Riwenne & the Bionic Witches

By Kristen S. Walker

Betrayed by her sister. Hunted by the empire. She gave up her normal life to become a divine warrior—then she lost the magic she needs to survive.

Riwenne escaped the capital in the sky with her life and most of her friends, but one loss haunts her. Her sister, Nexita, betrayed them all. Now Riwenne’s out of magic, and nowhere is safe for the divine warriors. Defying the Empire put a price on their heads. With nothing but an airship and a few gods on their side, they need a new way to fight back!

When she learns that their enemy, the sun goddess, is arming bionic witches with blood magic, Riwenne can’t ignore her mission to save the innocent. The only magic that can stop the sun is the moon goddess. But the moon goddess was banished, her name is forbidden. Riwenne must search for ancient clues to free the moon.

As she struggles to regain her magic and find her place in the team, Riwenne is tempted to give up the fight. But nothing can ever be the same again. Sooner or later, she’ll have to face the one person she dreads—and this time, the fight is to the death.

Can she kill to save the people she loves?

Riwenne & the Bionic Witches is the second book in a steampunk fantasy series for teens. If you like magical girls, giant airships, and fast-paced adventure, then you’ll enjoy Kristen S. Walker’s series of guns and gears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristen S. Walker
• Release date: Jul 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005162122

Kristen S. Walker

Kristen S. Walker is a twenty-something writer, blogger, and nerd from San Jose, California.She grew up in small towns in Northern California, running around barefoot in the woods and climbing trees with a notebook to write down stories. She lives with her family, including two rescued cats, in a house full of books.She writes and self-publishes young adult fantasy novels.

Book preview

1

On the Run

All I wanted was to see my sister, Nexita.

I opened the front door of the sanctum of Damon Temple. The vaulted hall was full of sunlight, blindingly bright. The white marble walls reflected the light and the gold decorations sparkled, washing out the whole room so the details were lost. I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes, and looked up. The sun was overhead. This must be why we didn’t come into the sanctuary at high noon—it was bright enough during the ceremonies at dawn and sunset, but this was like torture.

I started to walk forward, but then I saw that the temple wasn’t empty. A group of people stood before the altar in red robes.

Don’t let them see you, a voice whispered in my mind. Keep to the shadows.

I darted to the side and slipped behind a pillar. The shadows relieved my eyes. I looked back to the altar. The red robes stood out against the white marble. Junior priestesses wore red, but the color looked wrong somehow, a darker shade almost tinging on maroon. And why would a bunch of junior priestesses be gathering alone? I craned my head, trying to get a closer look at their faces. They were wearing hoods. Priestesses always went with their heads uncovered and their hair hanging loose, something that I’d struggled with as a novice, trying to keep my long, curly pink locks untangled.

Then another figure stepped from behind the altar in a distinctive robe. White at the shoulders, flowing down into red and ending in black at her feet, only the head priestess, Mother Lyda, could wear something so elaborate. And her head was uncovered, revealing her youthful face and her dark red hair that hung well past her waist.

A mix of emotion flooded through me, anger and longing twisting my stomach into a knot. I’d sworn loyalty to her as the leader of not only the temple but the entire Central Province of Arkia. But she was a corrupt leader, allowing the dangerous Ministry of Technological Research & Development to experiment on her own people. I’d spent months fighting mechanical beasts only to find out that the government itself used those monsters to steal energy from innocent civilians. It wasn’t clear how much she knew herself, but she’d at least turned a blind eye on the attacks. And if what I’d been told was true, she was also my birth mother.

I wanted to demand answers about the machines and my birth. Why had she manipulated my assignment so I ended up training as a priestess under her in the temple? How could she let R&D hurt people? Did all government officials know who their biological children were, despite the laws shielding our identities, or was it just her? And if she’d done all of this, what other laws was she willing to break?

But then one of the red-robed figures pushed back their hood to reveal icy blue hair, and I shrank farther back into the shadows. That wasn’t a priestess at all, but Minister Rennu, the head of R&D himself. The twisted man who had created the mechanical beasts and used them to prey on the city—and my father.

