Karen Hayes is Emily and Navin's mother and the former wife of David
After her husband died in a car crash, Karen took up the task of raising her two children on her own. As raising two kids alone in the city proved itself to be a challenge, Karen decided to move into her grandfather's house in Norlen.
The night she and her family moved in, she was abducted by an arachnopod ordered to bring her to the Elf King. While in the beast, she was stung and poisoned by the potent venom, resulting in her falling into a comatose state. These events resulted in Emily needing to go to Kanalis within the second book to find an antidote for the poison. The mission proved successful.
She stated that since Emily and Navin were born, she got used to operating without sleep.