by Elise Kova
Release Date: February 11th 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
A woman awoken in air, a soldier forged by fire, a weapon risen from blood.
Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she has steeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.
Book Three of the Air Awakens Series
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Previous books in the series (click on images for Goodreads links):
Vhalla snapped the reins
and dug her heels into Baston’s sides, forcing him into an all-out run.
From above, she heard the shouts of her waking enemy.
Thick and
melodic calls erupted in the night, a language completely foreign to
Vhalla’s ears. She didn’t have to know the words to know they weren’t
friendly, so Vhalla pushed harder, pressing herself to Baston. Vhalla
took a breath as she heard arrows being knocked overhead.
The
sound of bowstrings being drawn in mass made gooseflesh dot her arms.
Another shout, a single word and arrows cut through the air, determined
to rain death around
her. Even if Vhalla was certain her
chainmail would shield her, the horse was completely unarmored; if
Baston died, she was as good as dead. Vhalla twisted in her saddle,
sweeping a hand through the air. The curtain of wind sent the arrows
scattering harmlessly.
They shouted in protest, angst-ridden that she continued on unscathed.
The
second assault came faster and hastened Vhalla’s mounting frustration.
She had to be out of their range soon. More lights began to blaze above
and behind her, casting the ground below in a faint glow. The light
illuminated the edge of the city, and Vhalla was forced to stake her
life on the hope that once she was out they wouldn’t catch her.
The
arrows soared through the air once more and Vhalla twisted, knocking
them away in mass. She expected to hear a cry for a third assault, but
instead what she heard was even more disheartening. Two words that
someone said in a thick Southern Common.
“Wind Demon!”
She became their prey. The sound of thundering hooves came from the direction of where the city first began.
Vhalla
crossed under the edge of the city, plunging into the welcoming
darkness. Had it been a day ago, Vhalla would not have given those
riders a moment’s worry. Baston would outrun any normal horse, plus with
her wind he was faster than thunder across the sky. But Baston had been
ridden hard with only a brief rest.
Vhalla shifted her vision and peered over her shoulder. In the distance she saw them, riding relentlessly after her.
Sweating,
panting, clutching the reins with white knuckles, Vhalla pushed all her
energy into the wind at Baston’s and her back. More—they both had to
give more. In her blind determination she almost missed the whiz of an
arrow through the air.
Vhalla thrust out her arm and stopped the
arrow midflight. She closed her fist and threw her arm backwards. The
arrow turned and sped back at its original owner. Vhalla watched it soar
straight into the Northerner’s eye, the one she pointed a finger at.
The man slumped, and then fell off his saddle. She swallowed hard,
looking away as the others’ cries grew louder.
Eyes, she would
always go for the eyes. Whether someone was or wasn’t a Groundbreaker
with stone-like skin was a risk she couldn’t take; she wouldn’t have
many shots. Another archer held his bow, waiting for a different
opportunity to take his chance.
Baston was already breathing
heavy, and Vhalla knew she had to get them off her tail. The four riders
behind her rode on fresh mounts and had the advantage of their night’s
worth of sleep. Vhalla turned and pointed a finger. Sweeping her hand
upward, an arrow freed itself from the other archer’s quiver. With a
twist of her wrist, and the keen focus of a killer, Vhalla sent it into
the unsuspecting Northerner’s eye.
One of the remaining two
riders fell away as they swerved through the trees, his companion
pushing forward. As the man swung wide, Vhalla realized they were trying
to flank her. Vhalla grabbed for the dagger strapped to her wrist,
sending it straight for his eye.
In the process, the woman rider
had caught up with Baston, raising a wickedly curved blade toward his
haunches. Vhalla threw out her other arm, sending the rider toppling
head over heels. It wasn’t chance that the assailant’s blade slit her
wielder’s throat in the fall.
Vhalla held out an expectant palm, her own dagger returning to it after a moment.
Wiping
the blood on her thigh, she quickly sheathed it against her wrist
before grabbing the reins once more. Vhalla swallowed a cry for speed;
shouting at the horse would not make it go faster. It would only further
compromise her position.
Vhalla pressed her lips together,
forcing herself to keep her composure. It was not the first person she
had killed. She had killed on the Night of Fire and Wind, she had killed
the man who had murdered Larel, and she had killed with her bare hands
at the Pass. What had sunk deep into her bones was the acceptance of
what she must do. It was knowing she had become a killer. It was how
easy it was for her to slay her foes without even thinking of each of
them as a whole person that showed Vhalla she’d gone far down a path
she’d never wanted. They were entities, enemies, barriers, but they
weren’t human.
Distracted by her inner conflict, Vhalla was
caught completely off-guard by the first assault coming from the trees. A
Groundbreaker swung down from the air, bringing his
sword
against the back of her head. Vhalla attempted to dodge at the last
second, but it was too late. The blade slipped off her chainmail but it
left her vision blurred and her ears ringing.
She blinked, trying
to sort her senses as she pushed Baston onward, putting the assailant
behind them. Groundbreakers jumped from limb to limb in the trees above
her—free and fearless. Vines came to life to meet their extended hands,
allowing them to soar through the air. With a twist or a tug, their
lifeline shrunk back, curling around branches to pull them upward.
She
wanted to feel amazed; perhaps she would have, if these people weren’t
out to kill her. Another swung low, and Vhalla dropped off to the side
of the saddle to dodge. Righting herself, Vhalla redrew her dagger in
one quick motion as a third swung forward to attack. She sent the blade
soaring through the vine the Groundbreaker held.
The man fell through the sky; Vhalla’s mind betrayed her, showing a different body plummeting through the air.
With
a growl, she turned her blade to the next Northerner she saw, relying
on the same tactic. She would show them why one did not hang above the
head of the Windwalker. The other body fell with a sickening thud, and
Vhalla left them behind her. With a twitch of her wrist, her blade
returned to her hand.
Baston’s pace had slowed, and Vhalla
snapped his reins again. This was the first time the beast did not heed
her command, and she felt uneasiness settle across her.
Five
Northerners still jumped from tree to tree overhead as dawn began to
fade into early morning. Vhalla wondered if they were biding their time
for rider and mount to tire. If she were they, she’d do the same thing.
Baston’s sides heaved with exhaustion.
Their presence began to
wear on Vhalla, and she watched them with bated breath, waiting for the
next assault. Another hour passed and Baston slowed to a trot; she
expected this to be the moment they attacked. But the Northerners held
fast, following from welcoming branch to welcoming branch, each bent to
meet their feet and hands.
They were toying with her, like cats with a mouse.
Isn't this amazing? I've been waiting so long for the next ook and I hope to solve the horrible ending of the previous one!
And don't miss the amazing book playlist Elise Kova has prepared for her fans!!!
About the Author
Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she's honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy to romance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.
Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she's currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of "geekdom." She loves talking with fans on Twitter (@EliseKova) and Facebook (/AuthorEliseKova). Visit her website, EliseKova.com/, for news and extras about her books!
Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she's currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of "geekdom." She loves talking with fans on Twitter (@EliseKova) and Facebook (/AuthorEliseKova). Visit her website, EliseKova.com/, for news and extras about her books!
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