The Ascent of Majjai: The Salom'Sileyu Trilogy 3

By Zachael T.J. Presgrove

After years of fighting gods, cults, and an empire determined to extinguish her life, Ayela struggles against trauma and the Kult in a final dance to bring an end to the circle of suffering that follows her wherever she goes...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trevor Jon Presgrove
• Release date: Mar 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781734572285

Zachael T.J. Presgrove

Zachael is a writer with a love for fantasy, science, and the allure of religious myth and cosmic theories.

Book preview

I

Episode 1

The Majjai

Chapter 1

Chapter Separator

The Empire has suffered…

The day was clear as always in the capital city of Bavylune. There was a draft, the strangest of things to experience with its high walls. Her scarlet hair would levitate, following the slight breeze every so often and get in the way of her violet eyes. A smile tugged at Ayela’s pink lips, and she crinkled her nose as she snickered at her boyfriend’s joke. It was a casual weekend day, calm and enjoyable, and she reveled in the fact that no one in the empire knew their greatest fear sat so close to their illustrious leader.

A divine logician.

There wasn’t too much noise that they had to speak over. Airship traffic was low, and there weren’t many people walking about outside. Her boyfriend, Kieran, smirked and sipped his coffee, pleased with his own sense of humor. She returned his smile and stared off into the distance. He didn’t know about her powers. He barely knew about her past. All he truly knew was that she was a talented dancer and that she knew how to fight.

He didn’t know her, though. He was too wrapped up in his own ego and his accomplishments to care about her the way she needed him to. Sure, she loved him and wanted to be with him… At least, she believed she loved him. They’d been dating for a year-and-a-half now.

But he and Kamille never got along, and when she wanted time to herself, he seemed really bothered by it. He constantly worried about who she was hanging around. He liked to be the one who planned what they did and where they went, and had a nasty habit of making her wants seem like a bother to him. In many ways, he was too self-centered, and when she was hurting, he never really made an effort to see what was hurting her.

The most bothersome thing about him, though, was his insatiable urge to take any pain she was feeling, any anger, any discussions about her past and refusal to talk about things he had no business asking about, and making all of it about him. He used the fact that he never yelled or hit or took advantage of her as credentials for his upstanding morals, but neglected the smaller details. There were subtle things about him she’d learned over their time together that she did what she could to overlook – because he truly was a sweat guy – but she didn’t know how much longer she could keep it up.

Hey, he said softly, taking hold of her hand. She looked over into his gentle, sage eyes and felt her apprehensions melt away. How could someone like him be so suffocating? How could someone with such warm eyes be so selfish? Perhaps there were just things in his past he couldn’t get over, and she let that be reason enough for now. You okay? He continued.

Yeah, I was just thinking about work stuff, she lied. She had to lie. She couldn’t bring herself to confront him when his caring, gentle eyes carried so much fragile emotion. She cared for him, and didn’t want to be the one that wounded him so deeply.

You’ve been working a lot of hours lately. It does seem like you need a break, he said as he leaned back. They sat at a wire table with similarly-styled chairs. You’re not wrong, she thought to herself. It wasn’t because they needed her, though. She was saving up money. She hadn’t told anyone, but some day, she wanted to move to Songriveii.

A break would be nice, she agreed, probing for what he was hinting at. Did he want to break away too? Was he looking for a chance to take a vacation? Things were dull with the darklings as of late. There were no new reports, Kamille was down in Shamol more often lately, and Ayela was stuck working her job with no new leaks to share. It seemed like her involvement was with that one mission… The mission from last year… The one Kacyn, the Ebony elf from Northton, gave her life to accomplish.

She hadn’t even gone to find any other Korists in the city – not that there would be any. Her religion was practically dissolved, and while she shared some of what she believed with Kieran, he always gave her a blank expression that revealed how much went right over his head. She was stuck with her Alldweii that was gifted to her by Karinth. It had to suffice for the time being. She wondered if there were congregations in her home country.

How about a vacation? We could visit one of the border towns by the desert, then take a trip to Dominov, Kieran suggested. Her ears perked up, suddenly interested in what his idea was about.

"Where were you thinking in particular? Not many of the desert towns are exciting… Well, okay, Deserton is exciting, but they literally make it their culture that they’re right on the border of the empire," she pointed out.

Have you been?

No, I’ve only ever read about it. I’ve been to Isala, Sav’Ivorim, and Kahliad, though. Kahliad is probably the most beautiful. It’s developed its own culture unique to its inhabitants. They’re practically their own country. I love the people there.

He leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin, though she knew what he was getting at. He wasn’t anything if dramatic. …You want to go to Kahliad? We can stay there for a week and get away, then do some sight-seeing in Dominov… Then you’ll come back feeling refreshed.

She thought about it seriously for a few moments. She wasn’t doing much in Bavylune aside from working like everyone else. She’d saved up a wealth of sigil, so it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford to take a couple weeks, and she was sure the dancing school would be more than willing to allow her the time. She was their most favored instructor, after all. She could practically run the place.

You know what, she began, Sure. Let’s go on a vacation. We both deserve the time off, and I could really use a break from the city. Besides, you’d like Kahliad. There’s plenty of restaurants with their own styles of cooking, and it’s one of the few and only towns without border walls. There’s never been a safer town.

He smiled warmly, and she felt a sense of relief. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been wanting to get away until he’d brought the idea up. It’s a deal, then, he said with a smirk. This is gonna be so much fun.

I agree, she thought to herself. Let’s head out next weekend… That will give us time to pack, set some sigil aside, give our jobs a heads up… She said as she stood to her feet. He rose up to meet her and pressed his lips to hers.

Sounds like a plan, babe, he said with a smile.

After he left a tip for the server, they walked back to his apartment hand-in-hand, and she felt a little more excited about the days to come…

Chapter 2

Chapter Separator

You can’t be seriously following through with this.

She felt herself fluster as she re-read Kamille’s text. The conversation was well over a week ago, but she still felt betrayed at her best friend’s apprehension. The pangs of pain were subtle, but they were there. How could Kamille be so opposed to someone without truly even knowing him? Sure, Kieran had his flaws, but why was there so much animosity? Try as she might, she found it more and more difficult to ignore her feelings and move on.

Then, as if on cue, her phone buzzed in her hand with Kamille’s picture popping up on the screen. There you bloody are! She cursed as Ayela held the phone to her ear.

Here I bloody am, she said sarcastically.

You giving me an attitude, love? What did I do?

Ayela paused for a moment. It’s nothing big, but I guess I was hurt by how opposed to this trip you are… And then we didn’t talk for a week.

…I’m sorry, Ayela. You’re my best friend. You know that, right? My dislike of Kieran doesn’t reflect our friendship in any way… I just don’t want to be so far away from you. Kamille answered softly. Ayela’s heart throbbed a little, panging with the bittersweet sensation of healing.

"Aww, I’ll miss you too. I do miss you. I know you’re with Thillan, and I’m happy that everything’s been so quiet, and you get so much time to spend with him… I just want that for me, too. Literally everything has been quiet. No chatter. No calls from Asher to meet up. Nothing," she said, careful not to say too much over the phone.

I know, love. You know he’s been traveling across the country. He’s got a lot of work he has to do, being a sales rep and all, Kamille said with the same tone of disappointment in her voice. Sales rep, she thought to herself. Good cover.

"I know… Either way, I’ll be back before you know it. Besides, You’ve