Riwenne & the Ethereal Apparatus

By Kristen S. Walker

A teen girl chosen to wield the power of a goddess. Flying cities falling from the sky. Can she find out why the machines are failing and fix them in time to save everyone?

The teenage prophet Riwenne performed a miracle when she saved her flying city from crashing into the ocean. But no one alive knows how the cities became airborne hundreds of years ago. The high priestess tried to create her own flying city and put a barren rock in the sky, too high for anyone to live on... and now it’s falling.

All the imperial sky cities are falling. The Synthetic Ethereal Apparatus that holds up each capital is failing. If they crash, thousands of homes and businesses will be destroyed. Massive devastation could ruin her enemy’s territory but at the cost of innocent lives.

To save the floating cities, Riwenne will need more power than she’s ever used before. She must find the secret of the Ethereal Apparatus and how to repair it. She’ll need new allies: the planetary warriors who refused to join her once already. But it also means working with her enemies in the Empire who tried to kill her. She can’t stand by and let their people die.

If they don’t work together, their world will never be the same.

Riwenne & the Ethereal Apparatus is the fifth book in a steampunk fantasy series for teens. If you like magical girls, lesbian romance, and high-flying adventures, then you’ll love Kristen S. Walker’s series of guns and gears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristen S. Walker
• Release date: Jan 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005819262

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

The Sky is Falling

The street lurched underneath my feet, throwing me to my knees. Something sharp bit through my stockings and scraped my skin.

I ignored the injury and pushed myself back up. The world tilted to one side, but I fought to hold my balance this time.

Where was I? Tall buildings rose on either side of the street, leaning together so they almost blocked out the sky above. When I inhaled, there was no smog. The high-rises and the clean air reminded me of my home city, but when I looked up, the architecture looked different. Even the clay bricks were dark red instead of gray.

Machinery rumbled deep underground, and the street leveled out again. I must be in another floating city—and something was horribly wrong.

I leaped for the nearest building, using my magic to propel me upward to the roof. I landed on my feet and gasped when I saw what was going on.

Smoke poured out of an enormous building in the city’s center. Although it had many smokestacks, like a factory, the smoke came from a hole ripped through the front wall. An airship had crashed through a large window, scattering glass and bricks all over the square outside. Fire consumed the airship’s gas-filled envelope and spread to the surrounding structure.

I ran to the edge of the roof and jumped for the next one. People were panicking in the streets below me, so traveling across the rooftops was the fastest way across the city. I had to go help whoever was inside the burning building.

A glass-domed roof loomed ahead of me: the city’s temple. I swerved in my path to go around it. The priestesses should be helping with the crash site, but I wanted to avoid the center of power for the sun goddess. There was enough going on without facing Chysa’s wrath.

I landed in the square between the temple and the crash site. Looking around, I saw no firefighters or anyone else trying to help the victims, but shouting came from inside. I dodged a fallen sign that said, The Ministry of Technological Research & Development, as I made my way through the debris to the open front doors.

Smoke filled the air inside. Burning wreckage fell from the airship. I stumbled and almost fell into a larger hole in the ground. The entire floor had collapsed, a great maw opening into a cavern below. Angry voices rose from the deep, followed by flashes of magic.

I had to get down there. But first, I had to make sure that the ministry of R&D wouldn’t land on our heads. I reached for the nearest wall and called on my magic, weaving a shield of moonlight to hold up what was left of the building.

Then I went to the edge of the collapsed floor and dropped.

More magic flashed around me, reflecting off the walls. I landed in a chamber made of crystals, each one glowing with sunlight trapped inside—sunstones. At the center of the chamber was an enormous mechanical contraption, almost as big as an airship. I didn’t understand how the various crystals and gears worked together, but I knew what it was: the Synthetic Ethereal Apparatus. The device kept the city floating in the sky—but it was being attacked.

Four people were assaulting the apparatus with bursts of magical energy. They wore ill-fitting imperial soldier uniforms, like they were borrowed from someone else, and black silk masks covered their faces. But I recognized them immediately by their magic. Only a few people in the world could wield the power of the gods like that, and I’d fought them before.

