From the author of the Light & Shadow Trilogy...

Headstrong and defiant, Mahalia dreams of running away to join the caravans that travel across the desert. There, she tells herself, she would be free to practice the magic she has always loved.

Her family has other plans. Mahalia is being trained to take her father's place as leader of their bloodline , and so she spends her days in the gilded cage of a noble's life.

But when an ancient enemy lays waste to the oasis, Mahalia is the only one left to protect her people. As a mysterious wasting sickness preys on her tribe and whispers begin, calling them demon-touched heretics, Mahalia must choose whether to follow the magic that has always called to her...

Or become the protector of her people that she was born to be.