The Quest: Sanshlian Series, #1

By Dani Hoots

Be thrown into another galaxy with this riveting YA Sci-Fi Trilogy!

There is only one way to bring back order to the galaxy, and that is by finding the legendary planet Sanshli.

Eleven Years ago, my life was ripped away from me. My father, my brother, my humanity. Everything. I was thrown into the Kamps, created to become a mindless machine. But I fought against it, not letting them take away my memories of the past. 

And I succeeded.

It has been seven years since I was taken out of the Kamps and made into the Emperor's Shadow. Now I only take orders from him, and him alone, without question. That is, until my brother, whom I thought was dead, shows up and kidnaps me in order to help him find some long lost planet that our father used to tell stories about. According to the legend, any who find the planet Sanshli can rewrite the past, and my brother wants to use it to destroy the Empire. My loyalty will always be to the Emperor, but what if this planet is real? And the longer I stay with my brother, the more I begin to find that the Emperor has been keeping secrets from me. But I can't turn my back on him... 

Or can I?

Includes an excerpt of Book 2 of the Sanshlian Series: The Journey

Fans of Star Wars, The Hunger Games, and Ender's Game will love this series!

"It starts out like most sci fi books and you think it is going to be another same old, same old and then it twists and turns into something completely different! I found the story world to be very believable and the characters well developed - two criteria that are absolutely essential for me in any book. If you like sci fi and want something a little different, I highly recommend this story!" ~ CarlynneT, Barnes and Noble Reviewer ★★★★★

"Wow, what a complete surprise this book is! I thought it was going to be the same old, same old sci-fi book that everyone writes. NOT SO!! This will take you places you never expected and then some!"  ~ Holly, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

"Holy Hangover!!! I CANNOT wait for the next book in the series. Wow! This book had me riveted to the pages so much I couldn't even set it down at work (don't tell the boss lol). I loved this book and will read it again just to make sure I didn't miss anything. There were hints along the way for some of the twists and turns but not all of them. Dani has to have a lot of talent to go into this much detail and keep the story flowing along with all the unexpected happenings. I would definitely give this book at least 6 stars if I could."  ~ Swtmamarains, Amazon Reviewer 

"I've always been fond of the "syfy family drama" genre. But this one went beyond that. Does that sound gushy? Well, it's true!! 'The Quest' by Dani Hoots is the story of a girl named Arcadia, who is torn between family and loyalty to the Emperor. It was interesting to see how a innocent but brave girl came to be in a strong position. I was rooting for her from the beginning, especially since everyone wanted rid of her. When her brother shows up they both go in search of a lost planet named "Sanshli". There he hopes to destroy the Pandronan Empire and usher in a new age, but will Arcadia help! This book I'd recommend to readers who enjoy female lead characters as well as YA science fiction"  ~ Keith, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

• Language: English
• Publisher: FoxTales Press
• Release date: Mar 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393877257

Book preview

THE QUEST

Dani Hoots

The Quest

Sanshlian Series, #1

Third Publication © 2020 FoxTales Press

Content and line edits by Justin Boyer

Cover Design Copyright © 2020 by Biserka Designs

Second Publication © 2016 Dani Hoots

First Publication © 2015 Hear Me Roar Publishing

Formatting and Cover Design first edition by Marcy Rachel

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN for paperback: 978-1-942023-43-2

ISBN for ebook: 978-1-942023-42-5

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What would you do with the dichotomous power over life and death? For Chrys, apparently, it was to stay cooped up in the Underworld all her life. She wishes she could leave and see what the human world is all about, but her Father would never allow it, as she was never supposed to be born. If Zeus found out, she would be sent straight to Tartarus. So she has stayed in Hades' palace all her life, her only friends being a punk whom she convinced her father was a genius tutor, and a demigod who she may or may not have almost kissed (father would be so mad if he found out).

After a huge fight with her mother Persephone, Chrys decides she can't take it anymore and has to travel to the human world, since her mother loves it so much more than she seems to care for her own husband. With her two best friends, Chrys travels through Oceanus and finds herself in London, England. Ready to experience what it was like to be human, Chrys decides they can stay for a couple of days before having to return.

