Chapter 1

Putting on her glasses, Neviah pushed the heavy covers off, swung her feet to the wooden floor, and stood. The room was dark, with slatted shutters blocking out most of the morning light. The narrow rays leaking through revealed walls and ceiling made from the same wood slats as the floor. Simple furniture was scattered around the place. Everything smelled like herbs.

The home, which also served as an apothecary and recovery ward, belonged to a widow named Elna. The woman had taken care of Neviah from the day she arrived in Uru, the capital city of Moriah, the largest of the northern kingdoms. Neviah and Adhira had spent several weeks in Sarepta before joining a caravan traveling to the capital.

She was told they were hundreds of miles from Chaldea, where they’d battled with an army of corpses indwelt by Lesser Shayatin and controlled by Ba’altose, the King of the Undead. Months in the past, it all seemed like a distant nightmare.

Walking over to the heavy front door, she grabbed the handle and took a deep breath. The breath wasn’t to test her ribs, which had been cracked in their final skirmish with the undead king, but to steady her for what she knew was on the other side. She opened the door and couldn’t keep her eyes from drifting up. A mile above the city floated Alya. It was an enormous spherical landmass, like a small moon that had gotten way too close to its planet. Alya’s surface was covered in thick forests and rivers. Though everything seemed upside down from her perspective, Neviah suspected the water was held in place by the land’s own gravity. It was its own world, held in place by an enormous chain connecting Alya to somewhere at the center of Uru. The entire scene was dizzying yet breathtakingly beautiful. She couldn’t help the death grip she had on the door frame.

Alya was home to the Chayyoth, the flying creatures who’d saved them from Chaldea. She remembered nothing from the flight but was told the Chayyoth had somehow known they were in trouble. She could see a few of the lion-like Chayyoth flying around, though they rarely came down to Uru. The humans did not interact much with their flying neighbors, though they were said to be allies. Turning back to the room, she grabbed her coat, shoes, and a simple-looking book titled Prophecies before stepping out into the cool morning air. She closed the door behind her and took a seat on the steps.

The city was mostly quiet. She halfway expected to hear car horns blaring in the distance but knew that sound was likely gone forever. Earth itself felt like a distant memory, a dream even, since appearing in that strange new world. The sun was up and hung between the horizon and the landmass above. The blue planet, Colossus, wasn’t viewable from her position, but its golden rings extended far to the east. She wondered at it all, unable to keep herself from marveling at its beauty.

Opening her book of prophecies, a gift from Re’u, a man she’d never met who’d somehow saved their lives before bringing them to that world, she read through a few of the prophecies. More and more, the strange words made sense to her. Out of the four of them who’d come from Earth, she seemed to have the greatest understanding of the book. Along with Prophecies, Re’u had given each of the four of them a gift, which was a unique and extraordinary ability. Her gift gave her the ability to see the future, part of which allowed her to decipher the meanings within the book of prophecies.

A smile came to her face when she read, “They shall mount up onto wings to soar as the birds do.” The words were often beautifully written, almost poetic at times.

The smile faded as the interpretation came to her. There was flying in their future. The day before, she’d climbed a stepping stool to grab a jar from the top shelf in the apothecary’s house and became frozen with fear after looking down. How could she possibly fly with such a crippling fear of heights? She took a steadying breath.

“It’s okay,” she told herself. The prophecy could have been fulfilled when she was flown unconscious from Chaldea to Moriah. Or maybe the prophecy wouldn’t be fulfilled for years.

At that exact moment, she spotted a lone Chayya walking down the cobblestone street toward her. The creature was male, evidenced by the thick mane, like a lion’s, around his neck and flowing around his shoulders. His mane was entirely white, shining like silver in the morning light. It was strange enough seeing a Chayya in that part of the city but even more so to see one strolling about instead of flying.

As he drew closer, she saw why he didn’t fly. One of his wings was gone completely, replaced by an ugly white scar, and the other was half missing. His face showed many more old wounds, with a long scar passing across his snout. He strode forward with heavily muscled legs and shoulders, more so than the other Chayyoth she’d seen. There was a sinking feeling in her gut he was coming to talk to her. She was right.

The Chayya walked up the hill to stand before the stairs where she sat. “I was told you were the leader of the Sword Wielders,” he said in a powerfully deep voice. It was the first time she’d been called a Sword Wielder.

