The Heartwood Crown Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE HEARTWOOD CROWN

  * * *

  Rich and vivid worldbuilding, a diverse cast of characters, heartbreaking sacrifice, and a flying cat—The Heartwood Crown packs all that and more into a modern take on portal fantasy. It captures the fun and wonder of fantasy while unapologetically critiquing some of [the genre’s] outdated tropes.

  ALEX SHVARTSMAN, editor of Future Science Fiction Digest and award-winning author of “Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma”

  I loved it! A great follow up to The Crescent Stone—not an easy feat considering how high a bar that book set! Magic, hard truths, and impossible decisions. Wit, snark, and love. You need to read these books.

  M. E. GARBER, speculative-fiction writer

  Is it cliché to say you’re in for a massive treat? I don’t care if it is. ’Cause you are. You were worried book two wouldn’t keep up with the first in the Sunlit Land series? Fear not, friends. Matt Mikalatos has again nailed it. Compelling characters, a scintillating story world, and twists that will leave you guessing. Did I mention the Narnian flavoring? Buy it!

  JAMES L. RUBART, five-time Christy Award–winning author

  PRAISE FOR THE CRESCENT STONE

  * * *

  For Narnia fans who enjoy heavy snark, this is a must read.

  KIRKUS

  Matt Mikalatos has built a compelling fantasy world with humor and heart.

  GENE LUEN YANG, creator of American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints

  Matt Mikalatos has penned a tale straight out of today’s headlines that will tug at your heartstrings. The Crescent Stone is a compelling story that will get under your skin and worm its way into your heart.

  TOSCA LEE, New York Times bestselling author of Iscariot and The Legend of Sheba

  The Crescent Stone hooked me from the first page! With the rich characterization of John Green and the magical escapism of Narnia, this book is a must read for all fantasy fans!

  LORIE LANGDON, author of Olivia Twist and the Doon series

  This is what sets Mikalatos’s epic world apart from so many other fantasy realms: the characters feel real, their lives are genuine and complicated, and their choices are far from binary. Mikalatos’s creativity and originality are on full display in this epic tale for adults and young readers alike.

  SHAWN SMUCKER, author of The Day the Angels Fell

  The Crescent Stone blends . . . glitter unicorns, powerful healing tattoos, and an engaging cast of characters into a funny and thoughtful story that examines the true costs of magic and privilege.

  TINA CONNOLLY, author of Seriously Wicked

  ALSO IN THE SUNLIT LANDS SERIES

  * * *

  The Crescent Stone

  “Our Last Christmas Together:

  A Sunlit Lands Christmas Tale”

  Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.

  Visit the author’s website at www.thesunlitlands.com.

  TYNDALE and Tyndale’s quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wander and the Wander logo are trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wander is an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois.

  The Heartwood Crown

  Copyright © 2019 by Matt Mikalatos. All rights reserved.

  Cover illustration and interior map copyright © Matt Griffin. All rights reserved.

  Designed by Dean H. Renninger

  Edited by Sarah Rubio

  The author is represented by Ambassador Literary Agency, Nashville, TN.

  The Heartwood Crown is a work of fiction. Where real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales appear, they are used fictitiously. All other elements of the novel are drawn from the author’s imagination.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Tyndale House Publishers at [email protected], or call 1-800-323-9400.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Mikalatos, Matt, author.

  Title: The Heartwood Crown / Matt Mikalatos.

  Description: Carol Stream, Illinois : Wander, [2019] | Series: The sunlit lands ; book [2] | Summary: Madeline’s health continues to deteriorate after she returns home, bringing Shula and Yenil along, and she yearns to return to the Sunlit Lands, but the magic fueling that land is failing, threatening its inhabitants.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019000619| ISBN 9781496431752 (hc) | ISBN 9781496431769 (sc)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Fantasy. | Sick—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Magic—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.M5535 He 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019000619

  ISBN 978-1-4964-3178-3 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4964-3177-6 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4964-3179-0 (Apple)

  Build: 2019-08-02 11:21:05 EPUB 3.0

  To Jermayne Chapman, who has been a generous friend and a wise guide along the way

