The Sisterhood of Jez — Chapter One: The Flight to Lyrenna
The engines of the Aurelia Skyliner 908 thrummed like a restrained tempest, their steady vibration pulsing through the ribs of the aircraft. Outside, Sydney International Airport shimmered under the fading glow of dusk. The horizon burned orange and violet, gilding the silver fuselage of the plane with the dying fire of another day. Don Ray sat by the window, a half-drained glass of whiskey resting on the tray before him. The reflection in the glass caught the lines of his face; carved by time and memory. He was clean-shaven, his scalp deliberately bare to disguise the onset of baldness. This feature gave him a youthful edge, one that softened his severity and made him quietly appealing, especially to the ladies. He watched as the last rays of sunlight drew thin across the tarmac, swallowed by the shadows of departing aircraft. Somewhere out there, beyond the Pacific, beyond the myth, lay the Republic of Lyrenna. He tapped the screen embedded in the seat before him, scrolling thr...