“We have no leader. Not really.”

“Very well,” he said without any change to his expression. “I am Corban, professor and schoolmaster at the School of Flight.” Neviah thought it ironic that a flightless Chayya taught flying, though she would never say so in front of the large creature.

“Hello, Corban. I’m Neviah. What can I do for you?”

“I have come to invite the four of you to the opening ceremonies tomorrow.”

“Ceremonies?”

He showed a little emotion then: surprise. “Once a year, we accept new students to the School of Flight and the School of Soldiering. Each candidate will be tested and evaluated before admittance is granted.”

Variations of the word “fly” had become far too common for her liking. “We don’t have any training in such things,” she said, trying to find a way out.

“That is preferred. It is always more difficult to re-train a recruit. We will be evaluating candidates based on potential, not experience.”

“Oh.”

“Will you be attending?”

“I don’t know. I have to talk to the others.”

“Understood. I should tell you that I am also a prophet of Re’u, just as I’ve been told you are. I have seen you in a dream, riding on the back of a Chayya. If you apply to the academy, I am positive you will be accepted.”

She immediately knew his words to be true, with the kind of certainty that only came when her gift revealed something to her. She would be riding a Chayya by the end of the next day. It was an unavoidable event.

“Thank you,” she managed with her suddenly dry mouth. “I’ll let the others know.”

“Tomorrow then,” he said with a respectful nod and left, walking with his head high. She noticed another scar down the side of his front left shoulder. It must have been some battle.

Swallowing the panic welling up inside of her, she closed her book of prophecies and went back inside to put it into her backpack before finishing her morning routine. With shaky hands, she squeezed the smallest drop of toothpaste onto her aging toothbrush before putting the tube away. It had lasted her nearly a year, but it was almost out. When she was done prepping, she wrote a quick note to Elna, explaining where she was going, grabbed her backpack, and left. Elna, the herbalist/apothecary/doctor, was still asleep in the other room. The woman kept late hours with house calls.

First, Neviah stopped by the house where her friend Victoria was staying, a tall stucco building like many of the city’s structures. Elna’s wooden house was one of the few exceptions. Neviah opened the door and peeked in. It still felt strange opening people’s doors without knocking but the culture of these people held that it was rude to knock.

The third time she’d come over, the woman of the house had said to Neviah, “Why do you keep knocking? You don’t know if there is a baby sleeping or not. Besides, if we didn’t want anyone coming in, the door would be latched.” With so little crime in the city, people only locked their doors when they weren’t home or when they didn’t want company.

Victoria was sitting at the table with the home’s two parents and three pre-teen daughters. Her fair skin made her stand out from the dark-skinned family. Victoria’s hair was put up in a perfect golden bun. The girls loved playing with her hair. Their own was black, like Neviah’s, so the novelty of blond hair intrigued them.

“Can I borrow Victoria from you?” Neviah asked politely.

“Certainly,” the mother said, shooing off one of the daughters who was incessantly stroking the blond hair. Victoria grabbed her backpack and was out the door in seconds.

“What are you in a hurry for?” Neviah laughed when they were away from the house. “Don’t you want to see what your next hairdo will be?”

Victoria widened her eyes in horror and slowly shook her head.

“Have you read anything interesting in your book of prophecies lately?” Neviah asked as they turned down the street where Adhira was staying. The homes looked the same, but the street transitioned from rough cobblestones to smooth bricks, showing a slight rise in wealth for the area’s occupants, though the citizens as a whole were quite wealthy. Victoria shrugged and nodded but didn’t say anything. Neviah was determined to get the girl to open up more.

When they came to Adhira’s door, he was just walking out. “Good morning, ladies,” he said with a cocky grin, attempting to smolder his eyes. They ignored him and kept walking. “Do we get to take Asa with us today?” he asked, obviously annoyed at having to ask his question. His gift from Re’u was the ability to always see the immediate future.

Neviah had decided she would wait to answer any questions he asked so he would be forced to hold any conversation in real time. His continually seeing fifteen seconds into the future was super annoying.

“Maybe,” she said, stringing him along.

“Well, what’s up? Where are we off to?” he finally asked.

