by Zara Quentin
Jade blinked and then leaned in to whisper in Axel’s ear. “Terana’s back.”
“Doesn’t bode well,” he replied. Jade couldn’t help but agree. Terana was the leader of the last search party the Premyans had sent out. Her group had roamed the farthest and been away the longest. If she’d returned now without…Jade couldn’t help but look towards the empty space on the altar.
“Neve will fill us in,” Jade said, starting to move towards her friend.
Neve stared so intently at Terana that she didn’t even notice Jade’s approach until Jade laid a hand on her shoulder. Neve startled and dropped Terana’s hands, stepping back to put some space between the two of them. Terana gave Jade a mildly annoyed look, flicked her fingers towards Neve, and walked away.
“How did you get so good at that?” Jade asked, watching Neve’s fingers make the patterns and shapes of the Premyan language.
Neve smiled and patted Jade’s arm. “Just practice. You should try it.”
“What happened?” Axel asked as he joined their huddle on the far side of the temple. They lowered their voices to a murmur as a sign of respect for the remaining Premyans who were now deep in prayer.
Neve’s face fell. “No sign of DivineOne,” she whispered. Jade looked at the empty space on the altar. The infant Dragon-God had disappeared during the fire. The Premyan’s first priority had been to find Him. They’d sent search parties in every direction, scouring the dense forests of Premye. They sent more people than they could spare, and the effort of rebuilding their homes and their village had been hampered because of it.
Now all the search parties had returned without Him.
“Not even a clue?” Jade asked. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach as she thought of DivineOne. He was a baby Dragon-God whose magic was locked inside Him but was vulnerable to exploitation by others.
Neve shook her head.
“Are they putting together another team?” Axel asked.
“I don’t know. Terana said they went south, around the coast, and up to the mountains. There was no sign of Him crossing the mountains.”
“He can’t have just disappeared,” Jade said. “What are they going to do?”
“Pray for guidance.” Neve patted Jade’s arm, giving her a small smile. “What else?”
“That doesn’t seem very proactive,” Jade started, but she was cut off by a sharp shriek. She whirled around to see one of the Premyans, who had been prostrate in front of the altar, clutch at her thigh as her back arched. Then an invisible force appeared to pull her ankle backwards and up, pitching her body forward, as a dribble of blood ran down the length of her thigh. The woman’s face twisted in anguish as her body contorted. Then she collapsed, unconscious, onto the floor.
* * *
Want to read on? Get SpiritWoman here!
Also by Zara Quentin
SpiritWoman
A missing dragon. A friend in mortal danger. A young woman’s cosmic quest to save them both…
Jade Gariq is wanted for treason. After narrowly escaping death at the hands of her uncle, she’s hiding in the Premyan jungle. Separated from her mother and brothers, at least she’s safe and alive—for now. But when a friend falls suddenly ill, and her fate is linked to the mysterious disappearance of a Dragon-God, Jade cannot hide any longer.
Sent beyond the Portal, Jade is not the only one searching for the Dragon-God. She faces invisible cities, a criminal underworld and an old enemy disguised as a friend. To make matters worse, she’s a wanted criminal with a reward out for her capture. It will take all of Jade’s determination to pursue her quest, but can she evade her enemies and find the Dragon-God before death claims her friend?
SpiritWoman is the second book in the Airwoman series of high-flying YA fantasy novels set in a stunning new Dragonverse. If you like fascinating worlds, memorable characters, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Zara Quentin’s next action-packed adventure.
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About Zara Quentin
Zara Quentin is the author of Airwoman, the first book in the Airwoman series. She was raised in Adelaide, Australia, with her parents and one younger sister. Zara grew up with a strong sense of adventure, which she inherited from her parents, who took her and her sister on several overseas trips to the United States, Europe, and Asia.
She also inherited a love of reading from her mother. Throughout her childhood she explored fictional places through books, and in particular, through fantasy novels. She’d turn the black and white text on the page into the colourful worlds of her imagination.
After graduating from high school, Zara studied at the University of Adelaide and has lived in France, London, and Auckland, New Zealand. She is always determined to fit in as much travel as possible, spending time in Europe, the United States, southern Africa, Morocco, Peru, the Pacific and south-east Asia.
Zara now resides in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children. She is currently working on the next instalment in the Airwoman series.
