Airwoman

by Zara Quentin

  * * *

  The guards pummelled on the door from the other side. There was a heavy thump as the guards outside rammed the door, forcing it open a crack, before Axel used all his strength to push it closed again. It wouldn’t be long before the guards started using something stronger to break own the door. It wouldn’t hold much longer. She hoped Axel could give her a little more time.

  Jade ran underneath Our Lady Taraqa’s head and through Her legs. She looked around for something heavy, then picked up the bust of a previous Lord Protector of the Dragonverse.

  She ran up to the huge window that viewed Our Lady’s Court. Across the open air, she saw the mirror image of this chapel across the other side of the open space. That was the High Priest’s private quarters. She hoped he wouldn’t rise early this morning.

  Towards the horizon, the night sky was growing lighter, streaks of a golden-orange brightening the sky. The early morning light outlined Our Lady Taraqa in gold, Her scales sparkling magnificently, as she loomed over the Temple.

  Jade stared at the huge statue only for a moment, before her attention was drawn by another loud thump.

  “Are you almost done?” Axel yelled. She looked behind her to see he was pressing the whole force of his body against the door, struggling to keep it shut. One of the guards had wedged something in the opening this time, making it impossible for Axel to close. Now they were using a rod to lever open the door.

  Jade cursed. Her plan needed a few moments, at least, for Axel to jam the door and run. Now, the chances of their being caught increased. Jade hesitated. She might not get caught, but Axel…

  “Jade?” Axel called out again. The gap in the door was widening and one of the guards had a foot and hand wedged in the opening. She had been trapped in a Temple before, though at least this one wasn’t on fire.

  That gave her another idea.

  She tucked the bust under one arm and turned away from the window. She ran back through Our Lady Taraqa’s legs and reached up to Her mouth, in between Her rows of sharp teeth where the lit candle rested. Carefully, Jade removed it, its flame still alight.

  “I beg pardon, My Lady,” Jade whispered, before springing to the door. She passed the candle to Axel, whose back was pressed against the door, using all his might to resist the force coming from the other side. He arched one eyebrow, but Jade didn’t have time to explain.

  Instead, she reached for the closest lamp on the wall, extinguishing it before she yanked it from its holder, and poured the lighter fluid on the lower part of the door and the floor underneath.

  “On my three,” Jade said, pointing to the candle Axel was holding. His eyes lit up in understanding. “One, two, three…”

  Axel thrust the candle at the pool of lighter fluid as they both rushed away from the door. The door swung open, but not before the fluid had caught alight in a roar. The guard’s delight at prising the door open, turned to terror as they faced a wall of flames between them and the inside of the chapel.

  Jade didn’t stop to watch. If they were lucky, her stunt would cause a short diversion. They had to use it.

  As Jade ran back to the large window overlooking Our Lady’s Court, she flung the heavy bust at the glass.

  Time slowed as the bust left her hands, and Jade noticed every detail as it impacted the window in slow motion. The glass bowed slightly, and she held her breath as that moment stretched into eternity. Then, a fraction of a second later, the glass shattered into millions of pieces.

  Tiny shards of glass tinkled as they fell to the stone floor, but most of the glass rained into Our Lady’s Court below.

  Wind blasted into the inside of the Chapel, blowing back her hair.

  “Come on!” Jade yelled at Axel. She grabbed his hand and jumped onto the windowsill, pausing to take one last look at the flames burning in the doorway. One of the guards saw them and yelled something. Jade looked up at Axel before squeezing his hand. “Let’s go.”

  Hand-in-hand, they leapt from the windowsill into the air, flying against the wind. Ignoring the shouts from behind and below, Jade beat her wings strongly to ascend towards the Portal.

  The wind flattened her hair, flowing over her wings and body, as she climbed upwards. The sun peeped out over the horizon and Jade turned look over to the volcano in the distance. A puff of smoke spiralled upwards from its crater, the smoke shimmering in the golden-orange sunlight. She placed her free hand protectively on the bag carrying the Eigot, still slung over her shoulder.

