Rhodi's Light: The Rhodi Saga, #1

By Megan Linski

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Megan Linski composes a young adult urban fantasy about found family, epic battles, and extraordinary magic.

 

Warriors are forged in darkness.

 

Teenage criminal Dylan and her twin brother Devin are struggling to survive the streets.

 

After an attempt to steal food goes horribly wrong, the twins are offered a deal. Their needs will be provided for if they join the ranks of the Rhodi. This elite group of supernatural warriors battle against the Hunter's Guild, a dark force that is threatening to destroy their world. Adorned with incredible gifts, the Rhodi can fly, transform into animals, and even foresee the future. As the last line of defense against darkness, the Rhodi must band together to stop the Guild using a combination of martial arts and magic. 

 

Devin loves his new life among the ranks of the Rhodi, excelling in his studies and abilities. However, Dylan struggles to discover her powers, and her identity within the faction. Her depression, grief and pain are marked by a new scar on her wrist each time she fails— a secret she knows would deeply hurt her Rhodi master, who strives to become the father she lost.

 

To transform into the warrior she desires to be, and defeat the Hunter's Guild, Dylan must learn to accept herself for who she is, and forgive herself for past mistakes. But the Rhodi are hiding secrets… secrets that prove dangerous to keep.

 

If they're going to win the war, the Rhodi must come together, and learn to trust each other. There is undiscovered power hiding within Dylan, and to save the world, that power must come into the light. 

Rhodi's Light is a tragic fantasy full of broken and beautiful characters. This inspiring young adult novel centers around themes of recovering from trauma, finding your family, and discovering the light within yourself. This is the first book in the Rhodi Saga.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gryfyn Publishing
• Release date: Sep 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533739865

Megan Linski

Megan Linski is the owner of Gryfyn Publishing and has had a passion for writing ever since she completed her first (short) novel at the age of 6. Her specializations are romance, fantasy, and contemporary fiction for people aged 14-24. When not writing she enjoys ice skating, horse riding, theatre, archery, fishing, and being outdoors. She is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and is an active fighter against common variable immune deficiency disorder. She lives in Michigan. Megan Linski also writes under the pen name of Natalie Erin for the Creatures of the Lands Series, co-authored with Krisen Lison.

Book preview

1

Escaping

D ylan! Dyliana, wake up! Get out of bed!

The girl sleepily raised her head off the pillow and looked around, her sharp eyes piercing the darkness. Her father stood beside the bed, fully dressed and standing as straight as a board.

He was pretending to be calm, yet she knew better. The face her father wore was one that she knew all too well— the one she hated and was frightened of. It was an expression of urgency… of fear.

It’s time. Your mother is getting Devin up. We have to leave now.

Dylan shook her long hair out of her face. But I don’t…

Now’s not the time. Come.

The small fifteen-year-old pushed back the covers and jumped out of bed, her day clothes on. She knew better than to go to sleep in pajamas anymore. What was the point? They always seemed to flee in the night.

She was a very pretty girl, with golden skin and particular orange eyes that glittered fiercely even in the darkness, but you’d never know it by the sour expression on her face. She wore baggy, tomboyish clothes, and her black hair was tangled. She swept it sloppily beneath a backwards baseball cap as she clambered drowsily to her feet.

That’s my girl. Grab your bags. Her father handed her a suitcase, a large bag of his own at his side. Her father was muscular, rugged from years of hard work, with stubble crowding his face. His black hair was trimmed short, his golden skin beaming and radiant. The feature his daughter could see most in the shadows were his two green eyes, vibrant and unrelenting in hope.

She didn’t understand how that hope could still be there after they’d been uprooted so many times.

Dylan bent down and took hold of her suitcase, knowing if she dawdled, they’d all be in danger. She slipped on her shoes and followed her father out into the hallway, down the stairs and to the front door.

Is everyone ready, Yeshua? a woman asked, her voice a low whisper. The full moon outside trickled through the window and lit up her face. She was a tall woman with long, wavy hair that nearly fell to her hips and orange eyes just like Dylan’s.

Dylan often thought her mother’s face was the look of a desert heiress… the face of a woman who should be living in royal luxury, not desperately trying to survive. Her mother’s thin eyebrows narrowed in worry.

