The Extinguisher

Lazuli Warner doesn't know what to expect on the day of her Marking Ceremony; not after her brother was declared an Unmarked four years earlier. She fears she will end up like him, stripped of title and rank, and left to die alone, as he had. When Lazuli is given the Mark of the Extinguisher, she finds herself free of one burden but encumbered by another. She has been chosen to be the royal executioner and second advisor to the King and Queen of Evandria. She will lead the Praetorian Guard, the army dedicated solely to protecting the royal family, and dedicate her life to the crown.
A few short days after her Marking Ceremony, she meets the Councilors: individuals with the power to see into the future. One of them has a vision in her presence and recites a prophecy, dooming Lazuli to failure. When her best friend is accused of treason, Lazuli casts aside her personal feelings and does her duty as the Extinguisher. She flays and executes him, stripping him of his Mark before ultimately killing him. Lazuli realizes that this is part of her prophecy and that her fate is inescapable.
As she begins taking on the full responsibility of being the Extinguisher, she meets Captain Colton Wells, the stoic third in command of the Imperial Guard. As she struggles to work alongside him and the others, Lazuli starts to uncover the secrets of Evandria: secrets that just may unravel Lazuli's loyalty to the crown.