One of the four protagonists of the novel, Yael is the daughter of the Sicarii assassin Yosef Bar Elhanan, the sister of the warrior Amram, and mother to Arieh. Apart from Arieh, her biological child, Yael is also an adoptive mother to Levi, Noah, Yehuda, and Yonah.

Yael is courageous and strong, though she tends to believe her destiny is to suffer. She has bright red hair and reddish-brown freckles over her face and throat. Though Yael does not consider herself attractive at the beginning of the novel, over time her unusual appearance draws many people to her. Yael’s hair is often compared to a lion’s mane, and to the leaves of a flame tree. At the start of the novel, Yael is in her late teens and quiet from a lifetime of neglect. Yael’s mother died giving birth to her, and her father blames her for the death, verbally abusing her throughout her childhood. In response to her isolation, Yael forms an affinity with animals, watching how they bide their time.

The first pivotal moment of change for Yael occurs when she and Yosef are forced into exile after the Fall of Jerusalem. Headed to Masada, Yael must cross a bitter desert.