The Kingdom of Solfeggio

By Crystal Hosea and Jessie James

Now in eBook format for E-readers!

"Your heart will guide, and then you'll find
your mind will understand
and set a-right, the two will give
the power to your hands."

A Dissonance has been spreading throughout the Kingdom of Solfeggio. Could a child who is not of their world be the Resolutionary who brings peace to the kingdom once again?

The first novel in the book series from Legends of the Staff of Musique, The Kingdom of Solfeggio begins a young girl's journey throughout a magical world on a quest to defeat the Great Dissonance. With the help of friends she encounters along the way, she realizes her purpose as she discovers the music within.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359431533

Book preview

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Text Copyright © 2018 Crystal Hosea

Edited by Marjorie Lang 2018

Illustrations Copyright © 2019 Jessie James

Cover Art Copyright © 2019 Jessie James

Published by Legends of the Staff of Musique 2019

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.  For information regarding permission, write to [e-mail].

ISBN-13: 978-0-359-43153-3

Dedication

To Nina Jen for showing me that solfège could be super.

To my little Lioness.  I love telling you stories.  Even Unikitty stories…

-C.H.

For my five little birds and all the other sweet ones

bringing harmony to this universe.

-J.J.

C:\Users\Hannah\Dropbox\CURRICULUM PROJECTS\Legends of The Staff Of Musique\Picture Book and Novels\The Kingdom of Solfeggio\Artwork\Artwork for ebook\Chapter 1.jpg

Chapter 1 • The Sound of Silence

The midday sun shone intensely overhead as Hannah pressed her fingers firmly on the cool, dark soil.  It was a typical day on the family ranch, and Hannah and her father were busy planting sunflower seeds in the moist areas beneath the trees.  This was Hannah’s favorite time of year.  Baby green leaves were beginning to peek out of the tips of the willow trees, and the flowering trees were bursting with pink and white blooms.  Every now and again a gust of wind would carry the sweet scent of apple blossoms to Hannah’s nose, and she would close her eyes and deeply breathe in their fragrance.  Of course, she couldn’t keep her eyes closed for long, because her little Chihuahua, Peanut, would become concerned, and promptly smother her with wet doggy kisses to convince her to open her eyes. 

Peanut! Hannah giggled as she unsuccessfully attempted to push him away, and they fell to the ground in a heap of doggy kisses and laughter.  Fluffy-Sam, one of the barn cats, casually approached them which, of course, interrupted their fun as Peanut darted after Fluffy-Sam, chasing him up the huge poplar tree in the front of the house.

Hannah sighed and shook her head as she lay on her back where Peanut had knocked her over.  The white clouds crawled across the sky above her and she began to search for fairies and animals in their shapes like she always did with her mother.  All of nature tells a story, and sings a song, her mother always said. You just need to slow your own thoughts enough to hear it. Hannah drew in another deep breath and listened for the music. 

Peanut barking at Fluffy-Sam. 

The rhythm of the horses’ hooves as they galloped around the corrals, having been startled by the commotion. 

The rustling of the poplar leaves. 

The call of the doves from one tree to the next. 

It all created a symphony of sound in Hannah’s ears, and she closed her eyes again as she took it all in. Hannah began to wave her arms in the air, pretending to conduct the symphony of sounds around her, when the music suddenly seemed to stop.  She opened her eyes in surprise and looked around her.  She saw Peanut bouncing around the trunk of the tree that held Fluffy-Sam.  She could see his mouth open and close, but couldn’t hear the sound of his barking.  The horses were still galloping, but it was as if they were walking on air.  No pounding of hooves. No rustling of leaves.  No coo of the doves.

Silence.

Hannah’s eyes frantically darted all around the ranch.  What had happened?  Why was the world around her mute?  She cupped her hands around her ears to see if that would help, but it did nothing.  The world had become silent.  Hannah felt frozen as she searched around her for anything making noise. 

Everything looked the same, and there was movement all around, but nothing made even the smallest sound. It was then that the gate to the grass pasture caught her eye.  While all the corral gates were made of metal panels that easily blended in to the panels around them, this one was no longer like the others.  As impossible as it seemed, the entire gate seemed to be comprised of hypnotic, pulsating beams of light.

Hannah could feel her heart pounding nearly out of her chest.  Although she couldn’t hear it, the feeling alone was oddly comforting.  Hannah closed her eyes and became lost for a moment in the gentle thump-thump of her heartbeat.  Then, piercing through the silence around her, the most beautiful sound emerged.

Hannah looked up at the gate, and with each and every pulse of light, she heard it clearly.  Singing.  Beautiful, crystal-like singing that caressed Hannah’s lonely ears.  It seemed to be coming from the gate itself, and Hannah couldn’t help but be drawn towards it.

The beautiful light and music coming from the singing gate were mesmerizing.  As Hannah stepped in its direction, the music seemed to intensify and become more complex.  Countless voices wove in and out of one another in a beautiful tapestry of sound.  As the voices danced, the music almost began to seem familiar. Hannah found herself humming along as if it was a song she had always known.  As her own voice became intertwined with the others, one voice began to soar above the rest.  It was then that Hannah realized that not only was the gate singing, it was singing to HER. 

"Hannah, dear, come closer now

Fear not, I know you well.

Within your Heart, you recognize

The story that I tell.

For we were One before your birth

Before I carried you

Across the rainbow bridge to Earth

To begin Life anew.

You understand the music

For you’ve carried it inside,

But others have forgotten it

Through selfishness and pride.

The music of the Ancients now

They can no longer hear

Their minds are closed, their hearts are hard

Consumed by hate and fear."

The song, it sings through all the Earth

Through everything that lives

The animals, the plants, the trees,

And YOU the music gives…

A purpose to uncover

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