Songlines
by Carolyn Denman
Genre: Clean YA Fantasy
Release Date: August 20th 2016
Summary:
We belong to the Earth, Lainie-Bug. We were
sent here in human form for a reason. If you don’t know what to do, then just
be human.
Right. Like that was ever a simple thing
to do.
In the heart of the Wimmera region of
Australia, an ancient gateway is kept hidden and safe by a creature so powerful
that even the moon would obey her commands – at least it would if she had any
idea that she wasn’t just a normal girl about to finish high school.
When a mining company begins some exploratory
sampling near Lainie’s sheep farm, a family secret is revealed that makes her
regret not having learned more about her heritage.
What she’s told by their farm hand,
Harry, can’t possibly be true, but then the most irritating guy in class, Bane,
begins to act even more insane than ever, until she can no longer deny that
something very unusual is going on.
When Harry doesn’t return from his quest to
seek help to protect the area from the miners, Lainie sets out to discover the
truth of her heritage, and of the secret she’s been born to protect.
Excerpt:
The barking from
the aged blue heeler echoed off the tin machinery shed as the sedan crunched to
a halt on the loose gravel. Ruby rubbed her elbows to sooth a prickle of
apprehension. Geoff was in the shed, searching the dusty shelves for the right
sized ratchet-head she’d asked for so she could fix the hot water service.
Harry was in the kitchen, doing what all nine-year-old boys do an hour before
lunch – hunting for snacks.
A stocky man in a business suit emerged
from the sedan, tossing his sunglasses on the driver’s seat. He appeared to be in
his thirties, with dark hair, thick eyebrows, and a strong jawline that spoke
of Italian descent. The man gave the yard a quick appraisal, and then checked
his watch, a gaudy thing designed to impress clients.
Ruby met him at the front door.
‘Mrs Doolan? My name is Paul Dashner.
I’ve been asked to make some enquiries on behalf of Celarsi Holdings about an
item you recently sold to them. May I come in?’
Guardian instincts barred the doorway.
The man wasn’t a threat, and yet he made her very uncomfortable. Whatever he
had to say, he could say it where he was.
She crossed her arms. ‘My husband tried
to call the company. Couldn’t even get a call back, and yet you’ve driven all
the way up here from, where, Melbourne? What is it you want to know, Mr
Dashner?’
The man licked his lips as if assessing
her attitude before framing a reply. ‘We were advised that the ruby had been in
your family for a long time. The new owner is curious about its origins. Can
you tell me its history?’
A tug at her instincts told her that
Geoff had emerged from the shed and was heading towards them.
‘The history of my ruby? It has no
history to speak of.’
The man waited for more. His expression
almost stern.
‘What am I supposed to tell you? Geoff’s
father gave it to him. I don’t know exactly where it came from originally.’
Paul Dashner gave a cool smile. ‘Perhaps
Geoff knows more.’
‘More about what?’ her husband asked as
he stepped up onto the porch with his arms laden with tools. He dumped them at
her feet like an offering to the Goddess of Broken Things.
‘Nothing. He was just leaving,’ Ruby said,
stepping forward over the tools and closing the door behind her. She gestured
for the man to start moving back to his car, but he ignored her.
‘Geoff Doolan? My apologies for not
returning your calls. My employer is curious about the ruby you sold us. Was it
mined locally?’
Geoff’s face paled and Ruby’s heart
sank. This was exactly what she had repeatedly assured him wouldn’t happen. Why
would they care about the origins of one ruby? It had great clarity, and
excellent colour, but it wasn’t exactly a museum piece.
Her husband’s voice held no trace of the
swallowed-tongue guilt she knew he felt. ‘Not locally, no.’
‘Can you tell me anything about its
history? For insurance purposes, you understand. If the owner ever needs to
replace it, he would like to get as close a match as possible. Even just the
country it came from would be helpful information.’
‘I’m sorry, but I never asked.’ Geoff
started walking to the man’s car, and Ruby followed, hoping the man would take
the hint.
‘Do you have any more?’
And with those words, the air became still. Ruby
stared at her husband. Geoff stopped walking, closed his eyes and pressed his
lips together. His hands were clenched into fists and Ruby’s Guardian heartbeat
raced to catch up to his. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the kitchen
curtain twitch as her son’s concerned face looked out to see what was
happening.
Everything waited. The breeze paused.
The birds watched on, silent. The old dog stood, tongue hanging and eyes more
alert than they had been in years, as if waiting for a command. She waited for
it too. She could feel the authority in the space between air particles. The
whole world was frozen in anticipation of a spoken word, a decree to tell it
what to do, how it could serve.
Geoff turned, stepped up to Paul Dashner
and looked him right in the eye. ‘There are no more gems. You will tell your
employer not to enquire further, and you need not be afraid of his reply. There
is nothing to be afraid of.’
Instead of the confusion Ruby expected
in response to Geoff’s words, the business man’s shoulders relaxed, and he
smiled. ‘That is good news,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell him there are no more gems.’
Ruby looked on, astounded, as the man
got back into his car and drove away. How long before Geoff’s influence wore
off and he began to question what had just happened? Would he come back,
demanding an explanation?
‘Geoff. Why would you say that? “Tell your
employer not to enquire further?” You know that will only make them think we
have something to hide.’
Her bonded charge turned to her and held
out his right hand, still clenched into a fist. His eyes were haunted, shining
with a sacred light that held both terror and beauty.
‘We do have something to hide, and I
don’t know that I did the right thing,’ he whispered.
‘Well, I understand exactly how that
feels,’ she said, ready to comfort him, but just as she was about to take his
hand, he opened it, and she gasped.
There, resting on his palm was a ruby
cradled by angel’s wings. Its light pulsed in resonance with Geoff’s heartbeat
– the rhythm of his life-blood that she always felt more clearly than her own.
Sunlight sparkled from the jewel like tiny secrets escaping from its core.
Yet more heavy secrets that they now had
to guard with their lives.
Purchase links:
About the Author
Carolyn Denman writes speculative fiction for adults and young
adults. She has written short stories for Aurealis and Andromeda
Spaceways magazines. The third novel in her Sentinels of
Eden series is due for release by Odyssey Books in 2018. Carolyn
lives on a hobby farm on the outskirts of Melbourne with her husband, two
daughters, her parents and far too many pets. Co-housing is the future though,
right?
Somehow, her science degree and work in the finance industry have
equipped her to write great science-fiction while still making sure her
protagonists can always meet their mortgage repayments.
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