Raelia

‘Life is full of crossroads, Alex. Full of choices.’

Returning for a second year at Akarnae Academy with her gifted friends, Alexandra Jennings steps back through a doorway into Medora, the fantasy world full of impossibilities.

Despite the magical wonder of Medora, Alex’s life remains threatened by Aven Dalmarta, the banished prince from the Lost City of Meya who is out for her blood. To protect the Medorans from Aven’s quest to reclaim his birthright, Alex and her friends seek out the Meyarin city and what remains of its ancient race. Not sure who—or perhaps what—she is anymore, all Alex knows is that if she fails to keep Aven from reaching Meya, the lives of countless Medorans will be in danger. Can she protect them, or will all be lost?Lynette Noni is the bestselling and award-winning author known for The Prison Healer series, The Medoran Chronicles, and the Whisper duology. Her books have sold over one million copies worldwide.Osmada Cavelle.”
Alex watched from the corner of the palace’s grand
ballroom, catching her first glimpse of D.C.’s parents as they
descended the gold-lined staircase.
King Aurileous was tall and intimidating, but even from
where Alex stood she could tell he had a kind face with
prominent laughter lines. His eyes were warm as he scanned
the sea of cheering people and his smile made her feel relaxed
despite the overwhelming atmosphere.
Queen Osmada seemed, in a word, lovely. She was beautiful,
with her dark auburn hair, and her smile was even more
calming than the king’s.
Alex’s attention was diverted when her best friend appeared
at the top of the staircase and the room fell silent as everyone
gazed upon their princess.
“Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Delucia Cavelle.”
The cheers were deafening as D.C. walked gracefully down
the staircase to stand beside her parents, her lavender-coloured
gown sparkling silver wherever the light touched it.
Both the king and queen reached across to kiss D.C. on
the cheek before her father stepped forward to address the
crowd.
“Beloved friends, we thank you for joining us in celebration
of our daughter’s seventeenth birthday. This is a momentous day
for her and we are thrilled to share it with you,” King Aurileous
said. “Now please, eat, drink, dance, and be merry as we revel
in this special occasion.”
As if the end of his speech was an invisible cue, the orchestra
hidden in the balcony above the ballroom immediately began
playing an upbeat melody. The guests proceeded to move about
and make pleasant conversation, while Alex stood awkwardly
on her own as she waited for D.C. to make her way through the
crowd.
Glancing around, Alex marvelled at her surroundings. She
wondered if she should pinch herself to see if she truly was
standing in the royal palace of Medora’s capital city, Tryllin,
when just a few short weeks ago she’d had no idea how to sort
out her mess of a life. That was because, as far as her parents
had known, Alex had spent most of the previous school year
at the International Exchange Academy just outside Portland,
Oregon. In reality, she’d actually been stranded for eight
months in the fantasy world of Medora, attending Akarnae
Academy—a school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts.
Alex was supposed to have spent her summer coming up with
an excuse to leave Earth—or ‘Freya’ as it was known to the
Medorans—so she could return to Akarnae when it reopened
in the fall. But when she’d arrived back home for the holidays,
her parents had been waiting for her, along with a dizzying
assortment of federal agents.
Apparently the International Exchange Academy had
finished classes a week earlier than Akarnae, and her parents
had returned from their Siberian sabbatical in time to greet
her. When Alex hadn’t shown up, they’d contacted the school
and discovered that she’d never enrolled as a student there.
This news had sent them straight past panic mode and directly
into full on hysteria. Their daughter had been missing for the
better part of a year and they’d had no idea. Cue the plethora
of police, private investigators and federal agents all on the hunt
for their lost teenager.
With Alex’s imagination frozen and her flippant story about
having joined the circus for a few months falling on deaf ears,
she’d been forced to tell her parents the truth and hope they
wouldn’t have her committed. It had been touch-and-go for
a few minutes, so Alex had decided to prove to them that she
wasn’t stark raving mad. After willing a doorway to open in the
middle of their living room, she’d dragged her stupefied mother
and father through to Medora.
With them wide-eyed and slack-jawed, Alex had guided
them straight to Darrius Marselle’s office—her headmaster
and friend—knowing he’d be able to speak parent better than
she could. And he had indeed come through for her, offering a
detailed rundown of Alex’s months spent at the academy in a way
that her parents had been able to not just understand, but also
see the changes in their daughter for themselves. In the few short
months Alex had spent at Akarnae, her dedication to classes had
made her both mentally and physically stronger, and she’d found
good friends who made her happier than she’d ever been before.
