Dear Reader,
I have spoken with his majesty and unfortunately have met with some bad news. He has informed me that his spies have noticed suspicious groups of people moving along the southern border. I immediately left the region to witness this for myself, and I fear that what he told me was true. I have seen with my own eyes the threat lingering on the southern border, your northern border, and so I felt it necessary to check elsewhere.
The news from the eastern rim is the same. Large troops of men seem to be congregating outside of the province, looking for weak links in the chain, places that can easily be entered. Furthermore, small camps and even military bases have sprung up in a few places, all positioned in such a way as to make them hard to spot from the air, and I cannot help but suspect an eventual invasion. As far as I know, the border has not been breached, but I fear it won’t be long.
His majesty has promised to deploy patrols to the northern border, something I am eternally grateful for, but I must find a way to secure the south and the east. I will write again as soon as I can, until then, keep your senses broad and your heart close.
This letter wasn’t signed, but Hroombra knew who had sent it. A shiver ran down his long spine and he felt a sudden fear grip his old bones. He read the last line again, lingering on the words keep your senses broad and your heart close. Jahrra was his heart; that was the code word for her in letters such as these.
But Jahrra wasn’t close. She was somewhere camping with her friends. Hroombra’s eyes darted to the date of the letter, only a few weeks ago. Could whoever was trying to sneak into Oescienne have done so by now? No, Jaax would have returned if they were even close to invading. We still have time . . .
Hroombra shivered against the evening air trickling in through the window. Jahrra is fine, he assured himself, she’ll be back tomorrow.
The old dragon finally convinced himself not to worry about Jahrra anymore, but he couldn’t rid his mind of what Jaax’s last letter claimed. The Crimson King was no longer dormant. The search for Jahrra had begun, whether the Tyrant had gotten word of her birth or not, he was no longer sitting in his wretched fortress waiting for her to come to him.
“So now the world changes,” Hroombra whispered into the encroaching twilight. “So now it begins.”
Pronunciation Guide
Aimhe – AIM-ee
Aldalis – AL-di-lees
Aldehren – AL-der-en
Archedenaeh – ARK-uh-di-nay-uh
Baherhb – BARB
Bhun – BOON
Ciarrohn – CHI-ron
Cierryon – CHAIR-ee-on
Dharedth – DARE-edth
Dhonoara – DEN-or-uh
Edyadth – ED-ee-adth
Ellysian – EL-lis-ee-en
Elornn – EE-lorn
Ethoes – ETH-oh-es
Eydeth – AY-deth
Felldreim – FELL-dreem
Gieaun – JOON
Hroombramantu – HROOM-bruh-mon-too
Jahrra – JARE-uh
Kiniahn Kroi – KIN-ee-an KROY
Kruelt – KROOLT
Lensterans – LENS-ter-ans
Magehn – MA-jen
Nesnan – NESH-nan
Nuun Esse – NOON ESS
Oescienne – AW-see-en
Oorn – OH-orn
Ossar – OH-sar
Phrym – FRIM
Raejaaxorix – RAY-jax-or-iks
Raenyan – REN-yun
Resai – RESH-eye
Samibi – SAM-ee-bee
Scede – SADE
Semequin – SEM-ek-win
Sobledthe – SO-bledth
Srithe – SREE-the
Strohm – STROME
Tanaan – TAN-en
Thorbet – TOR-bet
Viornen – VEE-or-nin
Wreing Florenn – WRAING flor-EN
Yaraa – YAR-uh
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks to all those people who have supported me on this long and rocky road to publication:
To Sister Mary, who first taught me the intricate inner workings of the English language.
To Frank Wies, for his help with getting the cover for my first novel just right.
To all of the children and families of St. Patrick’s School, for their undying inspiration, support and encouragement; for making sure I never gave up.
To my fellow author friend Rachel, who knew what I was going through and provided much support, both moral and literary.
And finally, a very special thanks to Suni Mills and her sixth grade class, for providing the light at the end of the tunnel.
JEJ
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenna Elizabeth Johnson grew up and still resides on the Central Coast of California, a place she finds as magical and enchanting as the worlds she creates.
Jenna received a BA in Art Practice with a minor in Celtic Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. It was during her time in college that she decided to begin her first novel, The Legend of Oescienne - The Finding. Reading such works as Beowulf, The Mabinogi and The Second Battle of Maige Tuired in her Scandinavian and Celtic Studies courses finally inspired her to start writing down her own tales of adventure and fantasy.
Jenna also enjoys creating the maps and some of the artwork for her various worlds. Besides writing and drawing, she is often found reading, gardening, camping, hiking, bird watching, and practicing long sword fighting and archery using a long bow. She also loves getting feedback from readers, so feel free to send her a message any time.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons and places is entirely coincidental.
THE LEGEND OF OESCIENNE
-THE FINDING-
Copyright © 2009 by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Randy Vargas Gómez (www.vargasni.com)
No part of this book or its cover may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from its creator.