  Contents

  * * *

  Jason’s Notes on the Peoples and Places of the Sunlit Lands

  Cast of Characters

  Part 1 Prologue

  Chapter 1: Hunters

  Chapter 2: First Day

  Chapter 3: The Wardrobe

  Chapter 4: The Priest

  Chapter 5: Nightfall

  Chapter 6: The Principal’s Office

  Chapter 7: A Confrontation

  Chapter 8: The Moth

  Chapter 9: In Chains

  Chapter 10: Underwater

  Chapter 11: Old Friends

  Chapter 12: The Priest’s Tale

  Part 2 Chapter 13: Far Seeing

  Chapter 14: Underground

  Chapter 15: The Resistance

  Chapter 16: Lamisap

  Chapter 17: A Prophecy

  Chapter 18: Ambush!

  Chapter 19: Kidnapped

  Chapter 20: Feles Ex Machina

  Chapter 21: Pastisia

  Chapter 22: Patra Koja

  Chapter 23: The Zhanin

  Chapter 24: The Place of Knowledge

  Chapter 25: The Healing

  Chapter 26: The Carnivorous Forest

  Chapter 27: The Gears of the World

  Chapter 28: Not Far Now

  Chapter 29: The Crossing

  Part 3 Chapter 30: The Firethorns

  Chapter 31: Invasion

  Chapter 32: Loss

  Chapter 33: Ashes

  Chapter 34: The Archon

  Chapter 35: A Door in the Side of the World

  Epilogue

  Appendix About Mary Patricia Wall’s Tales of Meselia

  Lexicon of Aluvorean Words

  Jelda’s Revenge: A Scim Legend

  Humor in the Southern Court: From the book The Sunlit Lands and Their People, found in King Ian’s library

  The Good Gardener: An Aluvorean Story

  The Beach in Winter: A Traditional Zhanin Saying

  Malgwin and the Whale: A Traditional Zhanin Story

  The Ocean: A Zhanin Song

  The Planting of Aluvorea: An Aluvorean Creation Tale

  The Seed: An Aluvorean Poem

  Acknowledgments

  Preview of The Story King

  JASON’S NOTES ON THE PEOPLES AND PLACES OF THE SUNLIT LANDS

  * * *

  PEOPLES

  ALUVOREANS—Plant people. They have green or blue skin. Don’t make jokes about weed killer. They do not like this.

  ELENIL—I don’t think they’re jerks on purpose. It’s just that they really like everything a certain way. And that way involves them being in charge and also dressing up in silly clothes. Loves: costume parties, prophecies, fancy food, haberdashery, making deals. Hates: high fives, irreverent jokes at their expense, the destabilization of their source of power, impertinent questions about the
underlying philosophy of the magical economy, suspenders.

  KAKRI—They love stories and live in the desert and are great warriors, and they are tall and tan skinned and have shining silver eyes, et cetera, but the most important thing is that Baileya is a Kakri, and she is the most beautiful, amazing, intelligent, kind, terrifying, and wonderful person I have ever met. Also, she can’t read English, so I can say whatever I want about her here. (Insert heart emoji, insert smiley face with heart eyes, XOXOXOXO.) PS, reminder: do not teach Baileya to read.

  MAEGROM—These little dudes have grey skin and have a whole underground kingdom. I don’t know much about them, so I just make up stories about them. My favorite is called “Maegrom, PI.” It’s about a Maegrom named Thomas who solves mysteries in the Sunlit Lands. His best friend is a mole named Higgins. I want to get to know the Maegrom better, but honestly, at this point I think I’ll be disappointed because they won’t live up to my fantasy version.

  PASTISIANS—Necromancers. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: HARD PASS. If you talk to the dead, don’t talk to me.

  SCIM—I think they’re cute, and I don’t care what anyone else says. In fact, as soon as I’m done here, I’m going to go give Break Bones a great big hug.

  SOUTHERN COURT—You know that friend who tells you jokes and then he’s the only one who laughs? Yeah, that’s these guys. Also, they are lizard shape-shifters.

