As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

A Perilous Journey (Ascended 1)

by Clare Solomon

A Perilous Journey - Clare Solomon - Ascended
Part of the The Ascended series:
  • A Perilous Journey (Ascended 1)
Editions:Kindle - First: $ 3.99
ISBN: ASIN: B08DDFS3G6
Pages: 227
Paperback - First: $ 7.99
ISBN: 979-8664101584
Size: 6.00 x 9.00 in
Pages: 225

She will do anything to protect those she loves – even risk losing her soul.

Fifteen-year-old Keilena hates the Ascended, the powerful magic-possessors who rule Pellotal and think their own laws don’t apply to them. She lives a quiet life with her carpenter father, enlivening it by getting into mischief whenever she can.

Everything changes when a stranger arrives with a secret about her identity that destroys her current life. Forced to take a journey led by people she can’t trust, Keilena hatches a plot to deceive the most dangerous people in the country by choosing a different destination.

She wants nothing to do with her emerging magical abilities which scare those around her and which she fear might corrupt her soul and turn her evil. Desperate to protect her father and the friends travelling with them, though, she must use them again and again against increasingly deadly enemies. Will Keilena succeed in keeping everyone alive on this deadly journey and will she still recognise herself at the end?

This is the gripping first novel in a Young Adult epic fantasy series and is perfect for fans of Tolkien, Robin Hobb and Bella Forrest.

Published:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Tags:
Tropes: Book of Spells, Evolving Powers, Quest, Reluctant Hero
Word Count: 76208
Setting: Fantasy country of Pellotal
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Tropes: Book of Spells, Evolving Powers, Quest, Reluctant Hero
Word Count: 76208
Setting: Fantasy country of Pellotal
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Excerpt:

“...WE MUST always be grateful to the Ascended, our gods, who live amongst us and share their wisdom with us...”

Keilena yawned in a deliberate way and her father elbowed her none too gently in the ribs.  She glared, glancing sideways at where he sat on one side of her in the crowded hall, and then she turned her annoyance onto its real object: the guider spouting the usual rubbish at the front of the large room.  He was an ordinary looking man, a bit on the short side and his eyebrows had a wild look to them, but other than that he looked nothing special in his plain white tunic and trousers, the symbolic diamond embroidered over the centre of his chest.  He didn’t look as if he had more power than anyone else in this room, let alone that his word to a judge could cause people terrible punishments.  She knew by now that there could be a lot more to a person than their appearance suggested.

“...Let us pray for the health of our ruler, the Sacred One...”

READ MORE

Keilena snorted, quietly enough this time for her father to ignore her.  The most powerful Ascended in the whole of Pellotal had believed himself to be dying for the last ten years.  It was his one good quality: a dying man didn’t start wars or torture his people.  Pellor, the city housing the ruler, was a comfortable distance from the coast, in case of an attack, and a greater distance from the two countries that bordered two sides of Pellotal, in case any of its neighbours came to battle them.  They never did or not without good reason.  Pellotal’s troubles always came from within.

“... And we must be vigilant against the threat of the Polluted, the disgusting cannibals who hide in the wild parts of our beloved country, who would kill us all...”

Keilena stiffened, her glare towards the guider turning into a look of hatred.  On the bench on the other side of her, Tol reached out to take her hand and she held onto him tightly, wishing she could be somewhere else.  The ceremony they were forced to attend daily dragged on for another half hour or more before finally coming to an end and she shot out of her seat and marched towards the main door, Tol beside her, his pale fingers still laced with her dark ones.  They got caught behind everyone else who was racing to get out and Keilena heard the arrogant voice of the guider somewhere behind her, as he greeted people and told them again about the glory of the Ascended.  Perhaps he even believed it – he was mean but not overly smart.

They reached the heavy wooden doors and slid through.  Keilena took a deep breath of fresh air and then coughed a bit at the odours of piss, sweat and rotting fruit.  People swarmed past them, on their way home or elsewhere.

“Let’s go somewhere fun,” she said to Tol.  It was the start of summer so the sky was still light and it felt far too early to think of getting ready for bed, even allowing for the fact that they both had to get up just after dawn.

“Saun wants me to do some more work tonight.”  Saun was his uncle by adoption, not by blood.  Tol’s parents had died just less than eight years ago and Saun had taken him in, giving him a home in the house next to the one she and her father shared.

“There’s always work.”  At fifteen years of age, they had both been adults for three years, Tol learning to be a cooper like his uncle while Keilena learnt carpentry from her father.  She didn’t mind it during the day but there were better ways to spend an evening.

“Ilena.”  A hand clamped down on her shoulder and she looked behind her into the beady eyes of the guider.  At five foot nine she looked down slightly to meet his gaze, one advantage to her gangly height.  “I hope you were listening carefully to the ceremony.  Anyone who doesn’t worship the Ascended as they deserve will be punished.”

COLLAPSE

About the Author

Clare Solomon began writing novels nearly three decades ago, when she was a teenager. She has worked in a variety of jobs, including legal secretary and sales adviser, while continuing to write and trying and failing to get a traditional publisher for her work. She has had a short play performed by the local amateur dramatics group and recorded on local radio and came joint first place in a local writing competition. This inspired her to self-publish and she is thrilled to be able to finally share her novels with actual real people.