Rennu gestured, and two robed figures brought out a white cloth, draping it over the altar. Another stood nearby with a bundle of ropes in their arms. They all chanted, low and rhythmically, and I heard a mixture of male and female voices. Men weren’t allowed in the temple except during the public dawn ceremony. They spoke in Old Ursan, the ancient language that only the highest-ranked clergy of the temple used.

Two more robed people came in, dragging a bound man between them. I saw with a shock that he was almost naked, wearing only a white loincloth. He struggled a little, but he seemed drugged because he was groggy and weak. The robed figures lifted him onto the altar and tied him down with the ropes.

Rennu turned to the shortest person in the circle of chanters and beckoned them forward.

Even before she pushed back her hood, I knew her by her height and the way she moved. My heart sank. She was slight and the same height as me, barely five feet tall, with a shock of bright blue hair. But there was something different, too. Her robe hung empty where her left arm should be. Nexita smiled up at Rennu with disgusting devotion in her face. I had to brace myself not to get sick on the floor.

She was my best friend, there for me all those years we were in school together. I called her my sister long before I knew we shared a father. We fought against those mechanical beasts side by side, saving people from harm, but when she learned the truth about Rennu’s plans to siphon more energy for his machines, and that Rennu was our father—somehow she had chosen his evil plot over our divine mission. I still didn’t understand why he had such a hold over her. Could he have brainwashed her into following him? Or did his dark magic give him control?

Nexita took a golden knife from Rennu and climbed up onto the altar. She lifted it with her right hand over her head, poised over the bound man.

She would kill him! I glanced at the strange ritual again and realized what must be happening. No one had practice human sacrifice in centuries, yet the setup was unmistakable. I had to stop it!

I tried to rush forward to the altar, to summon my magic, but an invisible force stopped me like running into a wall.

Keep silent, the strange voice whispered in my mind again. Observe them but do not interfere.

I couldn’t move, frozen in terror, but I bit my tongue and tried to be silent. Something had brought me here to see this, and I was powerless to stop it. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t stop staring in horror at the shining blade in Nexita’s hand.

Rennu took Lyda’s hand and smiled. It’s time for magic and technology to join forces.

Lyda smiled back at him, then raised her other hand over the bound man’s head. A clear crystal glinted in her hand, a gem the temple charged with the sun goddess’s blessing to create sunstones.

Nexita plunged the blade deep into the man’s chest, and blood spurted out, bright red against her dark red robe. He convulsed once and went still.

I still couldn’t move from my spot. I took a deep breath and cried out, No!

Everyone turned around to stare in my direction, but the scene began to grow dark and fade away, and within a moment, it was all gone.

My eyes flew open, and I saw nothing but more darkness. I sat up and bashed my head against something hard. Ow!

A sunstone lamp flickered on. I shrank away from the light, shielding my eyes.

My mattress creaked underneath me with extra weight and someone gently pulled my hand away from my forehead. I looked up and saw Kyra sitting next to me, her face bent close. Her dark purple hair swept forward and brushed against my cheek, and I held my breath, staring at her.

You’ll have a nasty bruise, but otherwise, it doesn’t look too bad, she said, sitting back away from me. Her beautiful face still showed concern as her eyes held mine. Is everything else okay?

I looked away from her, taking in the room: the tiny berth in the back of the airship, the low ceiling of my bunk bed, my other friends crowded around—Amena, Janera, even the quetzal bird, Uqra, and Tika, the sandpiper. The faint rumble of the engine through the floor reminded me we were still in the air.

Everyone had been treating me like a porcelain doll ever since we escaped Lyndamon City. The pain of Nexita’s betrayal, the shock of learning about Rennu’s nefarious plot and Lyda’s complicity, the strain of leaving the only home I’d ever known, had all taken its toll on me. All I wanted to do was lie in the dark, even in a tiny, uncomfortable bunk bed.

I’m not okay, I said, starting to shake my head, but stopped in a wave of dizziness. Maybe I hit it harder than I realized on the upper bunk. I had a terrible dream. Nexita was there, and she—

You’ve got to stop dwelling on that, Kyra said. She reached behind me and yanked open the curtains covering the porthole window beside my bed. I think moping around here in the dark is making you worse. You should get out, get some sunshine.

