About the Story
Airovale is an epic steampunk fantasy, where every gift demands its price.
The story opens on a typical day of Life in the Village revealing the bustling capital of merchants, aeronauts, and families as zeppelins and hot-air balloons stitch trade across the South Sea archipelago. A caravan of miners makes a perilous trek to The Crescent Islands, rich in copper and secret gold. Armed with an ancient map obtained by chance, a hidden location promises untold riches — but at a deadly cost. They violate a sacred space, evoking the Curse of the Temple Gold, where an ageless guardian calls a storm that decimates the fleet. Survivors dump their fortunes, trading weight for lives. Coming Home empty-handed, they embrace their true wealth — life and family.
The great storm crushes many ships, but the winds take a single zeppelin into the forgotten blue horizon of the southern sea. Adrift for weeks, the ship sets down on the uncharted island of Canyon Myst. Despair turns to solace as the fae and human Mystics provide materials for repairs — while warning to take only what is needed. The fire-stone mines provide coal for fuel, but digging reveals massive gems and gold, shifting dreams of home into dreams of building kingdoms. Now beyond what was needed, The Law of Exchange keeps score in wages unknown, soon revealed in how Deceptive Time works on the fabled island.
Hours on the island move differently than in Airovale, but a forbidden love between Aden, a crew member, and Kira, a betrothed fairy, blossoms as they explore a submerged ancient city. Testing the boundaries of human and fae magic, they discover time portals and the island's secret history. When Kira's betrothed Barra discovers their affair, honor demands satisfaction. The Duel leaves consequences that ripple through both worlds.
During The Long Night, Aden faces judgment while Thalos reveals the island's deepest truths — how time itself is the currency of exchange, and what was taken must be balanced. The finale arrives as Aden and Kira confront a Mystic Portal, uncovering the full scope of the time paradox on Canyon Myst and the price that love, greed, and magic exact from those who dare to bargain with forces beyond their understanding.
Airovale is both sweeping spectacle and intimate parable, inviting you to ask: what is time worth, and what would you trade for more precious moments, while wasting the minutes at hand?
Written and produced by Jef Gray from Orlando, Florida, 2024–2026. Also available on Amazon in eBook, paperback, and audiobook.
