Akarnae

“Lynette Noni is a marvelous and inventive storyteller, whose books are absolutely impossible to put down. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!” — Sarah J. Maas, author, Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series

Alex’s journey begins with a single step in book one of The Medoran Chronicles. This young adult fantasy reimagines the wonder of new worlds, appealing to fans of Narnia, X-Men, and the works of Rick Riordan and Sarah J. Maas.

Alex’s disastrous first day at a new school takes a strange turn when she steps through a doorway into Medora—a fantasy world filled with wonders beyond her imagination. With no way to return home, Alex enrolls at Akarnae, an academy for gifted students who welcome her as one of their own.

In her search for answers, Alex discovers far more than she expected to. And as a sinister threat looms over Medora, Alex starts to realize that not only does she belong there, but she may be the only one who can save it.

An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex bears the heavy responsibility of saving an entire race—but what if doing so means she can never go back home?

Will Alex risk her entire world—and perhaps her life—to save Medora?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.“Honey, if there was any other way, your mother and I would
take you with us in a heartbeat.”
Alexandra Jennings stared out the car window into the
dense forest and sighed deeply into her phone. “I know, Dad.
But it still sucks.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” came her father’s reply. “But the
International Exchange Academy is one of the best schools in
the country. They’ll take good care of you.”
Alex only just managed to hold back the words that tried to
leap from her tongue straight down the phone line.
Take me with you! she wanted to scream. Don’t abandon me!
That was what it felt like her parents were doing, even if it
wasn’t their fault. They’d been offered the opportunity to study
under a famous archaeologist—a once in a lifetime invitation—
but there was a catch. They couldn’t take anyone with them,
which meant Alex was being shipped off to a boarding school for
the rest of the school year—eight whole months.
And it got worse. Not only were they leaving her behind,
they were also headed to some middle-of-nowhere dig-site in
Siberia—as in, Russia—which was in a complete communication
dead-zone. No phone coverage. No Wi-Fi signal. Not even a
postman. After today, Alex wouldn’t be hearing from them again
until they returned at the beginning of June for the summer
holidays.
“I just hate that I won’t be able to contact you,” Alex said,
not for the first time. “What if I get bitten by a tick and end
up with Lyme disease?” Her eyes scanned the thick woodland.
“It’s a definite possibility. And don’t even get me started on how
many wild animals Wikipedia says are in the forest up here.
What if I get eaten by a bear? Or a cougar? I won’t be able to
call you and tell you what happened!”
Her father’s amusement rang clearly through the connection.
“In the unlikely event that you’re mauled to death by the
wildlife, you won’t be able to call anyone.”
“But no one else will be able to call you on my behalf,
either,” Alex pointed out. “That means you’ll miss my funeral
and you’ll never get any closure about my death. You’ll always
wonder if it was a wolf or a bobcat that enjoyed Alexandra à la
carte.”
Her father chuckled. “I’m going to miss your sense of humour.”
“Dad, I’m being serious here. Carnivorous animals are no
laughing matter.”
He wisely ignored her and instead said, “Your mother’s
making weird hand gestures at me. I’m guessing the Valium
have finally kicked in. I made her take a double dose—you
know how much she hates flying—so I think the peacockbobbing
and flapping arms mean she wants to talk to you. I
better put her on before she takes someone’s eye out.”
Alex smiled into the phone. “Probably a good idea.”
“I love you, sweetheart. The time will pass quicker than you
realise.”
Before she could respond, a crinkling noise sounded through
the earpiece as he handed the phone over.
“Alex?” came her mother’s somewhat slurred voice. Another
ten minutes and she’d be out cold—which was for the best, since
she really didn’t do well on planes.
“I’m here.”
“I don’t have long, they’ve just started boarding our—hic!—
flight,” she said. “But I wanted to say—hic!—goodbye, again.”
Alex frowned at the back of the seat in front of her. “Are you
all right?”
“Fine, fine,” her mother said, hiccupping again. “I just had a
little drink to help wash down the sedative. Hic!”
“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to mix alcohol with
those drugs, Mum,” Alex said, failing to keep the humour from
her voice. “And you know, statistically speaking, you’re more
likely to get kicked in the head by a mule than to die in a plane
crash. You’re going to be fine.”
“Of course I will be.” Her mother’s words became even more
slurred as the medication continued taking effect. “And you will
be, too. I know you wanted to come with us, but this is really for
the best. Hic! You’ve been stuck following us around the globe
for your entire life—it’s time you settled in one place and had a
chance to make some friends your own age.”
Her mother had a point. Moving countries every few months
while her parents chased the next big archaeological discovery
hadn’t helped Alex’s social development. She didn’t have any
friends—she wasn’t even sure how to make friends. High school
politics were beyond her understanding; she had no idea what
to expect from her new school. It wasn’t like she could just go
and sit beside someone in the sandpit, eat dirt with them, and
declare a state of ‘besties forever’.
