Tarisai is the central protagonist of Raybearer, and the events of the novel are told from her first-person perspective. When she is first introduced, she is a seven-year-old girl who is searching desperately for her distant, absent mother. She lives in the realm of Swana, a region resembling the African savannah. She has a gift, or what she later learns is a “Hallow,” that allows her to take the stories or memories of other people, places, and objects. Tarisai is precocious and intelligent, quickly mastering the language and history lessons offered by her tutor, though she is unaware of why she must learn these skills. She is also obstinate and headstrong. Her willfulness only grows when she learns that she is half-ehru (half-genie) and that her mother can use magic to protect her. At the age of 11, Tarisai’s mother turns her over to her companions, Kathleen and Woo In, to be taken to the imperial capital to join Prince Dayo’s council, which will allow Tarisai to kill him. Tarisai is still innocent and naïve enough to venture into many new situations in the hope that she might be able to foster connections with others.