I squinted my eyes and turned away from the window. Sunshine is the last thing I want to see. Besides, where would I go? The galley? I waved around at the close surroundings. These walls all look the same. Unless we can land somewhere, I just have these tiny rooms to choose from, so it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.

Amena, sitting on the bunk across from mine, shook her head so her golden hair swayed back and forth. "It’s not safe to land anywhere near here. We have to keep on the move to make sure the imperial forces can’t find us. Until we contact the rebels and find out where we can go, we’re all stuck in the Graceful Joy."

Kyra made a face. We’ve got to come up with a better name than that.

Amena shrugged. Considering it belonged to the head priestess, what can you expect? But yeah, we should paint over the name. We don’t want anyone to recognize where we stole it from.

Janera, leaning against the door, lifted her long arms and stretched high enough to touch the ceiling. We’re all getting restless in this little tin can. Why don’t we stop running and fight these creeps? She twisted her chestnut red curls up into a bun. I could use the exercise.

Tika’s brown head swiveled to look at her. And get all of us killed? For such a tiny bird, she could be incredibly sarcastic. This airship is built for pleasure trips, not fighting. We couldn’t take out even one of their gunships, let alone an entire imperial fleet.

Why is it taking so long to get ahold of your rebel friends? Kyra said, looking at Amena. It’s been days. Every day, we use up more of our supplies and risk being caught. We can’t keep going like this much longer.

Amena held up her hands. I don’t know. They weren’t prepared for this. They could have their own problems, or they’re processing the information about this new attack, or waiting to make sure I’m not leading the enemy right to them.

Janera narrowed her eyes. We’ve taken every precaution to make sure we’re not followed. Don’t they trust you?

Amena looked down at the floor. I haven’t been part of the rebellion for months. Since I won Star Search, I get orders from them in encoded messages, and I send back whatever information I can. It’s not like I just have an open line of communication.

I sighed. So we’re just supposed to wait around until you get a message? I don’t like that at all.

Kyra rested her hand on my knee. She gave me a gentle squeeze that calmed me down despite all the confusion. We can figure out our next step, whether that’s with the rebels or on our own.

Janera folded her arms. First thing is, we need more supplies. If we can’t get them from the rebels, we didn’t bring money to buy anything. She looked around the room. We might get a few coins if we sell off the decorations inside the ship, but that’ll only get us so far.

Amena shifted on her bed. If it comes down to it, I can get us what we need. But what’s critical is a plan. What’s our goal now? Have the gods said what to do next?

We have to save Nexita.

Everyone turned and stared at me. I’d said it quietly, without thinking, but under their stares I straightened up and gripped my blanket with both hands.

We have to save her, I said more firmly. She’s one of us, and Rennu is forcing her— I stopped myself with a cough. I wasn’t sure if they’d believe what I’d seen in my dream. I mean, who knows what the empire is doing to her right now. We have to go back and get her out of there.

They all exchanged worried looks. Kyra put her hand on my leg and began gently, Look, I’m not sure if you remember everything that happened the night we left…

Tika flew onto my lap and pecked my hand. She remembers. Riwenne, Nexita betrayed you. She betrayed all of us. She’s an enemy, and we have to just accept that she’s gone.

I shook my head. No, she’s my sister, and I’m not leaving her with that horrible man! He’s tricked her somehow, or brainwashed her, or used some kind of dark magic to control her—I don’t know what, but I’ll break it.

Janera knelt on the floor beside my bunk, which brought her down to my eye level, and looked at me sadly. I hate to say it, but we don’t know if she’s even alive. The last we saw, she took a bullet in the back, and there was a lot of blood.

She has to be alive! The mention of the gunshot made me see that horrible scene again, and tears streamed down my cheeks. I would feel it if Nex was dead. She’s alive, and we have to save her. We just have to.

Kyra sighed and stood up. There’s no talking to her when she gets like this. We can discuss this later.

I cringed and curled up into a ball, trying to stop the tears, but they only came faster. I was ashamed for crying so much, especially in front of Kyra, but I had no control over it. The moment I let myself think or feel anything, as soon as the numbness wore off, this crushing despair descended on me all over again and I was helpless to do anything else.