Nothing could go wrong in that short of time, right?

DOWNLOAD THIS FREE BOOK TODAY

To Faye and Veronica, who stuck by my side throughout the entire process, and really, really want to read more.

Chapter 1

Eleven Years Earlier

It sounded like thunder, but I knew better. War had made its way to our tiny planet and nothing could stop it. I sniffed and wiped away the tears beginning to form in my eyes as I peered over at my brother Rik. All I could see was his shaggy hair as he peeked out the window, watching the flashes of light that echoed through the sky. I feared for my family’s safety, not knowing what we would do. Even at the age of six, I understood what was coming.

It’s all right Arcadia, you don’t have to be afraid. My father sat down on the edge of my bed. He always kept calm in every situation, no matter the difficulty. A smile never seemed to leave his face.

Father, I began as I glanced out at the flashing lights, will you tell us another story?

Father scooted closer and wrapped his arm around me, stroking my long brown hair. I presume you want to hear another story about the legend of Sanshli? Rik and I nodded our heads in unison, making our father laugh. He pulled out his pocket watch to check how late it had gotten. Okay, I guess I can tell you one more story before you two need to go to sleep.

Rik climbed in bed next to me and our identical green eyes shone innocently as we waited for our father to start the story.

A long time ago, there was a planet full of people that looked just like you and me, he began, stretching out his arm for dramatic effect.

But they weren’t like us, were they father? my brother stated the obvious. I rolled my eyes at him. He always had to interrupt the story with obvious remarks.

Father just smiled. "No Rik, they weren’t. They were special. Each person had a unique power. Some could read minds, others could control different elements. But of them all, the most powerful were the illusionists. These illusionists could control anything they wanted, from the elements to the stars themselves. They could perform spells, and if enough of them came together, they could be unstoppable.

"Then one day, the rest of the people decided they’d had enough of the illusionists and their spells. A war broke out. Even though the illusionists were more powerful than the rest of the Sanshlians, there weren’t as many of them and they were defeated. The others burned their spell books and left them powerless. The only things they could do were small illusions, like little magic tricks. All the people looked at them with disgrace, and the citizens banished them from the cities. The illusionists traveled around their planet putting on shows for those who wanted to see the simple tricks they could still perform.

Then, hundreds of years later, one illusionist by the name of Nygard found an old book in a cave. He brought it back to his small camp and found out it was one of the old spell books that were supposedly destroyed centuries earlier. He and his wife Violet got into a big argument as to what to do with the book. She wanted to destroy it and he wanted to use it to become powerful like their ancestors once were. He felt betrayed by her. Do you know what happened next?

Nygard became powerful like the old illusionists! I blurted out. Father chuckled and rubbed the top of my head.

"Yes Arcadia, he became powerful. Very powerful. In fact, he became immortal. People feared him, even his wife Violet. She ran away and hid their daughter because she knew once her daughter became old enough, she would be the only one powerful enough to stop him. This angered him even more and that made his power grow, causing him to become unstoppable.

"The people tried to defeat him, but it was no use. He killed his fellow illusionists with his wrath, and the entire planet turned into chaos. Some even tried to flee the planet, but they didn’t get far before Nygard found them and killed them too. He took over the First Republic and made it into the New Empire, declaring himself the Emperor.

It took many years for Violet to find the right spell to stop him. She tricked him into coming back to Sanshli, and she cast her spell at last. Using a magical sword, she stabbed him through the heart, trapping him in a statuesque form forever. All the chaos had finally ended.

Rik jumped up on the bed as Father finished. But that’s not the end of the story, is it?

Father leaned in closer to us and whispered. No. Now legend has it, that whoever finds Sanshli and takes the sword out of Nygard’s statue can change the past and make what was once wrong right again.

Rik jumped up and down on my bed, talking about how one day he would find Sanshli and save the universe. I lay there, a thought running through my mind.

What happened to the baby girl? I asked.

Father looked at me with bewilderment. Neither of us had ever asked about her, at least that I could remember. I don’t know why I never thought to ask before that moment. No one knows. It remains a mystery to this day, he stroked my cheek. I think she is still in hiding so that one day she will finish the story.