Fairuza, Namburo, Ixi—and Mano, the newest member of the planetary warriors. I’d been there when he got his godcrystal only two days ago. Before he was chosen, he’d been a timid secretary who didn’t know the first thing about gods or magic. Now he was confidently smashing into the delicate workings of the apparatus with the others. Ixi also seemed stronger, and I realized when I saw her power that the color of her godcrystal had changed. Once it had been pink, the mark of Tamarau, the art goddess. Now she wielded gold like Zara had before her death, becoming the new champion of Amme, the goddess of war. That meant they had four of the five planetary gods on their side.

Stop! I held up my hands. If you break it, you’ll destroy the entire city!

Fairuza turned to me, her striking blue eyes flashing even through the slits of her mask. Stay back, Riwenne, she growled. Riqar deserves to die. We’ll bring down the rest of the empire with it!

Ixi cheered, pumping her fist in the air. Smash the empire! The others echoed the cry.

But the people— The city shook as they landed another hit on the machine. All the people in Riqar will die! A hundred thousand people—you can’t just kill them!

Namburo whirled around. They don’t care about what happens to the rest of us. They’ve been using us for their own gain for centuries, and it’s time for payback.

I called on my magic, my hands glowing with silver moonlight. I can’t let you murder innocents. If you don’t stop, I’ll have to fight you. I knew that my power alone had barely matched three of them before and I wouldn’t stand a chance now that there were four, but I still had to try.

Stop, infidels! another voice rang out, and I turned to see who it was.

An older woman with silver hair burst through a door, wearing the white, red, and black robes of the high priestess. Suhaja, a priestess who’d trained me, but now she looked even older and more haggard. Her hands were filled with golden sunlight and when she touched the crystal-covered walls of the chamber, the light intensified until it was blinding.

I pulled down my shaded goggles to protect my vision—just in time to see a fireball thrown at my head.

I dropped to the floor, feeling the searing heat passing just over me. Wait, I’m the one trying to save your city!

Too late, Mano said. He punched into the main crystal of the Synthetic Ethereal Apparatus and it shattered.

The ground lurched again and dropped away. We were in free fall.

And there was no way out. The airship was in flames above us, beyond all hope of repair. Fairuza and her radical team had doomed us to a horrific death.

2

We Have to Help

Ibolted up, gasping for air. Smoke filled my nose and lungs. I was falling, falling—

Thud!

My bottom hit the floor. I coughed, but now I could only smell the salty tang of the sea air. Blinking, I focused my sleep-blurred eyes and realized that I’d fallen out of bed. This was my bedroom in Lyndamon, the first time I’d slept here in over a month. No fire or destruction surrounded me. I was safe.

Kyra, my girlfriend, leaned over from the other side of our bed, her face full of concern. Another bad dream, huh? What horrible thing have you foreseen? She was used to my visions of the future, a so-called gift from my patron goddess.

I rubbed my face, still feeling the heat from my nightmare. I saw Riqar falling.

Her frown shifted to puzzlement. That already happened yesterday.

I nodded. That’s what Eberet said, so it can’t be a premonition.

I reached for my bathrobe, which I’d left lying on the floor when I was too tired to hang it up last night. Kyra couldn’t complain about my sloppy habits since I’d spent all of last week in jail. Wrapping the robe over my nightgown, I struggled to my feet. Can’t sleep after something like that. Think I’ll go downstairs and make some tea.

Kyra nodded and reached for her bathrobe, too, hanging neatly from a hook on the wall. I’ll go with you. I’ve been lying awake thinking about it, too.

Even though her black hair with dark purple highlights never looked out of place, she still ran a brush through it, letting it fall in long waves down her back. She wiped her face with a washcloth from the basin.

Feeling self-conscious, I finger-combed my short, wiry pink curls and glanced in the mirror. My hair was sticking out even more. With a grumble, I used a little magic to neaten the mess. I’d kept trimming my hair to make it more manageable, but this was as short as I could stand.

