Black Rose Writing Blood and gods: the creator's quatrain: books one and two, paperback/nathan bueckert

Orphaned as an infant, Lilija is adopted by the priests of Tratalja, a growing militaristic empire.

Despite being trained as an elite soldier for the city's army, Lilija is forced to flee Tratalja.

Her exile brings her into contact with a tribe of savage nomads, led by Ari and his wild mountain lion.

Together they fight against the colonizing empire and discover a power greater than any civilization: the power to create something out of nothing using only the written word.

But very few can wield this magic, and fewer still can survive the consequences.