Selestria

By Sarah Day

At a young age, Saige discovers that she is heir to the throne in another world. A world where the people who inhabit it hold powers greater than humans. This world is called; Selestria. As Saige reaches the age of eighteen, she discovers that her sister, who has been acting as queen of the Alev kingdom, has been kidnapped and has been deemed as

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rose Reads Books
• Release date: Mar 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885895590

Sarah Day

Sarah Day is the author of the "Selestria" series, a young adult fantasy series published in March of 2022. Sarah grew up in Manchester, Maryland and graduated from Manchester Valley High School in 2021. You can learn more about Sarah and upcoming books at RoseReadsBooks.com

Book preview

Prologue

 I woke to my sister shaking me. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at her. Saige, she said, come with me.

I was only ten years old at the time, so oblivious to the world. I stared at her, confused. What? I croaked as I rubbed my eyes.

Just trust me, come on, she said, seemingly stressed. Her usual smile was pressed into a frown.

I got out of bed as she held my hand and led me out of the room. I looked to my parents’ open door to see they were not there, which was strange. As we walked down the stairs the sound of yelling from outside became clear. What's going on? I asked.

She shushed me. Be quiet, she whispered as she gripped my hand harder and crouched down, urging me to do the same.

I jumped at the sound of a loud noise coming from a window with the curtains drawn. The noise repeated over, and over again until the glass shattered. I broke down into tears from confusion and fear as she pushed me towards the basement stairs while watching the window closely.

Ashlynn, please tell me what's going on! I demanded, my voice shaking in fear as she pulled me down the stairs and shut the door. She didn’t say anything as she led me down the creaking, wooden stairs that have not been walked down in years. The walls shook as explosions could be heard from outside.

She turned around and looked me in the eyes as she said, listen closely, Saige. You're going to see some things that you probably never thought were possible. I promise, you will learn everything once you get there but please, just bear with me for now.

I wiped away my tears and nodded. Now take my hand, she said as she put out her hand to me. I took her hand and watched as the sapphire diamond ring that she always wore glowed faintly until it grew to a strong, bright light.

I shut my eyes to save them from the blinding light. As the light dimmed, I realized something was different. The atmosphere had changed. I slowly opened my eyes to see that we were no longer in the dark, unfinished basement. We were now in a field of large, bright purple flowers and the sun had suddenly risen. I closed my eyes in fear again as I clutched my sister’s waist. It’s okay, she said lightly, we’re safe now. 

I slowly opened my eyes all the way and let go of her waist. She grabbed my hand again as I looked around the field that was now surrounding us. The field of flowers was surrounded by dark woods and in the far distance, a beautiful castle overlooking a town of small, outdated houses. W-where are we? I stuttered. 

She bent down and carefully grabbed one of the big, bright, purple flowers. I could now see the flower was different than any flower I’ve ever seen before. It had tiny golden specks covering its petals, looking so perfectly sculpted as if it were man-made, but the tiny roots growing from the bottom of it showed that it was completely natural. As I looked to the other flowers, I realized all of them were that way. I looked back to my sister who then put the flower between my thick, auburn hair, which my mother had tied into a braid for me before bed. We, she started as she grabbed another flower, are in Selestria. She put the flower between her own hair. 

What’s that? I asked curiously. 

She grabbed my hand once again as she led me through the flowers. It’s... how do I describe this? She sucked in her lip. Another world?

What? I asked. She spoke softly and I questioned if this were a dream. Dreams didn’t feel this real. I could feel the soft dirt between my toes and the leaves of the flowers brushing against my shins. A dream wouldn’t have such detail. 

She bent down and grabbed another flower. She held the flower out to me, cupped in her hands, just as the beautiful flower burst into flames before turning to ash in her hands. She sprinkled the ash onto the ground and looked back to me. I was in shock, but not as much shock as I felt like I should have been in. Possibly because I was a vulnerable child or perhaps because I was still slightly convinced it was a dream. 

I looked her in the eyes. What else can you do?

She smiled. I thought you would say something different, she said, well, she pointed her finger to one of the flowers while it simultaneously pulled itself out of the ground, hovering above the dirt where it once was planted. She looked to me with pride.

Wow… I said in awe.

And I can also fly, but I don't use that one as much.

I smiled, curiously wondering why she wouldn't use such a wonderful privilege but deciding not to ask. Is this a dream? I asked instead.

