Publisher's Synopsis
After a bloody civil war, the country of Cronin prospers, while those who remain loyal to the old kingdom hide away in the mountains, hunted by soldiers who wish to stamp them out of existence. It's only the Sustainers, a rogue band of youth, who dare to leave the mountains every year to find vital supplies for their families, and make trouble for their enemies. Seventeen-year-old Talitha has spent most of her life on the run and in hiding. When the band of renegades was formed, she jumped at the opportunity to live out anything besides her isolated existence. Like her father, Tali belongs to the Lantern Code, a sect of people born with the ability to sense and tame most life forms. Since everyone she knows was born into one of the seven codes, Tali thinks her own gift is as plain as her dull brown hair. Most people assume her kind are only suitable for hunting or standing watch. But while Tali's gift seems useless to her, a jarring incident reveals that she alone possesses an ability that could change everything for the Sustainers. Ordered by her superiors to be instructed in an ancient, illegal practice, once banned in the wake of a tragic error, Talitha finds herself surrounded by expectations she feels unprepared to meet. The Sustainers are on their last leg, and her leaders are prepared to take drastic measures to turn the tide. Talitha is their last hope, but as she is tested to her breaking point, will she discover the dark secret being kept from her before it's too late?
