Brierley once thought she was the last of the shari'a, a race of powerful witches who lived in peace and harmony, even as she fell in love with an Aliemani nobleman, Duke Melfallan--but she was compelled to use them when necessary, and these actions caused her to be discovered.

Brierley once thought she was the last of the shari'a, a race of powerful witches who lived in peace and harmony. Her people had flourished for millennia guided by the elemental beings who embodied the very forces of nature until the fierce Allemani people dechnated them out of fear of their differences.

Brierley hid in the shadows to escape the genocide,keeping her healing powers a secret, even as she"fell in love with an Aliemani nobleman, Duke Melfallan--but she was compelled to use them when necessary, and these actions caused her to be discovered.