For fans of The Last Airbender and Air Awakens comes an exciting new fantasy infused with magic and romance. A young woman with Mage powers finds herself alone as she combats a secret organization of Mages attempting to conquer the land. When a prince steals her heart, the stakes grow higher and her desperation to keep him safe threatens her own life.
Alisio Skylor, an Air Mage, has known about the âSocietyâ for years and their attempts to control all elemental races. The problem is, she cannot stop them on her own. Using a disguise she spends her nights flying on rooftops, protecting a prince from an unseen enemy inside his court, and hoping that he can alter the balance of power.
Prince Esko has been blessed with a mysterious masked Mage, whoâs rescued him on multiple occasions. After various clandestine meetings, he comes to terms with a threat within his government and his growing feelings for his rescuer. A royal, however, isnât allowed to marry a commoner, especially one with a controversial background.
For fans of The Last Airbender and Air Awakens comes an exciting new fantasy infused with magic and romance. A young woman with Mage powers finds herself alone as she combats a secret organization of Mages attempting to conquer the land. When a prince steals her heart, the stakes grow higher and her desperation to keep him safe threatens her own life.
Alisio Skylor, an Air Mage, has known about the âSocietyâ for years and their attempts to control all elemental races. The problem is, she cannot stop them on her own. Using a disguise she spends her nights flying on rooftops, protecting a prince from an unseen enemy inside his court, and hoping that he can alter the balance of power.
Prince Esko has been blessed with a mysterious masked Mage, whoâs rescued him on multiple occasions. After various clandestine meetings, he comes to terms with a threat within his government and his growing feelings for his rescuer. A royal, however, isnât allowed to marry a commoner, especially one with a controversial background.
It started with the small towns that voted themselves into slavery. The Society preyed on the goodwill of the people and their desires to put an end to hardships, inequality, and division. Little did the people know that what they were voting for was all a deception. What looked good on paper didnât always translate when put into practice.
***
Wind swirled around me and lifted my body into the air. I spun like a tornado three stories up before softly landing on the sandstone rooftop like a graceful butterfly. Two Elite Squallers from the Air Force patrolled two buildings over; their heads bobbed up and down as they leapt over chimneys and ridges until out of sight.
I started imagining how sophisticated and commanding itâd feel one of those beige Squaller uniforms with winged brevetsâ
I snapped out of the daydream. That path is no longer for me. Focus on my mission!
My Zephyr didnât sense anyone else nearby as it swept through my surroundings, except the soft glow of the moon, a natural breeze, and an owl that hooted from a nearby tree. The Squallers werenât even scanning this area with their Zephyrs; otherwise, I wouldâve picked up on their powers.
Tsk, tsk. Whatâs the point of hiring Squallers to protect the Capitol if they leave so many sections unprotected?
I would never make such a mistake! They had multiple members on patrol and shouldâve been scanning all areas. Someone like me wouldâve risen quickly in Squaller ranks ⌠if I couldâve become one.
Making horizontal bounds, I Air Hopped along, not jumping high enough to catch the attention of the watchtower.
Cers said he would âmeet the others in the domed room at midnight,â an arrangement Iâd overheard him make after stalking him for days. This was a perfect opportunity to gather the information I needed to expose the Wolkarian Society and save other elementals from their plans.
I scanned the premises again and spotted a spherical glass rooftop reflecting the moonlight. That must be it.
The tickle of the cool night air on my bare arms soothed my nerves as I stealthily made my way over. The pleasant breeze was needed to ease the anxious storm within. One small error and my life could be in danger.
Once I reached the âdomed room,â my forehead pressed against the glass skylights. There was no need to scan the building with my Zephyr, as the individuals Iâd come to spy on were already inside, three stories below.
The Earth Mage had the heaviest steps pounding against the polished granite floors; I could hear her soon after her scent of fresh-cut grass tickled my nose. If the conditions were right, I could detect even the subtlest of odors, but so could the Air Mage who accompanied her, a man with a very familiar and repulsive body odor like molding tumbleweeds: Cers.
The pain came flooding back to me at the mere scent of this man. My eyes stung as tears threatened to overpower me.
Cers, a high-level official in the Society.
Cers, the man responsible for my parentsâ deaths last week.
One tear escaped my eye. The pain of loss was still fresh in my conscience. But I held the rest inside for later.
Control emotions. Pay attention to their conversation. Safely make it in and out. I sniffled.