She counted down to zero before saying, “To see Asa, of course. I have news that affects all four of us, so I’ll tell you when we’re all together. Victoria, can you lead the way?”

He harrumphed but didn’t say anything. He was so used to seeing into the immediate future that it annoyed him not to know her responses ahead of time. She would have to use the waiting strategy more often.

When they arrived at Asa’s door, as per custom, they opened it and walked in. The owner was a baker, and he and his family had likely already been at the shop for hours. Asa was sitting on the floor stretching.

“Oh, hi, guys,” he said after a quick glance. Neviah made it a point not to look at his limp when he stood and walked over to them. His knee had been badly dislocated in the fight with Ba’altose, some ligaments partially severed, whatever that meant. He also couldn’t lift his right arm above his shoulder without pain. Neither she nor Asa had been in good shape after their fight with Ba’altose, the King of the Undead. Adhira and Victoria were the only ones who escaped unscathed.

Her injuries had been serious but not as bad as his, keeping her bedridden for nearly a week because of swelling around her spine. It had been frustrating. Asa could have healed her with a touch, his gift from Re’u, but the doctors in Sarepta refused to allow her to travel to Uru until she felt better. Oddly enough, her injuries should have kept her bedridden longer, but the Moriahns had access to the waters of Alya, which had amazing regenerative properties. Adhira had stayed with her in Sarepta until they traveled to join Asa and Victoria in the capital.

“What are you up to?” Asa asked.

“I’ve got a few things to run by you three and thought we could go up to the wall,” she said.

“The wall?” Asa asked. “Are you sure?”

“I’ll make it up this time,” she assured him.

“Sounds great,” he said but looked at her sideways before limping over to a coat rack to grab his coat. “Did you overcome your fear of heights?”

“Not even close,” she said. “But I’m tired of being afraid.” Thoughts of her riding on the back of a Chayya crept in, but she pushed them away.

After moving a few books off a chair, he found his backpack and stuffed his book of prophecies inside. The room was filled with so many borrowed books there was no way Asa would remember who they all belonged to. After locking the door behind them, they were off.

“What’s the news?” Asa asked from beside her.

“Have you guys heard of the School of Flight or the School of Soldiering?”

Asa nodded. “I’ve heard of them. Tomorrow, they’ll be accepting new admissions.” He’d been spending a good bit of time with Rafal, the Chayya he’d saved and who subsequently helped save them. It was likely Asa knew more than Neviah did about the event.

“Well, we’ll be part of the new admissions,” she said.

“According to the rules of recruitment, they accept very few outsiders,” Asa said. “You might blend in with your dark skin, Neviah, but the three of us will stand out.”

Ever since they arrived in that world, Neviah had felt like an outsider. Everyone they’d met, aside from the scaley Shedim, was fair-skinned. The roles had reversed, and now she fit in, and her friends stood out. Race wasn’t a big deal to her, but she still found herself comforted to feel like she blended in somewhere.

“The Chayyoth don’t view us as outsiders,” Adhira added to the conversation. “They think there’s something special about us. And besides, we defeated the Army of the Undead. That has to count for something.”

“Most people don’t know that,” Neviah pointed out. Asa had been the one to kill Ba’altose, but Tanas was the one many believed killed him.

The city wall came into view, rising above the three-story buildings around them. The wall was older than the gray stone buildings next to it, having been made from some type of sandstone.

“I’m guessing you’re going for the School of Soldiering,” Asa said to Neviah. “You know, with the whole dislike of heights and all.” Saying “dislike” was the understatement of the year.

“Unfortunately, no,” she said, shaking her head. “There is flying in my future.” Actually, there was a Chayya in her future, but that likely meant flight. Unless she found a way to ride a Chayya without actually flying. She let the thought linger.

“That’s something I would pay to see,” Adhira said with a smirk. “Neviah, flying, the girl who would rather face death than heights, actually flying.”

“What do we have to do?” Victoria squeaked from the back.

“I don’t know,” Neviah admitted. “Have you learned anything, Asa?”

“The School of Soldiering simply has some of their top graduates fight the new recruits with practice swords. They won’t really be trying to hit us or anything. It’s just to test reflexes, agility, listening skills, and stuff. The School of Flight has a different test every year and only the schoolmaster knows what the criteria are. If the blade master is there, he may be looking for a new pupil.”

