Premonition: The New Dawn: Book 7

By Valerie J Mikles

Seeing the future is not the same as saving it.

When the first premonition hits, Amanda thinks it’s a hallucination. She doesn’t have psychic power; she echoes the powers of others. Her sudden ability to see the future has done little to help her crew prepare.

Led off course, Oriana finds Nola, a peaceful farming town celebrating their annual Festival. The moment she enters the city, Amanda feels more echoes of power than she can control.

Overwhelmed by both the Festival and the spirit power in the city, Amanda begins a hunt for a powerful human-spirit half-breed that can help her, and finds herself at the center of the city’s battle to purge spirit-kind from their midst.

Can Amanda’s borrowed powers give the crew the edge the need?

Find out in this epic sci-fi thriller, because knowing the future is only half the battle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Valerie J Mikles
• Release date: Jun 21, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224001057

Valerie J Mikles

I'm an aromantic, asexual, agender person who is currently using she/her pronouns. Writing has given me the opportunity to discover and represent so many identities, and in turn find myself. I feel like diverse identities should exist in literature without being a central aspect of the plot. I have created several short films about asexuality, inspired by my own journey to self-discovery. Learn more about my creative side and my writing at http://www.valeriejmikles.comI'm also a PhD astronomer and former black hole hunter. I defected from academia and currently work for NOAA as a Senior Systems Engineer on a polar-orbiting weather satellite. My motto in life is that I can be everything I want, just not all at the same time

Book preview

THE STORY SO FAR

#1 The Disappeared – Oriana’s crew becomes the target of the Terranan Guard after a former Disappeared, Amanda Gray, escapes her Elysian prison and resurfaces. The Elysians, once believed to be non-corporeal spirits, reveal their physical form as disgraced Guard, Diana Solvere, leverages their power to pursue Amanda across the expanse of outer space. In the fight for their lives, Oriana loses their pilot, Corey, and the ship crashes far from home.

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#2 Sequestered – Sky and Hawk join the crew when Oriana makes a mad escape from Rocan, a dying city in desperate need of Oriana’s resources, both technological and … human. In exchange for Hawk’s help, Captain Danny Matthews promises he will help search for medicine to save Hawk’s people.

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#3 Trade Circle – While exploring the ruins of an ancient city, Danny and Saskia fall victim to a disease called Havara Pytr, the Jaws of the Ancestors. Sky reaches out to the nomadic tribes in the area and invites a heap of new trouble when her spirit-carrier nature is revealed. Although Oriana’s crew is offered the medicine, the demanded price of Sky’s life is too high, and they rush to save her.

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#4 Hybrid – Oriana arrives in Boone expecting a technologically advanced civilization only to find a ghost town. The sole survivors of the destruction are two human-spirit hybrids, Kerris and Liza. Realizing that Hawk is a hybrid as well, Liza becomes convinced Hawk can teach her how to undo the destruction of Boone. When a nearby tribe realizes that Liza may be able to resurrect their lost family members, they force her to try, and trigger an even worse destruction.

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#5 The Gray Market – Danny and Tray learn that their mother once had a business of capturing hybrids and selling their powers. In their absence from Quin, Lois Ketlin has risen to power by stealing their mother’s technique, and she is determined to destroy the Matthews brothers in the process. In the aftermath of Ketlin’s defeat, Morrigan and Chase join the crew to escape the city and start their lives fresh.

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#6 The Confluence – While in the process of saving Sky, the crew uncovers a government plot to break into the realm of the half-breeds using a modified artificial gravity source called the Confluence. When the crew realizes this special stone could punch a hole between the physical and spirit realms, and possibly destroy the solar system, they bring down the entire government of Terrana.

THE CREW

Danny Matthews – After his stepfather rejected him, he moved to Terrana, only to be caught in a Revolution. After the Revolution, he became part of a Citizens’ Channel, transporting refugees from Terrana to Aquia. At many points, he found himself captured, interrogated, and abused by the Terranan Guard. He became captain of Oriana after reuniting with his estranged brother, Tray.

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Tray Matthews – He comes from wealth, but grew up not knowing he had a brother. After a falling out with his father and a messy divorce, he went seeking family and has been clinging to his brother ever since. Tray recently found out that he has a son, and they finally reunited on his return to Quin, but disagreements with his ex-wife may yet tear them apart.

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Saskia Serevi – A former Terranan Guard, Saskia joined Oriana’s crew three captains ago after a paralyzing injury drove her from service. She was recruited by General Santos, and he still believes them friends. She takes the mantle of the stoic warrior, but also nominal mechanic and medic. She and Tray have a romantic relationship.

