The Last Quest: A Tale of Friendship, Adventure, Bravery, & Sacrifice: The Song of Seven Sorrows, #1

By Samuel Robbins

Simon is a boy without a home. Taken in by a kind heart in the small village of Olisford, he has grown up in the wilderness around the town, exploring the forests and hills. He longs for friendship, but no one seems to pay attention to him.

Sydney is a survivor. Abandoned by her parents, she has lived by herself in the forest near the town of Olisford for years. She is beginning to wish for someone to talk to, but she isn't sure the people in the village will accept her.

When Simon and Sydney meet each other, the story of a lifetime begins. The two become fast friends, but troubles in the village quickly arise that threaten their friendship. Raids from the snowy nation of Herlenia across the Impassable Mountains are growing more common, and as Simon and Sydney enroll in the warriors-in-training program in the village, they face trials and triumphs and meet friends and enemies.

A desperate battle for Olisford sends Simon and Sydney on a great quest, sending them over the Impassable Mountains, fighting raiders, and facing dangers. A smoking volcano is the site of a final battle that will determine the fate of Lysandria…

In this incredible story of friendship, adventure, bravery, and sacrifice, the stakes are high like never before, and to save Lysandria from falling may cost in blood…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trensicourt Publishing
• Release date: Nov 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9798201271619

Samuel Robbins

Book preview

The Last Quest: A Tale of Friendship, Adventure, Bravery, & Sacrifice

Samuel Robbins

2020-11-11

SAMUEL ROBBINS

The Last Quest: A Tale of Friendship, Adventure, Bravery, & Sacrifice

First published by Trensicourt Publishing 2020

Copyright © 2020 by Samuel Robbins

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Samuel Robbins asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Samuel Robbins has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

First edition

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Prologue

I’M SIMON. NO ONE KNOWS my last name, because Father and Mother died before anyone in the village could figure it out. But that’s just one of my names—some others are outcast, hero, friend, enemy, and king (for a few days).

Speaking of the village, Olisford is where I live. If you could call it a village—it’s more like an armed fortress.

I turn my eyes toward the tall towers of Olisford now, seeing the sun setting in the west, watching the birds make their journey across the sky toward the south. Behind, the Impassable Mountains loom—though whether they are impassable is still in serious doubt. I haven’t gotten everyone in Olisford to believe that Sydney and I crossed them yet.

The first of the snows have come down from the mountains, blanketing the tundra. Winter is coming. The birds know it—they flee, seeking refuge far to the south.

Us people of Olisford have always weathered the winters of the mountains alone, without complaint, without dissent. We are hardy, northern people. Some freeze in the snows. Others don’t come up here at all. Us? Olisford is a hard egg to crack. Our people have lived here for generations, surviving despite frigid conditions and wild beasts.

We have weathered many many winters together. And we will do it again.

My gaze turns to the paper in front of me, laid out on the lantern-lit desk, with a pen ready next to it in an inkwell. Long and hard have I thought about recording the great tale I lived in my young years. My hands shake as I lean over the desk, fingers trembling as I run them over the top of the chair.

Is it worth it? Will anyone care? Is it a lost cause?

No. I grip the chair, hard, pulling it out and sitting down. The inkwell lies there—I grab the pen and put the nib to the paper, hesitating.

It has been nineteen years.

Someone needs to know.

And—hand trembling as I make the first stroke, but slowly gaining confidence—I begin to write.

1

See You Tomorrow

THE FOREST ON THE SHORES of the lake was a bright green this time of year. The meadows were full of budding wildflowers and long grasses. The oak trees were green with life, and the air was full of the twittering and chirping of birds.

I walked through the forest, delighting in the solitude it provided. This was a place to get away from all the noise of the village and be on my own—something I found was becoming more and more appealing to me. My mom, who adopted me, meant well. She really did. But she tried to control everything I did at home. This place was a welcome break from that. Here, I could do anything—go anywhere I wanted. There were miles of wilderness to explore and so many things to see.

I was something of a born explorer. Kari—my mom—said that from the time I was a little baby, I was wandering around the house and the village, touching new things. This was part of why they named me Simon, which means great explorer.

I had always been alone on my explorations—no one in the village shared my interest in the wild. In fact, most people took me as the strange kid in the community. Because of this, I had no real friends.

