Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

Sneak Peek

Now, this wasn't the first time Elaine had ridden Serpens. During her first semester at Glyph Academy, Custas had boldly claimed that he could control the spirit while blindfolded, and Elaine, like the gullible sulmo that she was, had decided to take him up on his dare. 

That adrenaline-fueled escapade had ended when they nearly collided with one of the academy's towers. However, the tables had turned this time; while Custas navigated the winds with keen eyesight, Elaine found herself struggling to see, her vision blurred by tears welling up in her eyes against the rush of wind.

As Serpens sliced through the sky, the world below became a dizzying blur of colors—dark greens of the forests, the concrete gray of distant towns, and the shimmering blue-black of a river winding between trees. The altitude was unmistakable; the air was sharp and biting, and her ears popped painfully.

Elaine couldn't fathom how Custas managed to maintain his grip, the serpent's scales offering no handles or appendages to hold onto. In a desperate attempt to secure her place, Elaine tightened her grip around his waist, her fingers digging in to ensure she wouldn't be swept away by the monstrous gusts that whooshed past them. Kliff was in no better position; she felt his arms encircling her torso. A startled squeal almost escaped her lips, but she clamped her mouth shut, willing herself to focus.

"I think Serpens picked up on something!" Custas shouted, his voice barely carrying over the screaming wind. Sure enough, Elaine felt a shift in the air as the spirit dipped, lowering itself through a cluster of low-hanging clouds. The surrounding countryside plains resembled a vast, undulating sea of deep blacks and rich greens, with meandering roads slithering across the terrain like worms wriggling through the earth in the cover of night.

Elaine squinted to make out the details, recognizing the main road—a long, slender line that flowed from Page through forests abundant with shadows and past rolling hills that seemed to shift in the moonlight. Mixed within the dark canvas, she spotted what she guessed was the town of Victorial, clusters of lights flickering like fireflies on the horizon. The distance they'd flown in such a short amount of time puzzled her; Victorial, a neighboring town that would have taken an ordinary person a day and a half to walk on foot, was clearly visible now, illuminated by the glow of streetlights.

Serpens soared lower toward the earth, flying almost in tandem with the ground below. As Elaine brushed the tears from her eyes and swiped her wind-tousled hair from her face, she caught a glimpse of the creature's sinuous shadow gliding over the world like a dark wave. There was a carriage on the road—an average-sized vehicle, somewhat nondescript, pulled by a pair of land dragons.

From their height, the coachman was little more than a murky figure, brandishing the reins with a flourish as he urged the giant beasts of burden to pick up speed. "Is that them?" she muttered, her fingers gripping Custas' shoulders.

Custas turned back to her, his ruffled hair even more unruly than usual, thrown wildly by the wind. "I don't know many folks who would be willing to travel at this time of night, especially with the Hollowing Hours fast approaching." The winds had lessened, and Serpens wasn't flying as quickly as it had been, allowing their words to travel more easily, though Elaine still found herself straining to catch every syllable.

"There's no doubt; I recognize their Essence Signatures," Kliff grunted, doing his best to smooth down his once well-kempt hair with his free hand, a futile effort as the wind whipped through it. "It's them, all right."

"You can tell that from all the way up here?"

Kliff nodded. "I didn't let this summer vacation go to waste. I've honed all my skills."

Elaine had always recognized that Kliff's Magic Sense—a sorcerer's innate ability to perceive the Essence Signature of other magical users—was decidedly exceptional, far surpassing that of her classmates. Doubt about his capabilities was no longer an option for her. With a nod in his direction, Elaine turned ahead and commanded, "Take us down." Though she meant her words for Custas, with a flick of its forked tongue, Serpens dove headfirst, plunging straight for the carriage.

But Elaine had no intention of waiting for it to land. Fueled by a simmering fury that burned away at her heart, she leaned forward and tapped Custas on the shoulder, whispering urgently into his ear, "Use your Wind Magic on me."

"What?" Custas asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Wh...What are you planning to do?"

Before he could finish his question, Elaine made a split-second decision. Without a shred of hesitation, she dropped from Serpens, her surroundings becoming a whirl of air and ink-blue sky. Inhaling as the ground rushed up to meet her, she adjusted her posture mid-fall, bracing for the impact, determined that she would land on her feet instead of her skull.

Gravity yanked her downward with ferocity, butterflies swarming inside her stomach, and tears uncontrollably flying free from her eyes. Just as it looked like the earth might slam into her, Elaine felt currents of wind wrap around her legs, guiding her descent and cushioning her landing. She crouched low upon impact, her left hand pressing against the dirt road while her right brandished a crystal wand, glimmering with magic.

Regaining her footing, the exhilaration still thrumming through her, Elaine quickly noticed that she had landed directly in the middle of the road, only a few meters from the carriage. The land dragons hitched to the vehicle were already in a frenzy, panicking at her sudden appearance.

Their coachman, a tan-skinned fellow with a slender face and messy dark brown hair, was shouting and wrestling with the reins to prevent them from bolting, his dark eyes widening in alarm. "What kind of stunt are you tryna pull, girl?" he exclaimed, finally managing to calm the dragons down. "You looking to get trampled? Get outta the road!"

"I'm sorry to trouble you, sir, but I believe you've stolen something from my family." Elaine rose off the ground, and with a steady hand, she raised her Crescent Wand to shoulder height, pointing it straight at him. "I simply came here to collect what's rightfully ours."