Songlines
by Carolyn Denman
Genre: Clean YA Fantasy
Release Date: August 20th 2016
Summary:
We belong to the Earth, Lainie-Bug. We were sent here in human form for a reason. If you don’t know what to do, then just be human.
Right. Like that was ever a simple thing to do.
In the heart of the Wimmera region of Australia, an ancient gateway is kept hidden and safe by a creature so powerful that even the moon would obey her commands – at least it would if she had any idea that she wasn’t just a normal girl about to finish high school.
When a mining company begins some exploratory sampling near Lainie’s sheep farm, a family secret is revealed that makes her regret not having learned more about her heritage.
What she’s told by their farm hand, Harry, can’t possibly be true, but then the most irritating guy in class, Bane, begins to act even more insane than ever, until she can no longer deny that something very unusual is going on.
When Harry doesn’t return from his quest to seek help to protect the area from the miners, Lainie sets out to discover the truth of her heritage, and of the secret she’s been born to protect.
Purchase links:
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31364316-songlines
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/nz/en/ebook/songlines-the-sentinels-of-eden-book-one
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Songlines-Sentinels-Eden-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01KPT0L7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508220508&sr=8-1&keywords=carolyn+denman
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songlines-carolyn-denman/1124385855?ean=9781922200600
Odyssey: http://odysseybooks.com.au/bookstore/#!/Songlines/p/69548963/category=0
About the Author
Carolyn lives on a hobby farm on the outskirts of Melbourne with her husband, two daughters, and her parents. The fact that she always has at least three of her pets following her around at any one time in no way means that she is the fairest in the land. They probably just like her taste in music.
As well as writing stories for Aurealis and Andromeda Spaceways magazines, Carolyn is also the author of the YA Australian fantasy series The Sentinels of Eden.
Excerpt
No History To Speak Of
A teaser to Sympath – Sentinels of Eden #3 by Carolyn Denman
The envelope fell to the floor, ignored in favour of its contents. George Durante let his eyes blur, feeling his heart thud against his ribs, but when he focussed his vision again, the numbers on the letter in front of him hadn’t changed. Must be a mistake. Too many digits. He opened the locked file behind the till, flicking through the files to ‘D’ and drew out the valuation certificate he’d arranged weeks ago. Fingers that had been trained to remain steady while setting the tiniest of jewels, trembled just a little as he laid the certificate next to the letter on the counter. His cousin’s signature embellished the certificate with inked promise, clearly stating that the gemstone was worth $28,400. Jimmy had never been wrong or unreliable with his valuations. George trusted him. That figure seemed right for a ruby of that size and clarity, and the client had been very tempted to part with it for that price, although she had denied it, and left his shop muttering that she would never sell her husband’s wedding gift. He was not one to push, and after eleven years of working in Nalong, he knew he didn’t need to. Mrs Doolan would be back once the bank sent another foreclosure notice for her farm.
She’d need a lot more than $28,400 to solve their financial problems though, which was why George had asked his cousin to send out a few extra enquiries. He’d hoped that some of his family contacts might have yielded a better offer for her. If he could find a buyer willing to pay a bit extra for the gem, she might just be able to tip the balance with the bank. Just enough to hold them off for another season. Just long enough for the rains to return.
The ruby was stunning. It had been a joy to work with when Geoff Doolan had brought it to him eight years earlier. George had polished the stone, bringing out its deep crimson shine the way blood returns to chilled fingers when you rub warmth back into them. And the setting Geoff had requested suited it perfectly. A heart-shaped 8.17 carat ruby, just under 12mm diameter, cradled by golden angel’s wings – the ideal wedding gift for a girl named Ruby. The piece was pretty enough to sell for well above its value if he found the right buyer, and according to the letter he’d just received, it had apparently attracted someone’s attention.