Kyra raised her eyebrows at the frivolous use of my powers, but said nothing.

We shuffled downstairs and made some tea in the kitchen. The building we shared with our friends was actually an old cafe, abandoned by the owners when our city declared independence from the Empire. The upper floors had enough rooms for us to sleep in, and the empty cafe gave us space for team meetings. Sitting in a smaller booth in the dining area, we sipped the hot beverage. We were silent, but I rested my head on Kyra’s shoulder, feeling her presence soothe my jangling nerves.

After a few minutes, the bell rang as the front door swung open. Janera, a tall girl wearing a simple green frock, came in balancing a pink cardboard box on each arm. Oh, you’re up! she said with a disappointed shake of her auburn hair. I didn’t have the time or supplies to make breakfast, so I tried to run out and grab something before everyone else was awake. Guess I didn’t make it in time.

Here, let me help you with that. I hopped up and snatched a box from her grasp. Inside, I found more than a dozen pastries. Grinning, I stuffed a sprinkled confection into my mouth, and the sugary explosion lifted my mood. We just got here, I said around a mouthful of crumbs.

Kyra raised her eyebrows. I don’t know if you caught that, but I think she’s trying to say that we haven’t been downstairs very long. Riwenne had a nightmare, so we came for the tea.

Janera chuckled. I caught the gist of it. She ruffled my hair and took the box back from me, taking it into the kitchen. She reemerged with the pastries arranged on a platter, plus a stack of plates and another teacup. Reaching for the teapot, she said, I had a rough night’s sleep, too. The news really shook me up. Those poor people.

My face fell, and I slumped back into my seat. Yeah, I said with a shake of my head. Let’s not talk about it right now. Don’t want to spoil our appetites. I reached for another pastry.

Kyra rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched in a faint smile. I don’t think it’s possible. You’re always hungry.

I stuck my tongue out. That’s not true.

Janera frowned over her teacup. You know, it’s weird, she said. She studied me. You and Amena are the only two of us who dream. She glanced at Kyra. Right? You’ve never seen Xiso when you were asleep?

Kyra shook her head. I grew out of dreams pretty young.

Janera nodded. Me, too.

The pastry turned into a sticky lump in my mouth. I sipped my tea, forcing the sugary confection down my throat. I wouldn’t want you guys to deal with these dreams. They’re usually more confusing than helpful.

Still, Janera said with a faint sigh. It would be nice to see Omer at least once. If he could just tell me I was doing a good job…

Kyra put her hand on mine. When I first heard a bird talking to me, I thought I was going crazy. Now I know it was Xiso’s way of reaching out, but it caused a lot of problems for me when I was young.

I smiled back at her. She understood me in ways that no one else did.

What smells so good? a husky voice called down the stairs.

Pastries! I said around another mouthful. I swallowed and grinned at Vilqa, another friend who shared our home.

Vilqa was non-binary, which meant they didn’t identify as male or female. Today, they wore a split blue skirt over trousers and a matching vest. Their asymmetrical green hair fell over the left side of their face. They dragged a chair over to the table and sat down backwards, leaning their arms over the backrest.

Help yourself, Janera said with a smile, pushing an empty plate across the table. Do you want tea? I can get you another cup.

Oh, don’t get up, Vilqa said with a shake of their head. I’ll get more cups for everyone. They shuffled into the kitchen.

I shot a look at the stairs. Everyone?

Vilqa called over their shoulder, It sounded like the others were getting up, too.

Despite the early hour, Vilqa was right. The sounds of voices and footsteps echoed from the upper floors.

Tika, a sandpiper, fluttered downstairs only a moment later and landed on the table next to me. She snatched a crumb off my cheek with a sharp peck. Haven’t I taught you not to be such a messy eater? she scolded.

Nexita, my sister, tiptoed in with her hands still braiding her blue hair back from her face. She smiled shyly at me, then slipped onto the bench next to Janera, her girlfriend.

Janera kissed Nexita’s cheek. Good morning, sweetie, she murmured. She plucked a cinnamon pastry off the platter and handed it to her. I got your favorite.

