The Phoenix Effect Part 1 - Margaret MacDonald

Begin again

The world has long been divided. The Unity, and all their bounty, are protected by an army strengthened by nanites, which heal instantly but block the experience of emotion. Those who "resist" the technology live in isolated pockets on the infertile fringes. The wars between each faction died off long before young love blossomed between Arin and Lia... or so it seemed.

Arin, now a Unity commander, captures an enemy assassin only to discover she is Lia. Faced with the prospect of turning the only woman he ever loved over for execution or facing his own, Arin decides to flee with Lia into the Unknown Territories. Lia introduces Arin to life in the Resistance world, a harsh existence exacerbated by Unity oppression. Upon arrival at Lia's secret destination, a hidden paradise in Resistance territory, Arin discovers that Lia is no lone assassin but an integral part of a clandestine Resistance army and wife of the army's formidable leader, Roland.

Faced with life as a prisoner or life without his healing nanites, Arin chooses to live as a mortal once again, reawakening his impulsive spirit, along with his feelings for Lia. Arin soon joins the Resistance forces and proves his newfound loyalties by confronting the cold army he once commanded.

But growing suspicion of Roland's true motivations leads Arin to uncover a great secret hidden by Roland and his fellow army leaders, one that may change the world forever.