Be that as it may, they’d still gone ballistic when Darrius had
mentioned Alex’s misadventures with the banished Meyarin
prince, Aven Dalmarta.
Alex wasn’t sure what had concerned them most: the fact that
an immortal being was determined to use her influence over a
sentient library to open a magical doorway to a missing city—
and said like that, Alex couldn’t blame them for worrying—or
the fact that if his plans succeeded, he intended to carry out a
mass extermination plot against the humans of Medora.
At that point in the conversation, Alex found herself wishing
Darrius had gone for a ‘less is more’ approach. In fact, she’d
gone back to wondering if her parents would find a way to lock
her up—this time for her own protection.
To calm her parents it had taken several cups of something
Alex could tell by the smell alone wasn’t just tea. When they
had relaxed somewhat and Darrius had answered most of their
questions—thankfully leaving out the part where Alex had been
stabbed and nearly died—they followed Alex home in stunned
silence.
Thinking she was doomed to be superglued to their
protective sides forevermore, it came as a great surprise when,
a few days later, her mother and father informed her that she
could go back to the academy for her next year of schooling.
Apparently once the shock had worn off—and they’d likely
repressed everything regarding Aven—her parents had
realised just how valuable the last eight months at Akarnae
had been for Alex. Intrepid explorers themselves, it would
have been hypocritical of them to keep their own daughter
from her chance at a real life fantasy adventure—or so they’d
told her.
Whatever their reasoning, Alex had been too thrilled to
question their decision. Until they’d informed her that they
would also be joining her in Medora for the year.
Her parents.
In Medora.
Apparently her mother and father had become so intrigued
by the possibility of the unknown that they’d decided their next
great archaeological adventure was to be of the otherworldly
kind. As such, they’d spent the entire summer packing their
earthly belongings into storage in preparation for spending
some quality time in Alex’s new world.
Alex, however, had spent that time freaking out about how
to keep them safe from Aven since, if he found out about them,
she was certain he would use them as leverage against her.
In the end they’d come to a compromise, one that Alex had
cunningly offered to them on her seventeenth birthday, using
that fact to help guilt trip them into accepting.
Having thought about it endlessly, she had decided that the
best place for her parents was inside the Library itself. While
Aven now had access to the unending corridors of doorways,
the chances of him locating them in there were slim to none
even if he somehow learned of their existence in Medora. As
far as Alex could tell, it was the most secure place available to
them.
Birthday-blackmail or not, it had taken some work for
Alex to convince her parents to agree to remain locked away
when they were so curious about the rest of Medora. But Alex
explained that if Aven ended up getting his hands on them, and
thus Alex in turn, their otherworldly adventures would come
to a swift conclusion—as would the lives of all the humans
populating Medora.
Doom and gloom aside, Alex’s parents had accepted the
truth of her words and reluctantly agreed to her terms. That
reluctance had quickly turned to delight, however, when, with
Darrius’s help, Alex had managed to find them a place to stay
in the Library that came with an ancient ecosystem as their
scientific playground.
Having relocated from Freya just this morning, Alex had left
her parents more excited than she’d ever seen them, even after
she’d hesitantly informed them that she’d have to limit her visits
to keep from drawing attention to their unorthodox location. But
distracted by the wonder of the impossible discoveries awaiting
them, they hadn’t minded in the slightest. Instead, they’d kissed
her absentmindedly on the forehead, wished her good luck for
the year and encouraged her to enjoy her ‘adventures’. Alex, for
her part, had just rolled her eyes, hugged them, and promised to
keep in touch as best she could.
Knowing that her parents were safely tucked away deep in
the Library was all Alex had needed to switch her focus onto
what came next: returning to the academy—and reuniting with
her friends.
She had missed Jordan, Bear and D.C. fiercely over the
holidays and couldn’t wait to be back with them again once
Akarnae reopened. They’d kept in regular contact via their
ComTCD holographic communications devices, but she
hadn’t been able to leave the academy grounds to see them in
person. They had, however, been able to meet up without her.
