her family, whose mother Actos holds hostage. She is chained to Actos's chair during the meeting and later sent with Cotys to Basileia and Zain's room; Basileia promises to free them.

Arc: She begins as Actos's chained hostage and becomes a girl Basileia promises to free; her mother remains Actos's leverage.

• Cotys — her twin sister
• Basileia — Thracian captive who promises to free her
• King Actos — captor who holds her mother hostage
• Dione — Epirian who helps the Thracian captives

A fourteen-year-old Thracian concubine and Nesdahlia's twin sister, captured with her family while Actos holds their mother hostage. She keeps her head down, cries when Basileia promises to free them, and is chained to Actos's chair during the meeting.

Arc: She begins as a frightened chained captive and becomes one of the Thracian girls Basileia promises to free; her mother remains Actos's leverage.

• Nesdahlia — her twin sister
• Basileia — Thracian captive who promises to free her
• King Actos — captor who holds her mother hostage
• Dione — Epirian who helps the Thracian captives

The Daemonian leader who shoots Levern for throwing a dagger after elimination and later thanks Basileia. He tells her she may call on him or any Daemonian who knows his name if she ever needs help.

Arc: He acts first as the Daemonian leader who kills Levern for breaking rules, then as an ally who offers Basileia future aid.

• Basileia — offers her aid and thanks her
• Levern — shoots him for violating tournament rules

A giant red war dragon chained in a cave, who speaks telepathically to Basileia, identifies her as Child of Invara, and reveals the caduceus on a floating island. He gives her a red crystal shard and is freed from his collar.

Arc: He begins chained by the goddess of discord and is freed by Basileia after giving her a red crystal shard.

• Invara — the goddess he serves
• Basileia — Child of Invara who frees him

Basileia's brother, once her closest sibling and best friend, husband of Quynh and father of Minha. He breaks tradition by refusing to send Minha to Thrace at age five for warrior training and tells Basileia he wants Minha to choose her own life.

Arc: His break with tradition over Minha troubles Basileia, and his presence in her nightmare shows the old closeness and survivor's guilt she carries.

• Basileia — her brother
• Quynh — his wife
• Minha — his daughter
• Xander — his brother
• Basileia's mother — her son

Thrax's wife and Minha's mother, who asks Basileia to stay longer and stands with Thrax in support of their decision about Minha. She supports Thrax's choice to let Minha choose her own life.

Arc: She stands with Thrax in letting Minha choose her life; no major change is noted.

• Thrax — her husband
• Minha — her daughter
• Basileia — her sister-in-law and family

Thrax and Quynh's daughter and Basileia's niece. She sits quietly with Basileia and traces her woad tattoos, calling them pretty like flowers.

Arc: No significant change is noted; she remains a child whose future training and choice are debated by her parents.

• Thrax — her father
• Quynh — her mother
• Basileia — her aunt
• Kyra — her cousin

Lia and Xander's daughter, revealed to be flame-kissed when she lights her wooden sword on fire and runs toward the food tables until Lia stops her. She asks Xander to fix her braid.

Arc: No significant change is noted; she remains a playful child whose flame-kissed gift is revealed.

• Lia — her mother
• Xander — her father
• Basileia — her aunt
• Minha — her cousin
• Suri — Suri's favorite child among the family

Co-ruler of Ilion with Lia, husband of Lia and father of Kyra; he is also called Alexandros and is Thrax's brother. He discusses the law allowing daughters to inherit and braids Kyra's hair, and in Basileia's nightmare he asks her and Thrax to defend the labyrinth and shelters citizens in the cavern.

Arc: No major change is noted; he remains a family anchor and ruler.

• Lia — his wife
• Kyra — his daughter
• Thrax — his brother
• Io — his younger sister
• Basileia — family through Thrax and Lia

The archon of Calydon whom Basileia is sent to meet. She says she sent no urgent request for the king and queen, promises to investigate where the request originated, and says she will send a message to the palace in Troas.

Arc: No major change is noted; she remains an official who promises to investigate the false request.

• Basileia — the Thracian envoy who comes to her with a message Nikaia says she did not send

Basileia's eldest sister, whom their mother chooses as heir instead of Basileia. Her selection is a central source of Basileia's devastation and drive to change her mother's mind.

Arc: No major change is noted; her position as chosen heir sets Basileia's central goal.

• Basileia — her sister and rival for the heirship
• Basileia's mother — her mother, who chooses her as heir

Basileia's mother and clan leader, who argues with Basileia about whether fighting matters more than anything else and says she is tired of funerals. She tells Basileia she will select Katisa as her heir, devastating Basileia.

Arc: Her decision to name Katisa heir devastates Basileia and sets Basileia's central goal of changing her mind.

• Basileia — her daughter
• Katisa — her chosen heir
• Thrax — her son

Basileia's final pankration opponent, who punches her wound and reopens her stitches. Basileia breaks his foot and ankle, and he submits by patting the ground three times.

Arc: He exploits Basileia's wound but is defeated when she breaks his foot and ankle and forces him to submit.

• Basileia — final-match opponent she defeats
• Zain — opponent Zain wants to kill for hurting Basileia

Lia's adelphia sister who greets Kyra warmly and runs the goddess's temple in Troas with Io. Kyra is described as her favorite child among the family.

Arc: No significant change is noted; she remains a temple-runner and affectionate family member.

• Lia — her adelphia sister
• Io — her partner and co-runner of the goddess's temple
• Kyra — her favorite child among the family

Xander's younger sister and Lia's adelphia sister, who co-runs the goddess's temple in Troas with Suri. She tells Lia excitedly about incoming recruits for the temple.

Arc: No significant change is noted; she remains a temple-runner and family member.

• Xander — her older brother
• Suri — her partner and co-runner of the goddess's temple
• Lia — her adelphia sister

Lia's adelphia sister and Stephanos's wife, who announces she is pregnant with a girl and says she wants her daughter to grow up with Ahyana's. She holds Stephanos's hand as she makes the announcement.

Arc: No significant change is noted; she remains a pregnant family member looking forward to her daughter's future.

• Stephanos — her husband
• Lia — her adelphia sister
• Ahyana — her adelphia sister

Lia's adelphia sister and Rokh's wife, who announces she is pregnant with twin girls after using her goddess aspect to ensure both are girls. She wanted daughters partly to prevent the painful male shape-shifting in Rokh's family.

Arc: No significant change is noted; she remains a pregnant family member who used her goddess aspect to ensure twin daughters.

• Rokh — her husband
• Lia — her adelphia sister
• Zalira — her adelphia sister

Ahyana's husband, who stands with her during her pregnancy announcement and is clasped on the shoulder by Thrax. Thrax calls him brother.

Arc: No significant change is noted; he remains Ahyana's husband and Thrax's chosen brother.

• Ahyana — his wife
• Thrax — Thrax calls him brother

Zalira's husband, who holds her hand as she announces her pregnancy with a girl.

Arc: No significant change is noted; he remains Zalira's husband.

• Zalira — his wife