Our father stood up, stretching his aging limbs. He worked as a farmer, harvesting fruits from our orchard and selling them at a shop in town. Rik, who was three years older than I, helped Father work in the orchard. I still wasn’t old enough, being only six. Instead I stayed in the house, keeping it clean and making some meals as I waited anxiously for them to return home each day. Father’s friend John would come by on some days and watch me, but most days I was alone. I didn’t mind; I always found something to do.

Father pulled out two keys, each hanging from a separate string, out of his coat pocket and enclosed them in our hands. I want you two to have these and keep them safe.

I examined the key closely. Nothing seemed special about it; it was just an old key. What are these for Father?

They are for the future, Arcadia. Promise me you will keep them safe, he kissed me on the forehead and then did the same to Rik’s. Now, go to sleep you two.

We nodded as Father blew out the candles next to our bed and shut us in our room for the night. Rik climbed into his own bed and glanced out the window. We both knew we wouldn’t be sleeping much that night, not with the war slowly engulfing the planet.

Our planet, Garvner, stood no chance against the Pandronan Empire in this war. The planet was once independent of the Empire, held together by treaties and trading contracts. But they wanted more. They wanted control over everything we did and they would have that control soon. Our father assured us that everything would turn out for the best, but we knew deep-down things would change, that we all had a hard road ahead of us. So that is why he told us stories of Sanshli, to get our minds off the war that was happening all around us and to have hope that someone could change everything.

Father loved his stories about Sanshli. Rik and I both knew he dreamt one day he would find the planet Sanshli and be able to change history so that the Pandronan Empire never came into existence. He wished for the Second Republic to still reign as it did so many years ago. But being a poor farmer and father, he knew that he couldn’t run off to find some legend. He had to provide for both Rik and me, especially after our mother died. So he filled our heads with the legends and hoped that one day we would find it for him.

Hours passed as we lay in our beds trying to sleep with sounds of gunfire thundering through the city. It sounded like it kept getting louder and louder. Darkness still filled the skies when Father raced into our rooms.

Arcadia, Rik, wake up! He pulled us up out of our beds. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at my grin-less father. I had never seen him so serious and at that moment I knew our lives would never be the same. The sound grew with time, each explosion shaking our windows. He grabbed the keys he had given us and stuffed them into our hands.

Don’t lose these, please, he whispered, more to himself than to us.

Father, what is it? I asked as we headed down the wooden stairs.

The war has made it through the city and into the forest. I hoped it wouldn’t come this far, but I am afraid they have found us. We must go.

He rushed us towards the backdoor that led into our cherry orchard. The crisp spring night air filled my lungs and I watched as the pink blossoms danced in the wind like snow on a winter’s day. I always loved to admire their beauty, but now I didn’t have the time. Now fear captured my heart as I looked out at the black abyss that lay ahead of me.

John is waiting for us on the other side of the orchard. He knelt down next to me and handed me his pocket watch. Arcadia, I want you to have this. Keep it with you at all times. Never forget everything I have told you. Rik will lead you to Uncle John and I will be right behind you. Now go, he said as he hurried us outside.

The three of us ran through the orchard, Rik in front of me and Father a few meters behind, keeping an eye on the Imperials that were now bombarding our home. We could hear shouts of men ordering the house and everything around it to be searched. Voices presented themselves all around us. I inhaled deeply, trying to catch my breath as I ran harder and harder. The only thing that kept me going was knowing how badly Father insisted that I run for my life. I glanced behind my back to make sure he still followed. He did.

The sound of gunfire echoed through the orchard, bouncing off tree after tree. Shadows loomed over us and my imagination got the better of me. The images looked like the monsters of all the bedtime stories Father had told us. I felt tears form in my eyes as I followed my brother along what seemed like a never-ending trail. I didn’t remember the orchard being so big until that day. I watched as the bullets appeared like ghosts, raining upon objects around me; branches, roots, grass, but never me. They scattered in all directions. That’s when my worst fear happened. I heard my father let out an agonizing shout of pain. I turned back to find him collapsed on the ground.

Father! I called out as I hurried to his side and watched a flood of red liquid soak his shirt around the wound.