  ZHANIN—I’m told Zhanin translates to “shark people,” and c’mon, that’s all we really need to know, right? Baileya was telling me, “These people are dangerous, for they kill all who threaten the balance of magic,” and I was like, “Hey, as soon as you said ‘shark people,’ I knew to stay away from them.”

  PLACES

  ALUVOREA—The great forest where the Aluvoreans live. Why am I writing this stuff down? I should be able to remember this.

  COURT OF FAR SEEING—The fabulous city-state of the Elenil. Slightly less fabulous since me and Madeline and our friends busted it up by wrecking their magic and chopping off their leader’s hand. Now they’re trying to kill me, but I’m like, whoa, have you ever heard of forgiveness? You’ll be happier if you try it, believe me.

  GINIAN SEA—I hear it’s nice this time of year. Maybe everyone should go hang out on the beach together for a week. Then there would be less fighting. Maybe the Elenil and the Scim could solve all their problems with a big volleyball tournament or something. The Zhanin live here, and they could be the referees or eat the losing team or whatever.

  KAKRI TERRITORIES—It’s pretty nice here if you like deserts and lots of wild animals that are smarter than Earth animals and trying to kill you. Oh yeah, and the Kakri people, who are also nice when they are not trying to kill you. Other than that, great place, highly recommended, five stars.

  PASTISIA—They have death blimps. Baileya says not to call them that, but I know a death blimp when I see one.

  THE SOUTHERN COURT—Imagine that one table of weird kids in the cafeteria who are nice and everything, but they are always laughing at jokes that make no sense whatsoever. Now imagine they are shape-shifting lizard people.

  UNDERGROUND MAEGROM CITY—Not that I’ve been there, but I picture a big cavern with houses carved out of the rock. There are torches, probably, and the houses are warmed by magma flows. And maybe someone has painted a big yellow sun on the ceiling of the cavern. Just as a way to cheer up the other Maegrom, you know?

  WASTED LANDS—Imagine the dumpsters at Disneyland and you know what the Wasted Lands are—the Happiest Place on Earth has to get rid of all its waste somehow. They try to keep it locked up and hidden away, but it’s only going to work so long. The Scim live here. It’s not great.

  WESTWIND—This is the name of the Knight of the Mirror’s castle, which is located on the EAST side of Far Seeing. When I was staying there, I would ask the knight once a day, “Hey, why is it called WESTwind when it’s on the EAST side of the city?” And every day he would ignore me, but I could tell my daily question was getting to him and that one day I would ask and he would gently place his hand on my shoulder and explain it all to me. Only then would I be worthy to take my rightful place . . . as TOUR GUIDE TO THE SUNLIT LANDS.

  ZOLTARNOG—The hidden wizards’ island in the northern Ginian Sea. It is said that the wild magics of the Sunlit Lands will be tamed by the wizards of Zoltarnog—ha ha ha ha, I just made that one up and you totally fell for it, didn’t you? ADMIT IT!

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  * * *

  AMIRA—Shula’s younger sister

  ARAKAM—a prophetic dragon who lives in Aluvorea

  ARCHON THENODY—the chief magistrate; supreme ruler of the Elenil; crippled since being wounded by the Sword of Years

  BAILEYA—a Kakri warrior; Jason’s fiancée; daughter of Willow, granddaughter of Abronia

  BEZAED—a Kakri warrior; one of Baileya’s brothers

  BLACK SKULLS—the elite fighting force of the Scim; there are three known members, one of whom is Darius

  BOULOS—Shula’s older brother

  BREAK BONES—a Scim warrior once imprisoned by the Elenil, now Jason’s ally

  DARIUS WALKER—an American human allied with the Scim; Madeline’s ex-boyfriend; a Black Skull

  DAVID GLENN—an American human who was sent to Aluvorea by the Knight of the Mirror

