The Weight of a Torch by Alex Ward

THE TORCH THAT WITHSTANDS THE DARKNESS WILL CONSUME THEM ALL.

In a world on the brink, heroes called Synchrony risk everything to protect the Five Great Cities. When Kaia uncovers dark secrets and ancient power, she must decide if the true threat lies within her society—or the monstrous Others beyond its crumbling borders.

Kaia is a Synchrony, one of a rare few chosen to walk the ancient roads between the five cities, torch in hand, reinforcing the Stability that holds civilization together. It is a position of honor, but for Kaia it is also a declaration. Proof to her sister, her people, and herself that she is not the catastrophe they believe her to be. When reports of a mysterious structure beyond the Stability line reach her, she does not hesitate. Where her sister refused to go, Kaia will walk.

Past the edge of Stability, inside a fog-swallowed labyrinth crawling with Others, Kaia discovers an ancient sarcophagus and a voice that has long awaited a worthy savior.

Now joined to an entity of immense and unknowable power, Kaia unravels a conspiracy that has choked the five cities for generations. Drained by the very power that defends Stability—a new hunger is growing.