“The Wings Upon Her Back” is set in the divided city of Radezdha, ruled by the mecha sect led by the power-hungry Winged Vodaya. The story opens with Winged Zemolai making the mistake of letting a spy go free. As a result, she loses everything; she finds herself cast away from her sect and physically maimed by her god. 

There’s not much she can do. Another sect rescues her, but what choice does she have? She can either venture alone into a world that hates her or fight against the only world that has ever accepted her.

The chapters alternate between two timelines: Zemolai’s childhood and her arduous training to become Winged, and her adult path of disillusionment and fight for survival. Both parts are action-packed and emotionally charged. Zemolai ran away from home to join the Winged. Without getting into details, it required inhuman sacrifices, including blind obedience and eventually getting nerves wired into mechanical wings that allowed Winged to fly.