It was easy enough for the boys, since Jordan always spent his
summers with Bear’s family, but Alex had no idea how D.C.
had managed to sneak out of the palace, especially given that
the boys were unaware of her royal status. As much as Alex
kept telling her friend to let the others in on the secret, she knew
D.C. was afraid that Jordan and Bear would treat her differently
once they learned she was the princess. Alex knew them better
than that, but she had yet to convince D.C.
Honestly, between organising a new life for her parents and
arranging their long-term, secretive stay in Medora, Alex hadn’t
had much of a chance to try and break down D.C.’s arguments.
But that was also because what little spare time she’d had over
the holidays had been allocated for her to get beaten up, over
and over again.
It was sad, but true. For three days each week Alex had
endured hours of training with her Combat instructor, Karter,
developing her previously non-existent fighting skills. In
Karter’s defence, Alex could admit that he’d done wonders
with her in the nine short weeks they’d trained together. Their
final session had been just yesterday, and while Karter hadn’t
shown any last lesson leniency with his fighting—not that she’d
expected him to—at the end of their time he’d gruffly conceded
that she’d learned enough to join the rest of her classmates in
the coming school year. Despite her anxiety, she was actually
looking forward to seeing how well she handled the class. And
her classmates.
She would know soon enough, since all Akarnae students
were due to arrive back at the academy tomorrow, with classes
beginning first thing the following morning. All Alex had left to
do was make it through tonight—D.C.’s birthday party at the
royal palace.
Unfortunately, it seemed like every single invitee wanted
to pay their respects to the ruling family, and D.C. was stuck
playing the good little hostess until she could escape to Alex’s
side, as they’d arranged earlier that evening while getting ready
in D.C.’s bedroom.
At least I’m dressed for the part, Alex thought while she waited.
The dress she wore was almost as beautiful as the gown Bear’s
mother had designed for her as a Kaldoras present the previous
year. Unlike that one, which had been a stunning sky-blue
colour, the dress D.C. had given her was emerald green and cut
on the bias to drape over one shoulder, leaving the other bare. It
was made of the highest quality material, flowing softly over her
body to compliment her figure. Her dark hair had been piled on
top of her head with a few wispy tendrils left out to frame her
face, and her smoky makeup accentuated her brown eyes. All in
all, her regal look gave her the confidence she needed to wait,
and keep waiting, on her own.
With nothing but the company of her thoughts, Alex
mulled over everything that had happened that day, from
saying goodbye to her parents—and Freya—to activating her
personalised Bubbledoor invitation that was pre-programmed
to whisk her directly to the palace where D.C. had been waiting
with open arms and excited squeals. The last few hours had
been filled with Alex’s awed delight at wandering the majestic
hallways, along with pampering fit for a princess in preparation
for the night’s event. But now, especially given her exhausting
weeks filled with packing and Combat training, all Alex wanted
to do was walk back up the shiny gold stairs and curl up on the
couch in D.C.’s room—a room she was sure measured about
the size of a small city.
That, however, wasn’t an option for her just yet.
After what felt like hours, D.C. finally managed to escape
the hordes of people demanding her attention to arrive at Alex’s
side.
“I’m so sorry!” D.C. said, her vivid blue-green eyes filled
with apology. “I didn’t think it would be so difficult to get away.”
“That’s okay,” Alex said. “I’ve just been hanging with
my new friend here.” She slung an arm around the statue of
a dragon-like creature beside her and added, “His name is
Spitfire and he likes long walks on the beach at sunset. I think
we’re a match made in heaven, don’t you?”
D.C. shook her head. “You must have been bored out of
your mind!”
“Seriously, it’s fine,” Alex laughingly reassured her while
untangling herself from the dragon. “I actually kind of enjoyed
watching how everyone reacted to seeing you and your parents.
They really do adore you, you know.”
D.C. smiled wistfully. “It’s my parents everyone loves. No
one has seen me up close for years. This is the first birthday in a
long time that I’ve celebrated with an actual party.”
Alex had heard the warm reaction to D.C.’s arrival and she
wholeheartedly disagreed that the crowd’s adoration was solely
for the king and queen. But she let it go and instead asked, “How
are you able to be here so publically now?” She gestured at the
room full of guests. “Won’t people realise who you are after this?
What if there are other students from the academy here?”
D.C. waved away her concerns. “Don’t worry, Alex. The
guest list is highly exclusive. There might be some people from
Akarnae here if they’re relatives of the royal council or on-duty
Wardens, but they’re all people I’ve grown up around. They
know how important it is for me to remain anonymous.”
