The Meri

From the back cover of the Baen first edition: "A WOMAN ALONE IN A MAN'S WORLD OF MAGIC ... She saw her parents murdered when she was but a child. Rescued from the rubble of her village by a teacher of the Divine Art, Mereddyd-a-Lagan swore to learn the powerful secrets necessary to track down the marauders and achieve vengeance. But first she would have to overcome centuries of prejudice against female mages, and become the first ever female apprentice to the Meri, the otherworldly being who stands as the Bridge between humanity and the Spirit of the Universe - only then would she be faced with her ultimate choice: vengeance or eternal life."