Mahalia — Moira Katson

Mahalia spends her days in the gilded cage of a noblewoman's life, hiding her interest in magic and dreading the day that she is married off for a political alliance. But when a fire demon is released into her oasis, destroying her home and decimating her tribe, Mahalia's sheltered world is turned upside-down. Her people have always been different, worshiping other gods and practicing arcane magics â€" now they are blamed for the disaster, and mysterious robed prophets appear from the deep desert, naming the tribe as demon-born, cursed by Heaven itself. As a strange illness begins to claim members of the tribe, Mahalia steps up to become ailahafeeza, protector of her family â€" and perhaps the only person who can save them from an enemy who has lain in wait for centuries…