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On behalf of Page Turner Book Tours, I'd like to present the first book in an all-new YA epic fantasy series by indie author J.S. Council. Discover more about Airion: Return to Zire and read an exciting excerpt below!
Airion: Return to Zire
by
J.S. Council
Aside from his outward appearance, Kobi is
a normal thirteen-year-old boy. Living with his mother, his father, and his
identical twin brother, Raili, with whom he spends most days at the cove
watching dolphins and whales feed, he is happy with his life just the way it
is. But his fourteenth birthday is coming and Kobi has no idea how much his
life is about to change.
When
Raili is pulled through a puddle in the floor of their second floor bedroom by
a monster armed with poisonous, spiked tentacles, Kobi goes in after him. What
he finds isn’t Raili, but a new world all together, buried beneath the ocean.
With a bounty on his head that has been there since he and Raili’s birth, Kobi
will have to learn to fight or die before he can be reunited with Raili again.
Everything he knew to be true was a lie.
People
he loved and trusted are not who they seem. He isn’t the normal boy he thought
himself to be. A transformation is coming. Raili is gone. Blood is shed.
Traitors lurk, waiting for their chance. War is inevitable. The fate of the
world of Airion rests in his hands. The Wiseone speaks. Failure is certain.
Formats
Available: Paperback, Ebook (HTML, Kindle, Epub,
PDF, RTF, LRF, Palm Doc, Plain Text (download), Plain Text (View)
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Excerpt:
“Hey, Kobi,” said Kimi as Kobi followed his nose to the kitchen and stood in the door way, taking in the sight of broiled herb salmon, garlic mashed potatoes, and buttered corn on the kitchen counter. “I didn’t hear Raili. That’s unnatural.” Kobi moved the tray of salmon and the A Thousand and One Recipes cookbook to the side as Kimi took honey-glazed, cornbread out of the oven. “Having a fight?”
“No, he’s sick again,” said Kobi getting the plates and silverware and setting the table. “So he’s upstairs lying down.”
Kimi sighed heavily. “It’s the ocean,” she said quietly.
“What?” said Kobi.
“Does he usually feel ill just after swimming?” asked Kimi, leaning against the kitchen counter and looking Kobi straight in the eyes.
“Sometimes,” Kobi answered, his eyes searching the floor.
Kimi sighed again. “You two shouldn’t go back to the cove,” she said. “Not until Raili’s better.”
“But Mom—”
“I said no, Kobi,” said Kimi, cutting him off with a narrow hand.
Kobi let it go.
With the table set, he went upstairs to check on Raili who was lying with his arm over his eyes.
“Can’t you knock?” he said as Kobi closed the door behind him.
Kobi smiled. “Do I ever? Besides, I’m not asking permission to enter my own room.”
Raili grinned but said nothing.
“You okay?” asked Kobi, sitting on the edge of Raili’s bed and feeling his cheek and forehead with the back of his hand; his face was clammy but not hot. “Hungry?”
“I guess,” Raili sighed, pulling away from Kobi. “I can’t smell anything so everything’s going to taste like cotton.”
Raili groaned as he sat up.
“We can’t go back to the cove,” said Kobi.
“I heard,” said Raili. “I get sick. I don’t know what it is. I feel really good in the water, like that’s where I belong. Then I leave and I feel horrible, like I’m seasick.”
“I get the same feeling in the water,” said Kobi. “Why do you get sick and I don’t?”
Raili just shrugged. “What’s that?” he said, pointing to the corner.
“Water?” said Kobi, staring at a perfectly round puddle. “Did you spill anything?”
Raili shook his head, coughing profusely.
“Raili, come get some Kusuri Tea for that cough!” called Kimi from downstairs. “Dinner is getting cold!”
“She has ears like a bat,” said Raili, still coughing.
“I hear ya,” said Kobi, “but are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” said Raili, clearing his throat and breathing harder than normal. “Let’s go.”
“You go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
Kobi threw one of Raili’s—or maybe one of his—old shirts on the circular puddle, tapping it lightly with his foot. Within seconds, the shirt was soaked and the floor felt strangely soft under his touch. But only a dark brown stain remained when Kobi lifted the shirt. How long had that puddle been there?
Kobi’s stomach wouldn’t let him investigate any further. He threw the dripping shirt into the clothesbasket and ran downstairs to dinner, his stomach doing cartwheels from hunger.
“No, he’s sick again,” said Kobi getting the plates and silverware and setting the table. “So he’s upstairs lying down.”
Kimi sighed heavily. “It’s the ocean,” she said quietly.
“What?” said Kobi.
“Does he usually feel ill just after swimming?” asked Kimi, leaning against the kitchen counter and looking Kobi straight in the eyes.
“Sometimes,” Kobi answered, his eyes searching the floor.
Kimi sighed again. “You two shouldn’t go back to the cove,” she said. “Not until Raili’s better.”
“But Mom—”
“I said no, Kobi,” said Kimi, cutting him off with a narrow hand.
Kobi let it go.
With the table set, he went upstairs to check on Raili who was lying with his arm over his eyes.
“Can’t you knock?” he said as Kobi closed the door behind him.
Kobi smiled. “Do I ever? Besides, I’m not asking permission to enter my own room.”
Raili grinned but said nothing.
“You okay?” asked Kobi, sitting on the edge of Raili’s bed and feeling his cheek and forehead with the back of his hand; his face was clammy but not hot. “Hungry?”
“I guess,” Raili sighed, pulling away from Kobi. “I can’t smell anything so everything’s going to taste like cotton.”
Raili groaned as he sat up.
“We can’t go back to the cove,” said Kobi.
“I heard,” said Raili. “I get sick. I don’t know what it is. I feel really good in the water, like that’s where I belong. Then I leave and I feel horrible, like I’m seasick.”
“I get the same feeling in the water,” said Kobi. “Why do you get sick and I don’t?”
Raili just shrugged. “What’s that?” he said, pointing to the corner.
“Water?” said Kobi, staring at a perfectly round puddle. “Did you spill anything?”
Raili shook his head, coughing profusely.
“Raili, come get some Kusuri Tea for that cough!” called Kimi from downstairs. “Dinner is getting cold!”
“She has ears like a bat,” said Raili, still coughing.
“I hear ya,” said Kobi, “but are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” said Raili, clearing his throat and breathing harder than normal. “Let’s go.”
“You go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
Kobi threw one of Raili’s—or maybe one of his—old shirts on the circular puddle, tapping it lightly with his foot. Within seconds, the shirt was soaked and the floor felt strangely soft under his touch. But only a dark brown stain remained when Kobi lifted the shirt. How long had that puddle been there?
Kobi’s stomach wouldn’t let him investigate any further. He threw the dripping shirt into the clothesbasket and ran downstairs to dinner, his stomach doing cartwheels from hunger.
****
"Although I didn’t fully commit to making writing
my life’s work until my sophomore year of college, I have always been a writer
at heart. I was the only student in class to get excited about school papers,
even asking to write a few for extra credit on occasion. I graduated from the
University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a degree in Creative Writing –
Fiction. After graduating, I moved to Japan where I wrote most of my debut
novel, Airion: Return to Zire and all
of my second novel Airion: Light and Dawn
– the first two of a four book series. Japan was a peaceful place to just sit
and write, but life in Japan was also filled with adventure. However much I
loved it there, I had to return home to do what I love most. Write.”
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