Starblood

When the ark began emergency jettisoning the colonists, I got unlucky three times. The first occurred when the runic defenses of the Kel shot down my capsule above a forbidden Circle. The second was when it crashed next to the White Devil's tomb. And the third time, when I climbed into a wounded noxwolf's lair and discovered Starblood. Other Ascendants would call it good fortune, but I'll put it this way: had I left it alone, I might have remained a normal person. And now, I'm forced to sort things out: after all, someone with a Slate, Attributes, and Runes isn't a typical colonist from Earth in a world that's far from ordinary. Especially when he has a voice in his head . . .

Turns out, I'm not on Earth. Not on another planet, either. Everything is much worse. We ended up in an inhabited Circle of an ancient Dyson sphere that replaced the Solar System six galactic turns ago. There is no moon and no stars, and giant Ygg-Trees play the role of the sun. How can this be? Nobody knows. The locals call this place Unity, and it's governed by strict laws. Here, there are ordinary people and Ascendants capable of performing miracles with the aid of Slates and Runes. There are Watchers and the legacy of the ancient Kel civilization, celestial islands and mysterious Domains. But the most important thing here is Starblood!

Eternity consumed the local sun three galactic turns ago. In its place is an accretion disk, people cast two shadows, and life can only exist in Circles formed by gigantic light-bearing Trees. Beyond them are icy chill and Darkness, and on the border between them, Shadow, the land of everlasting sunset. It is the domain of strange creatures and unusual plants that have never seen light, a place teeming with Worms whose only purpose is to devour every living thing, while the few sentients only care about putting you into slave's shackles. To return to the Earth freehold, I will have to brave the Shadowlands on my own. Well, not quite, but the White Devil who took over my body can do things that make even the locals' blood run cold. But I think I'm starting to get it. Kill first, or you'll die first. Only dead men can keep secrets. Strike before speaking. Oh, and there's one thing he keeps telling me over and over. Only Starblood matters!

I am back. The Earth freehold has received a new Ascendant, pilot, and warrior, yet the colony is still in danger, as its enemies haven't abandoned their sinister plans. Everything will be decided at the big moot under the luminous Ygg-Tree, the gathering of the people of our Circle. Another threat is looming-the one twinkling in the night sky, controlling the relativistic jets of the accretion disk, and overseeing the change of Signs in the celestial calendar. The lords of Eternity must not learn who shares my body with me. But who is he, really? Why does he pose so much danger to them, immortal and omniscient? And why are the legends of the Thousand Brethren so grim? The most important thing to remember is that he won't stop. Nothing matters to him. Only Starblood does!

The natives call the astroengineering contraption built around the black hole the Skythrone. Within it lies Eternity, an afterlife of sorts where chosen Ascendants travel after their death to gain immortality. Yet unlike the heaven and hell of Earth, it is absolutely real, and sometimes, guests who call themselves the emissaries of Eternity come down from there. But are they guests or are they masters? Legends say that the Kel civilization, the creators of the Dyson sphere, left for Eternity three galactic cycles ago to become almighty immortal gods. The passenger in my head claims that they are wretched cowards who doomed Unity and all of its inhabitants to save their own hides. I . . . am about to learn who is right and what Eternity is truly hiding. As long as I remember that only one thing matters to its ageless sovereigns. A single thread connecting the two worlds. And it is Starblood!

Earth is just a fleeting memory. In the inhabited Circles of the Dyson Sphere the natives call Unity, everything is different. Time here is measured in cycles that change with the signs of the celestial calendar. The lords of the Skythrone set the new rules, and all Nations of the Circle gather for the moot to discuss how to live on. The moot. This is what the neurolinguistic system calls the gathering of representatives in the sacred place at the foot of the radiant Ygg-Tree. Here, new Ascendants are announced, disputes are resolved, alliances are forged, and wars are declared. Will I make it to the moot? For me, it's a matter of life and death. The future of the Earth freehold, the fate of my enemies and friends, my own destiny-all will be decided there. But the hard part is over, and the White Devil did his job. I have become a true Ascendant who understands the most important thing: here, only Starblood matters!

The Earth freehold received a young Ygg-Tree, and I a golden prize and Petal-in-the-Wind, who is worth more than any gold. Now I am an Ascendant, the leader of a battle spear, and the freehold's first pilot. I am also all but immortal. That secret was revealed to me by the ancient voice who had shared my body for a long time. But why? What had happened to make me like this? And why can't I remember anything? Unity has others like me, called the True. Perhaps they can answer my questions. I must find them while no longer relying on the all-powerful White Devil's help. But first, I need to deal with the legacy he has left me, the Runes and the Domains, and most importantly, locate the ancient knowledge of the Kel that will help me defend the freehold under the sign of the Wild Hunt.