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Amanda Gray – A former Disappeared, she died in captivity multiple times, and she’s learned that her lost memories can never be restored. She has a strong connection to the spirit realm, and has recently discovered that she can echo the powers of hybrids. She also suffers schizophrenia, and she often has difficulty parsing her spirit-world insights from her delusions.

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Douglas Hawk Hwan – Hawk is an engineer whose aptitude for machines comes from a hybrid nature. He’s learned that he can unlock doors, jam weapons, and turn electrical devices off and on with the power of his mind. He worries about his children growing up with untapped hybrid abilities, but feels like he can’t go home without medicine for his people.

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Sky – A spirit-carrier, she has no ability to communicate with the Seer that possesses her. She has lived her life as a traveler because she fears if she stays in one place too long, Spirit will find a way to kill her and jump into a new host. Although over a hundred years old, Spirit keeps her looking young.

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Dr. Morrigan Zenzele – After Lois Ketlin killed her parents, Morrigan used drugs to escape her pain. Lois, the reigning drug lord of Quin, tainted her supply, and she would have died had Tray Matthews not arrived in dire need of a doctor. Morrigan killed Lois with the very drugs that were meant to kill her, and she joined Oriana’s crew as a doctor because she is no longer allowed to practice medicine in Quin.

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Chase Du Plessis – Chase met Danny five years ago when they designed and built the Bobsled together. His passion for building and fixing ships drew him to Kemah to help with Oriana’s repairs. When he discovered his fiancée was pregnant with another man’s baby, he joined Oriana’s crew to escape the pain. On Terrana, he suffered a debilitating injury to his dominant hand, and has limited dexterity.

1

The streets of Nola were bustling, the music rising, the vibrant multi-colored banners glittering in the evening light. The air smelled of perfumes, pheromones, and alcohol, the scent getting thicker as Festival-time approached. Prince Corin Toulane hated Festival.

Corin, you look like a walking tapestry in these robes. I don’t think this style will catch on, his friend Judith said. She greeted him by the Palace gate with a friendly swat on the arm, causing the beads on his sleeve to rattle. As Prince of Textiles, he enjoyed watching the fashion trends he created sweep through the city, but his Festival robe was one-of-a-kind. After his first Festival, he went around collecting the fallen beads and gems, and decided to make a robe that captured the spirit of the event. He’d been adding to it for two years now. The left sleeve was purple and gold, the right green and silver. The reds went down the back, creating an ombre effect.

I’m hoping it makes me unapproachable, he grinned, kissing her on the cheek. He and Judith had been friends since childhood. She had come of age for Festival a year before him and seemed to love the energy of it. Her purple, blue, and pink robe was shorter than his, cinched at the waist, and adorned with rhinestones and sapphires. The spray-on dyes in her hair matched the three colors of the dress, creating a marble pattern when swept into an up-do.

I’m taking you to a new venue opened by the Prince of Metallurgy. It’s smaller. More intimate, she said, clasping both her hands around his.

I’m following you, he said.

When she smiled, the Festival lights caught the glitter on her lips. Before he came of age, he used to help his father plan for Festival. He loved choosing the color themes and designs. Then he’d attended one. The city-wide party was little more than an attempt to bolster the population through drunken copulation. The realization had killed the magic of the event. Now he dreaded seeing the Festival banners fly. He stuck close to Judith and prayed for the night to end quickly.

I had to make reservations two weeks in advance. Final selection was by lottery.

Lottery, Corin huffed. They see the name Toulane and there’s nothing random about that selection.

As the son of the town magistrates, Corin was accustomed to selective treatment, especially for solicitations to Festival venues. Corin had trained hard to achieve his rank, but his appointment to the office of Prince meant next to nothing, because he lived in his parents’ shadows.

Small venue, she said. No one is there for show. No one is making fake conversation.

It’s fake as long as it’s Festival, he said, pulling a bottle from his side pocket and taking a sip. He kept a bottle of non-fermented pomegranate juice handy because he didn’t like losing his mind to the aphrodisiac-laced Festival wine. To others, it looked like he was drinking.

You know who gets to skip Festival? she asked. Your sister. Get me pregnant and—

You know who doesn’t get to skip? My sister’s husband, Corin interrupted. If I get you pregnant again, who am I going to spend my night with next Festival? I couldn’t get through this without you.

