Chapter 2: Monsters Above- Excerpt 

“Give me one,” Khala said. “I earned it.”

Sekya tipped her wrist and passed the cigarette across.

Khala took it with a grin and inhaled deeply, the cinnamon heat burning sweet through her chest. The verandah boards creaked beneath them, still warm from the day, the Fire Kingdom slow to release its hold on the evening. Even in the cooling air, Khala looked like she carried heat within her. Her skin held a warm golden brown, her tall, muscular frame relaxed against the railing as she shook out her hair, a wild tumble of fire-red curls settling around her shoulders.

Below them, Khala’s client stepped out of The Silks. A shy young man with narrow shoulders and nervous hands, he paused just outside the door as if unsure which way to go. He glanced up and down the street, hoping no one he knew was watching.

Khala leaned over the railing, amber-red eyes glinting. “Goodbye, my lover!”

The boy froze, colour flooding his face. He lifted a hand in a mortified little wave, then hurried off so fast he nearly tripped on the cobblestones.

Sekya snorted softly. “You are cruel.”

Khala laughed, smoke spilling from her lips. “He will be back. They always return to the one who teaches them how to breathe properly.”

Sekya rested her forearms on the railing, drawing in one last slow breath from the cigarette she had been holding. She exhaled deliberately, then stubbed it out against the stone, leaving it half finished in the ash tray. She was not a smoker, not really. She just liked the ritual of it after a long night. Something to breathe out. Something steady.

Below them, the street was easing into evening. Laundry lines stretched between buildings, thin threads of gold in the fading light. Awnings were lowered by tired hands, voices drifting upward, softened by distance and dusk.

The door behind them opened, and Riva stepped out onto the verandah.

She moved quietly, as she always did, coming to rest beside them without fuss. In the low light, her irises caught a faint wash of teal, like deep water catching the last of the sun before swallowing it. Her skin was pale and cool toned compared to most Eratari, her long teal-black hair hanging straight down her back, glossy in the dimming light.

Sekya glanced sideways at her. “Long night.”

Riva hummed in agreement, resting her chin on her hand as she looked out over the road. A thin ribbon of smoke slipped from her lips and vanished almost as soon as it formed.

For a moment, the three of them stood in easy silence, shoulders close, watching the city settle. From the street below, they might have looked lined up and waiting, heads tilted forward, hands braced against the railing like figures set up at a fair, daring someone to take aim.

Against the lamplit street, their colours blended easily into the Fire Kingdom’s evening — gold, brown, ember-red, and shadow.

The door opened again behind them.

Lio joined them on the verandah, balancing a tarnished silver tray in both hands. He was tall and broad, his strong arms straining slightly against the fabric of his shirt as he adjusted his grip. The humid, perfumed air of the busy floors below still clung to him.