  “I’ve finished it, Papa.” She whispered into the wind. “You can rest easy now.”

  With those words, the wind lifted away her burdens and she felt the lightness of effortless flight. Despite their inevitable pursuit, Jade flicked her tail and sent herself into a roll, letting out a laugh as the blue sky and red earth tumbled over and blurred into each other.

  This was freedom.

  * * *

  Want to find out what happens next? Continue Jade Gariq’s adventures now in Spirit Woman!

  The Last Day of Magnus Gariq

  An Airwoman Companion Story

  Here is a free gift for you when you join my newsletter.

  The first order of business was death. His own death.

  Magnus Gariq is the CEO of the largest cross-portal trading company on Taraqa. He is married to the love of his life, with a beautiful daughter, Jade, and twin sons. Life is good.

  Until he gets a surprise package that changes everything.

  The Last Day of Magnus Gariq is an Airwoman companion short story. If you like being immersed in intriguing worlds with surprising characters, then you’ll love Zara Quentin’s tale of honour, lies, betrayal and death.

  A Note from Zara

  Hi Reader!

  Thank you for reading Airwoman—I hope you enjoyed your first voyage into the Dragonverse as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you!

  If you liked Airwoman, I would love it if you would take a little time to leave a review on Goodreads or your favourite book retailer. It only takes a few minutes to leave a review and it makes such a difference to independent authors like myself. Your review helps get Airwoman in front of other readers and helps them to decide it it’s something they’d like to read too.

  Thank you for leaving a review—I certainly appreciate it, and so do future readers!

  Acknowledgments

  Writing this book has been a journey—and one that would not have taken place but for the many people who have helped me along the way. Some assisted with the technical facets of story craft, editing and publication. Others have inspired, motivated and encouraged me in hundreds of ways, both big and small.

  A big thank you to my family for believing in me and encouraging me every step of the way. It was my mum who inspired my love of books, took me to the library and encouraged me to read. Reading has been one of the great joys of my life and I can’t imagine life without an open book (or ebook) on my bedside table.

  Both of my parents also shared their love of travel by taking me on overseas trips with them from a young age. They shared their interest in and curiosity for the world and everything in it. Travel plays a big part in the memories of my childhood, and I’m grateful they have always encouraged me to spread my own wings. Also, a big thank you to my sister, who has always been in my corner.

  I’m forever thankful for meeting my husband, who shares my own thirst for adventure and travel, and who always encouraged me to pursue my writing dreams. He has watched me stare endlessly at my computer screen, pore over manuscripts and even read them through for me. His support has been instrumental in completing this journey.

  In this last year, Jennifer Blanchard has held my hand every step of the way—from planning, drafting, revising, to finally publishing this book. More than that, she helped me to believe the dream was possible.

  Thank you to Kris Ross, my developmental editor; to Kristin Lesko for providing website and back cover copy; to Deanna Scott, Mary DeRosa Hughes and Diana Zahuranec for being the first on
es to read my manuscript; to Adam Maxwell Townsend for taking my story and my vague ideas and making them into a beautiful initial cover, and for illustrating my maps; to Arel at BZN Studio for the stunning cover to rebrand the series.

  Lastly—but certainly not least—thank you to my readers and those who have followed my blog or social media accounts. Writing can be a lonely business, but the connections I make with readers and other authors online is extremely rewarding.

  Thank you all!

  Sneak Peek at SpiritWoman…

  A quick flick of her wrist sent the blade spinning like a wheel, hilt over blade. Sunlight bounced of the steel, searing a spot into Jade’s vision. She didn’t even blink. A dull thwack confirmed the blade had buried itself deep into its target.

  Zorman’s face.

  The hilt of the knife stuck out of the wood; the blade had sunk deep into the trunk where she imagined Zorman’s face to be. She’d chosen this tree, in particular, because it had an oval-shaped depression at almost exactly the height of Zorman’s head, if he were standing directly in front of her. A flush of satisfaction washed over her and then disappeared just as abruptly as the memory of her uncle bloomed unwelcome in her mind.

