Ronah: A YA Epic Fantasy Novel (The Lissae Series Book 1)

  Ronah by R. Lennard

  First published in 2018 by R. Lennard

  Second edition published in 2019 by R. Lennard

  Copyright © Rebecca Lennard, 2018

  Cover Design © Vanesa Garkova, 2019

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.

  All inquiries should be made to the author.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental or unintentional.

  Printed and bound by Blurb, Inc, San Francisco, USA

  eBook design by Inkstain Design Studio

  Edited by Penmanship Editing

  www.PenmanshipEditing.com

  Published by Rebecca Lennard

  www.lissae.com

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Glossary

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Summer 4045

  It all started with a trip to the museum and a charging Minotaur.

  Shari Dawn was three and a half years old when her dad had left Ronah to go on a rare visit to his family on one of the other Shifting Islands. On a balmy summer day, her mum had given into her incessant pleading and taken her to the museum. The big, white stone building had intrigued Shari for as long as she could remember. She'd always felt a pull to it, but it hadn't been until that afternoon that she'd been able to figure out why.

  “Well met!” Anna Warfield, the museum curator, called out as Shari and her mum, Arilla, slipped out of the heat and into the cool shade of the museum. Shari smiled and waved a chubby hand at the curator. Anna wandered over, bringing with her the scent of parchment, dust and something spicy that tickled Shari’s nose and made her sneeze. “There are a few new things in the artefact room, Shari. I wonder if you can find them?”

  Shari squirmed out of her mum’s arms and started to toddle determinedly towards the artefact room, right at the back of the museum.

  “Hold on, young lady!” her mum said, grabbing her hand and holding it tight.

  Shari sighed but relinquished her freedom when Anna winked at her.

  Walking through the spacious rooms filled with treasures and trinkets of times long gone, Arilla tried to dawdle in the Innarn room, where there were all sorts of displays of elemental magic from all over the Realms. Everyone knew that the elemental magic from Lissae was the best. It had to be, it had the best name — Innarn. Her mum didn’t use Innarn, but her dad was an incredibly powerful Innarnian who could tap into the elements and wield Innarn.

  Shari kept tugging on her mum’s arm until she gave in and led her into a room that she just couldn't get enough of. Filled with clear crystal cases containing the ancient objects from all across the Realms, a sense of mystery intermingled with the polished stones, musty books and foreign idols. On the far side of the room, a set of double doors made of wood with an inlaid pattern of seven coloured arrows around a silver ring called to Shari as soon as she spied them.

  “Don’t wander far, Shari,” her mum said.

  Shari nodded and kept an eye on her mum, who wandered over to the displays on different books from around the Realms. Sneaking a look and seeing Arilla bent over the books, Shari skipped over to the doors long enough to lay a single, chubby hand on them.

  In that instant, her life changed.

  The doors flung apart, and falling backwards was the only thing that saved her. A massive bull-headed man stomped through the open doors, bellowing so loudly, the ancient artefacts rattled in their cases. With wide eyes, his huge, pounding steps carried him closer to Arilla, who frantically looked around, more concerned about spotting Shari than getting out of the Minotaur’s way.

  Shari did what any three-year-old would do when something scary happened. She screamed.

  The Minotaur stopped and snorted, throwing a huge, muscled arm out as he turned, sending her mother flying, his hot breath sending clouds of steam into the air as he took in the toddler screaming at him.

  When the big, bull-headed being charged at her, Shari screamed again and threw her hands into the air to fend him off. A glowing purple Innarn shield crackled like lightning as it sprang from her fingertips, covering the space in front of her.

  The Minotaur bounced off the shield and slammed backwards into a glass case. He'd landed with a crunch, the object from the case destroyed beneath his bulk. Shari, her chubby three-year-old legs trembling, walked up to the giant being and beat her fists ineffectively on his chest as clouds of his breath danced over her head.

  Dazed, he looked at his diminutive attacker from his prone position, eyebrows drawing together as he struggled to make sense of this tiny being hammering on his chest.

  “You go now,” Shari told him fiercely. His dark eyes peered down at her as she scowled up at him. “Now!” she demanded, stamping her tiny foot on the ground.

  Rising on shaking legs, he stumbled back through the double doors, glancing over his shoulder at the tiny warrior who glared fiercely at him before the doors shut behind his hulking form.

  Arilla’s eyes fluttered open as the door clicked closed, and she staggered to her feet, rushing to wrap Shari up in the tightest hug, saying her daughter’s name over and over again into Shari’s hair.

  Shari had a feeling it would be a long time before they could revisit the museum.

  “What happened?” Anna called as she came to a shuddering halt in the gateway of the room.

  “There was a Minotaur,” Arilla said. “It charged at me, I went flying, and when I woke up...”

  “Shari?” Anna’s hand fluttered up against her throat, and Shari poked her head out of her mum’s hair. “Oh, child. What happened?”

