It Rained Stardust Book One: Of Enduring Winter (excerpt)

Jaych is a legionnaire of a fallen empire, its war-mongering past having caught up to it. All she wants is to guide her country to a better future. But when a high priest lies about seeing Jaych communicate with spirits to sabotage her efforts, she is forced on a politically-motivated suicide quest to find and bond with a spirit. The quest is fraught with danger and stress, and Jaych is responsible for keeping the holy, yet completely inexperienced, young man assigned to be her spiritual guide alive. From leading her charge across the terrain, to guiding him through inclement weather, to facing off against well-armed enemies, and, of course, listening to his pious self-righteousness. Jaych is worn to the bone by the ordeal. And if that wasn't enough to make her relive a life scarred by trauma, both from her years of military service and from her fearsome mother, her growing interest in a young woman who decided to accompany her might signal an attraction that she is utterly unequipped to deal with; and, ultimately, the choice between a warrior's death or happiness.