Commonwealth History — Michelle L. Levigne

Kilvordi and his followers put their legacy to good use, taking great risks and devoting lifetimes to regaining the lost knowledge and technology of First Civ.

Marnya is a novice traveling to a teaching enclave to expand her healing talents. But her life is changed forever when her traveling party is attacked by brigands. In defending herself and her friends, Marnya is critically injured--but she doesn't die. She thinks she's hidden her remarkable healing from everyone, but two of the soldiers who rescue the novices belong to the Order of Kilvordi, and they know her secret. She is one of them--an Undying.

Raf and his friend, Danal, give Marnya her first lessons in what it means to be an Undying. The Undying are the unwilling, innocent heirs of the genetic engineering that helped bring about the Downfall of First Civ. All the members of the Order are Undying and, under the leadership of High Scholar Kilvordi, their quest is to reclaim the lost knowledge of the ancestors and take civilization back to the stars. Marnya joins the Order and sets out on her journey of learning, healing and leadership.

As the years go by, a new enemy arises from their own ranks--Undying who believe they are destined to become rulers, not guardians. They want to dominate, to enslave the ordinary Humans around them. And if they have to destroy the Order to accomplish their goals, they will...