Leesha, a shape-shifting Monkey Warrior Trainee, goes on a quest to complete her training, but little does she know, her quest has much more at stake-- she and her companions must save their world.
Dramatic, I know. But, like most adventure books, that's really what's at stake. Even though Leesha and her companions don't realize this for a long time.
When Leesha is submitted for her Monkey Warrior Trainee testing, her world falls apart. Everyone she had believed in and trusted seemed to turn against her; and when she is sent on her quest, all is chaos. But Jayla, the teenage shifter who had promised to mentor her, had a different take on the circumstances. As they and Kade, Jayla's current apprentice, journey through cities and wilds, Leesha begins to realize that she is being taken somewhere she may not want to go. And when they arrive and meet Jayla’s brother, an outcast, Leesha must decide how much she is willing to compromise. The journey takes a new turn as Leesha discovers that the entire quest is not about her. Unknowingly, she had embarked on a prophesied quest whose goal is to make sure “the shadow ones are no more.” And she doesn’t know who to turn to anymore.
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Excerpt several pages in:
The long corridor loomed dark and foreboding as the doors shut behind her. Leesha gulped nervously, but was comforted by the fact that her family would be waiting with the rest of the clan after her Test. The echoing sound of her footfalls made Leesha shiver. It sounded like she was being followed, though no one could be there without her knowing—could they?
She halted at the end of the hall, trying not to look into the gaping doors to her left and right.
“I submit to Testing, a monkey trainee, Leesha by name,” she whispered to the cloaked figure waiting for her. The void inside of the hood made her shiver, but she suppressed it. Showing fear would do her no good. She just had to remember that the foreboding figure was someone she knew and trusted.
It spoke in a voice neither male nor female, ancient beyond reason, with an echoing quality that suggested not one voice, but many. “It is your path to choose, young Leesha.” It stretched out its hands, palms up, in what should have been a soothing gesture. “The way of a warrior, the way of a mentor.” Leesha knew about this part. She had made her choice long ago.
She took a deep breath. I can do this. “But there is another path.” Leesha froze. What was it talking about? Nothing in Karol and Jim’s lectures said anything about a third option! “Choose carefully.”
The dark figure bowed its head and slipped into a small corridor behind it. The door shut with a barely audible click. Wait! Leesha wanted to cry out. What about my third option? She gulped glancing quickly at the right and left passageways. A third choice?
Forget it, she ordered herself fiercely. Forget about the third option, you know what to do. With a shuddering breath she took a small step forward in order to see the figures lining the walls. Her eyes sought out the monkeys; those were the only ones that mattered. She traced the frozen form of a chimp in a meditation position.
A smile hinted at the corner of her mouth. This was almost too easy. A few steps to the other panel. Find the monkey….
Leesha’s blood chilled. Was this some kind of sick joke? No it’s a Test, she reminded herself bitterly. The monkeys were the same.
“How do I know which path is right?” she asked in a loud voice, half-hoping there would be an answer. Of course there wasn’t. Okay Leesha, think! Karol prepared you for this, you just have to focus.
“I wish to be a warrior!” she called into the blackness. Her voice echoed eerily against the cold stone walls, but there was no reply. Maybe there was another monkey… Leesha searched, but there wasn’t anything to be found.
“No!” she hissed, fist hitting the wall. “No,” she whispered again, head bent in defeat. “What’s my third option!” she screeched suddenly, throwing her head back. “Answer me!”
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