The others got to their feet and opened the door, shuffling out of the room.

Deryt’s voice crackled over the loudspeaker. Amena, can I see you up here in the cockpit? Actually, we’d better get everyone. I’ve received a message from the rebels.

Everyone froze.

Through sheer force of will, I wiped my face and lifted my head, although a few tears were still leaking out of the corners of my eyes. Did he just say we heard from them?

Janera looked back at me with a fake smile. Yeah, do you want help getting up?

I shook my head. No. I rubbed my eyes on my sleeve and looked down at my rumpled, dirty clothes, the same ones I’d worn in bed for days. I’ll get dressed real quick. You guys go ahead and I’ll catch up in the few minutes.

Okay. Janera herded the others out of the room and closed the door behind her.

2

New Allies?

Imade myself look somewhat presentable and left the sleeping cabin. I slipped around the engine in the boiler room, walked through the empty galley, and reached the cockpit at the front of the airship where the others were already waiting. They told me the rebels had said little, just given us the coordinates for a place to meet. Deryt’s face was as blank as the gas mask he’d worn in the city. His shaggy blue-black hair hung in his eyes, hiding his expression.

Amena said it was a good sign the rebels had agreed to speak with us. The others waited to see what would happen.

The coordinates for the meeting place weren’t too far away, almost as if the rebels had waited for us to show up in their neighborhood before they contacted us. Deryt had already adjusted the airship’s course. He said we’d arrive in less than an hour.

I didn’t know what to expect from the rebels, even with Amena’s vague descriptions. I didn’t know what things would be like on the mainland. We’d been flying around for days, but I’d stayed in my bunk with the curtains drawn the entire time and hadn’t bothered to look down. When I looked out of the cockpit, I was shocked.

There was nothing. No buildings, no streets, not even a factory. I couldn’t see very far in the thick haze of smog that tinged the sunlight to an orange-yellow hue. The land stretched out before us in a narrow valley. I’d heard that a lot of the mainland was taken up by farms, but the scraggly plants I saw on the ground couldn’t be food. There were a few trees on the mountains to either side, but this wasn’t a jungle. How could there be so much space with nothing useful in it?

Why is it so empty? I asked in a shaky voice. Did something… bad happen here?

Hm? Amena was standing behind Deryt’s shoulder, looking over the instrument panels. She glanced back and saw my surprised expression. Oh, no, there’s nothing wrong. The rebels picked a remote area so we could meet safely. She gestured to the surrounding mountains. This land is used for grazing llamas and goats. The herds come through here at certain times of the year, but the rest of the time it’s allowed to grow wild.

I watched the barren land glide past us in silence and tried to imagine what that was like. My whole life, I’d lived in a crowded city, with buildings packed close together. I knew the mainland was different, but I’d pictured it to at least be similar, with miniature versions of my city arranged evenly between neat rows of crop fields. Greener and more spread out than crowded streets, sure, but still full of life. This looked dead.

If there was so much empty land, no wonder the rebels were able to hide from the imperial army. There could be secret bases all over the place. Amena had explained that the rebellion was divided in cells, each one working separately with little communication between them. If one rebel or group was captured by the empire, they wouldn’t be able to say where the others were. She didn’t know how many rebels there were, but the numbers could be huge. My hopes lifted a little for the first time since we’d left Lyndamon.

A building appeared out of the gloom, a simple structure of plain wood with a slanted roof and a fence around it. What’s that? I leaned forward.

Livestock barn, Amena said with a nod. That must be where we’re meeting. There’s a water tower over there, see, where you can anchor the airship, she said, pointing over Deryt’s shoulder.

Deryt nodded and turned the controls. Prepare to dock.

Amena gestured for us to get into the seats, and we hurried to buckle ourselves into the restraints.

Janera clipped a safety line onto her belt, then opened the door and leaned out with the anchor cables in her hand, ready to secure the ship.

The airship slowed down to a crawl and tapped the water tower, which had a large metal rod sticking out the top. Janera hopped out and secured the ship, then dropped the rope ladder and held it for us to descend. It swayed a little as we climbed down. A few months ago, I would have been too frightened to climb it. I’d been through so many more dangerous situations that this was nothing.

