By M. K. Wiseman

Raised by an aging priest in a remote mountain village, Liara has spent her life as an outsider, shunned by those around her due to the circumstances of her birth and the wizard who sired her. She had always hoped she had inherited his magic, but not until Father Phenlick is forced to banish her does she learn the truth of it. Only sixteen, Liara finds herself thrust into the custody of the valley's resident wizard, a recluse and bookworm who refuses to teach her magic. However, he must somehow keep her occupied in his remote castle, and so sets her to organizing his extensive library---exactly the wrong thing to do. Liara learns what little knowledge she can "steal," until Nagarath concedes and offers her just enough to be dangerous. When Liara's entire village is mysteriously destroyed, the pair find themselves delving into the truths of their mutual unhappy past, lured by the war mage who binds them together. Thrust from their snug castle and tiny valley as they flee persecution, Liara and Nagarath find themselves traversing the continent, pursing Liara's father in his quest for the ultimate magical talisman.