Unreachable Skies

When a plague kills half the Drax population, and leaves the hatchlings of the survivors with a terrible deformity, no wings, suspicion and prejudice follow. Continuously harassed by raids from their traditional enemies, the Koth, the Drax are looking for someone, or something, to blame. Zarda, an apprentice Fate-seer, is new to her role and unsure of her own abilities; but the death of her teacher sees her summoned by the Drax Prime, Kalis, when his heir, Dru, emerges from his shell without wings. A vision that Dru will one day defeat the Koth is enough to keep him and the other wingless hatchlings alive, for a time. Half-trained, clumsy, and full of self-doubt, Zarda must train Dru to one day fulfil the destiny she has foreseen for him, even if it is quickly becoming clear that the Prime's favorite adviser, Fazak, is not only plotting against the wingless, but is gaining more of Kalis' trust by the day. Efforts to fight prejudice and superstition are certain to lead to death for some and exile for others; while Zarda's own journey to understanding her role in events may lead her to abandon all tradition in order to protect her peoples' future.

Zarda, Fate-Seer of her people, the Drax, has chosen to join the wingless and their broken-winged dams on their long and dangerous journey into exile. But Kalis, the Prime she has abandoned, dispatches flyers to hunt her down and offers a reward to anyone who will give her up. When their path takes them into the Crimson Forest, horror and death stalk the exiles beneath the vines. As the pain and hardship of banishment begin to take their toll, Zarda wonders which of the exiles will be the first to betray her, but nothing can prepare her for the discovery that awaits her beyond the furthest reaches of Drax territory; a discovery that has the power to alter the course of history.

In this, the third and final installment in the Unreachable Skies Trilogy, Zarda the Fate-seer, and the Drax she accompanied into exile have settled into a new life far to the north of their homeland, the Expanse. They have pledged their loyalty to Kalon, whose rightful place as Prime was stolen by his brother Kalis. Zarda's one certainty is that Kalis' wingless heir, Dru, is destined to defeat their old enemy, the Koth, but how is he to do that when he is no longer the Prime's heir? And, how can Kalis, his scheming adviser Fazak, and their followers be overcome? To find the answers and to help the rightful Prime take his place in the Spirax, Zarda must first find a way back through the Crimson Forest for the exiles - but danger and betrayal await them all.