  The doors behind Shari and Arilla opened, and a small cloaked figure poked a hooded head through. It seemed to pass a message on to Anna, despite its face being hidden beneath the hood.

  “Oh, thank goodness. Thank you,” Anna said. “Maybe it’s time to go home now, Arilla. You take Shari and stay safe, ok?”

  “Yes... yes. Thanks, Anna.” Distracted, Arilla got to her feet, cradling Shari close to her, trembling all the way home.

  Calem Dawn arrived home the next afternoon, his wings beating a gentle down-draft as he landed in the garden, arms outstretched to gather Shari and Arilla into a warm hug. He smelled of sea air and Innarn. One arm around each of them, he led them i
nside, his wings disappearing as he sunk into a kitchen chair.

  After a blissful snack of rutenberry cookies, her mum sent Shari outside to play in the garden. Sitting on the cool grass under the shade cast from their bereni tree home and idly turning the soil over with a tiny shovel, Shari could hear the fear in her mum’s voice as she told her dad, Calem, about the charging Minotaur who disappeared. Calem tried to reassure Arilla, reminding her of the beings who guarded the gateways into Lissae.

  Who would guard a gateway? That’d be boring, Shari thought, shaking her head.

  ‘The Ducibus guard my gateways,’ a voice that definitely was not her own spoke inside Shari’s mind.

  Dropping the shovel that she’d been holding, Shari frowned. “Who’re you?” she demanded.

  ‘Hush, child. Use your mind to talk to me,’ the voice admonished gently.

  ‘Fine,’ Shari grumped in the way only a three-year-old can. ‘Who are you, mind voice?’

  ‘I am Lissae.’

  Shari’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re a Realm!’

  ‘No, dear—heart. I’m the Realm.’

  ‘But... but...’ Shari’s thoughts stuttered, and she dug her fingers into the soil, trying to hold tight to the voice in her head.

  ‘And you, you are my little Altoriae,’ Lissae crooned to her.

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Altoriae? It is a name for my fiercest protector. She is the one who stops the beings who want to take me over. The one who makes sure that all of those who call me home are safe.’

  Mind flicking back to the museum, her mother’s fallen form, and the hot, harsh breaths of the Minotaur, Shari nodded resolutely. ‘I want to do that.’

  ‘You agree, little one? You will be my protector? It is hard work,’ Lissae cautioned.

  ‘I don’t want people to get hurt,’ Shari sent back, her face a fierce scowl.

  ‘You can’t tell anyone, little Altoriae, or they will be in danger. There is a curse, a test, which you must take to prove that you are the next Altoriae.’ Images followed the words, of bad things happening to the people who had known about past Altoriaes before they had been announced.

  Shari shivered. The images were blurry, but the feelings in them scared her, feelings of pain, fear and apologies sent but never received.

  Her resolution wavered for a moment, but she peered over her shoulder to see her mum smiling at her from the window. What if someone else lost their mum because she said no? What would she do without a mum to give her hugs after a scary day?

  ‘I’m good at keeping secrets,’ Shari said, picking her shovel back up and stabbing it into the ground determinedly. Realising that she might have hurt her new friend, she hastily pulled the shovel out and tossed it aside, gently patting the earth smooth.

  The Realm rumbled, and Shari felt as if she was sitting by the fire under a blanket on a cold night. Warm light surrounded her, making her tingle pleasantly as it sank into her skin.

  ‘My Altoriae,’ Lissae sighed, and Shari felt the presence withdraw from her mind.

  Winter 4047

  Shari’s dreams changed after her talk with Lissae. They became more about learning how to shield so she wouldn’t be discovered, and how to defend herself from eminent attacks on both her person and her Realm. Summer gave way to winter, and her night time training was done in such a way that Shari herself remained mostly unaware of what was going on, until the day she stepped into the colourful Town Square, eager to play with some of the other five-year-olds.

  One of the adults had conjured a ball of water, and the kids were laughing and shrieking as they threw it to each other. One of the kids with fiery red hair threw it to Shari so she could join in the game, and the ball vanished.

  “Boo!” the kids called, jeering at her as one broke away from the crowd and stomped over to glare at Shari.

  “How’d you do that?” the girl in the flowery dress asked.

  ‘Her name is Anika Thorne,’ Lissae supplied.

  “I don’t know.” Shari shrugged.

  “Give it back!” Anika demanded, stamping her foot.

  A tall man with dark hair and Anika’s eyes strolled over to see what had upset his daughter. His face seemed to freeze slightly when he looked at Arilla, and his smile appeared decidedly strained when he looked down and saw Shari.

  “What’s the matter, Anika?” he asked.

  “Daddy, she has the ball! She won’t give it back!” Anika’s lower lip stuck out and wobbled, and she plopped to the ground, fingers skittering over the pavers until she found a rock and started passing it from one hand to the other.

  Shari tilted her head. Surely five had to be too old for the tantrum Anika was considering?