George picked up the typed, unsigned letter again and almost lowered his magnifying glasses from his forehead to examine it, as if he could pick out the flaw by staring at the ink more closely. His extended family in Melbourne had some…dubious contacts. Could he trust this? Celarsi Holdings. Never heard the name before, but he also knew better than to pry into it. If they wanted to offer that much for the necklace, then he should do his job and arrange the transaction. Just how much of a cut should he take? The valuation certificate was genuine, as far as he could tell. Jimmy wouldn’t risk his reputation by faking it, but it had taken longer than expected to receive it. Had the gem been sent for a second opinion? If so, he hadn’t been advised of the result – no, he couldn’t think too hard about those implications. Ruby Doolan wouldn’t know how much he was selling it on for. He genuinely wanted to help her, but this was business, and there was nothing legally wrong with buying her jewellery at whatever price she was willing to agree to. If some rich lady had fallen in love with the necklace after seeing the photos he’d sent, and wanted to play games with her husband’s money, that was not for him to judge.
His hand hovered over the receiver for a few seconds before he picked it up and dialled.
‘Hello, Ruby Doolan? This is George from Durante Diamonds. I’ve been thinking about your situation and I’d like to help. I’ve been studying the current market and I believe I’m in a position to be able to offer you a slightly better price than the certified valuation. Is there a convenient time we can meet to discuss it?’
***
She’d crossed a line, for better or worse. There was no going back. Old paint flakes nicked at Ruby’s fingers as she gripped the metal gate, left over from a time when the gate had been decorated as the entrance to the home paddock. Now it had been recycled to replace yet another damaged sheep yard. Too many makeshift repairs. It had gone on for too long but that would change now. Ruby’s fingers drifted to the base of her throat again, searching for treasure… and meeting nothing but sweat. She never used to take it off, not even for the heaviest of farm jobs. Never once had she worried about losing it because she would have noticed in an instant if its comforting weight had disappeared. Her wedding gift. The promise and reminder of the connection she had to a land that she’d never seen. Her most precious possession, sacrificed, replaced with a few vital bank documents and a hundred skinny sheep that didn’t seem to appreciate the abundance of their new home.
She prodded another wanderer with her foot, guiding it back through the gate to follow the others. The animal’s piteous bleating filled her ears with mourning. She was tempted to scream at the creatures to move. Didn’t they understand what she’d given up to be able to buy them? So they could crop at the sweet autumn pasture and fatten and grow? Start eating, she wanted to growl. Eat yourselves silly. Grow and thrive and make new lambs so we can recoup your cost and get back on our feet. You owe me. Instead she remained silent, and listened to the bleating rebuke of each animal as they passed by her worn-out boots. Even their gentle golden eyes seemed filled with condemnation. The guilt felt like acid in her chest. Her wedding gift. Gone. Who was she? Was she the woman who valued money over her husband’s gifted heirloom? Or was she the woman who would give up her prized possession to secure her family’s financial future? To ensure her son would retain custody of the land they were all bound to? Guilt was a healthy thing. It helped guide a person’s choices. But what if both choices led to sickening guilt? What then?
Ruby felt his eyes on her. Geoff was well behind her, coaxing the last of the stock into the chute for tagging, but she felt his presence as clearly as if she was looking right at him. Was he watching her with the same disappointed expression as the sheep? Disappointment and regret. She could handle those. She could take his admonition and bundle it in as part of the sacrifice she had offered for the sake of her duty. Except that admonition was not what she saw in her husband’s eyes these days. Instead, she saw her own guilt reflected there. He felt responsible. As if he should have done more to keep the finances from tearing at their sacred ties.
As the last ewe trotted through the gateway, Ruby hoisted the sagging gate and closed it. She turned to face her husband but Geoff wasn’t looking at her at all. His eyes were on the hills to the west, clearly lost in thoughts of a simpler world. A world where the word ‘foreclosure’ didn’t exist. Ruby Doolan lifted her chin. That word didn’t exist here either. Not on this farm. Not while she had a say in it. Two guilts to choose from. She had rejected one, and embraced the other. Embraced and swallowed it down to swirl as acid in her chest until it had become something more than guilt. Something far less healthy. Shame.
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