Arcadia, leave me, go! Get out of here! he tried to wave me to go.

No, I can’t leave you Father, I don’t want to leave you. I felt tears run down my face.

We will see each other in another life, dear daughter. Please, follow Rik and go. Remember everything that I have taught you. he coughed and clenched my hand for the last time. Don’t forget I love you.

I nodded. I love you too, Father. I will never forget.

Standing up, I started after my brother, but it was too late. I felt someone grab me. In the moment’s surprise, I dropped the key. I tried to grab for it, but it was too late. I still clutched the pocket watch in my hand. I screamed and kicked, but it was no use. I could see Rik coming back for me, but I shook my head.

Rik, run! I shrieked.

Stopping for a moment and examining the trouble I had gotten into, he turned around and kept running.

A guard checked over my Father’s body. Yes, this is Ben Archer, the resistance leader that the men revealed to us. You two—go after that boy, he is probably his son. We have his daughter.

Two men chased after Rik into the darkness as I struggled with the soldier that carried me off towards the city.

Chapter 2

Present Day

I slammed my fist into the bag that hung before me. Sweat dripped off my face and soaked my dark brown hair as I struck at it again and again. My hands and feet felt hot with every hit I made. I didn’t like letting myself go while traveling on a ship, so I kept up some sort of rigorous fighting exercise. Nothing less would be expected of me—not by my Emperor. That, to me, was all that mattered.

Punching the bag, I let scenes from the last mission flash through my mind. A mission on the crime-infested, businessman-ruled Recar, a planet I found myself on more often than not. Not that I complained. A job was a job and, as usual, it involved my specialty of causing chaos for any resistance movement that stood in the way of the Pandronan Empire.

I’ve executed thousands of men under the Emperor’s orders and caused pain to thousands more. Some considered me like a creature from a nightmare, coming in and out from the shadows like a monster. Then again, I tried not to listen to what people said about me. They just exaggerated the stories to make me seem fictitious. If they only knew the truth behind the simple stories they heard.

I sensed something move behind me. Without hesitation I spun around, grabbed the man that stood there and wrapped my arm around his neck. The poor officer never saw it coming. He didn’t even resist, knowing I could snap his neck with just a little more pressure.

Realizing I overreacted to the situation, I released the officer. You shouldn’t sneak up behind me like that.

He rubbed his now sore throat. I’m sorry, ma’am, it won’t happen again, he straightened up to a more proper posture. I was ordered to tell you we are landing on Anosira soon. We should be in the capital in less than two hours’ time.

I nodded. Thank you for keeping me informed; you are dismissed.

The man saluted and then left. I thought of how he must have drawn the short straw to come to inform me. None of the soldiers enjoyed coming near me unless ordered. The rest of the men probably will give him a hard time for a while.

I moved back to the bag, punching it one last time. The fabric tore at the impact, and the sand came pouring out of it. Leaving it for someone else to clean up, I grabbed my things and left for my quarters to freshen up before I reported to the Emperor himself.

Men saluted me as I passed them in the corridors of the ship. I nodded to each one of them, not caring whether or not they saluted in return. I hated being recognized as a superior officer by men who didn’t know who I was, just that I was someone important. I tried to remember it was their duty and not to let it bother me.

The Class Three ship I found myself on was owned by Sir Lain Colate, the representative of Katemm, a planet in the Maltar system. Most of the officers on board were from his own security detail and the rest were from New Capital City, sent by Emperor Neil Valym to make sure the representative’s journey was safe. The ship stopped by Recar, the other planet in the Maltar system.

I would have flown myself, but the Emperor didn’t trust me. He thought I would try to make any detours necessary so I wouldn’t arrive at Anosira when he wanted me to. Now knowing why he wanted me back so soon, I probably would have. The Emperor needed me back for the Representative’s Ball that was to be held that evening. If I had known before coming on the ship, I would have made any excuse to stay on Recar. Any excuse. I didn’t though and now here I was, just where the Emperor wanted me.

As I came around a corner of the corridor, I caught a glimpse of Sir Colate. I quickly let myself wince before I turned my lips into a polite smile, as was ordered of me.

Sir, I slightly bowed.