So you can imagine how surprised I was when I met someone that would soon become my best friend.

I was wandering through the forest, with nothing but a pack on my back filled with food. I was what the village people called a ‘young adult.’" I was fourteen years old, and currently I was in the middle of a growth spurt, so I was hungry almost all the time. In light of this, I brought food on all my expeditions, just in case.

As if to prove this point, my stomach rumbled loudly. I reached into my pack and took out a strip of dried meat, which I promptly ate. After this, I felt only a little more refreshed than before—but I knew that I should save the rest of the food for later in the day. It was still morning.

The grassy ground gave way to rock as I moved farther on. This was new. Apparently that turn I had taken back at Mossyrock Fork had been the wrong one after all. I frowned. I should have been near the Stone. But if I had gone to the east...

The forest around me turned to sheer, unscalable rock columns. The ground was completely rock now, and the trees ringing the clearing were taller and darker, as if they were glaring at me.

I don’t like this.

The ground fell away suddenly into a deep gorge. I pulled myself away from the edge right before I walked into the pit.

That’s annoying, I muttered to myself. How do I get across that?

Pebbles crumbled from the edge. I stepped back to a safe distance.

A huge crack echoed through the clearing, and the ground crumbled underneath me. I managed to let out a shout as I tumbled down into the chasm, scrabbling for something—anything!—to grab onto.

Just as I thought this was the end, my hand grasped firmly onto something warm. My breath went out of me in an explosive grunt as my fall was stopped halfway down the chasm, nearly ripping my arm out of my socket by the way it felt. With watering eyes I looked up, expecting to see some kind of wild animal. Instead I saw something much prettier.

What did you think you were doing so close to the edge?

A girl stood above me, her black hair shining magnificently in the afternoon light. Her face was shapely, but rough. I got the sense that she meant business.

I was silent for a moment, dangling off the edge of the chasm, marveling that she had just saved my life.

She pulled me upward, depositing me roughly onto the mossy stone on the edge of the chasm. I lay there, panting, managing to get myself a few feet away from the edge.

After a bit more staring, I got to my feet.

"Um... hello. What are you doing here?"

She glared at me, hands on her hips. "I could say the same thing to you. What are you doing here? This is my domain."

Your— I’m the one who’s out here all day!

You think? She crossed her arms, looking like she was about to say more, then her shoulders slumped and she stepped forward. Look. You don’t recognize me, obviously.

I frowned slightly, my anger easing. Um, no... should I?

I guess not, she said. No one really pays attention to me but Jordan and his gang anyways.

"Wait a second. You’re from Olisford? Me too! However, from her complexion, it looked like she hailed from the south. Westerden. Tarthia, maybe. Her skin was darker than most people’s around here, bordering on brown. You.. you look... exotic."

The corners of her mouth curved slightly upward. Was that supposed to be a compliment, or...

I wish I could have punched myself. Never mind. Let’s talk about something else.

So you really are from Olisford? she asked. What’s your family name?

Erm... I looked down at the ground, then back up at her. Well, I don’t really have one. I’m... I’m Fari’s kid.

For the slightest moment her mouth formed an O—the reaction I had been expecting—then she quickly recomposed herself. Oh. I... I’ve seen you before, then. A few times.

Let me guess, you don’t remember my face.

Well...

Yeah, you don’t. That’s because Jordan was too busy beating it into a pulp.

Her face softened. I’m sorry.

I looked away. It’s not your fault. I’m just... weak. It makes me an easy target.

And that’s why you come out here? she asked, her eyes gleaming. She seemed suddenly excited.

Uh... yes. How did you know about...

Oh, I’ve always wondered if someone else was exploring the forest too, she said. I keep hearing footsteps. Distant speech.

I frowned. So all this time... It’s been you, in the woods with me? I thought I might have been haunted by a departed spirit or something.

She laughed, and I

Reviews for The Last Quest

[Samuel Robbins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Last Quest was a thrilling fantasy adventure packed with action! I read it in one night.

[Brandon Heckler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely adored this book!!! I highly recommend it for fans of John Flanagan’s “Ranger’s Apprentice Series” and “Brotherband Chronicles”

This book definitely got me hooked on this series and I can’t wait for more to come!!! Samuel’s writing style keeps you interested and invests you in the story. Now I’m afraid his characters have stolen my heart and they won’t give it back!