“You’re right,” Alex said, mustering up as much optimism
as she could. “I’m sure everything is going to work out great.”
“That’s the—hic!—spirit,” her mother replied. “Now, I
better go before the purple monkey eats my last banana. Hic!”
Alex pulled her phone from her ear and looked at it
quizzically before returning it once more. “What did you
say?”
“I said—”
She was interrupted by Alex’s father in the background.
“Time to board, Rach. Say ‘goodbye’.”
“I have to go, Alex,” her mother said. “I know you’re going
to have a fabulous time at the—hic!—academy. We’ll see you in
June. Not long now!”
Clearly the meds were doing their job, especially if eight
months equalled ‘not long now’. But Alex didn’t want to ruin
her mother’s happy buzz, so she kept her mouth closed.
“I love you, baby. Be careful, but have fun!” And with those
final words, a quiet click disconnected the last phone call they’d
share for a long, long time.
Feeling disheartened, Alex turned to look out the car window
again, noticing that there were many more trees surrounding
them now than before. It was clear evidence of just how easily a
few hours of driving had transported her from her most recent
home in Cannon Beach, Oregon, to somewhere on the outskirts
of Mount Hood National Forest. The change in scenery from
the rocky coastline to the thickening woodland was startling,
and Alex couldn’t help but feel like she was already a long way
from her comfort zone.
“Miss? We’re here,” her driver finally said.
They’d stopped in a private driveway barricaded by two
massive, wrought-iron security gates. A sign woven into the
steelwork spelled out the words: ‘International Exchange
Academy’.
The driver spoke quietly through the intercom and a
moment later the gates opened without so much as a creak.
They moved slowly up the narrow, tree-lined path until they
reached the academy itself.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alex muttered at the view
out the window.
The academy really wasn’t all that different from the stereotype
she’d envisioned—big, ostentatious, gothic even. But the students?
They looked miserable. All of them wore tight, uncomfortablelooking
uniforms despite the fact that it was Sunday afternoon
and there were no classes until the next morning. And they didn’t
appear to be doing anything; they were just loitering aimlessly. It
was as if they had nothing better to do than wait for someone
to come along and break into the monotony of their boring
existence. Looking at them, Alex seriously doubted she’d be able
to follow her mother’s advice to ‘have fun’.
When the car pulled to a stop, she noticed a group of students
mingling near a gaudy, medieval-styled water fountain. They
weren’t smiling. They weren’t laughing. They were barely even
talking amongst themselves. All Alex could think was that she
would be more likely to make friends with a rock than any of
the students scowling in her direction.
Don’t judge by appearances, she told herself. First impressions
weren’t always accurate, right? Alex might not like being
abandoned at the academy, but she was determined to at least
try and make the most of her stay. And that meant keeping an
open mind, regardless of the unwelcoming vibes coming from
her new classmates.
“I’ll take your bags,” her driver offered, interrupting her
thoughts. “You should head into the administration building
and speak with the headmaster.”
Alex grabbed the enrolment papers from her bag and
handed the rest of her luggage over. She wasn’t an official
student yet since her parents hadn’t had the time to properly
enrol her before leaving.
“Which way do I go?” she asked the man as he started to
walk away with her belongings.
He pointed to the closest building and left her standing on
her own while the zombie-like students just stared at her.
Right, let’s get this over with, she thought, gathering her courage.
She wasn’t an animal in a zoo, and she didn’t appreciate all the
speculative glances directed her way. Nevertheless, she held her
head high and headed towards the administration building.
As she walked around the fountain she flicked through her
paperwork once more—partly to avoid looking at the creepy
gargoyle statues around the water feature, partly to avoid
making eye contact with the other students, and partly to make
sure everything that needed to be signed was, in fact, signed.
Alex was so distracted by her papers that she barely heard
the whispered, “Fish out of water, think we should help her?”
and the corresponding, “Absolutely. We wouldn’t want her to
choke.”
Before she could properly register the words, something
slammed into her, causing her to stagger forward. She managed
to regain her balance just in time to avoid a messy fall into the
grungy-looking water.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” a girl around Alex’s age said. “I’m so
clumsy sometimes.”
“It’s okay,” Alex assured her, straightening. “No harm done.”
“Brianna! You’re always getting in the way! You almost sent
the new girl into the fountain. What kind of a welcome would
that have been?” said another girl who stepped up beside them.
“Really, it’s fine,” Alex said again. She didn’t want to cause
any problems before school even started. It was bad enough that
she was transferring mid semester.
“It’s fine?” the newest girl repeated with a toothy grin.
“Hear that, Brianna? She said it’s fine.”
Alex wasn’t sure what to make of their exchange. Their
identical beaming smiles put her on edge, so she quickly excused
herself. “I have to go and see the headmaster, but I’m sure I’ll
see you both around.”
“Oh, allow us to help,” the non-Brianna girl said. “It’s the
least we can do. You wouldn’t want to go to the wrong place
and cause a—”