Accepting her explanation, Alex took a moment to scan the
room. Her gaze snagged on a familiar face and she had to do a
double-take to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
“Is that…?” Alex’s eyes narrowed and she hissed, “I can’t
believe it, that’s Marcus Sparker! What is he doing here?”
D.C. followed Alex’s line of sight. “The Sparkers are an
important family,” she said in a hushed voice. “There was no
way for us to get out of inviting them without causing more
problems than it was worth.”
“You’re not worried that Jordan might have decided to come
along with his parents?” Alex asked, sounding a little more
aggressive than she’d intended. She really didn’t like the idea that
the man who had once held her semi-captive for information
was in the same room as her again.
“Jordan’s never come to a palace event before, so I doubt
he’d suddenly decide to now. Plus, he’s staying with Bear,
remember?” D.C. answered. “Relax, Alex. Marcus and
Natasha won’t dare try anything here.”
“If you say so,” Alex murmured, choosing to trust her
friend. But despite her acceptance, she still felt antsy. Seeking a
distraction, her eyes fell on the bar and she said, “I think I’ll go
grab a drink. Do you want anything?”
“Some of that fruit punch would be great, thanks.”
Alex left D.C. and headed towards the beverage table.
She would have made it there much faster if she’d crossed the
centre of the ballroom, but she didn’t want to risk running
into Marcus, so she took the longer route and hugged the
walls. The closer she moved to the beverages, the louder the
music became, since the refreshments were located directly
beneath the orchestra. When she finally reached the table,
she felt overwhelmed by the vast array of coloured liquids to
choose from.
“What are you after?” asked a male voice in her ear. It was
only his proximity that allowed her to hear his question over the
music.
“The fruit punch,” Alex said loudly as she continued to
search the kaleidoscopic contents of the table. A hand reached
out from behind her and pointed towards the bubbly pink liquid
served in dainty crystal glasses. Alex retrieved two of them and
turned to thank the person she presumed was a waiter.
“Thank—Kaiden?” Alex stared up at his familiar face in
surprise.
“Alex,” Kaiden responded, with a hint of a smile.
“What are you doing here?” Alex gasped, glancing nervously
to where D.C. was waiting. Was Kaiden one of the people who
had grown up around D.C., or was he a threat to her friend’s
secret identity?
“It’s the refreshments table,” Kaiden said pointedly, reaching
around her and grabbing a glass filled with a glowing green liquid.
“Not what are you doing here, what are you doing here?”
Alex asked, flustered.
He raised one dark eyebrow and she struggled to fight off a
blush. If it was possible, he was even more attractive than the
last time she’d seen him in her Combat class. And considering
he was wearing a tuxedo and not covered in sweat and grime, it
was definitely possible.
“By ‘here’, I presume you mean the palace ballroom?”
Kaiden clarified.
She shook off her dazzled feeling and pursed her lips.
“Obviously.”
“It’s the princess’s birthday,” he stated. “There’s a party
going on, in case you haven’t noticed. And I never turn down
an invite to a good party.”
Alex couldn’t quite interpret the depth behind his humourfilled
expression, but before she could ask anything else, they
were joined by another familiar face.
“Alex! Fancy seeing you here!”
“Hey, Declan,” she greeted the massive hulk of a boy. His
tux was practically bursting at the seams and he didn’t appear
at all comfortable—unlike Kaiden, who looked as if he was
born to wear formal attire. “How was your summer?”
“You didn’t ask how my summer was,” Kaiden said, looking
even more amused for some reason.
Alex felt her left eye twitch and was glad when Declan started
speaking so she didn’t have to respond to Kaiden’s remark.
“Yeah, all right. Not too exciting, but good. You?”
“Same here,” she said, not wanting to go into detail. While
they were definitely the nicest of her Combat classmates, the
first time she’d met Declan he’d ended up sending her to the
Medical Ward, unconscious. As for Kaiden, well, she wasn’t
sure what to make of him. Needless to say, neither of them were
what she would call close friends.
But speaking of close friends…
“Oh, no,” she said, looking across the room. “I’m so sorry,
but I have to go.”
Alex set both drinks back on the table and lifted her floorlength
dress high enough to move quickly without tripping. She
didn’t care about avoiding Marcus Sparker this time as she
hurried across the middle of the ballroom, weaving between
dancing couples and political dignitaries. Her focus was solely
on the two people who had arrived at the entrance to the room
and were now heading towards the corner where D.C. was
speaking to a small group of people. Alex knew she had to warn
the princess, but she was too far away to capture her attention.