Nexita’s dark skin flushed even darker with the affection and she ducked her head. Thank you, she whispered back.

Although they’d been together for months now, I still wasn’t used to seeing my sister dating anyone. I averted my gaze before I got embarrassed on Nex’s behalf. Kyra squeezed my hand in silent sympathy.

Amena was the last one to come downstairs. She’d cut her yellow hair short like mine, and the golden-headed quetzal bird, Uqra, was riding her shoulder. She had also dressed for the day.

I glanced down at the bathrobes Kyra and I wore. We’d gotten up so early that it hadn’t crossed my mind to get ready, but no one else was still in their pajamas.

The front doorbell rang, and Deryt entered the room. Oh, good, I thought you guys might be up.

I jumped up at the sight of the boy, clutching my robe closed. Um, Kyra and I were just going to get dressed. Be right back.

Kyra raised her eyebrows at me, but she put her half-eaten pastry down and followed me back up to our room.

I was glad we were ready when we came back, because we found even more people had joined. The others had pushed together two larger tables and even more pastries and dishes filled the space. Illari had arrived, so her circus must have taken us up on our invitation to visit. Although we had spent weeks at odds with each other, I felt like she was becoming a part of the team now, and I was glad she was here to help us.

Among my sixteen-year-old friends, I also saw several adults. Eberet, the high priest, was already wearing his black ritual robes for the morning ceremony. Amena’s mother, Suri, held up the daily newspaper with a solemn expression. Next to her, Nayaraq, the local leader of the rebellion, was red-faced and waving his hands around.

The conversation cut short and everyone turned to look at me, but I could tell what they’d been talking about. We couldn’t put off talking about Riqar’s destruction now that the news had gone public—and they all wanted to know if the gods had told me what to do next.

I took a deep breath and braced myself before stepping into the middle of the room. Isn’t it too early in the morning for this meeting? We haven’t even prayed yet.

Eberet frowned. The Council of Elders have called an official meeting right after the dawn ceremony, so this is the only chance for us to talk privately. He folded his arms. Do you still feel the same way as you did last night?

My confident words came back to haunt me. Over dinner, I’d felt the high of coming home and feeling safe in my city. It seemed so easy to declare that we would stop the planetary warriors once and for all.

But after my disturbing dream, I realized we didn’t have an actual plan. The planetary warriors were just too powerful. My abilities were stronger than my friends’, but I knew that any of our rivals could easily match me—and all four of them combined were greater than our team of seven. It didn’t matter that Mano was inexperienced. Their gods ruled the planets, and the only thing stronger than them was the sun goddess herself.

The only thing that might help was if it had injured them when the city fell. From my dream, it seemed like they didn’t have an escape plan since their airship was destroyed.

I glanced around at the others. Has anyone heard anything about the planetary warriors since they attacked Riqar? Like, did they survive the fall?

Nayaraq scowled. The entire empire has gone on strict lockdown, no doubt hunting for the culprits. Our spies have barely transmitted information about the aftermath of the city’s destruction—the latest counts are 135,000 dead, but it’s hard to tell if that’s accurate or not.

Janera clapped her hands over her mouth. I didn’t think there were even that many people living in the city.

Nayaraq nodded. Yes, and some were evacuated safely, but when it fell, the debris caused mass destruction to the surrounding area. Several towns on the ground were crushed. And the imperial government is most likely under-reporting numbers to prevent panic, so the real numbers could be even higher.

I felt like the city was dropping out from under me again and had to grab the back of a booth to keep my balance. So many dead, I couldn’t even picture what that must look like.

We need to find out more before we can make a plan, I said finally. There’s just too many unanswered questions. Can we go see for ourselves?

Amena’s hand clamped down on my arm. Flying over the border to the Eastern Province would be suicide during the lockdown. Imperial warships would shoot us on sight.

I glanced at Nexita. Could we disguise ourselves with imperial colors again?

Nexita shook her head. That trick only worked once. They have new security protocols that change all the time to prevent us from sneaking in again.

