Kadance: Kingdom of the Shattered Mirror

By J. Dutton

The title reflects how Kadance passes into the Kingdom of Glacian. She was raised by her grandmother, after her mother's passing. Her grandmother, Mayla, had come to this world from another world, accessible only through a portal hidden within a mirror. Kadance falls into the mirror portal with help from Titan. Titan has chosen Kadance to be his life partner. The mirror shatters, and she becomes a big part of this new world's kingdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646709373

Book preview

Chapter 1

Kadance got up that morning; she was excited to wear her new birthday outfit. She and her best friend, Joey, picked out the new outfit the night before at the mall. Not too racy but not too drab either. It was her special day, and she wanted to look good—that’s what Joey kept saying over and over as he and Kadance went from store to store.

Joey was a great help; he had known Kadance since the first grade at Buffenton Grade School. When Kadance started school, she never really felt like she fit in with her peers. It wasn’t that she was the tallest in her class or that she was the fastest runner, but she herself felt as if she just didn’t belong. The feeling was like she was born before her time, or maybe, after her time.

She had friends, but she still felt alone. No one seemed to understand what she was feeling deep inside herself. So she pretended to fit in with everyone she met—that was, until she met Joey. He was the only person who seemed to feel the same way as she felt. He was this little skinny pipsqueak with dark-brown ragged hair. The way he looked was his own style—army pants with a black shirt. It was all he owned, but it suited him just fine. Some people made fun of him because he was Asian and dressed like a soldier of wars past.

Joey never really fit in either, but he never tried or pretended to fit in. Kadance pretended to fit in with any group that showed any interest in her. Kadance would get to know them and then try to conform, but always end up not feeling comfortable and back away. That was what Kadance liked about Joey. He was comfortable with himself, and she was comfortable with him and herself when she was with him.

Growing up together, they were inseparable, doing everything together. The joke between Joey’s mom and Kadance’s grandma was they would be married right out of high school. Growing up with Joey, and always being at his side, brought him into Kadance’s heart as a dear brother. She couldn’t stand the thought of being his wife. Kadance smiled to herself as she thought of the day she spent on what Joey called the Great Mission.

Joey had a fascination with anything to do with the military, although he never joined, and Kadance never asked why. She would find herself sitting through lectures from Joey about anything related to the military. She was happy to have him around, and she would miss him too much if he ever left.

They went to almost every store, and Kadance tried on almost every possible outfit in the whole mall. Kadance was tired after the fourth store, but not Joey. He was two years older, but he never seemed to tire very easily, even as they sat together and ate lunch. Joey’s favorite lunch was pizza with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, and pineapple. Kadance thought Joey’s favorite pizza looked disgusting up until Joey convinced her to try a bite. Much to her surprise, she found it was actually really good and even better with red peppers and Parmesan cheese sprinkled all over it. She couldn’t quite eat as much pizza as Joey did on a daily basis, but every now and then, it was good.

Joey was the pickiest about what Kadance tried on for a new birthday outfit. He would stand back and judge how the outfit looked; he didn’t want his best friend to look racy or drab on her special day. Kadance knew why he was being such a Picky Pete. He was taking her out barhopping for her twenty-first birthday. His big plan was for Kadance to have twenty-one shots in twenty-one different bars around town. Kadance wasn’t so sure that the small town of Trentintown even had twenty-one bars, but spending time with her best friend, in the whole world, would be the best gift, ever.

Kadance looked at the clock; she was going to be late. Her grandma was cooking a special birthday breakfast. She started the shower at her apartment; as it warmed up, she rushed around and laid out her new clothes. She hadn’t even got all the tags off them yet. She tore the tags off and peeled the stickers off as she looked the clothes over once more. A black V-neck shirt with jewels around the chest, new blue jeans, and a dark blue overshirt. When she was done, she danced into the bathroom and hopped into the shower. She lathered up her hair, rinsed the soap out, and as the conditioner soaked into her hair, she soaped up her legs and shaved. She was moving so fast with the razor, she not only nicked herself a dozen times, she missed a strip of hair along the back of her legs. After she rinsed her hair, she brushed her teeth with lighting speed before she got out of the shower.

When she was dried off and dressed, she combed her hair into a high ponytail. Her hair was still wet and left wet drip marks on her new shirt, down her back. She knew it would dry and paid no attention to the dampness. She was rushing so fast the mirror in her bathroom was still fogged up when she was ready to go. She danced to her front door, only stopping to put on her favorite shoes. An old pair of sneakers—they were discolored and worn out. You couldn’t tell what brand it was anymore. But they were her favorite; she didn’t care they didn’t match her new outfit. Who looks at your feet anyways? she said out loud to herself.

She skipped out to the parking lot and was fiddling with her car keys clicker; she started and unlocked her car. This gadget was her grandmother’s birthday present last year. The guy at the car upgrade center, at the mall, had talked her grandma into the same package for her car. Her grandma loved the new toy and all the new functions her car could do. Kadance smiled at the thought of how her grandma was so excited to show everyone what she could do with the car remote. She was listening to her new CD by Mariah Carey. She had it as loud as her car could go, ignoring the stares from the people she passed.