That’s for you to decipher, she said as she turned around and began to walk towards the forest.

What does that mean? I asked as I caught up to her.

She smiled at my small vocabulary. You decide. Does it feel like a dream? 

No, not really. It feels kind of real but it’s hard to believe it. 

That’s understandable. Right now, though, we must get to safety before they realize we’re not in the human world anymore. We should have some time before that happens though. 

 Who’s ‘them’? 

She took a deep breath and let it out. You see, Saige, here there are different kinds of people... not human people. They all have powers, like I do.

Do I know anyone else with powers? I asked.

She shook her head, besides Mom and Dad, no.

Wow… I whispered under my breath at the thought of my parents having powers my whole life and keeping it from me.

There are different elements to our powers, she continued, some people have the same powers I do, while others can freeze things and teleport, and some can control plants or heal a person. Every element has a certain number of powers and everyone of that element has those exact powers. There are about five different elements in the world. This world is divided by kingdoms for each element for the people of that element to live in. She spoke hurriedly, her eyes bouncing back and forth, not meeting mine. I don’t expect you to understand right away, it will take time, but that’s just a brief description. There’s no time to explain completely right now.

I didn’t understand anything at the moment. It was all so cryptic to me. I tried my best to grasp my small, undeveloped mind around it, but the only thing I could grasp from all this was that we were in a world of magic. Do I have an element?

Of course, she said as if it were obvious but was happy to explain, every Selest has an element, it’s in their genes. So, since Mom, Dad, and I are all Alev, that means you would be too. So, you have the same powers we do.

I stared in awe, the thought of having powers like my sister excited me, as it would any young girl.

We walked through the field of flowers until we came to a cliff. We stood for a moment, admiring the town of small houses with a huge castle on top of a hill behind it. It looked like something from a fairy tale. 

Saige, welcome to the Alev kingdom. She spoke with pride. I’ve recently become the queen of it. That’s why I’m not around very often. I’m sorry. I hope you’ll understand one day. She seemed sad. Ashlynn and I used to be so close. She was my best friend and one of my only, until a few months ago; she moved out and I rarely saw her anymore. At least now I knew why.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the castle and towards the forest. I want you to meet Margo first. Aaron should be here soon after he hears of the attack. I’d like for you to meet everyone. I want to show you my world. 

I nodded as she pulled me into the dark, eerie forest. It was shockingly quiet, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the crunching of sticks and leaves under our feet. Margo? my sister called. 

I looked around. I didn’t see a single person in sight. Just the still branches sticking out from the trees. As I looked back in front of me, I immediately jumped to my sister’s side as a blue haired girl swung down in front of me, upside down as if in a horror movie. I screamed and clutched my sister’s hip for my life. She was hanging her legs from a thin branch that hung from one tree to another. I hadn’t noticed the branch there before. 

She laughed as she flipped upright and put her arms out as two branches coiled around them. She sat up on the branch as if it were a swing and swung her feet with a smug smile as I got a good look of her. She was quite a strange sight. She had shoulder length, bright, blue hair in a tangled mess. One of her eyes was blue while the other was a greyish looking color. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but her eyes lit up with joy at the sight of my frightened face, so I couldn't help but notice. She had a playful, almost psychotic expression.

Her outfit was even stranger than her. It was hard to describe, there's no way to put it. She had a short, blue, ruffled dress that was torn at the seams, a leather corset on her chest, stockings with huge gaps in it that had random ribbons, weaved yarn, and bobby pins attaching the holes. On one foot she had a long, black leather boot that went up to her knee with light blue laces and random zippers across it. On the other foot, a teal blue high heel. Nice to meet ya,’ Saige. I've heard quite a lot about you. She put out her dirt covered hand to me. She had a leather, fingerless glove with different types of strange pins attached to it. I hesitated before lightly shaking her hand. 

Ashlynn’s eyes met hers as she said in a serious tone, we have to go.

Are they here yet? Margo asked as she rocked back and forth on her heels. 

Not yet, but they will soon. 

I was still confused of who 'they' were, but I didn't say anything. Let's go then, she said as she turned around and began walking down the path. I watched cautiously as the vines curled back into the trees. 

I stayed back with my sister as we trailed behind her. Who is she? I whispered. 