“What’s a blade master?” Neviah asked.

“He’s the best swordsman in the country. Blade masters only train one recruit at a time, who sometimes end up becoming the next blade master.” Asa did know a lot.

“Is it possible to be a member of both schools?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Just one. If we get accepted to both, we get to pick which one we want. The School of Flight is on Alya.” He pointed to the floating country above. “The School of Soldiering is here in the city.”

“What if we get accepted to different schools?” Victoria asked, the question undoubtedly aimed at Asa. Asa looked at her for a moment.

Neviah glanced at Adhira, who clasped his hands by his cheeks and fluttered his eyes. Asa and Victoria were cute and completely clueless.

“That won’t happen,” Asa said confidently.

“And even if it did happen,” Adhira added. “Whoever is in the School of Flight can fly to visit whoever is in the School of Soldiering.”

That seemed to comfort Victoria since she slowed her pace to take up the rear again. They came to a tower built into the fifty-foot walls, which circled around the large city, even on the side that bordered the ocean. They ascended the spiraled staircase that wound around the interior of the tower. Even though they were protected by walls on all sides and the stone provided no view of the outside world, Neviah felt the blood quicken in her veins the higher they went. She counted it as a small victory every time she took a step. When they came to the top, she made it a point not to look over the four-foot barrier that traveled along the top of the wall.

The wall was wide enough for five men to walk abreast, and the walkway gave them plenty of room to spread out. Asa and Adhira sat in a couple of the rectangular groves built into the parapet. Neviah and Victoria sat on the stone walkway, far from either edge.

“Now that Ba’altose is dead, and I’m mobile again,” Asa said, “have you had any prophecies or heard anything from Re’u about our purpose here?”

“Do you remember when we first came to this world and I said there was a danger looming to the east?” They nodded. “Well, the danger feeling went away when we defeated Ba’altose. It’s back. I feel a darkness to the east. It’s growing stronger every day.”

“I’m guessing the schools aren’t for recreational purposes,” Asa stated.

“Re’u is definitely preparing us for something.”

Asa sighed and looked over the wall at the view Neviah couldn’t see from her seat. “I guess nothing could be as bad as fighting an army of undead soldiers.” He paused and quickly turned his head back toward Neviah. “Unless Tanas comes here. And if Tanas comes, he will likely bring dragons with him.” Asa had just voiced one of her greatest fears.

“That would make for an interesting day,” Adhira said.

“Have you flown with Rafal yet?” Neviah asked to change the subject somewhat.

Asa shook his head. “It is forbidden for a Chayya to carry a human before they are bonded and trained. Emergencies, like ours in Chaldea, are the exception.”

“Bonded?” Neviah asked.

“When a human is accepted to the School of Flight, they must choose a Chayya, and they are bound to each other for life.”

“If I’d known I was getting married tomorrow, I’d have rented a tux,” Adhira said with a laugh.

“You joke, but the edict makes it sound very similar to a marriage,” Asa said. “Just not romantic in any way.”

“Have you read all the rules?” Neviah asked Asa.

“Pretty much. Rafal let me see the scroll they are written on.”

A soldier in hardened leather armor walked behind them on his patrol. He smiled and nodded his head in greeting before continuing on.

“How much time is there between choosing a Chayya and the first flying lesson?” she asked. Neviah wanted to smack Adhira’s smirk off his face.

“Putting it off as long as possible, are we?” he said. “If there’s a loophole, Neviah will find it.”

Asa did a decent job not smiling at Adhira’s jibe. “I don’t know when the first lesson is, but the school is on Alya. We have to get there somehow.”

As if she was expecting it to fall on her, Neviah ducked her head and looked up at the massive landmass above her. It was more than intimidating to think about. The sun had risen higher and was behind Alya. The city of Uru dwelt in the shade for the greater part of every day. It was a great city to live in during the summertime, which it was.

She was thinking about how she would get the nerve to fly when she felt a hand on hers. Victoria smiled at her reassuringly. Neviah squeezed the other girl’s hand to say thank you.

She still felt a pang of guilt when she remembered their escape from Nebo’s prison. Even though her friends were depending on her in a life-or-death situation, she couldn’t make herself face her fear of heights. Next time, she would have to face her fears. She told herself the following day was still a long time away. But it wasn’t.