The ground was regular dirt, but everything else was just so… open. The smog burned my throat and lungs. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around my middle, looking up at the sky and the empty field. It felt like there was someone watching me, but I saw no one.

Janera looked around uneasily, too. None of us had any weapons or armor on, but she hunched in a defensive stance, her arms stiff at her sides. Are they not here yet?

Deryt pointed to the barn. They said they’d be waiting for us inside.

Uqra landed on Amena’s shoulder, her long green tail trailing down the singer’s back, and Tika settled on me. Her tiny talons dug into my shoulder like pinpricks.

Let Amena and Deryt do the talking, Tika said in my ear.

I nodded. I didn’t know what to say.

Deryt approached the front of the barn. The door was huge, a sliding panel in the wall like the entrance to a warehouse, covered in peeling paint. As he approached, the door slid open with a rusty creak.

Two men stood just inside, dressed in worn factory-made clothes, but they each had a pair of polished revolvers holstered on their belts and the left one also had a rifle slung across his back. They looked us over with a stern frown.

Deryt held out his hand and showed a copper star to the guards. They glanced at it and waved him in.

I expected more rebels inside, but the barn looked empty—nothing but a dusty floor and bare walls, with light streaming in through an open window at the far end. Then a rustle of movement caught my attention, and I realized there was a third man, sitting on a barrel off to the side. He was short and pudgy, with thick-rimmed glasses, and he looked more like an accountant than a rebel fighter.

Nayaraq? Amena said, walking over to the pudgy man. What’re you doing here in the Central Province?

Nayaraq slid off the barrel and dusted off the seat of his pants. Seemed like a hopeless gesture, given the dirty state of the barn. I rushed all the way out here to meet with you, he said, covering a weak cough with his arm. There’s been a lot of discussion about the best way to deal with your… unusual situation. It was finally decided that you should meet with someone you already knew, rather than give you the identities of any local rebels.

Deryt folded his arms. Why all the extra precautions? When I moved to Lyndamon City, I already met with—

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Nayaraq yelled over Deryt, waving his hand to cut him off from saying anything else. No names. I don’t know the local cell and I don’t want to. He cleared his throat and turned back to Amena. Honestly, after what you’ve done, no one wanted to meet with you. I came as a personal favor to your mama.

Amena’s hands flew to her mouth, covering her gasp. Mama? Is she all right?

Nayaraq nodded. She’s fine, except for worrying about you. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, revealing a wanted poster with all of our names and faces, except Deryt’s. I hope you realize the deep, deep level of trouble that all you kids have gotten yourselves into. This is in every town. You’re considered domestic terrorists for destroying that factory, and you’ll be arrested on sight.

Amena snatched the poster out of his hand. Are you kidding me? They’ve identified all of us already? She squinted at the pictures. Well, they’ve got a good photograph of me, but the rest of you guys are just rough sketches. I bet it wouldn’t take much of a disguise to keep you from being identified, so long as we stayed out of the city where people know you.

Nayaraq pointed to the field outside. "Your airship is also very recognizable. As long as you’re in the Graceful Joy, you’ll be easy to track. I’d get rid of that thing and find a place to lie low. For several months."

Deryt cleared his throat. Wait, you don’t have a safe house? We need a secure location, new identities, supplies, everything!

Nayaraq took his glasses off and wiped them with a handkerchief, avoiding eye contact with Deryt. I’m afraid I have none of those things for you. Your job was to keep a low profile and gather information, nothing more.

He put his glasses back on and pointed at Amena. You went off-script months ago when you entered Star Search, but we gave you a second chance to raise public sympathy for our cause. Now you’ve both gone too far, getting yourselves burned by destroying government property, so we can’t help you. And whoever these other kids are, he said, gesturing to the rest of us, we don’t know them, but they’re the same as you—too dangerous to associate with the rebellion. Don’t contact us again.

Deryt took a step closer, looming over the much shorter man. Don’t you at least want to know what we’ve learned?

Nayaraq quivered and looked at the floor, but he shook his head. "We have your reports, including the last one which sounded too fantastical. I don’t have time to hear details. It’s better if you just