  DELIGHTFUL GLITTER LADY (DEE, DGL)—Jason’s unicorn; can change size

  DIWDRAP—a faerie

  ECLIPSE—a Scim child

  EVERNU—a gallant white stag who works alongside Rondelo

  FATHER ANTHONY—a Catholic priest

  GARDEN LADY—a mysterious old woman who has taken an interest in Madeline

  GILENYIA—an influential Elenil lady; Hanali’s cousin; has the power of healing

  HANALI—an Elenil recruiter who invited Madeline to the Sunlit Lands

  JASON WU (WU SONG)—an American human who followed Madeline into the Sunlit Lands; always tells the truth

  JENNY WU—Jason’s sister

  KEKOA KAHANANUI—an American human who was sent to the Zhanin by the Knight of the Mirror

  KNIGHT OF THE MIRROR—a human in his midforties; eschews magic; onetime guardian of the five Scim artifacts

  KYLE OLIVER—Madeline’s father

  LAMISAP—an Aluvorean woman

  LIN—an Aluvorean woman

  MADELINE OLIVER—an American human formerly in the service of the Elenil

  MAJESTIC ONE—the Elenil name for the magician who founded the Sunlit Lands

  MALIK—Darius’s cousin

  MORIARTY—a brucok (gigantic bird from the Kakri territories)

  MOTHER CROW—a Kakri matriarch

  MRS. RAYMOND—an English human woman who runs the Transition House for humans in the Sunlit Lands; fifty years old

  MRS. ROUHANA—a Syrian woman who used to clean for the Bisharas

  MUD—the Scim leader of the anti-Elenil resistance

  NIGHTFALL—a Scim child

  NIGHT’S BREATH—a Scim warrior

  OREG—a Maegrom tinker and rebel

  PATRA KOJA—the antlered spirit of an Aluvorean marsh

  PEASANT KING—the figure from Scim legend who founded the Sunlit Lands

  REMI—the Guardian of the Wind

  RONDELO—the Elenil captain of the guard in the Court of Far Seeing

  RUTH MBEWE—a Zambian eight-year-old; the Knight of the Mirror’s ward; accompanied Kekoa to the land of the Zhanin

  SHADOW—a Scim child

  SHULA BISHARA—a Syrian human; friend to Madeline; has the power to burst into flame

  SOCHAR—an Elenil guard

  SOFÍA—the housekeeper in Madeline’s home on Earth

  THASTLE—a faerie

  VIVI—the father of Hanali, son of Gelintel

  WALLACE—a sentient tunnel

  WENDY OLIVER—Madeline’s mother

  WILFRED—yet another sentient tunnel

  YENIL—a young orphaned Scim girl; adopted by Madeline and Shula
r />   PrologueTHE VOLUNTEERS

  Prepare yourself for the pain, and then breathe in. Hold it as long as you can, relax, and let the breath escape. Prepare yourself for the pain. Breathe in, let it out. Do it again. Again. Ask yourself how long you can keep doing this. Prepare yourself for the pain. Breathe in.

  Madeline could scarcely sleep anymore. The once-automatic process of breathing now required her full attention, each inhalation an act of courage. When she’d left for the Sunlit Lands, she’d expected that she would come home stronger, healed, and would go back to school as a new person. Instead she’d come back broken, unable to get to school at all. Which, maybe, was for the best. The thought of going to chemistry class and seeing an empty chair where Jason should be, or not having Darius drive her to school or meet her after class, filled her with a sadness that tightened like a vise around her chest.

  So she stayed home, tried to convince herself to get out of bed each day, to walk around the house, to play a game with Yenil, to sit with Shula and sip tea. She had outgrown school, anyway. Algebra wasn’t much use when you were on a slow slide toward the grave. Madeline shuddered. Some days she felt at peace with the idea of dying, even wished for death to come faster so the pain could finally be over. Other days panic gripped her, and she wanted to burst out of the house, break through a window if she had to, and run. Some animal instinct was convinced that if she could move fast enough, go far enough, she would escape her disease. On those days she gripped the arms of the easy chair and willed herself to relax, told herself the story of what was happening, where she was headed, assured herself that it was terrible, yes, but it was also okay. Okay to be sad, okay to be scared, okay to be dying.