Ah, Miss Ryetirf, he glanced nervously down the corridor to make sure some of his men were still present. How are my men treating you?

Fine, I answered.

We stood there in awkward silence. Lain kept looking around, fidgeting with his expensive suit. I kept up my smile.

Well then, I guess I will leave you to wherever you were heading. Good day, he rushed away from where I stood.

I let out a long suppressed sigh. I hated being a guest on a ship, especially one that held a representative of Imperial rule. If I ran into one of them on the ship, I was obligated to perform small talk. It was something the Emperor swore me to do, to make sure the representative felt comfortable. So I tried to stay away from them as best as I could, not that the representative wanted to talk to me anyway. They always felt as if I would execute them on the spot. As if I would waste time to perform small talk before executing someone.

Making it to my quarters at last, I let the door shut behind me as I threw my things on the bed. I took a gander at yet another ship’s quarters I found myself in. They were all the same: gray, bleak, and small. Not that it mattered much to me; I was always on the move, executing another wish of the Emperor. I never stayed anywhere permanently, and I learned to live with that. It was the only way I could keep myself sane.

Pulling off my gloves, I caught sight of the markings that branded my wrist. Ignoring them, I pulled on new fingerless gloves, something I was never seen without. I changed into my typical black uniform and gathered my things, not that I had many things to begin with. I just wanted to act like I had something to do so no one would bother me. Once we landed, I would jump off this ship the first chance I got.

It felt like hours passed before I got off the ship and saw the red and black lines of the Pandronan Empire flags hanging from the Imperial Palace on Anosira, a planet in the Pandrona system. I jumped aboard a shuttle that went to the Pandronan Imperial Palace. Once everyone else had boarded, the shuttle rose and headed out towards our destination. Looking down at the cityscape, I watched as we flew past building after building. New Capital City wasn’t that large of a city compared to the Old Capital City of the Second Republic, or any other system capital as a matter of fact. The Old Capital City on Valle had spread across the entire planet with its massive buildings and centers. Then the war came and little of it remained.

Now Valle housed rogues, also known as the P.A.E., Pirates Against the Empire. They led attacks against the Empire, but none of them did any damage. We leave the planet alone since their base was well protected and the casualties it would cost us to destroy them wasn’t worth it. Besides, their numbers were dwindling. It wouldn’t be long before they were simply names recited in history classes.

New Capital City only contained the higher classed men and women in the Empire. You had to have money to live here, or at least be someone of importance. Everyone else here was part of the military or a servant to the Emperor. I considered myself the latter. The rest of the planet contained rolling hills, never ending prairies, majestic waterfalls; anything you could dream up, it was here. All of those who lived in New Capital City had access to the rest of the land and could stay at all the resorts, camping areas, and hot springs, as long as they had the money of course. It seemed like paradise, at least to the wealthy. To the rest it was just another out of reach dream.

The doors of the shuttle slid open and I ran out ahead of everyone else with my bag flung over my shoulder. A cool brisk wind swept over my face and ran through my tied-back hair. Winter still clung on, even though spring should have been here already. Entering the palace, I nodded to the guards that checked IDs as people entered. They never seemed to need to check mine. I tried convincing myself it was since I’d been to the palace so often and not because of the rumors about me. Either way, there was an unspoken understanding of me not needing to go through protocol.

The palace itself contained only what I termed people of importance. Generals, representatives, and anyone the Emperor wanted to be near him or invited for balls and benefits. The rest of the people were staff, servers, and guards, which made up the bulk of the palace. Each served the Emperor with whatever he needed and satisfied any guests he had at the time. They each tried to give me my space, which was exactly what I wanted.

Decorations of goods from all over the Pandronan Empire spread out across the palace. It made whoever visited feel at home. I usually just ignored such things except for one that I always took a minor detour to pass. But not now, I didn’t have the time.

Walking down the last corridor I needed to make my way through, I saw a familiar man leaning against the wall outside the Emperor’s office.

Well, well, if it isn’t the Emperor’s pet. The man snickered.

I cursed under my breath. It was General Tom Draff, the leading general in the Emperor’s military and a downright ass. He was twenty-two and