Saving the world comes naturally to Malcom Khensu; maintaining the balance of the universe is what Leila Nuit was bred for. It’s saving themselves that might be a problem…
Malcom has known since birth that the fate of the Universe rests on his shoulders. As the first-born of a new generation of sacred warriors known as Siraia-born, it’s his duty to usher in a new era where his kind aren’t hunted, and where everyone else is free from the domination of the Renaissance Empire. It’s not always easy being the lone, teenage messiah secreted away on a wasteland planet at the end of the galaxy, but Malcom does what he must to get by.
Leila has never had the luxury of the foreknowledge of her purpose. As the princess of a dogmatic, spartan people who have sworn to destroy the Siraia-born, she only knows three things: how to fight, how to survive, and who to kill in the process. But the clarity promised by her teachers in their black and white lessons on law and life eludes Leila as she agonizes over a secret that betrays everything she stands for: she is, herself, Siraia-born.
When Leila is sent on her final coming-of-age trial–to hunt and kill the First Born of the new generation of Siraia–Malcom takes a chance and hides in plain sight, by befriending the incognito princess before she can figure out who he is. After just a few short days, it’s clear to Malcom that destiny has bound the two of them together in a way they could not possibly have expected. For the first time in her life, Leila has someone she knows she can trust, someone she isn’t afraid will judge her, someone she just might be able to come clean with. And for the first time in his life, Malcom has someone who actually understands even a fraction of the burden that he carries.
And in the end, it just might be enough to save them both.
Renaissance is the first book in The Lotus Children Saga. It has been many, many years in the making.