Asher Lacey

Asher was a pleasure slave at The Harlequin who shared a close friendship with Luca. He is later freed at Robert's request. He finds himself as part of the revolution when he chooses to follow Robert after his arrest, rather than escaping to safety with Mama Karga when The Thorn is raided.

Appearance
Asher has tan skin, dark curly hair, and ‘catlike’ amber eyes. Robert describes his face as ‘striking’.

Towards the end of ‘The Golden Bird- Part I’, Asher is beaten by the Beast, resulting in scars predominantly located on the right side of his face.

Personality
Asher is sullen and temperamental, especially in situations he feels uncomfortable in. He can be impulsive, saying things he does not mean to illicit a reaction or to hurt someone, though he later regrets doing so. He also reacts poorly to people telling him what to do. Due to past abuse, he is wary of strangers. Asher does not like to show his true emotions, even going so far as punching walls to stop himself from crying.

After leaving The Harlequin, Asher becomes more open and comfortable. When he joins Robert at Absalom, he begins to make friends, and is more energetic. He also has a habit of being mischievous, and deliberately ignoring Robert’s instructions.

History
Asher grew up on Cherry Street in Docktown. He belonged to a large family, with many brothers and sisters. Asher was distant from most of his brothers, as they did not share many of the same interests, such as hurting things for sport. However, he had a close relationship with his brother Simon. Simon taught him how to fight, and rescued him from drowning in an incident at the quay. Simon was later executed for his involvement in a burglary after his girlfriend Anita revealed his name under torture.

At the age of fifteen, Asher was sold into debt-slavery by his family. Luca suggests that if he were not as attractive, he would instead be paying the debt by cleaning chimneys.

Luca
Luca was partly responsible for training Asher when he was brought to The Harlequin. Though their relationship was initially volatile, they developed a loyal friendship.

Robert
Robert has Asher freed, and offers him a place to live at Lightcliffe Hall. After Robert is arrested, Asher and Alfred travel to help him. At Absalom, he grows closer to Robert, who cares for him like a little brother.

Vassandro
Vassandro was partly responsible for training Asher when he was brought to The Harlequin. He thought Vassandro had genuine feelings for him, before realising he had been tricked into complying with the training.

Mama Karga
After Asher is freed from The Harlequin, he is first taken to The Thorn where Mama Karga nurses him back to health. She speaks to him in his mother tongue, Torken, and expresses interest in adopting him.

Jordie Bustament
At Absalom, Asher develops a particularly close friendship with Jordie Bustament.

Trivia

 * Asher suffers from violent nightmares