Then going by air is too dangerous. I looked down. Maybe on foot would be safer. They can’t watch every jungle and mountain between here and Riqar.

A journey like that would take weeks or even months, Deryt pointed out. Especially if we were dodging patrols the whole way. Meanwhile, things are changing rapidly. What would you hope to do when you got there?

Vilqa cleared their throat. We could go the long way ‘round by water. The submersible is hard to detect.

But who knew how long it would take the submersible to circle around the entire continent. That’s also too slow, I grumbled. I squeezed my eyes shut. How did the planetary warriors get there so quickly without being caught? We just saw Mano in Ruraqie two days ago.

Illari raised her hand, looking unsure of herself for the first time since I’d met her. The scientist had confidently displayed her inventions for a crowd when she performed, but she was new to our team and had barely met some of our friends last night. Um, sorry to interrupt, but there’s no way Mano could have been there. The attack happened in Riqar less than a day after your trial ended and not even the fastest airship could have crossed the continent in that time.

But I saw him there. I saw the confusion flicker across the others’ faces and realized I’d only told Kyra what I’d seen. Last night, I saw the attack. Fairuza, Namburo, Ixi, and Mano were all involved in the attack. Only four planetary warriors could have the power to take down an entire city.

Vilqa’s face lit up despite the solemn discussion. You saw Ixi? But she’s not a planetary warrior.

She is now, I said, shaking my head to warn Vilqa. They had an unhealthy attraction to the girl that would only lead to tragedy if they let their feelings continue. It was disheartening to see that Vilqa was still smitten with Ixi months after we’d last seen her.

But how could I judge Vilqa? I still felt a thrill run up my spine when I pictured Fairuza’s face, and she was the leader of the planetary warriors. Of our enemies. Despite my love for Kyra, I couldn’t shake the pull I felt toward the beautiful, enigmatic girl.

Kyra narrowed her eyes. It has to be magic. We’ve seen the ability to teleport before, so it’s not impossible that they could have used it.

I whirled toward Amena—and Uqra, still hunched on her shoulder. Could we teleport? Open a doorway to the place where Riqar fell, and see what we can find out in person?

Uqra raised her head, twitching her long, green tail feathers. Perhaps. It would take an enormous amount of power to travel that far, especially if we want to take more than a few people, but if we raised the energy with help from others… Her voice trailed off in a whisper.

Amena nodded. We’ll do it at the dawn ceremony. She glanced at Eberet. You’ll have to tell the Council of Elders that we can’t make it this morning.

Fine—better if you go now, Eberet said, waving his hand. Maybe you can save a few lives if you get there fast enough.

Illari’s eyes widened. Now this I have to see.

I clenched my fists. If we don’t find and stop the planetary warriors now, who knows how many more lives they will destroy? They won’t quit after taking down just one city.

A chilling silence fell over the room as my words sank in. I couldn't imagine even more deaths after losing so many, but no one contradicted me. They all recognized the threat of our enemies.

Eberet nodded again. Well, you’d better prepare to leave. The dawn ceremony is in less than an hour. I will get ready for the ritual and inform the Elders. He glanced at all of us, then swept out of the cafe.

Kyra stepped up to me and gripped my hand. Are you sure about this?

I don’t think we have another choice.

3

The Crash Site

I’d been a passive observer at the dawn ceremony in Damon Temple every morning until I was fifteen. But in the past year, there had been so many changes. I’d become a novice priestess in the temple and learned how to perform the ritual under Mother Lyda, when we were still worshipping the sun goddess, Chysa. After Lyndamon City broke free of Chysa’s empire, we’d rewritten the dawn ceremony to praise all the gods except the sun. Now High Priest Eberet led the ceremony, with my friends and me playing major roles. When an air raid destroyed the temple, we’d chosen not to rebuild the old symbol of oppression.

Now we met in an open-air square at the heart of the city. There was enough room for everyone to stand and watch, instead of the elite filling the pews inside the temple while the rest of the citizens waited outdoors. A statue of Quilla, the moon goddess, stood in the middle of a fountain. Around the outer edges of the square, there