Margo's been my friend since I was a kid. I met her one day when I ran away from home, and we've been friends ever since, she whispered back. 

I nodded. I had many questions, but I remained silent still. They talked quietly to each other along the way while I held my sister’s hand. I watched them curiously as we walked. I couldn’t tell if I should fear Margo, or if I should trust her. My sister surely trusted her, so that gave me every reason to, right? 

As we made it out of the woods, the castle became more visible. We can’t go through the town, or it will cause too much commotion, Ashlynn said. We’ll have to teleport there, I guess. She held my hand and Margo’s as her ring began to glow once again as it did in the basement.

As the light dimmed, I opened my eyes to see we were standing in front of the gates of the castle. It was even bigger up close. The gates were surrounded by castle guards in uniforms. Their faces were emotionless, as if they were constantly prepared to pull out their swords from their belts and fight someone at any moment. They bowed as we walked through the opening gate. I guess she wasn’t lying when she said she was the queen, not that my sister would ever lie to me in the first place, but it was strange to see it be actually proven.

Two guards opened the doors as we entered the regal hallway. The carpets were a dark green while the walls were cherry red with chandeliers every few feet. There were paintings in golden frames of people who seemed important, fighting gruesome battles that looked like the kind you'd find only in history books. It almost felt like a movie. People hurriedly hustled down the halls; maids carried clothes, food, and cleaning supplies back and forth, butlers ran around with the maids, chefs approached my sister asking her what she’d like for dinner, and gardeners asked which flowers would look better in which parts of the gardens. I wondered if it was like this every day. 

A fairly old women with rectangular glasses on her nose who looked to be about my parents age stomped up to her with a stern expression on her face. "Ashlynn Marie Abigail. Where the hell were you? She looked down at me and her jaw dropped. You didn’t..." 

My sister nodded as she stood behind me and played with my hair. Yes, I did, Jessica. Saige will be spending some time here for now until the war has settled, and she is safe to go home. 

The woman’s eyes were filled with rage as she met Ashlynn’s. How dare you disobey your parent’s orders! You are fully aware that she was not supposed to know of us! 

We can’t hide it from her for her entire life! It’s not right! We just can’t! I refuse to do that. And it’s too late now, Ashlynn insisted.

She squinted. I can fix this, but I can’t always clean up your messes, Ashlynn! It’s time you take some responsibility! 

 I’m a grown adult now, Jessica. I don’t need to be babysat anymore. I’m the queen now, not my parents. I will make the rules. 

But it wasn’t your choice of how they should parent their child, she whispered angerly before walking off. 

Ashlynn's expression softened. Maybe this was a mistake... she spoke softly as she looked down at me. 

No, it’s not, Margo said, you’re right. She had to learn at some point. Ashlynn nodded. Margo’s concerned expression then turned into a mischievous smirk, so, are we going to introduce Saige to your boyfriend? 

I looked up at her. Who?

Ashlynn blushed but tried to hide it. Aaron, she answered as she turned around. George? she called out. 

Yes, Your Majesty? a man with a guard’s uniform answered. He looked old, with his grey, receding hair. His uniform was different from the other guards. He had more medals and badges, making him seem more important than the other guards.

Is there a report on where King Aaron is? 

He should be here soon, Your Majesty, he told her, he was informed moments ago.  

She nodded before beginning to walk down the hall again. We turned a corner where a maid gasped as she as soon as she glanced upon us. Miss, let me dress you out of those dreaded clothes! she exclaimed, looking her up and down. Ashlynn was dressed in dark jeans, converse, and a T-shirt. Just her casual, everyday clothes. I didn’t see anything so ‘dreaded’ about them, but compared to how everyone here seemed to dress, she did seem a bit under dressed. Me especially, with my messy braid and pajamas on.

Ashlynn laughed. Sure, Mary, but make it quick. 

The maid looked to me and gasped once again. Is this her? she asked as she looked back to Ashlynn. 

My sister nodded. Yes, this is Saige. 

Your Highness, she said as she bowed, it’s a pleasure to meet you. She looked to Ashlynn, shall I dress her as well? 

She sucked in her lip. Do we have anything her size? 

Mary looked back to me and chewed on her thumb nail. There may be some of your old dresses deep in the closet somewhere from when you were her age, shall we try those?

