Introduced late in Book Two: Scarlet Trails as a connection to the Alliance underworld of Cer Cannaid, Kiyla became an important ally to the Dragonslayers. Her bare-knuckle pugilism and fearlessness paired well with Elric's erratic and sometimes chaotic swordsmanship.
Kiyla Muroe is the eldest of two daughters born to Alerynne Muroe and a father she barely remembers, a worthless man who abandoned the family when the younger sister, Valerie, was born. Kiyla was only four, and that abandonment scarred her internally--a fitting preparation for her life ahead.
When Kiyla was twelve, her mother announced, through immense grief and guilt, that she was no longer able to sustain the family. She would take gainful employment in the castle and send payments to Kiyla and her sister in the orphanage. But those payments never arrived, stolen in transit by the Alliance guild of thieves. Kiyla resorted to street theft just to feed her sister and herself, and through a series of hard knocks, she learned to fight well.
At sixteen, Kiyla's sister ran away, never to be seen again. The only hope of her survival was a single note received one month later that said she was doing well in East Lothania, hundreds of miles away. With nothing left of her heart to break, Kiyla did what she knew--she returned to the streets to steal as much as she could lay her hands on.
Months later, she was caught and sold into the fighting pits of Cer Cannaid's seedy slum district, where her talent for pugilism earned her top honors among the pit bosses. And it provided her a way to earn her freedom--a freedom that coincided with membership in the Dragonslayers.
Kiyla has proven herself many times in the freeblade company. Though she lacks nearly every womanly grace, she does provide Cora with some occasional "girl time." But she's just as comfortable with the guys, and perhaps more.
With the opening of Book Three, Kiyla and Elric are a natural pair and eager to be together. Rumors swirl about their relationship budding into something more, and when tragedy strikes, Kiyla is devastated most of all. Her devotion to Elric remains stalwart, but her faith--never a sure thing--is rocked to the core.