Otherworldly Anarchist

The strangest thing about Annie's new reality isn't that she's now in the body of a seven-year-old child, the beloved Lillith, feared dead by her family after a particularly nasty bout of pneumonia. It's that she's constantly having to conceal her adult intellect, which is not only advanced but otherworldly. Sure, being a young woman and a grad student in twenty-first-century America had its challenges, but this life as Lillith presents even tougher obstacles. She must tread carefully to conceal her vast knowledge of biology, math, physics, and . . . being an adult.

Lillith has always possessed the ability to feel the grief of the people around her. But now she can harness it and put it to use as well. That said, her recent exploits have labeled her a monster and a villain, specifically "the Mage of Mourning." This title is a nod to both the carnage she leaves in her wake and the tools she implements in the process. But Lillith doesn't need a good reputation. She doesn't even need this life. And she certainly doesn't need to keep her hands free of blood.

Potestia may not have been built in a day, but it'll burn in one. Lillith has already freed its slaves and relieved the people of their former king, but she doesn't plan to stop there. With many of her safe houses discovered and enemies lurking in every corner, she has little time to rest anyway. Her only choice is to keep fighting. At least she has the wonderful Sarafyna to warm her heart—and watch her back.

Having brought down all the kings of Potestia, Lillith embarks on fulfilling her avenging promise to the feline Ember. Though still grieving the death of her brother, she plans to cross the border into the Republic lands and kill every sage keeping the population under magical control. But the sages have been preparing for this, stoking fear in their subjects by prophesizing the coming of death in the form of a destructive demon queen—who looks remarkably like Lillith.

To keep his latest ally in line, Alpha—the Original Sage—has used Lillith herself as a bludgeon. Knowing she would be reborn after traveling through death from Earth, he devised the prophecy of the demon queen. Feared before she ever set foot in his world, she has become a common enemy to unite his people, distracting them from their true suffering. But Lillith has found a team of her own, and they're hatching a unique set of plans.