Ashlynn smiled. Of course! She looked down to me, would you like that, Saige? she asked me. I nodded excitedly. Great!

Mary looked to Margo; you could already tell what she was going to ask based off the excitement in her eyes. No, Margo said simply as she leaned up against the wall.

Mary nodded as if she expected that. Let’s go! she exclaimed. 

She led us down the hallway to a big, beautiful, red, bedroom, which I supposed was Ashlynn's. There were pictures of me and my family in frames along the walls, and art that I recognized as Ashlynn's. 

We walked into the huge, walk-in closet filled with dresses and ball gowns. There were casual ones but also huge ones that looked like they could be worn as wedding dresses for an average person. She pulled out a long, green dress covered in crystals. It looked like a prom dress. The maid handed it to another maid, who led Ashlynn out of the closet to get dressed. Mary looked deep into the closet and pulled out a bin. In the bin were a couple of nicely folded dresses. She held up each of the dresses to me and asked me which one I liked the best. I chose a yellow one covered in rhinestones that went to the floor with long sleeves. She helped me get dressed into it and pulled out a pair of flats to match before sending me back into the bedroom where Margo and Ashlynn waited.

You look beautiful, Saige! my sister exclaimed.

I smiled happily, admiring the dress myself. Thank you, I love it! I replied. I felt like a princess… which I guess I apparently was now.

Well, I’m going to the kitchen, Margo announced, wanna’ come with? she asked Ashlynn and I.

Mary’s going to do my make up really quick, you can go without me, Ashlynn told her.

Margo looked down at me. What about you? she asked me. I nodded. Great, she said as she walked out of the room while I followed behind her.

As shy as I was, I had some questions that I thought needed to be answered. So, is… Aaron a king? I asked her, trying to remember the name of the man who she had referred to as Ashlynn’s boyfriend before.

She nodded. Of the Fryse kingdom. Aaron, Ashlynn, and I basically grew up together.

I nodded and followed her to the kitchen where the chefs ran around, yelling for ingredients. What is it today, Margo? one of them asked as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his apron. 

She chewed on her thumb nail. Any desserts? 

We have left over pie, he told her as he then looked down to me. Is this the princess? 

She nodded. Mh-hm. I’ll have that pie. What flavor is it? 

Wow, it’s great to meet you, he said as he bowed and put his flour covered hand out to me. He realized it was dirty and dusted it off on his also dirty apron before putting his hand back out to me. I shook it gently. He smiled, "I’m Mark, the head chef here. We make all the food for the royal family and visitors," he said as he glared at Margo. 

She shrugged. Can I have the damn pie or not?

He nodded and looked back to me. And would you like anything, Princess? I looked around the kitchen to see what there was. We can make you anything you’d like! 

Could I have a cupcake? I asked, hoping that wasn’t too much to ask for. 

Of course! he said as he walked away. A few minutes later he came back with a cold, leftover pie and warm, freshly made cupcake. He handed Margo and I each what we had requested. I gently took a small bite of the dessert. How is it? he asked nervously. 

It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted! I answered with my mouth full. I wasn’t sure how he made a fresh cupcake for me in seconds but didn’t put any thought into it.

He laughed, fantastic! 

Alright, nice to see ya' Mark, but we have to go meet Aaron and Ashlynn now, Margo said as she took a bite of the pie and turned around to leave.

She walked out of the room with me trailing shortly behind her. We walked down hallways upon hallways until we reached a door near the front of the castle where my sister stood, talking to a man her age with dark black hair and a suit. He wore a crown on his head, causing me to assume that this was Aaron. He had perfect posture with his hands positioned behind his back. They both turned to us as we made our way down the hall. Saige! This is Aaron, Ashlynn exclaimed.

I looked up to him as he smiled at me. Hello, Saige, he said as he put his hand out to me. I shook it. I’ve heard much about you. His hand was so much bigger compared to mine as he ever so gently grasped my hand, giving me a firm handshake. He smelled of pepper mint. Everything about him was just ever so precisely royal.

He looked to Margo. Oh, it’s you, he said, his smile fading.

Oh, it’s you, Margo repeated with an equally annoyed expression. 

Hello, Mars, he said as he looked back to me. Since he was calling her ‘Mars’ I guessed that they were close too, Margo did say they all grew up together, after all. I’m telling you, Saige, this one is trouble, he said as he pointed to Margo. 