A few deep breaths helped recenter my mind.
A new scent approached the two individuals, that of saltwater and cold rain. A sickening feeling ran through my stomach. It took a dozen Air Mages, each manifesting the strongest wind possible, to curtail a Tidal Wave from a single Water Mage. Such was the natural order of things.
Water overpowered Air.
Air controlled Fire.
Fire burned Earth.
Earth contained Water.
Perhaps I made a bad decision by coming here tonight.
âAh, here she is. Welcome, Aqora Polyna.â I heard the devious smile in Cersâs voice as he greeted the approaching Water Mage. He didnât have an ounce of fear; in fact, the Air Mageâs casual tone indicated that he knew he was in charge and the other two should bow down to him.
âNo Fire?â the Water Mage sneered. In the next moment, she shouted, âYou said weâd all be here! Isnât that the point of dragging ourselves all the way to Brisote when we couldâve met in Eden?â
âStop being melodramatic, Aqora,â the Earth Mage scoffed. The moonlight cascaded across her face, giving me an image to ingrain in my memory. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, a wide chin, and high cheekbones. Iâd identify and expose every one of them!
A pool of swirling water began to form at the base of Aqoraâs feet as she prepared to fight, which drew a chuckle from the nonchalant Earth Mage, whatever her name was. âWhat are you going to do with that?â the Earth Mage asked, unafraid. âUnless youâre hoping to be confined to a water container until dawn if you dare touch me.â
Aqora grunted and sucked the water back up.
âYou Water elementals always overreact.â
The Water clenched her fists but stood down.
âThe Fire Republicâs governor didnât learn his lesson the last three times.â Cers spoke as if the thought amused him. Or perhaps he enjoyed the other nations fighting. âTheyâve burrowed further into their obsidian towers. As if itâll protect them from whatâs coming. He has a plan for the governor of Helios if he doesnât cooperate with our new demands. Theyâll be our little sacrifice. After last night, heâs officially put both of you in charge of the Wolkarians in your nations. This comes with great responsibility, so I hope you take it seriously.â
I wasnât certain who the âheâ in question was. Was it the prime minister of the Air Federation or the Earth Queendom? Or perhaps it was a coded reference to a high-level official of the Water Alliance? But men werenât allowed such prestigious positions in Water. And who was the prime minister of the Earth Queendom again? My focus in school wasnât on foreign affairs.
âYet you think youâre in charge of us?â Aqora crossed her arms.
âI am in charge of you. Come, I donât want to be here all night.â He walked inside another room with the Earth Mage in tow.
âAir in charge of me. Never!â Aqora grumbled under her breath, but she reluctantly stomped inside. Her fists turned white at her sides.
I pulled myself up and Air Hopped over the entire glassed area in one graceful leap. My feet landed so lightly that if the roof were a pond, not a ripple would be seen. I peered over the edge, hoping to find an entrance or window open on the other side. I technically couldnât flyâalthough I often called it thatâsince gravity always brought me down. I was Air Hopping; nevertheless, the most talented of Mages could reach the height of five stories before gently drifting down like a feather, which seemed like flying to me. In my wildest fantasies, I was one with the sky. A cumulus puff floating across the summit of Mount Aeolis.
Focus. My brainy Air mind was in the clouds again.
I saw an open window on the north wall of the room that the group just entered, but the Air Mage would pick up on my scent from that position. There was only one way I could listen in on their conversation without detection.
Every skylight above the domed room opened for citizens to Hop in and out. Going through the roof had been one of my favorite methods to go to and from school, starting and ending my day with fresh air. But all of that was stripped from me with the deaths of my parents and the shame upon my family name. Now, I wouldnât dare show myself in public since the ridicule had become too intense. I wouldnât finish my final year of schoolâfirst in my class, set to graduate summa cum laude. Iâd never rise to the ranks of the Elite Squall and protect our people from criminals, not that I wanted to become a Squaller after learning that they were controlled by the largest criminal organization in history. Once one individual from within the Society infiltrated the highest ranks of another organization, theyâd start hiring their own into other roles until it was entirely compromised.
My eyes pressed shut as I forced the emotions down, remembering everything Iâd lost. Not here. Wait until you return home to process everything.
Sweat dribbled down my hands as I opened the latch, afraid of getting caught inside. Then I considered whether to leave the window open or closed. Open or closed?