  She closed her eyes, unable to avoid reliving the memory of Zorman’s fingers closing around her throat and squeezing until she could no longer breathe. His face loomed above her, glowing with the red tinge of the Eigot’s magic. She remembered when she’d last faced him in the Ingresston Temple, seeking justice for her father’s death and the return of the stolen Eigot.

  Breathe.

  She had to remind herself that she’d escaped him and fled with Axel back to Premye. To safety. Jade commanded herself to open her eyes and use her surroundings to anchor herself in the present. The late afternoon breeze tickled her skin and toyed with the hair that had come loose from her braid as she strode toward the tree that now embodied her nightmares. She rolled her shoulders—wincing at the ever-present ache of her lingering injury—then closed her hand around the hilt of her blade.

  “Target practice?”

  The deep but familiar voice roused her from her thoughts. Jade sucked in a breath and the hint of mint and cedarwood eased her tension. She turned to see Axel step into the clearing. In their four months of refuge on Premye, his already bronzed skin had darkened with their outdoor lifestyle, his dark hair had grown past his shoulders, and he’d given up his clean-shaven look for a short beard.

  Jade smiled, a familiar flutter in her chest at the sight of him. She tucked the knife into her belt and reached for the bow slung at her back.

  “Archery,” Jade replied. “I was just warming up first.”

  She drew an arrow from her quiver, a different tension now threading through the muscles in her shoulders.

  “Make you feel better?” Axel asked.

  Jade stared at the oval-shaped depression of her Zorman-tree, seeing the dappled light dance over the gnarled bark, as the rustling leaves sang in her ears. The image of Zorman’s face sprang to mind again, staring at her with narrow eyes. Taunting her. She quickly nocked her arrow and aimed.

  The shaking of her arms made it hard to focus, and the target blurred.

  A sudden warm pressure on the space between her neck and shoulder sent Jade whirling, instinctively, to face her attacker. Her focus narrowed, and, in that moment, the figure was Zorman, sneering down at her.

  “Naive, sweet, foolish girl.” His voice rang in her head. Her throat was tight; she couldn’t breathe. The taut string of the bow bit into her fingertips.

  “Jade!”

  The scent of mint and cedarwood made her pause. She blinked; it was not Zorman at all.

  Axel’s brown eyes were wide with alarm. He’d stepped back and raised his hands above his head.

  “It’s me. Just me,” he murmured.

  Jade let out a breath and then nodded. She eased the tension on the bowstring to let the bow droop with the arrow pointing toward the ground. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, she saw Axel frowning at her.

  “Are you alright?”

  Axel was next to her again, gathering her in his arms. This time, she leaned against him and buried her face into his chest, letting the warmth of him envelope her and quiet her galloping heart. She de-nocked the arrow and took hold of the bow with one hand. With her other hand, she made a fist around her necklace—threaded with the charms that helped her remember who she was—and she squeezed her fist until her fingernails dug into her palm.

  “Do you think he’s still alive?” Her words were only a whisper, but by the way Axel’s body stiffened, she knew he had heard her. He trailed a hand slowly up her back to hold her head and threaded his fingers through her hair.

  “I don’t know,” he finally said. “It’s so isolated here.”

  Jade heard the edge of frustration in his voice. The isolation of Premye had protected them these last four months since she’d returned with the red Eigot, but the lack of news, or even gossip, about what was happening in the rest of the Dragonverse was starting to wear on her thoughts. Questions plagued her waking hours, and she could only guess at the answers.

  Axel pulled away from Jade, just slightly, and put a finger under her chin to turn her face up towards him.

  “Have to admit, I’ve enjoyed the isolation too.” The corners of Axel’s mouth curled up, just a little. He paused a moment, allowing her the option of pulling away, and then leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. “If I’m honest.”

  Jade let her eyelids close. The sensation of his lips against hers pushed away her dark thoughts.

