Anita - Anita Histories, #1

Horse, sword and bow are the power of the land and a number of lordlings hold sway, continually bickering and jostling for position. They are loosely held together by the dominant religion, the Servants of The Bear, which arose out of the times of Contagion, Blight and Chaos when humanity nearly wiped itself out fifteen hundred years ago. Mankind was altered in the process and The 'Servants' believe they were the savior of mankind when they strove to eradicate the worst expressions of 'the taint' which permeated the population.
The Servants of The Bear's biggest fear is of na-men: highly tainted, amoral killers but none have been reported for centuries. They are now dogma driven in their zeal to purify the population and vigorously pursue those they consider carry 'the taint' from the times of Chaos. We join Anita, a young woman whose past is clouded and future uncertain. For many years she has lived a simple, solitary, unthinking life with her horse her closest companion and has actively avoided other people.
Her peaceful life is shattered when she encounters three men intent on her death. Her hunting and innate skills rise but after dispatching the three assassins, an event which rapidly fades from her slippery memory, she develops a visceral feeling that people are a danger to her. She decides it cannot be avoided and the best way to understand the threat is to understand people. Anita casts off her solitary life to mingle with people and takes on the persona of an arms-man because skill at fighting is what she does best.
Her first encounters with people are not encouraging and she determines she must indeed pretend to be a man. She quickly discovers further differences between her and the people around her but still takes employment as a guard with the local lord of Caforde after a carnival of sideshows and tests of martial prowess held at the castle. She is unfortunate here too because in the process two of the castle arms-men become her deadly enemies.
Life in the castle is not all bad. Anita learns about people's habits and many come to like her however her early realization that it was essential for her to blend in is reinforced. During some patrolling expeditions and duty away from the castle she learns more about her nature and background. Unfortunately she also ends up on the wrong side of an ex-Servant of The Bear employed by the Lord of Caforde and determines that the Servants are her greatest threat: if they were aware of the extent of her differences they would persecute and burn her for one of their na-men.
Her closest companions are her horse and later, an eagle. Both are much more than their outer forms suggest, both have their own impulses and priorities which are not always in tune with Anita's, and both are much older and deeper than they appear. Most people, and animals, come to like Anita when they become better acquainted and she gradually develops a small group of close human friends. These are not slow to realize Anita is far from a normal person and some fear she may be one of the Servant's of The Bear's na-men.
However, with longer acquaintance they appreciate her inner nature and while none understand her they know that she does not have the attitude of the amoral na-man. Anita and her friends must avoid the clutches of the Servants of The Bear, negotiate the dangers and promises of the amazingly durable old technologies, and fight for her position in the land for her to begin to realise the full potential of both her old bloodline and her altered self.
Most importantly, Anita must learn about herself because she carries a dark potential within her which at times can express itself exactly like the na-men the Servants' fear.