As ready as we can be, Kilim. How’s Devin? Yeshua asked.

Sleepy, a voice at Kilim’s side said. A boy Dylan’s age yawned and blinked at his sister. Although nearly identical in features, it was obvious from the beginning that the twins couldn’t be any different. There wasn’t a hint of a wrinkle in the boy’s neat clothes, and his glasses were polished to perfection, though too large for his small green eyes.

You’ll get over it, Yeshua promised. We’re leaving now.

The family picked up their bags and headed out of the house. As they passed through the front door, Dylan noticed a window had been broken during the night. She wanted to ask what had happened, but thought better of it.

After everything had been loaded into the car, the four of them set down the road, only taking their bags. They left the rest of their possessions behind. Dylan hardly cared. It wasn’t like they had much to call their own in the first place. The two teenagers looked back as they abandoned their home, but the adults seemed to sag in relief.

Where are we going this time? Dylan asked with a sigh. It seemed like they were always running... always scared of something.

Out of Marceleno, Yeshua said, and into a state called Areos. It’s very far away, but it’s closer to your aunt and uncle. We’ll have to cross several borders.

Out of Marceleno? Devin repeated, and Dylan’s heart sank. They moved constantly, but never out of their own country. Marceleno was their home. How could they leave that behind as well?

We’ve switched countries before, Kilim reminded them.

That was when we were babies. It doesn’t count. Dylan crossed her arms.

Marceleno is too close to the Far East. It’s not safe to stay here anymore, Yeshua said.

Nowhere is safe for us, Dylan thought dully, watching the willow trees rush by her window unhappily. Marceleno was beautiful with its gondolas and small stone streets, buildings that sat by long rivers crowded with artists and musicians. Areos was probably very different.

Does Uncle Keaton know we’re coming? Devin asked.

No. It’s better if only we know, for now.

Dylan made an irritated sound and shook her head. She wished her parents would let her know who was after them or why. Whenever she asked, she was told not to speak of it. It hurt that her parents didn’t trust them enough to let them know what was going on, even though thier fleeing consistently interrupted their lives.

After a while, bitterness had begun to sink in. She gave up asking, and supposed that if whoever was after them caught them, she would die or be kidnapped without ever knowing why, and that would be the end of it.

Not her brother, though. He always had to ask questions every time they ran away, and tonight was no exception. He’d guessed multiple times, but never quite got it right. That didn’t stop him from trying now.

Mom, are we running away from the government? Devin asked.

There was an icy tremor in the car, one that froze the very air and vibrated into their stomachs.

Yes, lamb, that’s exactly what we are doing, Kilim said reassuringly, though her voice wobbled.

The twins looked at each other. This was the first time their mother had ever given a hint of any kind, although there was something in her voice that didn’t exactly ring true.

After about an hour, Kilim said, We should have sent a letter to Keaton and Raziya.

"Keaton and Rhonda, Yeshua corrected her. And no. It was too risky. You know they watch the post and the phone lines."

Not all of them, Kilim protested. "And I don’t care what she calls herself now… she’ll always be Raziya to me."

She had to change her name to stay hidden, you know that, Yeshua said, before adding, In fact, it would be a good thing if we were to change⁠—

They’ve taken everything else from me, save my children. I’m not going to give them my name! Kilim shouted.

Are you going to give them our lives instead? Yeshua said softly.

What kind of freedom is this? What kind of freedom did my sister receive? Kilim asked. She was so grateful that Keaton bought her freedom that she married him without question!

The twins listened closer. Their parents rarely, if ever, talked about their past. Their ancestors had come from the Far East, a land of deserts and dancers, thieves and sultans. Both of their parents had grown up in slavery. Their mother’s sister had been bought by their Uncle Keaton, and had been saved from a life of hardship. But they never knew how their parents escaped slavery themselves. That was another secret they kept behind closed lips. Dylan often wondered if the people they were running from had been their parents former slave masters. But could they still be looking after all this time? Her parents had escaped slavery before she and Devin were born.

She has grown to love him, Yeshua reminded her gently. Their children are very happy and she has a nice, safe home. It’s all she ever wanted. We cannot judge her for her choices.

"Married at sixteen, leaving me to be a slave.

She didn’t abandon you, Kilim. She had no choice.