Judith giggled and kissed the back of his hand, leaving a trace of glitter on his skin. He felt their inevitable future—one day, he’d have children with her. There was no one else he loved. And he wished he loved her as more than a friend.

Try this, Judith said, producing a pinky-sized purple vial from her cleavage. It’s Kan. It’s a new one.

Corin sighed. Festival drugs were called recreational, but they were far more than that. They didn’t lower inhibition between couples; they fueled lust. Last year, he and Judith had tried Etna, and Corin couldn’t remember anything after that first drop. Judith got pregnant and then miscarried a few weeks later. The loss was devastating, and no amount of Etna could make him forget that pain.

You don’t have to, she said, tucking the vial away. She slid her hand up the sleeve of his robe to rub his arm.

What’s it do? he asked.

No fertility enhancers, pheromones, or mood-shifters. It heightens your sense of touch, she grinned, her hand sliding farther into his robe and across his back. Festival robes were designed to double as a covering in the event of public sex.

Sniff, mix, drop? he asked, checking her eyes for permission before sliding his fingers down the front of her dress for the vial.

Drop, she said.

Corin unscrewed the lid and let a single drop fall on his tongue. A tingle spread through his body, the warmth pooling where Judith’s hand touched his skin. But it didn’t set his body aflame or make him feel out of control. He felt content and comfortable.

I’ll have some more of that, he decided, unscrewing the cap again.

At the party, Judith promised, taking the vial from him and tucking it away again. I’m saving a drop for Alyssa.

Corin pressed his lips together. Alyssa had joined them at Festival before, but she was interested in Judith, not Corin. At Festival, same-sex coupling was taboo, but Alyssa and Judith could get away with it as long as he was there. Corin would rather the women kiss each other than him, so he didn’t complain.

Judith kissed his cheek, and he shivered at the heightened sensation. The Kan didn’t just amplify physical sensation, it amplified his hesitance. His nostrils burned, too.

Do you smell that? he asked, pushing her hand out from under his robe.

Yes, Judith whispered, her eyes darting about. Then she pointed to a plume of black smoke rising into the dome not half a block away. Fire!

Corin swore and ran toward the smoke. Flames rose from the third story of a metal and wood manor. Someone inside threw themselves against the window but was unable to break the moon-slate reinforced glass.

Call for help, Corin told Judith, searching for a way to get to the upper levels. There was a faded outline where the escape ladder should have been bolted on.

Who? Everyone is at Festival! Judith cried.

Anyone can haul water! Corin said. This was the venue he and Judith had been heading toward. They would have been trapped inside!

A uniformed officer came around the building, his jacket pulled up to shield his nose and mouth from the smoke. Corin recognized him from the Palace.

Officer Belgard! he called.

Belgard’s eyes widened and he dropped the jacket, looking from Corin to the building. How did you get out? he snapped.

I was never in, Corin said. The escape ladder is gone from this side. Is there one around back?

Belgard looked up at the building, his cheeks twitching, his expression unreadable. No. They’ll burn, he said, seeming disconnected from the tragedy of his words.

We need a ladder—

We will do nothing. The venue is filled with Fotri. Good riddance, Belgard spat, the numbness giving way to vitriol.

Corin’s jaw dropped, his blood boiling. Fotri was a name for people who chose same sex partners. People like Alyssa and Judith. Even Corin’s mother expressed anti-Fotri sentiments.

Suddenly, Corin felt a club bash him across the shoulders and he fell to his knees, stunned. Belgard grabbed him by the robe, dragging him toward the burning building.

What are you doing? Corin cried.

You wanted a way in. Burn with your Fotri friends, Belgard growled.

But I’m not— Corin began. Even if he were Fotri, that didn’t justify Belgard throwing him into a burning building! Pulling a canister from his robes, he sprayed the Festival drug in Belgard’s face, disorienting the man so he could break free.

The people trying to escape the upper level could not crack the glass. Corin needed a ladder and a hammer. If he were in the textile district, he’d know exactly where to go.

Judith! Corin called.

Someone jumped on his back and clamped a hand over his mouth, hissing at him to be quiet.

It’s a good thing you were late, Alyssa growled, sliding off of him. Her exposed skin was smeared with soot. Come on! she said, dragging him away from the fire. She hopped on one leg, favoring an injured foot.

What? No! Corin cried, jerking away from her. He quickly shrugged out of his robe and wrapped it around her bare shoulders. How did you get out?

I was on the balcony. Suddenly, all the locks clicked, and I couldn’t get back in, Alyssa said. Festival robes do not make reliable escape ropes, but at least... there’s no way in, Corin.

