the wind will only speak once

- 20 years old
- daughter of the chieftain of her town, located on the western shore of the nation, Middleground
- her father has been at the front for a year, leaving her in charge
- both she and her father are hvislers
- hvislers are people who can "speak to the wind", sending messages on the currents and through the wind systems that other hvislers can pick up on and understand, as well as reply to
- hvisling requires an understanding of how the wind currents and systems work, since messages have to end up in the right places and hvislers can't control the winds, only utilize what's already there
- when her father stops responding over the wind, she embarks on a journey to the front to find him
- this leads her through various other nations, meeting people who are very different from her
- the lessons she learns on this journey prepare her for when she eventually finds out her father has been killed and she must take over the chieftain position in her town