The king and queen came into Alex’s peripheral vision as
they waltzed along to the music and she groaned inwardly when
she recognised the opportunity they presented. With a mortified
breath and a silent apology, Alex picked up her pace…
… And launched herself at the dancing couple.
The three of them tumbled to the floor in a pile of limbs and
formal attire. Alex could hear people shrieking around them,
and before she could so much as blink, she was forcibly hauled
off the royal couple with her arms wrenched behind her back.
With no chance for her to explain, two guards promptly
dragged her from the room. She felt like her face was on fire as
the entire ballroom of people watched the guards manhandle
her, but she managed to lift her head and meet D.C.’s stricken
gaze. When her friend stepped forward to intervene, Alex shook
her head and subtly gestured in the direction of the two boys
who were now gaping in shock along with everyone else.
Alex offered Jordan and Bear a weak smile as she was
escorted past them. She turned back to D.C., relieved when her
noticeably pale roommate nodded to say she understood why
Alex had acted as she had.
I’ll fix this, D.C. mouthed.
Alex smiled ruefully, fully aware that they would have
a difficult time coming up with an acceptable excuse for her
attack on the ruling monarchs of Medora.
The two guards frogmarched Alex out of the ballroom and
through the resplendent corridors, before hustling her down a
dark, winding staircase that led underneath the palace. Once
they were on level ground again, they strode past more guards
wearing armour and through what could only be described
as an ancient stone dungeon. Fortunately, it was empty of
prisoners—as far as Alex could tell.
They stopped in front of a grimy cell and she was shoved none
too gently into it. One of the guards immediately pressed on a
touch-screen TCD terminal attached to the wall and a semitransparent
barrier appeared, zinging with what appeared to be
live electricity. It didn’t take a genius to work out that the barrier
could do some serious damage, but Alex still had to struggle
against the temptation to touch the almost hypnotic entryway.
When the guards took up sentry positions opposite her, Alex
began pacing back and forth in the small space, preparing
herself for whatever would come next. It wasn’t long before she
heard the sound of approaching footsteps and a young woman
stepped into view. She had dark hair and striking features, and
wore a black uniform with a gold emblem stitched above her
heart—two swords crossed together behind a crown.
“I’m Warden Jeera,” the woman said without preamble, her
title telling Alex that she, like Bear’s dad, was one of Medora’s
peacekeepers and responsible for the safety of the kingdom.
“And you just tried to carry out an assassination attempt on the
king and queen.”
Alex sucked in a startled breath, realising that her current
circumstances were perhaps more dire than she’d presumed. “I
didn’t—”
“What’s your name?” Jeera interrupted.
Swallowing thickly, she answered, “Alex.” But at seeing the
Warden’s I-hope-you-can-do-better-than-that expression, she cleared
her throat and quickly added, “My full name is Alexandra
Jennings, if that helps. I’m Princess Delucia’s best friend.”
The Warden raised a sceptical eyebrow. “I’ve never seen
you at the palace before. That doesn’t sound like best friend
behaviour to me.”
“We only met last year,” Alex defended. “We go to Akarnae
together—we’re roommates, actually. You can check if you
want.”
“You’re a student at Akarnae?” Jeera asked, her head tilted
thoughtfully.
“Yes,” Alex said. “I’m about to start as a fourth year. Provided
that you let me out of this cell sometime before tomorrow.”
Jeera’s face transformed as if she’d come to a sudden
understanding. Her harsh demeanour changed into something
that looked very much like amusement. “Epsilon Combat,
right?”
Alex felt confusion wash over her. How could Jeera possibly
know that?
Before she could ask—or confirm her answer—Jeera waved
her hand and said, “Never mind. But answer me this: if you
claim to be the princess’s best friend, why did you just attack her
parents?”
Alex shook her head in denial. “I didn’t attack them.” When
Jeera’s brow rose again, she amended, “I can see how it might
have looked that way. But I promise there’s a perfectly good
explanation.”
Even though Jeera opened her mouth, it wasn’t her words
that responded to Alex’s statement.
“This I’d like to hear,” came a dry male voice. “Especially
given that you accosted me and my wife in the middle of our
waltz.”