Genre: YA Fantasy
Now with all new scenes!
Watch steampunk technology and high fantasy witchcraft clash in this heroine’s fast-paced, epic journey to rescue her father and reveal the secrets of the noble court.
On the run from the royal army in a giant mechanical centipede, sixteen-year-old Jade Sol embarks on a dangerous adventure to help her father escape from the Isle of Dragons—a land of untamed magic that some believe only exists in myth.
When Jade is cornered by soldiers, a mysterious witch named Miria Atkins rescues her, calling on ancient spirits from a magical realm to channel their mystical energy into light and matter. Jade begs Miria and the sorceress’s mechanist brother, Dan, to join her quest. The siblings resist at first, but their hearts soften when they hear of her father’s fate. Their own parents had attempted an expedition from Vansh to the Isle of Dragons years ago and never returned. Together, the trio journey across the feudal countryside and trek across the sea, uncovering hidden truths about themselves along the way. Die-hard readers of Angelique S. Anderson’s Dracosinum Tales and Jessica Drake’s Dragon Riders of Elantia series will find L. A. Thompson’s writing magnetic, impassioned, and clever in this novel’s twisting plot. The first in a trilogy. Click “Add to Cart” to join the action.
Excerpt
Toolbox in hand, she hurried back out to the machine’s side and flipped open a panel, waving off the steam emitting from the circuitry. Jade jerked her head in the direction of the rapidly encroaching tank. Steadying her breathing, she set down the toolbox. No time to tinker with it, Jade thought. She crossed her arms and held her palms upward, as if drawing energy into them. She closed her eyes and clapped her hands onto the machine. She opened her eyes. Nothing. Her hands fell to the side. She took a deep breath to steady her frayed nerves, blocking out the sounds around her. Jade crossed her wrists and once again clapped her hands onto the cold metal. A pale blue light ignited around her hands and flowed into the mechanisms. With a click and a whir, the machine roared back to life and became invisible once more.
Jade smiled with relief and triumph. She took several heavy breaths from the physical toll the magic had taken on her body. She closed the box and clambered back inside the metal beast’s mouth, throwing the toolbox beside her before snapping the centipede’s mouth shut with the flick of a switch. The centipede crept away from the forest floor and into the underbrush as the tank intruded on her location.
It ground to a halt, and the hatch cracked open. A dozen soldiers in white uniforms pounced from the machine, their heavy boots crunching against the snow.
A freckled woman of imposing height strode to the front, the gold insignia of a captain pinned to her cloak. Although Kaylen was only a few years older than Jade, she carried herself with an authority well beyond her years. She sniffed the chilled air irritably, surveying the landscape with a stern and piercing gaze.
“Page,” Kaylen barked. A teenage boy scurried to her side. “Are you sure you sighted her?”
“The reports said that a centipede patrol pod was spotted around these parts,” he said.
“All right, spread out and scour the forest,” Kaylen ordered. “We need to get her back to the capital as soon as we can.” The party split into groups and began their search.
Kaylen marched by the centipede’s round, eye-shaped windows. Jade shifted backward, the click of metal centipede legs whirring softly.
“Come out, Jade. There’s nothing you can do for your father now. Come home and all will be forgiven.”
Jade rolled her eyes. She drew her pod back farther, but a furious tapping on the metal walls made her pause. A small yet strong creature crawled atop the machine. After a couple of rapid scratches, a panel flew off, causing the search party to turn their attention in Jade’s direction. A yellow dragon jumped from the machine and slithered out into the open. They jumped back in amazement. It was only slightly bigger than a rat with long reedy wings folded on its back. The creature hissed at the gathering, slinging its whiplike tail in their direction.
One teenage boy choked back a laugh. “That’s a dragon?”
The rest of the party laughed, too. “This thing’s nothing like the one back in the capital,” said another boy.
“That’s enough. Let me handle it,” said Kaylen. The woman removed her spear from her side satchel and flicked on a switch, making the tip sizzle with electricity. The dragon’s eyes widened in fear and alarm before it spit a tiny ball of flame onto Kaylen’s glove, causing the glove to ignite. She clapped it against her side to put it out.
The creature paused, turning its attention away from the gathering. A blue light shone through the trees as someone emerged from deep within the forest. A small and stout-figured young woman, around Jade’s age, held a pan flute to her lips, but there was no sound. The round gemstone that hung around her neck swung side to side in a gentle rhythm with every step she took, giving off a soft glow that radiated throughout the forest.
That soft, radiating glow emanated from her chest, and Jade gasped when she traced the source to a round gemstone swinging from the girl’s neck with every step she took through the tree line. Could it be the fabled stone? Could she be the one? Jade inched closer, mind racing with a half-formed plan.
The dragon stood still, entranced. The young woman waved her hand toward the forest, and the dragon promptly skittered back into the underbrush. She turned to the awestruck crowd while wearing a look of detached amusement.
“How did you do that? What is that?” asked the page.
While the boy gawked in confused wonder at the pan flute, Jade saw a light spark in Kaylen’s eyes.
“No need to thank me.” The young woman’s voice was as sharp as splintered wood. “This is a special flute that only dragons can hear. Tegu dragons are skittish but volatile things. You need to be cautious around them.”
“A fine necklace you have,” said Kaylen, eyes narrowed and shrewd. “What is the source of its glow?”
“Oh, this old thing?” the girl lifted the pendant on her palm. “Just a bit of sea glass, worth nothing but sentiment. I’d love to tell you the tale of it, but I was just passing through. I really must be going.” She gave a casual wave and turned to leave.
“It is magic. You’re a witch!” said Kaylen, her grip tightening on the crackling spear.
“Hardly,” the girl scoffed, turning back to them with a sigh. “That’s just a trick of the light, and the dragon?” She waggled the pan flute. “Just a simple trick I picked up.” She slid the instrument inside her robes.
Whispers of “magic” weaved through the party as they continued to eye her with suspicion.
“This is magic.” She crossed her arms and closed her palms, then opened them to reveal a lump of blue powder. She threw it to the ground, creating a puff of smoke that engulfed her. The group’s coughs and sputters were followed by mocking, disembodied laughter from the shaded depths of the forest.