  “I’ll make another one,” he said. Glancing at Shari, he added, “Maybe it would be best if you played with something else?”

  “Yeah,” Anika taunted as she got back on her feet, “like this!”

  The rock from her hands zoomed towards Shari, who reached out and plucked it from the air before it could connect with her face. Some of the kids Anika had been playing with fell silent as they realised that something terrible had happened. The adults around her seemed to stop for a moment, and Shari clenched her fist around the rock, the sharp edges cutting into her palm.

  As blood dripped down her fingers, the adults sprung into action, and Anika’s father bent to scold the scowling girl. Arilla scooped Shari up and held her tight. Sniffling, Shari buried her head in Arilla’s hair as Anika’s father grabbed his daughter's hand and marched her away.

  Twisting her head, Anika glared at Shari over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out. The other kids were hauled away as well, and Shari let the tears she’d been holding in drip down her nose and into her mum’s hair as Arilla whisked her away to safety.

  That night, in her bed, Shari sat with her head resting on her bent knees, the blankets hiding her from sight as she examined her injured hand.

  ‘Why are kids so mean?’ she whispered to Lissae.

  ‘Because they know you are different, and they are scared of different,’ Lissae answered.

  ‘Don’t they know I want to protect them?’ Shari’s throat felt thick with unshed tears, and she wiped a sniffle away.

  ‘No, they don’t. And they can’t, not just yet.’

  ‘How can I make them like me?’

  ‘Be the best you that you can be. My people will revere you one day, fawning over you and lauding your deeds to all who will listen.’

  ‘I don’t want that,’ Shari scoffed and sniffled. ‘I want friends.’

  ‘I will be your friend, Shari Dawn,’ Lissae said.

  ‘No one else wants to be,’ Shari sent, bitterness seeping into her heart.

  A complete silence settled in her mind, and Shari rubbed at her tired eyes, trying not to let the tears flow when Lissae didn’t answer for an age.

  ‘Shari, I have a new friend for you. One you’ve known your whole life. You’ve walked on her soil and sleep on the bed she made just for you. Shari, meet Ronah,’ Lissae sent.

  ‘Oh. Oh, well met, Shari! I’m Ronah! You might know me by looking out your window,’ a new cheery voice in her mind said.

  Scrambling upright, Shari rubbed her eyes again, tears and sleep making way for amazement. “Ronah?” Ronah was the Island she lived on. Could she talk too?

  ‘Look outside!’ the new voice giggled in her mind, and Shari felt like her insides were filled with happy bubbles. Laughing with delight, she kicked free of her blankets and peered out her window.

  The flowers that her mother so carefully tended had moved, and now spelled well met, their petals glowing in the lights of the two moons.

  Shari laughed and clapped her hands. In the back of her mind, she felt a pleased rumble from Lissae as she chatted to the Island she’d known her whole life.

  When Shari woke up the next morning, she found that she had a greater appreciation for all sorts of things. As she took her shower, Ronah whispered in her mind about the hot spr
ings that the hot taps on the Island were connected to, and the way the water from the salty oceans became drinkable through all sorts of special filters to make it nice and clean as Ronah moved through the waves towards their next destination.

  Sitting down at the table, Shari watched as her mum came in through the back door, the basket on her hip filled with yellow tomatoes, soola — the horrid green leafy thing that Shari kept practising her vanishing on — and the blue shelled eggs from their neighbours’ chickens. Her dad set up the pan for the eggs, and as he flicked out a hand, a tiny flame launching from his fingertips, he heated up the flat crystal disc on the cooker so her mum could make scrambled eggs while he cut up the vegetables.

  The Dawn’s friendly kitchen acted as a focal point in their home. Bright and cheerful, the rose-coloured wood grain walls of their bereni tree home brightened the room. The counter, table, and cupboards were one seamlessly flowing part of the tree. Even the cold storage and oven were panelled in the same reddish wood. The bright-yellow kitchen chairs stood out against all the red. Matching yellow curtains were lying limp from the lack of breeze against glassless windows. Paintings of clouded skies sat alongside depictions of rainforests and waterfalls. A fruit bowl sat on the end of the counter, next to a cooling cake.

  ‘The tomatoes came from a different Realm,’ Ronah whispered in Shari’s mind. ‘They grow here quite well, and I make sure that they don’t get too out of hand by limiting the number of seedlings that can live.’

  ‘How can a plant get out of hand?’ Shari asked.

  ‘Plants can take over. And the other Shifting Islands and I have to be careful not to let too many foreign species spread to the other parts of Lissae.’

  ‘Wait, there are other Shifting Islands?’ Shari asked, sitting up straight and banging her knee on the table.

  “Eager for breakfast, hey?” Her dad laughed. “You can have some more soola if you like?” Shari wrinkled her nose, watching her dad load her plate up with the dreaded green leaves before putting it on the table. When he turned back to the cooker, the leaves sparkled for just a moment, and Shari’s eyes widened.