We have to try. We can’t leave them to die, Corin stammered, pointing to the sealed building. The smoke had to be getting out somehow.

A service officer just killed a house full of Fotri, Alyssa hissed. There was no random lottery, Corin. That fire was meant for us.

She sprayed something in his face, stunning him the way he’d stunned Belgard, then she shoved a pill in his mouth and forced him to swallow. She was getting him out whether he wanted to go or not.

2

SIX MONTHS LATER

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the damp, green fields outside of Nola. Mold grew up the sides of the low, stone fences that covered the countryside for miles. The sheep were grazing in the highlands, soon to be herded downhill for shearing. The town went about its business of producing more wool than food and the Council of Princes met again to fruitlessly discuss methods of protecting the sheep from hungry vagrants.

The mountain springs fed rivers that threaded the plains and circled Nola. The Lilac River had eroded the foundation at the eastern wall of the dome, but the air outside was pure enough, and the Nolans had built a boardwalk and canopy taking a part of the river into their protected city. The glass canopy filtered the sunlight, keeping the walking path cool, and making the river look purple. The boardwalk paced the river for nearly three miles, and every half mile a pier went out into the river. It was a popular jogging path, and the Prince of Wildlife worked hard to keep the larger predators from entering the river along the protected walkway. The gators always seemed to find a way in.

Magistrate Collette Toulane wished she were jogging the path with her daughter, but Regine was heavily pregnant and toting three other children. So they were walking and letting the kids run circles around them. The river walk was the best place to see the open sky, and Collette had been having premonitions lately of something falling out of it.

The power of premonition was a rare curse in Nola, but it didn’t disrupt her life the way telepathy or other psychic abilities would have. Her first strong premonition had been of something falling from the sky, back when Regine was only five years old. She’d misinterpreted the vision of the future as an imminent threat and knocked Regine to the ground, scaring her to death and scraping her little knees. Collette hated her curse, but she trusted it. She’d reported the vision to the Chief of Safety, and the Chief set up a telescope to watch the sky. Three years later, the vision came true. A burning hunk of ancient space debris fell, but the city had been tracking its decaying orbit for months and they were prepared. They’d pulled all the sheep from the fields, and only lost an acre of grain to fire.

Has Corin even touched his piano? Regine asked, inquiring after her little brother.

Hmm? Collette asked. Sorry, I thought I saw a bird. Corin’s fine.

That’s not what Dad says, Regine said, snatching a piece of bark from her two-year-old’s hand before the toddler could put it in her mouth. I saw Judith last week. She seemed upset when I asked about Corin. I guess they had a fight or something.

We all go through phases in life, Collette dismissed. He’s only just starting his career as a Prince. Sometimes hobbies take a back seat.

Judith is more than a hobby, Regine said. I know you never liked them together. Just because the kid you see in your premonitions isn’t theirs, doesn’t mean they don’t end up together. Amar isn’t yours and you still raised him.

Amar was Regine and Corin’s older half-brother through Festival, not marriage. Collette may not have birthed him, but he was every bit her child, and Regine had a point.

She’s Fotri. If she actually wanted him, she could have him. He deserves someone who desires him as a man, Collette said, her obstinance kicking in. But I was talking about his piano. He’ll find time again.

I guess, Regine sighed, glancing over at her eldest son. Bernie misses him.

Collette smiled at the seven-year-old. Bernie looked like a miniature version of his father, with dark, wavy hair that fell past his shoulders. He could come to the Palace. I hear he has quite the piano talent himself.

He doesn’t have Corin’s ear. He reads his music, Regine said.

That will only make him better, Collette said.

Mom, don’t say things like that. You sound like you’re ashamed of Corin, Regine chastised. Corin loved his piano, and he’d been playing beautifully by ear since age four. His ear had saved him through his schooling and Prince training. He could barely read, but he could recite and analyze long speeches after hearing them only once.

He knows I’m very proud, Collette said automatically. He’ll be happy again, soon.

What you see might not come true if we don’t help him get there, Regine pointed out.

Collette felt a flash of guilt. She knew Corin was upset about the fire last Festival, but whenever she tried to talk to him, he’d make an excuse and run to his textile mill. Collette had seen Corin’s future in a persistent premonition. He ran a clothing shop filled with colorful, ornate designs, and though he steered his little girl toward the simple, durable fabrics, she reached for the beads and sequins just like he did. He didn’t look like a Prince in Collette’s premonition, but she hoped that somehow his work was helping him heal.