If I close it, it will make escaping more difficult. If I leave it open, a Squaller might notice.
My feet teeter-tottered from one to the other.
Iâll leave it open and Hop out when I hear Cers wrapping up their meeting. It was better not to risk getting caught inside with a Water present.
My blonde braid whipped behind me as I floated onto the marble floor, landing softly and soundlessly on my toes. I might not have been the fastest Tornado Launcher, the most powerful Wind Kicker, or the highest Hopper of Brisote, but among the other Air Mages, I had unique kung fu abilities because of my training on top of Mount Aeolis. That included stealth.
My braid, however, reached down to my knees. Recently, Iâd trained myself to utilize my braid as a whip. Fun and effective. Only occasionally problematic.
A breeze and a series of faint sounds swept in from underneath the door. I lay on my stomach, pressing my cheek against the cold stone to listen. A part of me was afraid that the loud beating of my heart would give me away to the Earth Mage, who could detect vibrations on the ground with her master sense of touch.
âYou canât just vote your way into the Earth Queendomâs royal family. How far along are you, anyway?â Aqora asked.
âYou mean ⌠how far along are we?â Cers said in his unusually annoying, high-pitched voice. âThis is about bringing people together. Uniting elementals. In an alliance. Just as your people achieved, right?â
Aqora grumbled as if not wanting to agree.
âYou, above all others, should want to ally with the royals. After all, I hear the Earth Queendomâs crown princess has the attitude of a Water elemental. Youâll get along swell.â
âAre you toying with me?â Aqora hissed.
âOf course not.â Cers chuckled, then played it off in an innocent-sounding voice. âI only meant to suggest that Princess Nephrite often sides with the Iridium Party, which made us realize we might have a strong supporter in their royal court. Itâs proven difficult to get close to the royal family. But as long as the princess continues to side with our political party, heâs fine with her position as the next queen. Otherwise, heâs considering wiping out the royal family entirely.â
âHow would you wipe out an entire royal family!?â Aqora didnât contain the irritation in her voice.
âA seasonal flu and some handy maids with the right medicines. All in all, itâd be easier to eradicate the royal family than allow them to influence the people; they could support something that goes against our agenda.â
âThereâs no need to go to such drastic measures, Cers,â the Earth elemental said, her voice strained. âWeâre arranging a marriage between the crown princess and Baron Malachite as we speak. The baron will be able to influence her from behind the scenes even if the princess doesnât willingly join the Society.â
âAttached to your precious royal relatives?â Aqora asked mockingly. At some point in life, everyone was bound to become annoyed by at least one Water elemental. âWe did away with ours, and look at how great our nation has become!â
âAnd you replaced your nobility with new hereditary titles such as âminister,â practically making yourself nobility in the process, Minister Aqora,â the Earth Mage said. âIâll gladly wipe you out simply for how annoying you are.â
âEnough, Jade!â Cers said.
I smelled clay from under the door, meaning that Jade was probably manifesting her powers to threaten the other woman. Jade must have been the Earth Mageâs name. Since she was in a position to propose an arranged marriage, she was possibly a lower noblewoman, politician, or councilwoman.
âPrincess Nephrite is a dud from inbreedingâno Mage powers, no heightened senses, and no way to defend herself against the baron if it came down to it. So thereâs no need to harm her, Cers,â Jade said. âThe new Captain of the Royal Guard is one of us now. It took a long time to promote someone into that position, so everything should fall into place from here on out.â
âGood,â Cers snickered. âIâll inform him youâve accomplished yet another task. But he doesnât like other royalty and would rather we eliminate them if they challenge his rule. So you better keep Princess Nephrite in check.â
Other royalty? Earthlings were the only elementals with a monarchy. What other royalty is there?
My thoughts scanned every textbook Iâd read, but nothing came to mind. Perhaps my research wasnât comprehensive enough.
Something Iâll put on my list of things to do.
âIf the princess becomes a problem in the future, then he can eradicate her after their first child. But you canât eliminate the bloodline entirely!â Jade urgently said.
âHe can do whatever he wants,â Cers challenged.
