The fade

the long version

A subterranean world of vast caverns, underground seas, crystalline forests. A civilisation born of darkness, living in darkness, protected by shadows. On the moon of Callespa, in a hostile binary system, humankind has adapted to the bizarre environment - the majority live underground in vast cavern cities illuminated by shinestones, while a minority brave the sunlight on the surface. The human race has splintered into tribes and for many years the nations of Eskara and the Gurta have been at war, a battle fought back and forth through vast subterranean chambers. Massima Leithka Orna is an assassin, spy and soldier bonded for life to the Clan Caracassa. During a brutal battle her forces are betrayed and her husband is killed. Taken prisoner to a Gurta fortress, Orna lives only to escape and find her son, now serving on the front lines.