{COMPLETED} The stars disappeared seventeen years ago. A black night sky has mirrored a bleak existence for the people of Auros. The Gifted, humans with unique abilities to affect the world around them, have all but become extinct thanks to the dark reign of a usurper. And somehow Zephyr Elvy has managed to live her nineteen years in the blissful quiet of a small town next to the sea. Zephyr has always been content to keep to herself, and happy to live a simple, if uneventful, life. If only the universe had that in mind for her. Forced to flee the only place she has ever called home, Zephyr finds herself running through a world she has only ever read about, along with two soldiers who have deserted their posts to keep their consciences clean. With only a letter and a mysterious weapon as clues to why she's being hunted, Zephyr must face her own fears while discovering a whole new world of terrors at the hands of a queen she knows next to nothing about. Having never risked anything her entire life, Zephyr is forced to choose between apathy or action, hiding and keeping to herself, as she has always done, or taking a leap that could change the world she is just now getting to see. ***** Thank you SO MUCH for reading! I'm updating every Monday until this story is done, and I've been sitting on this one for almost three years so I'm really excited to finish it! I don't have any beta readers for this as I write, so please let me know if you notice anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that needs fixing! :)

Sam is the most promising swordsman among this year’s crop of Paladin trainees...and knows it. Brash, cocky, and unbeatable with a sword (well, almost), Sam is the kingdom of Thule’s best hope against the violence wrought by demons. The only problem is that Sam is really Lady Samantha, daughter of the seventeenth Duke of Haywood, and if her father has his way, she’ll be marrying a Paladin, not becoming one. But Sam has never held much interest in playing damsel-in-distress, and so she rescues herself from a lifetime of boredom and matrimonial drudgery. Pity that Tristan Lyons, the Paladin assigned to train her, is none other than the hero of her childhood. He hasn’t recognized her as Lady Samantha--yet-- but if he does, he’ll take away her sword and send her packing. Sam is not the only trainee hiding secrets: Braeden is a half-demon with a dark past that might be unforgivable. Sam, Braeden and Tristan set out for the western coast, charged with rooting out an infestation of demons that has made the West unlivable. As they travel, they uncover a deep-seated corruption of power that threatens to derail everything they stand for. Rebellion stirs, led by a rival faction of warriors who tempt Sam to join them with an irresistible offer. A war between men is coming, and Sam must pick a side. Will saving the kingdom cost her life -- or just her heart? Reminiscent of Mulan, but with a medieval fantasy twist, Paladin is a tale of adventure, action, and romance.

*COMPLETE* There are whispers across the kingdoms that the Paragon, that strangely gifted person who can wield all four Skills, has been found. They're wrong, of course. No one has caught the Paragon. Allayria should know: she's it. But Allayria doesn't want to be the Paragon, and in her pursuit of freedom she finds herself enmeshed in a web of lies, caught in a group who might be even more dangerous than she could have imagined. Still, she's not the only one who has problems: bigger tides of change and danger are shifting across the world she has been assigned to protect. The Jarles, a kingdom in the east, has begun moving across its borders, and there are strange murmurings about what they have done, and where all the children they abducted have gone. Faced with responsibilities she never wanted, and a life she thought she could never have, Allayria must decide how she will help--and if she will be the Paragon at all. _____________________ WIP Cover art and written work by Azi. Highest ranking: #66 in Fantasy 2/3/2018 Hi everyone! Thanks a ton for taking the time to read Paragon. I'm so excited to share it with you, and to hear your feedback, theories, and insight. It's just me, myself, and I on this one (no beta) so if you catch any errors or inconsistencies, give me a shout--it will be much appreciated. The plan is to release a new chapter each weekend until we reach the end. - Azi Note: violence, sexual themes, and some coarse language will appear in Paragon.