Once at her grandma’s house, she had almost every song down. Her grandma lived fourteen miles out of town, in a neighborhood referred to as Great Vista Homes. There were rumors going around that a new super mall was trying to get the zoning rights to the neighborhood and were offering each household buyouts. But they were just rumors; Kadance didn’t believe that any such person or company would be so ill hearted to commit an action like that. She could see her grandma’s car as she turned onto her street. She parked in the driveway behind the dark-purple Corvette. It was her grandma’s pride and joy, of course, after Kadance. She was her grandma’s biggest pride and joy.

Grandma had made that very clear when she bought the car. She looked up at the old house; it had been built in the late 1800s by a ranching family from Sweden. At that time, the neighborhood was rich ranch land, and grandma had remodeled the house after her grandpa didn’t return from the war. It wasn’t that the old house reminded her grandma of her grandpa, but it was what her grandpa had promised to do when he returned.

Kadance stepped up to the front door. It was a large solid oak door stained to a dark brown and carved into the wood was a large stallion horse. The horse was stained cherry red. All the detail, of the horse was painted perfectly. Her grandma’s house looked so warm and comfortable. It was the most inviting house on the block; people would stop just to admire the old house. It had its own character and personality. It was one of a kind.

She grew up in this old house. All her memories were here—her first bike. Joey had tried to show her how to ride, but the training wheels hadn’t been put on yet. The scar on his wrist that lead up to his shoulder was proof that training wheels were a good idea. The rose bushes never quite came back after that either. Her grandma had planted red and pink roses around the house in a hedge. The bush Joey mangled grew back pure white. Her grandma felt so bad for the plant, but couldn’t replace it, so the one white rose bush stayed. She could see her grandma hunched over the stove in the kitchen through the picture window in the front room.

When she opened the door, she could smell her favorite breakfast—stuffed cream cheese pancakes with chocolate chips and hickory-smoked sausage. Kadance couldn’t wait. Hello grandma! Her voice chimed over the sound of the TV; her grandma jumped at the sudden loudness of voice. Kadance sat down at the already set table, poured some orange juice, and sat quietly she fiddled with the small TV remote. She looked at the small TV in the kitchen; Animal Planet was on. She watched the TV until her grandma placed a plate in front of her. She tossed the remote into the basket in the middle of the table. Breakfast smelled so good, she could almost taste the steam from the sausage.

Her grandma brought her plate and the syrup to the table. She sat down and said, You announced your arrival quite well.

Kadance giggled. That’s my new CD! It’s Mariah Carey, Grandma.

Grandma Reese snorted. That kind of music is just racket.

Kadance grinned to herself and finished eating. She tried to help clean up, but her grandma insisted she sit at the table and just visit with her. Kadance sat and watched; her grandma hummed a tune and said, I have hidden your presents around this old house. The first is in that basket in the middle of the table.

Kadance grinned wide and reached out to the basket and drug it toward her. She rummaged through it with her hand and found the remote to the little TV. She promptly changed the channel to VH1. As she reached back into the basket, she discovered a little box with the most marvelous wrapping paper. She sat and stared at it. Her grandma sensed her curiosity and said, Find something you like?

Kadance nodded, still staring at the blue wrap on the box. It seemed to move in swirls around the box like ripples in water.

Grandma Reese finished with the dishes and cantered over to Kadance. She looked over Kadance’s shoulder and whispered, Opening of your presents is also part of your birthday too, hon. Kadance jumped, startled. Grandma chuckled to herself as she sat down in the chair next to Kadance. I have lots of things planned for you this morning and after lunch.

Kadance began to pick at the corner of the blue paper around the box. As it tore open, the ripples faded into the paper. A black velvet jewelry box was revealed. Kadance was holding her breath as she opened the velvet box and gasped. It’s a bracelet! With a charm! Oh, Grandma, it’s so beautiful!

Kadance pulled it free and, with the help of her grandma, wrapped it around her right wrist. As her grandma pinched the clasp together, she said, The bracelet of truth. No lie will reach your ears, for you will see and hear through those who wish to befall you. And no lie will escape your lips, for it is you that must be honest.

Kadance was too wrapped up in studying the jewel to hear her grandma; it was a crystal, or maybe, a diamond. The stone’s edges were lined with yellow gold and white gold, the two metals looked like a tidal wave, crashing together and rolling around the outside of the stone up to the link that attached to the bracelet. It seemed to light up when Kadance touched it with a small pulse, mimicking her heartbeat.

What stone is this, Grandma? Kadance asked.

Her grandma leaned back and said, Song Stone. It is my last piece. Kadance crunched her brows together and looked up at her grandma. Grandma stood up and said, I’ll tell you the story as you search for the rest of your presents.

Kadance never really got bored of this game—search for your gifts. It was fun, and it kept her grandma happy. And that was most important to Kadance.

Kadance’s grandpa, Buck Reese, had been in