Zahli's life is quiet, ordered, and very ordinary. ‎She runs a magic shop with her cousin, selling the ‎things people need to perform their spells. Now and ‎then, she might spend an evening at the tavern with ‎friends. That's about as exciting as life ever gets, but ‎that suits her just fine. ‎
Until the day she learns that her cousin plans to ‎have her murdered.‎
Forced to run for her life with only what she can ‎carry, Zahli finds her way to the hideout of the ‎remaining magi.‎
Before Wuntril was conquered by the Ladrisians, ‎the magi were the nobles of the country. Master ‎magicians of legendary power, they used their abilities ‎in the service of the king.‎
Now, they do what they can for their people. ‎They offer Zahli a place stay, the opportunity to train ‎with them, even justice in her trouble with Eldra. ‎
Magic has been her life, and now she has the ‎opportunity to learn from the very best, people who ‎toss magic around in a way that other practitioners can ‎only dream of. ‎
It's an exciting prospect, but she feels uneasy ‎about accepting all this when she has nothing to offer ‎in return. However, she discovers that her knowledge ‎of lower grade magic and even her status as a ‎commoner, actually do give her something to ‎contribute. ‎
Even the magi, experts in magic, can learn from ‎what she knows. Now, she can stay and study without ‎feeling that she's taking undue advantage.‎
But there are some among them who are planning ‎an uprising in which they hope to sweep the ‎Ladrisians out of Wuntril once and for all. ‎
Twenty years ago, the infant Zahli was orphaned ‎when her parents were killed while participating in ‎another such uprising. Zahli always swore she would ‎never make that mistake. Rebellion didn't work. It ‎didn't get rid of the Ladrisians, and most times, it just ‎ended up hurting her own people.‎
Yet now, she finds herself inexorably drawn into ‎this one, almost against her will. ‎