Her mother’s voice wavered as she said, "He didn’t rescue us, you know."

He couldn’t afford the price for all of us, Yeshua said.

A lie, and you know it, Kilim whispered softly. Don’t give me falsehoods to comfort me. He left us behind, despite my sister pleading with him to save us.

He bought a wife. She knew what she was giving up, and she never believed in true love, anyway. She was happy with what she received.

If the Rhodi didn’t save us, we’d still be under the lash, Kilim said quietly.

When the twins heard this word their ears perked up. Rhodi? They had never heard of such a thing.

Yes, and look how we’ve repaid them, Yeshua said, his voice dropping to a shameful tone.

Kilim looked out the window. And what a mess it’s thrown us in. We didn’t know at the time. Like you said, a woman does what she has to do.

They said nothing more on the subject, and the twins weren’t stupid enough to ask any questions. But as time went on, they began to wonder. Who were these Rhodi that had freed their parents from slavery?

They supposed it didn’t matter. Areos would be the next state in Crescentia they would go to, until they needed to run again, and again. Who’s to say it wouldn’t be Adamaris, or Dunedinne, or the Far West next? Nowhere was safe for them. They couldn’t even return to their ancestral roots in the Far East, for fear that slavers would find them, or the bordering country of Alastan due to the civil uprisings that always seemed to be going on there.

Crescentia, though a breathtaking and large continent with a variety of forests, deserts and mountains, always seemed to have a boatload of problems to go with its beauty.

They came to a border which was swamped with guards. This time of night, there were no other cars. The twins tried to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible in the backseat.

Yeshua pulled up to the station and rolled down his window. A tall guard strode up to the door, a sword glinting in his belt. His partner walked up beside him, a small, crouching man whose eyes twitched from one place to another.

Your passports? the first guard said. Yeshua handed four small books to the man as if this was a tedious, and not a dangerous, job.

Their passports were fraudulent... it was too risky, being registered with the government. None of them had birth certificates. As far as the continent of Crescentia was concerned, none of them even existed, and they needed it to stay that way.

The guard scrolled through the pages. Yeshua, Kilim, Dyliana and Devin Fairsson? he asked.

Yeshua nodded, and Dylan blinked. Fairsson. Was that their name now? Their mother could protest giving up their first names, but their last one was no objection. Dylan knew she couldn’t live like this forever, glancing behind her everywhere she went, and having her last name changed so many times that she had forgotten her real one.

As the first guard looked through the books, the second peered into the windows. He held a spear in his hands, and smiled at them all as if they were something to eat.

The crooked guard leaned over and said, This vehicle looks suspicious. Think we should check it?

That won’t be necessary, Yeshua said, panic rising in his voice.

Times are tough. We can’t take any chances, the first guard said, handing him back his passports. The family got out of the car and watched as the first guard ruffled through their belongings while the second guard kept watch.

Dylan saw her brother grimace as the guard went through their few possessions, throwing them around as if they had no value. Her eyes glanced over at the second guard. She didn’t like the way he kept looking her over, his eyes greedily scanning her body. He licked his lips and adjusted his pants, giving her a smile that made her feel disgusting.

You have a beautiful daughter, he said to Yeshua, giving a little chuckle as he reached out to touch a strand of her hair.

Yes. I do. Yeshua wrapped his arms around Dylan and glared at the crooked little man, so threatening in his stance that the guard turned away with a disgruntled face.

Everything seems to be in order. Sorry for the trouble, the first guard said after his search was over, tipping his hat.

The family clambered back into the car, and a shiver raced across Dylan’s skin. The first guard raised a hand in farewell and said, Have a nice trip.

Yeshua didn’t wave back. The border had long vanished from sight before they all began to relax. Dylan glanced over at her brother. She could tell by the angry expression on his face that he was remembering the way the crooked guard had gazed at her.

Dylan shivered. There were at least three more borders to cross— maybe more on the way to freedom. She stared into the car window, her reflection bouncing off of it until it was the only thing she could see. All she could fathom was her reflection, but she wasn’t really seeing it. She imagined the crippled man looming behind her, an army of unknown enemies at his back, eager to tear her parents and her brother to pieces.