  On Premye, their friendship had slowly bloomed into something more. Though Axel had declared his feelings for Jade more than four months ago, their relationship was still in its early stages. They’d grown more comfortable with each other, but at times, Jade felt as though something held him back from her.

  “There is that,” she replied as Axel’s hands travelled down her sides to the small of her back. He went to pull her closer and then looked down at the bow that Jade still clutched against her, heavy in her hand.

  He stepped away and pointed to the Zorman-tree.

  Jade shivered; the wind was now cold over her skin where Axel’s warmth had been. She squared her shoulders at her target again.

  Breathe.

  She felt the pressure of the bowstring, flexing the curved limbs of the bow, as she drew the arrow back. Zorman’s face, sneering at her again, appeared in the tree.

  “Foolish girl. Ungrateful. Naive.”

  Jade exhaled in a rush, loosing the arrow. Her eyes tracked it as it flew through the space between her and her enemy. It sailed past the Zorman-tree and disappeared into the foliage beyond.

  “Curse it,” Jade muttered to herself, instantly tense again.

  “You’re not lining up properly.” Axel stepped in besides her, hesitating a moment before he reached out. “You need to—”

  Overhead, a branch rustled. They both stiffened. Months ago, Jade wouldn’t have noticed, but she now knew the signs of the Premyans moving through the treetops like ghosts. She searched the ceiling of foliage and decided these Premyans were moving towards the new village, relocated away from the one that had been destroyed by Travellers. She could think of only one reason for their return.

  “Do you think…?”

  Axel nodded. His posture stiffened as his eyes searched the trees, as though he still expected danger behind every one.

  “If it’s them…” Jade quickly slung the bow across her back and then reached for Axel’s hand, trying to dispel the heavy tension settling over her. “Do you think they’ve found…?”

  “Only one way to find out.” His face was grim as he squeezed her hand and stretched out his wings. Together, they rose into the air and flew towards the village.

  * * *

  The whole village—about a hundred Premyan women in all—was crammed into the new temple by the time Jade and Axel landed and pushed through the door of the mud
-brick building. Jade blinked to adjust her eyes to the relative darkness inside the temple. She heard Loraya, the leader of the village of Premyan women, bring the impromptu meeting to a close.

  “Now, we pray,” Loraya said; it was more an order than an invitation.

  Jade looked sideways at Axel, raising her eyebrows in a question. He shrugged and then crossed his arms across his chest, watching as the gathered Premyans took turns to shuffle towards the altar, fall to their knees, and lean forward to touch their foreheads to the dirt floor.

  From the outside, the new temple was like the old one; it was a plain, squat building with a woven thatch roof. Unlike the old temple that had been burned to the ground by the invading Traveller Force a little over four months before, the interior of the new temple was also plain. The beautiful carvings and tapestries that had decorated the old walls had turned to char in the fire. The altar was the only part of the original temple that had survived—a slab of stone, raised from the floor, with three depressions carved into it. Each depression contained a bed of glowing coals and one of the Three—a red Eigot, a yellow Eigot or DivineOne, the infant Dragon-God who had hatched from the blue Eigot. Jade had only ever seen two of the depressions occupied at one time. In the ruined temple, she’d only seen the blue Dragon-God and the yellow Eigot. Now all Jade could see was a splash of red and of yellow amongst the burning coals.

  Jade stepped aside for the other Premyans who were now leaving. She watched their fingers flicking in silent conversations that she didn’t understand. Though she’d spent four months with these people, she knew little more than a few greetings in the finger-speech. Even then, her fingers felt slow and heavy when she attempted it.

  Across the room, a set of lopsided wings and a long blonde braid caught Jade’s attention. She raised a hand to wave to Neve, her childhood friend and the healer who had accompanied the Traveller Force to Premye on Operation Grave Insult. Neve had risked everything by leaving her post to warn Jade and the Premyan village of the imminent Traveller Force attack that had devastated the previous village. Neve didn’t see Jade as she had turned to face Terana, taking both of Terana’s hands in her own.