Ophiuchus Flinched

The Zephyr Archipelago enters unsettled skies.

With hope dwindling by the hour, Kai sets out for Avernus to track down a missing Aeolian zeppelin and its civilian passengers on his first mission as a fully fledged dragoon. Left behind due to injury, Draft Lieutenant Vanna Strait begins a personal investigation into Serpenttongue Bael, the Toranese saboteur resurfaced from his banishment.

Meanwhile, the Celestial Kelestina and her Patrician court have turned their focus elsewhere. After violating a sacred ceremony and an ancient taboo, Effie Strait has proven herself possessed of a rare Gift. Kelestina whisks her away to Aquilon Island, where Effie awaits whatever fate her impetuous actions have sealed for her.

Return to the world of Ciel in this eagerly anticipated sequel to Ardent WIngs on Jealous Skies, the book Kirkus Reviews calls "A wholly absorbing, otherworldly tale of family, magic, and astonishing creatures."

Z. Bennett Lorimer is the author of several SFF series and short stories including the Tales of Ciel, The Divine Heretic, the Compact Cycle, and Shattered, and a recipient of the 2019 Iowa Home Voices Award for his short story "American Drone Pilot," first published in The Superstition Review. He is a graduate of the 2014 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop at UC-San Diego. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Iowa State University and is the former managing editor of the international literary journal Flyway: Journal of Writing and Environment. In 2025, he launched High Trestle Press LLC, an independent press dedicated to publishing series science fiction and fantasy on an expedited timeline.A Long Island native, he currently lives in Ames, IA, with his partner and children.