Her timing was perfect, really. When Alex stepped forward,
Brianna ‘accidentally’ tripped over her own feet again. She
bumped hard into Alex who had nothing to hold on to and
no room left to find her balance. With her arms cartwheeling
uselessly, Alex fell straight into the fountain.
The moment her head broke through the surface of the
water, she heard non-Brianna gleefully finish the last word of
her sentence.
“—splash.”
The previously quiet courtyard erupted into laughter.
“Welcome to the academy, Newbie.”
Alex scowled at the two girls as she swiped her sopping
hair out of her eyes and pulled herself out of the fountain. She
ignored the continuing laughter and marched towards the
administration building, determined to put as much distance
between her and the uniformed—and mean—zombies as
possible.
Barely five minutes had passed since she’d arrived at the
academy and already she knew her parents had been wrong.
Judging by her classmates’ welcoming committee, there was no
way she was going to have an enjoyable time, nor was it likely
she’d make any friends. Not a single person had tried to help her
out of the fountain—they’d all been too busy laughing at her.
That told her all she needed to know. She would just have to
grit her teeth and get through the next eight months, and once
her parents were back, she would never have to return to the
academy again.
She trudged forward with bitter resolve and tried to air out
her enrolment papers, but there was nothing she could do since
they were just as soaked as she was. At least the ink hadn’t run,
that was something.
Alex entered the building and paused when she caught sight
of her reflection in a mirror just inside the doorway. Her clothes
were stuck to her shivering body, her long dark hair was stringy
and wet, and her normally warm brown eyes were darkened by
her turbulent emotions.
She shook her head and turned away from her bedraggled
appearance. So much for making a good first impression.
Dripping water all the way, Alex headed over to the
reception desk.
“Can I help you?” asked the lady seated there, without so
much as a glance upwards. It was probably for the best since
Alex was leaving a small lake on the pristine floor.
“I’m here to enrol,” Alex said. It didn’t take a genius to hear
the misery in her voice.
“Name?” the woman asked.
“Alexandra Jennings.”
“Take a seat, Miss Jennings.”
Alex shuffled over to a line of chairs and sat down with a
squelch. She still couldn’t believe what had transpired outside.
She wondered if it was too late to try and call her parents one
last time—and convince them to find a way to smuggle her
away with them—but she knew it was useless. Their plane had
probably already taken off; they were likely long gone. She was
on her own.
“The headmaster will see you now,” the receptionist said,
still not bothering to glance up. “Down the hallway, third door
on the right.”
Alex rose from her seat and headed down the brightly lit
corridor, soon losing sight of the reception area.
If only things could be different, she thought sadly, knocking on
the headmaster’s door. There was no answer, so she tried again,
louder. When still no call came to enter, Alex shrugged and
turned the handle.
It was dark inside the room. Pitch-black, in fact.
“Hello?” she called out from the doorway. “Is anyone in here?”
Just as she was about to retrace her steps and go back to the
reception, the room exploded with light. Alex had to hold her
hand up to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. When
she was able to lower her arm again, she stared in shock at the
sight before her.
“What the…?” she whispered.
I must have hit my head when I fell into the fountain, she reasoned.
It was surely the only explanation for the view in front of her.
The doorway opened into a small forest clearing. Sunlight
streamed through the canopy of evergreens and their shadows
dappled the mottle-coloured forest floor. The surrounding
trees continued further than her eyes could see, with no school
buildings in sight.
“It must be some kind of optical illusion,” Alex muttered
to herself. She glanced behind her and took in the sterile walls
of the corridor before she turned to face the forest again. She
couldn’t wrap her head around the different scenery, but
something about the dense woodland captivated her attention.
I’ll just have a quick look around, she thought. No one will know.
Then I can come back and meet the headmaster.
Decision made, Alex quickly stepped through the doorway
before she could change her mind. She expected to hear the
crunching noise of dried leaves under her feet, but instead
the ground disappeared and suddenly, impossibly, she was
catapulted through the air. The wind rushed past her,
whooshing by her ears as she flew along at what felt like the
speed of light.
Just when she thought she might throw up, everything
stopped.
Alex’s heart thumped wildly in her chest. She lay spreadeagled
on the ground but had no idea how she’d landed. Her
eyes were shut tight, but she could feel the leafy forest floor
underneath her; she could smell the woody scent of pine cones
in the air; and she could hear noises—branches creaking, birds
singing, wind whistling through the trees.
Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and looked around,
finding herself lying in the middle of the forest clearing she’d
seen through the doorway. But the doorway itself—and the
administration building—was nowhere in sight.
The good news was that her airborne journey had
mysteriously dried out her sodden clothes and hair. She wasn’t
even damp anymore. The bad news was that she had no idea
where she was or how she was supposed to get back.
Alex sighed and threw her arms out to the sides, sending
leaves scattering. “This new school sucks.”