A shiver of fear rippled between her lungs and she choked, trying to breathe. Before she escaped the vision, she gazed into her reflection and thought she saw a missing piece of herself, and the fact that it was missing caused her to nearly scream. She tried to cry out, but nothing came from her mouth as she began sinking deeper and deeper into panic.

Her head was spinning. She began to gasp for air, her breaths shallow and vacant. She was either going to die or pass out, and so great was her fear that she wished either one would happen, just so the fear would go away.

The car was slowing, she knew that much, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was to calm her racing heart and beat back the feeling of bleeding, of suffocating and of drowning all at once.

She couldn’t keep doing this. She couldn’t keep running, couldn’t keep giving up her life and feeling like someone was after them. Her family was in danger, but she didn’t know from who, or what.

And that was the most terrifying thing of all.

From very far away she heard the words, Is she all right? and, Panic attack. Her mother put a cool hand to her face, and Dylan tried to feel it, wanting to find a way to cease her trembling.

Nothing was working… nothing she tried could help.

Her father glanced backward at her and took his eyes off the road. Before she knew it, all Dylan could hear was metal twisting, the sound of the car snapping and crunching as the vehicle flipped over and over, rolling down a hill before finally sliding on its side.

The last thing she saw were her parents flying through the windshield, their bodies twisting amongst the brightness of the headlights.

2

The Unexpected Visitors

Waves washed upon the columns of the dock that was built on strength but seemed to be created out of sorrow. The dock was made out of weathered, beaten planks of wood that seemed to speak of too many past arrivals walking on top of their sagging backs, harkening back to times when refugees sought out Aeros borders. Soon, it would welcome those refugees yet again. The old dock was barely big enough to hold a little boat, but had held larger in its time. The seagulls flocked along the port, gazing out at an ocean that seemed vast, wide, and free, so unlike the dingy little rafts that floated on top of it, tied to the ankles of the shoreline.

If one moved away from the sandy shores of the beach they would see a dirt trail leading into trees, tall, whispering beings that seemed to breathe tales of the unknown. Continuing along the vast lines of trees were bushes and creatures of all sorts, masking themselves inside the leaves as they poked their eyes out to wonder, friend or foe?

Near these woods was the smallest town one had ever laid eyes on. Aging buildings raggedly stood out from crooked streets as donkeys wandered by on cobblestone roads. Looking to the right, the road led to a highway and eventually a city, spiraling upward in a swirling pillar. Going down, one would come to the end of the cobblestone street and to the start of a gravel road. The eerily serene trees would continue. As one reentered the trees, it would seem there were too many memories stored up in them… as if the trees themselves knew something the rest of the world didn’t.

This would appear impossible to most, but not to those who lived in Areos. They of all people were used to witnessing impossible things.

At the end of the gravel road was a strange sight. An old man sat waiting on a bench placed inside of his pagoda. The old man himself was very proud of the structure. It was one of only two that were inside the small town, and he had built both with his bare hands, although that was in far younger years. Behind the old man were his dwellings, a yellow two-story house with white shutters. The backyard was filled with training equipment such as balance beams, punching bags, weights and targets. They looked as if they hadn’t been used in years, contained in a dirt arena the size of the house itself. In the front of the house was a pasture where two lazy horses bathed in the midday sun. The backyard and the forest itself were rolling hills, massive mountains of great strength and wonder.

The old man, with his short gray beard and wildly cropped hair, waited. It wasn’t long before there was a wooden staff stabbing into his back.

Miss me, Master? a girlish voice asked. The old man smiled, and from the roof dropped a young woman in her early thirties, her shoulder-length violet hair swooshing around her blue eyes as she dropped to the ground, her lavender dress clinging to her hips. She wore no makeup, and didn’t wish to, for she was incredibly beautiful.

Tavana. The old man rose to his feet and embraced the woman, and she hugged him back. I missed you.

She giggled and said, It hasn’t been the same since we left. I really missed this place.

As soon as she stopped speaking, a cloud of dust rose to their faces. They broke apart, coughing as several shingles fell to the ground. A young man swung himself gracefully off the roof and onto the ground, shaking the pagoda as he did so. Hey, old man. It’s been forever.

Talidin, the old man growled. Tavana’s twin brother stepped forward. Like her, he was muscular, and he