Since mortal love betrayed the Maker's bride, mortal lovers have been cursed with the name of their soulmate scarred somewhere into their skin. Sometimes this eases the heart's road. Sometimes it does not.

Men die because of touch. How else could you kill a man? The touch of a blade, the touch of magic, the touch of poison. Touch causes pain. The good slave – that is, the smart slave – learns very early on to find any way to avoid the touch of a master.