Brightest Burning
About
SLATED FOR MARCH 2026 RELEASE
COVER REVEAL COMING SOON
There is magic that is Gifted and magic that can be obtained in Trade but Trade magic will never be as strong as Gift magic. In Aios, the Flightborne, Terraborne, Bloodborne, and Aqueous soldiers owe their supernatural abilities to Gift magic. Their powers held the line against the incursion of the X'Os Empire, a line now set in ink by the Treaty of the Cross.
Zeta is a Flightborne soldier of Aios, Gifted with the power of flight and ability to channel explosive energy charges through the crystals embedded in her skin. Unfortunately, the skills to wield her powers weren’t part of the package. Zeta can barely fly or channel a charge, the runt of her litter and a target for bullies. Now she's a wanted criminal on the run with a priceless artifact that could break the X'Os' hold on the continent.
Carina, a pugnacious reporter for the Aiossian New Star newspaper, is defying state censors to find out exactly what happened the day hapless Zeta murdered the Chosen One, her best friend Sampi, the most powerful Flightborne solider in Aiossian history.
Trolaft is a strait-laced Bloodborne tasked with bringing Zeta back to face the Aiossian ruling General Titum-Arum. He champions the restrictions of the Treaty of the Cross and the General’s role in enforcing them but the search for Zeta is causing him to question just who the law serves after all.
Raas lost her home and the life she knew when the X’Os invaded her region. The favor of a rebel leader saved her and her fellow survivors from starvation, armored her with a hatred of the X’Os and anyone who allied with them, and weaponized her with the mission to destroy them. As the artifact Zeta carries brings long laid plans into reach, Raas has to reconsider what makes someone an enemy or an ally.
Mikx is a Zarzaii assassin powered by Trade magic. He's racing the clock to kill Zeta before a Trade magic bond claims his life instead, and battling fate when a prophecy tells him the only way to get the revenge he seeks against the X'Os is to let Zeta live.
Brightest Burning follows Zeta, Carina, Trolaft, Raas and Mikx to discover the truth of Zeta's crime and its impact on the geopolitical balance as rebellions rise and intrigues are revealed in a world on the brink of war.