The vision of the object falling from the sky repeated. She saw the orange glow as it hit the atmosphere, heading straight for their city.

Premonition? Regine asked, her cheeks twitching with concern. As slow as they were going, she could tell when Collette missed a step.

Collette smiled, and blinked her eyes to clear the haze. Nothing imminent. I—

Her vision went fuzzy again, but this time, she felt something like a knife slashing across her forearms, and she heard a cry. Then she saw a woman lying on the ground, bleeding. At first, she thought it was a vision of herself. But then she heard the cry, and she ran toward the sound. A woman lay on the ground moaning and rocking side to side. She had bleeding gashes on her forearms. They didn’t look like knife wounds.

Mom, what’s going on? Regine hollered, hustling to catch up. Is it a gator?

I don’t see one. Regine, keep the children back, she ordered. She tapped the emergency radio in her pocket. Dispatch, I need wildlife control and a medical team at river marker— she glanced around but didn’t see a post. Marker!

Thirty-two! Regine replied. A crowd was starting to gather, most holding back their children.

Thirty-two, Collette said, putting her hand on the woman’s arm to staunch the blood. She glanced down at her clothes, looking for something she might use as a tourniquet. Calm, darling. Breathe, she said to the woman. What happened?

Magistrate, the woman rasped. Then she screamed and brought her hands up to protect her face. Collette threw her body over the woman to protect her, but when nothing happened, she lifted off and looked around. The crowd stayed back.

What happened? Collette asked again.

Spirit, she whispered.

Collette’s eyes widened and she scrambled away, frantically wiping her bloody hands on the grass. Her mother had been possessed by a spirit. That was how Collette became cursed with premonitions.

You’re a Questre? Collette asked. That was the word they used for the possessed. When Questre died, their spirits jumped into the next nearest host and took over. Collette would rather die than let a spirit take her.

The woman shook her head. She hit me, the woman said.

Who? A Questre? Collette asked. Any Questre hunter knew better than to kill their prey in public. The only way to spare the next victim was to isolate the body. The person had to die alone.

More than a Questre. A real spirit.

Spirits don’t leave gashes like that, Collette said.

This one was solid. It could touch me, she said.

Where did it go? Collette asked, looking into the sea of gathered people. She had to keep them safe!

It flew away, she said. Her eyes closed and Collette scrambled back again. She hit the leg of one of her service officers who had arrived with the medics. They quickly established a barrier and encouraged the crowd to disperse.

Magistrate, are you hurt? the Prince of Law asked, putting his arm around her and bracing her wrists, bloody palms up. He was a portly man, about ten years her senior, and he was puffing for breath from running to her rescue. He seemed determined to prove that casual walks through the city were not safe for Magistrates, and he often had one of his officers trail her when she left the Palace. He must have come running the moment he heard her voice on the radio.

The blood is hers, Collette said, wrestling to get free of his grip. The Prince was cursed like her, and when he grabbed victims like that, it was so he could read their minds and get a clear view of the incident before the memory got muddled. Be careful with her. She claims a spirit attacked.

A new Questre in town, he asked, sounding delighted at the prospect of the hunt.

It can’t be. No. She said it flew away. Questre don’t fly, Collette said, trying to twist out of his arms. He kept a firm hold of her wrists.

I will test this blood and see if she can be traced to a cursed line, he said. It’s possible this woman has been driven mad by her premonitions. But if you do suspect she’s Questre, we could kill her to be sure.

Don’t you dare talk so casually about killing the innocent, Collette said, kicking his shin to make him let go. There was plenty of blood from the woman for him to analyze.

You used to be so eager to abolish the Questre. Now, your loyalties seem to be toward them, he taunted.

He narrowed his eyes, but she narrowed hers back and squared her shoulders. You think I’m one of them, don’t you? she challenged. Now it made sense why he was so eager to track her on every errand. He didn’t trust her.

The other cursed never have the clarity in premonitions that you do, he said. You seem to have something extra. Maybe something your mother gave you to carry.

I made sure my mother’s spirit died with her, Collette retorted. Her mother’s face flashed before her eyes. The old woman had carried the spirit for decades, knowing full well Collette would be cursed by it. Collette was certain she’d killed the beast, and she had to live with the fact that she’d condemned her mother with it.

We don’t criminalize your curse because we want others to feel confident coming forward to report Questre, the Prince said, handing her a rag to clean her hands.

My example is hardly motivational, since my reward for speaking out was watching my mother burn, Collette