âAllow the baron to become prince regent, and their child can be raised the right way instead, open-minded to our ways.â Jadeâs voice grew strained. âBut the princess will probably become a great influence for our cause, anywayâthat is, based on her recent verdicts. Make sure he realizes how important she is!â
Aqora snorted. âAttachment to corrupt royals who do nothing but take from the people. And what of Prince Eskolaite? I hear he might side with the Kasolite Party! Heâs swayed some of the High Council members in the Earth Queendom to his side! Youâre LOSING INFLUENCE OVER THEââ
âOh, calm down,â Jade said, annoyed. âNo need to overreact and shout everything.â
âIF YOU SAY THAT ONE MORE TIMEâ!â
I was equally irritated by Aqoraâs tone. Nonetheless, I wasnât complaining that these three were butting heads. Their lack of cooperation would weaken their society. Fight all you want.
âEnough!â Cers interrupted. âYou two can battle it out all you want after I leave. Just donât ruin the floors. But I donât have time for your idiocy. So spare me. I always have at least one eye watching the prince at all times. Now ⌠Jade, he has agreed to make you the prime minister in the upcoming election if you complete your next task. And if youâre insistent on keeping your fellow royal family members alive, make sure the princess marries this baron, and yada yada. You know the rest. But let me warn you, people who think themselves high in status annoy him, and youâll feel his wrath if you fail. Everything's running smoothly in the Air Federation, so Iâll be joining you in two days for the Inter-Elemental Conference. Once there, Iâll deal with this Prince Eskolaite if he chooses to put his full strength behind the Kasolite Party.â
The door handle started to jiggle even as Cers continued to speak. In a panic, I leapt off the ground, flying ten feet up. My intention was to jolt straight through the window in one leap. Instead, my head bumped into a statue of one of the founding fathers of my once-free nation.
Quickly, I grabbed the statueâs staff and flipped my legs up and over his robed figure, trying to hide my petite body behind the stone.
All three walked out while talking as if none had been alerted to my presence. Yet âŚ
âAqora, he wants you to join us for the âŚâ Cers paused.
My Zephyr had cleared my scent from the room. But noâ
Cers glanced up at the skylight.
I shouldâve closed it! It didnât take a master Air Mage to sense pressure changes in a room or the extra influx of fresh air. These were basic first-year lessons in school.
âSomeone was spying on us.â
Cers sent a Zephyr circling around the room, scanning for my presence. Once it reached me behind the statue, I lifted the force up and around my body so it could continue scanning the remainder of the room on its natural path. If anything, heâd assume it was the statue it had bumped into, not me. Most Mages couldnât perform this technique with precision. It wasnât simply about maintaining the Zephyr at the same speed and direction as it had begun, but about not introducing new odors as well.
I held my breath, afraid that breathing would give my position away. And it could. If I exhaled too intensely ⌠Every movement had to be calculated. Every breath I took had to be controlled.
Cers was looking at the opposite side of the room. Suddenly, he flung an Air Lasso against the wrong wall.
The hand on another statue splintered into a hundred pieces.
âI didnât like that founding father, anyway,â Cers said, uncaring. âA stupid idea to allow the people to bear swords, staves, and other weapons. Do you know how troublesome itâs been to eradicate that constitutional right? Still, I cannot pass the legislature banning it, and heâs growing annoyed with me. As long as people bear weapons, we cannot fully take over without a fight.â
The sound of trickling water echoed in the room. I peered around the statueâs arm. Cers was sending a Zephyr down each hallway leading into the domed room. Jade inspected her nails as if uncaring, while Aqora was deep in concentration.
If Aqora werenât here, I couldâve easily fought the other two off. My equal, the Earth Mage, had fewer attacks against me as long as I didnât touch the ground, and Cers was in his fifties; however, I would rather leave unnoticed so I could ⌠I could ⌠What would I do with this information? Warn the royal family of a nation a world away about a potential threat from a secret society infiltrating their palace?
Theyâll think Iâm a nutcase.
Iâd tried telling fellow students at school about the Wolkarians and ruined my credibility. People wouldnât believe things unless they were written in a newspaper (a credible source, according to the public eye). And then, people would believe every article they read as if it were a fact. âŚ
I clenched my fist in irritation.
It is easier for the masses to believe ten lies over a single fact.
The sound of a bubbling fountain continued to fill the room. The air turned cold. Ice crystals smeared across the glass. Since the mist clung to every particle in the air, I couldnât pinpoint exactly whereâ
A Water Whip circled around my torso. It lifted me up and flung me down to the ground like a waterfall. I landed in a splash. Aqora made the mistake of releasing the droplets onto the ground, which gave me the opportunity to Hop back into the air. Another Whip grabbed my ankle. It forced me to plummet down again.
