Noble or ignoble, human or otherwise, everyone knows there is only one person in Ashbury to turn to when things go horribly awry: the self-proclaimed "Lady" Maris Goselin. Handy with a spell or a blade,  Maris is known for her wit, her cunning, and her temper—and of course for her loyal bees. Having clawed her way out of poverty to the fringes of respectability, this lady-of-all-trades never shies from a challenge—be it tentacled horror, an arrogant noble, a dark spell threatening to destroy the world, or her superstar minstrel ex with his gorgeous new girlfriend.