 Oh, shut up! she said playfully. 

He’s not wrong! Ashlynn joked along with a laugh.

She shrugged just as Aaron looked back to me. So, what should we show her first?

Margo’s eyes lit up, Noir! 

 I looked to my sister for an explanation, she looked down at me as she began to speak. Noir is Margo’s horse that she adores, she said as she rolled her eyes. 

Yes, let’s see Noir, Margo said as she began to walk down the hall. 

Maybe we can get you a horse, Saige, Aaron said. 

Don’t try to suck up to my sister! But, yeah, would you want one of your own, Saige? I have enough to spare.

My eyes lit up; it’s always been my dream to have my own pet. But a horse? That sounded magical, riding a horse around like a princess. Sorry if I want your sister to like me, Aaron said with a laugh.

That sounds amazing, I said softly. 

What about the newborn? Margo said as she began to walk backwards. 

Oh! One of my favorite horses, Petunia, just had a baby. You could have her. We haven’t even named her yet, Ashlynn said to me. 

 I smiled and nodded. Margo led us to the back door where we walked through the garden to the stable. As soon as we walked inside the sound of horses neighing filled my ears. I wondered which would be mine. This is Noir, Margo said as she grabbed a black horse by the reins. He had a very stern expression, as if he were mad as he let out a sharp breath. He was almost frightening. He’s a war horse. Been in tons of battles. He’s even been shot a few times. But he’s a fighter.

Have you ever been in a war? I asked. 

She nodded, yes, I have. Many times. And Noir's helped me every time, she told me proudly.

Have you ever killed anyone? It was a dark question for a little girl to ask, but it was the first thought that I associated with war.

There was silence among the group as she pursed her lips and looked to me. Of course, she said honestly. 

 I nodded and looked to the ground. Oh...

Let's go see your horse now, Saige, my sister said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the end of the stable where there was a small, baby, chestnut horse. She opened the stall and let me inside. 

I ran my hands down it’s mane as it neighed. You can give it some treats if you’d like, Aaron said as he handed me some sort of horse food. 

I held the treats that Aaron had given me out to the horse. It licked it off my hand excitedly, I giggled in response.

What do you want to name him? Ashlynn asked as she leaned on the gate of the stall next to Aaron. 

Hm, I thought about it. What about Cinnamon? I asked. 

She laughed. Alright, and we can call him Cinna for short. I smiled. 

In the distance a loud explosion could be heard, almost like a bomb. Ashlynn looked to Aaron in fear. They’re here...

We have to get out of here, Aaron said, his expression becoming very serious. I was suddenly filled with fear and confusion once again.

Ashlynn looked back to me. I’m so sorry, Saige. But you have to go. 

You go make sure everything’s under control and get to safety. Margo and I will take Saige home, Aaron told her. 

Alright, she said sadly. She bent down and kissed my forehead. You’ll be fine. I’m just glad you know now, she whispered to me as she smiled a little. 

I grabbed her hands. Please, I don’t want to go home! Please let me stay here! I exclaimed.

She frowned. I’m sorry, Saige. She looked to Aaron. Take her, she told him softly before picking up the skirt of her dress and running away. 

Aaron grabbed my hand and dragged me out the back door of the stable with Margo shortly behind him. We ran into the woods behind the castle where he picked me up and ran as fast as he could. What do we do? he yelled to Margo. 

 I don’t know! she yelled back over the sounds of the bombs. We have to get into her house somehow! 

We continued to run until I noticed the trees around us began to change. We weren’t in Selestria anymore. We were in the woods behind my house. He jumped over the small river that I had always jumped in growing up and continued to run until we made it to my fence. He pushed me up over it and jumped over himself, as Margo did too. We walked through the back door and walked up to my room. You have to go to sleep now. If your parents ever ask, you know nothing about Selestria and you slept through the entire night, Margo told me, now, get dressed into your pajamas again and make sure you hide that dress and those shoes well.

Will I ever see you again? Will I ever see Ashlynn again? Will I ever get to come back?

She nodded and smiled. Someday... maybe not soon... but someday, she promised me.

Chapter One

The bus rocked back and forth as I stared out the window at the rain that was falling from the night sky. It caused raindrops to form across the window. Some were big while some were just barely visible, yet there. I watched the iridescent drops slide across the glass window