How could oxygen fight against a river?
Since I was on the ground, Jade grew clay around my body, encasing me so I couldnât become air-bound again. Now I was truly trapped.
âLook what the cat dragged in.â Cers chortled. He hadnât lifted a finger, making his subordinates do the dirty work for him, although the two foreign dignitaries probably didnât consider themselves as low as he did. âItâs wonderful to see you again, Alisio Skylor,â he said cheerfully. âAfter your parents were discovered plotting a genocide against the minority elementals, well ⌠I wasnât sure what became of you.â
All fabricated stories fed to the masses through the newspapers.
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I quickly stifled them. There was a possibility of bargaining my way out, agreeing to some term, then fleeing with no intention of honoring it. Reason was the best method to accomplish any task. Unless he saw through my guise.
âItâs a pity; youâre so young. And I had a position in the Elite Squall waiting for you right after graduation. You wouldâve risen above the ranks of your older peers with those extraordinary fighting skills and attained the position of officer. But now, well ⌠everybody sees you for the bigot you really are, donât they?â
Youâre sick! I wanted to say, but I kept my emotions in check. I wouldâve reached great heights without him because of my work ethic. Unlike others, I didnât need bribery.
âHow did you sit by and destroy my parents like that?â I choked out. Some of the droplets flew into my mouth as water continued to swirl around, holding me in place even as the clay container constricted the lower half of my body. âTheyâd been nothing but kind to you.â
Wrinkles formed beside Cersâs smiling eyes. âThey were ruining our plans. All weâve ever wanted was to ensure equality for our people. To put an end to injustices and discrimination. To create a lasting utopia.â
âWhat are we doing with her?â Jade asked. âShe was clearly listening in, so she knows our plans.â
âIâm still willing to become a cadet,â I said, hoping heâd take the bait. The moment they released me, Iâd flee.
âIâve met plenty of fighters like you,â Cers said sardonically. âAll you sorts ever do is give me trouble. In the end, itâll come down to the same thing: youâre upset about your parentsâ deaths and will seek some revenge against me. Then Iâll have to find a way to eradicate you all over again. Thereâs only one thing we can do. Iâll command my journalists to write a nice article for tomorrowâs paper about how the daughter of the terrorists, Mrs. and Mr. Skylor, tried to assassinate the prime minister last night. And I know a Squaller cadet who will revel in the attention of being a hero, knowing he was the one to prevent this misguided young woman from completing her mission. Sadly, heâll take the position you wouldâve had if only your parents had behaved. Aqora, kill her.â
Wind that Blows from Nowhere by Zoiy G. Galloay ended up being the exact type of fantasy book I needed to get me out of my reading slump! Throughout its pages weâre introduced to a powerful fantasy world where the kingdoms and queendoms are divided by the type of elemental power their people possess. The people with Air powers, for example, live in the city of Brisote, while the people with Earth powers live in the city of Eden, and thatâs exactly where our main characters are from.
First, we meet Alisio Skylor, a young Air-Mage who is on the run for crimes she didnât commit after her parents were murdered after being blackmailed and the âSocietyâ decided to try to eliminate her as well after she was found spying on its leaders. Then, we have Prince Esko, a prince from the Earth queendom who has no rights to the crown but still wishes to help his people by running for house and representing their needs. Both Prince Esko and Alisio will join hands in a dangerous game of tug of war between the secret society known as âthe Societyâ and the rulers of each individual nation. With his life on the line, Esko has no other option but to trust his masked and mysterious savior and hope they can stop this madness before things get out of control and their respective kingdoms and queendoms end up overrun by tyrants.
From my point of view, Wind that Blows from Nowhere ended up feeling like a breath of fresh air after only God knows how long. Maybe it was because this was a YA romantasy and I havenât read one of those in a while, or maybe it was because it was simply a fun and intriguing book to read. My favorite thing about this book was the fact that even though it was a romantasy, it also had a strong plot, a rich and interesting world building, political intrigue, elemental magic combat, forbidden romance and more!
Overall, even though this book is very PG-13 itâs still a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it for fantasy fans who love elemental magic and stories like Avatar: The Last Air Bender and the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova because the blurb isnât lying, it really is a perfect mix of those two series! Also, definitely recommend it for fans or forbidden romances as wellâespecially those that involve royalty!