Those Who Burn

The City of Lyf has fallen and the United Alliance hovers on the brink of total collapse. Conspiracy theories swirl. Have the genetic variants finally found a way to breach the barriers? Or is there something darker, more sinister at play?

Valaria Blacksun, Princess of the City of Lyf and future Regent of the United Alliance, is forced to flee the City, her life, or risk falling to ruin herself. With nothing but a backpack full of family secrets and a single order, "Follow the river," she must journey into the After, a world of genetic variants and unspeakable danger, to search for the truth of who she is, and what part she is to play in the coming war. But The After holds more than just the answers to the secrets of her past, and the undeniable truth behind the chaos that threatens to consume her. In the shadows of ancient cities, long fallen to rubble and ruin, Valaria finds what she least expects to encounter, allies in the variants themselves, and an unshakeable attraction to the would-be leader of the Lupine, both her captor and savior. In this new and unfamiliar world, Valaria must decide her own destiny, and determine, once and for all, is she willing to let herself burn for it?

"Smile wide. Chin up. Speak softly. Coat your words in sugar. Don't listen to the conspiracy theories, they'll haunt you. Don't seek answers for the things you don't understand, they'll break you. Take your pills, push the chaos down. Let go of the anger. Holster the gun. Stop running. Abandon the fight. Yield while you still have the breath in your lungs to surrender. Submit while it is still your choice."