Odana was Crown Prince Lanicoâs home . . . until he was forced to flee following his defeat in battle and the siege of his kingdom. After years of living hidden in the wilderness with his adopted son, Prince Lanico suddenly finds himself thrust into a quest to return to his kingdom - to reclaim the lands that are rightfully his. During his journey, Lanico finds himself facing a myriad of threats, making allies, and encountering other unexpected surprises along the way. Ultimately, Lanico and his newfound band of warriors find themselves preparing for their next mission - the mission to reclaim Odana.
Odana was Crown Prince Lanicoâs home . . . until he was forced to flee following his defeat in battle and the siege of his kingdom. After years of living hidden in the wilderness with his adopted son, Prince Lanico suddenly finds himself thrust into a quest to return to his kingdom - to reclaim the lands that are rightfully his. During his journey, Lanico finds himself facing a myriad of threats, making allies, and encountering other unexpected surprises along the way. Ultimately, Lanico and his newfound band of warriors find themselves preparing for their next mission - the mission to reclaim Odana.
Present Day
None of them realized it was going to be this severe, this intense. Oh fires . . . and he was furious!
Lanico clenched his fists beneath his cloak, hiding them from judging view. He hated having to leash the near-boiling anger that coursed from his gut. He could almost feel the heat of it, licking his neck and brow with every throbbing heartbeat.
The council met once every full moon. For the past one hundred years, that had always been the way. But not a single elder, including Lanico himself, had ever considered they must deal with the type of issue raised this evening. It was, by far, the most concerning they had ever had.
The four leaders sat about the fire. There was not a careless gaze, not a hint of a smile made. The intensity was dense enough to cut through.
It was bound to happenâthis meeting, this topic.
Trayvor, the former Advisor to King Oetam, glared at Lanico, a blazing furnace in his eye, âIf you donât tell him to straighten-up, he WILL be banished from the Great Mist,â Trayvor barked. He looked to the other two elders, who remained silent, uncomfortable, then continued: âUnlike others, I donât care if he is your ward, Lanico!â His teeth glinted in the firelight. âIâm the one that spotted him beyond the boundary, and Iâm the one honest enough to say heâll bring danger to us ALL!â His antipathy against the General Prince was palpable and always had been. His resentment against Lanico for not caring enough for Raya, his deceased daughter, intensified into hatred after she and their infant son, Tyren died. They were Trayvorâs would-be royal kin, and they would have paved him a way further into the castle.
The brief moment following Trayvorâs tirade was silent but for crackling wood and a few distant owls at their nightly calls. Fenner, the former Odana Military Chief, exhaled sharply, and the former Major and Second Advisor Stoutwyn shuffled his feet. They all were quite uncomfortable with this, with all of it.
Lanicoâs jaw clamped, his features now more angled in his tension. Marin isnât my âwardâ, he is my own adopted son. My son! It has been years! Â He controlled the rising urge to jolt forward and hammer a fist into Trayvorâs lifted chin. Iâll get him, too . . . get him to kiss the ground.
But no.
Fiery ash flurried toward the sky as a charred log rolled in the fire and brightened it. The next seconds seemed an eternity. Remembering himself, his position, his training, Lanico straightened on the stump he sat on and restrained the roaring inside. He had over a hundred yearsâ experience challenging Trayvor, and, consequently, snuffing out the anger he summoned. One hundred years. That thought alone was enough to set a weight in his stomach and stun him. Glaring at the flames, he understood he himself was the better man, and he had long held greater responsibility.
Lanico broke focus from the flames and steadied his gaze into Trayvorâs fire-glossed eyes. The slight creases around Lanicoâs eyes deepened, the anger stilled. âYou banish my son, ANY of you, and youâll have to answer to me.â His voice resonated deep and confident: âI donât take easy to talk of banishment. Only we are old enough to remember whatâs out there and what we recall . . . is a death sentence.â He shook his head slowly. âNo. There are other ways to deal with his misdeedsânot banishment.â
âBanishment has been a rule since we settled here,â Trayvor said, closing his eyes smugly with a slow blink. Hearing only silence, he opened his eyes to view Lanicoâs seasoned warriorâs glare upon him and considered the horrific possibilities behind that glare. The seemingly ageless half-breed General was visibly controlling his fury. Suddenly, wisely, Trayvor felt uneasy. âHmpf!â he retorted simply. There was no contest with Lanico, not with thatâthat death stare still piercing into him.
Trayvor glanced at everyone, his scouring expression flared by the fire. âRight.â He grumbled. He wasnât going to lower himself, to reason with the half-breedâtoo wild to tame. Fires to him and his heathen ward! He whirled from them, swinging his cloak around him, grabbed his walking stick, and without delay stomped off through the earthen path and brush heading back to the village. His thick legs and feet kicked up dirt at his stride.
He glowered back briefly with his WynSprign glowing eyes. âYouâll regret it, not choosing banishment.â His voice faded in their minds as he stomped off. From over his shoulder he yelled out, âWisdom over brawn!ââgetting in the last word in his defeat.
Stoutwyn and Fenner held their gazes uncomfortably at the fire in front of them. It was a mutual instinct to avoid eye contact. They shifted their weight uneasily on their designated wooden tree stumps. Lanicoâs anger could be frightening, more than most, and the three of them including Trayvor, were the only ones who knew why. Though they all had long been considered equals, it was difficult to watch Lanico being blasted at and so disrespectfully by Trayvor, and over such a delicate matter.
âWell!â said Fenner suddenly, hoping to end his share of discomfort, âI guess we accomplished a lot this evenâ.â He smirked. âOh, weâll sort this all out in the mornânâ.â There was silence. He nodded after the lack of response, and then stood to stretch his thin body, his dark brass-toned skin accentuated by the blazing flames.
It was late. Certainly too late for this level of debate.
Still stretching, Fenner raised his thin arms high. âOh, Lan . . . donât go glomering on so. Ya know that Trayvor has always been a bit . . . well, hasty.â He paused and stifled a yawn. âIâm treading on home now. Good evenâ to you both.â He bowed, slightly, a forgotten sign of respect for Lanico, their General Princeâif indeed those titles still applied. He turned to march toward his home quite a stroll away, his mane of hair bouncing with his strong strides.
Lanico turned his glance away from Fenner and gave the seated Stoutwyn a forlorn look, his Fray face only paler in the night. It was just the two of them now. Stoutwyn and Lanico had been friends since before the seizure of the Odana Kingdom. Lanico had always had good sense and taken Stoutwynâs advice, just as his deceased father Oetam had.
Stoutwyn looked reassuringly at Lanico. âNow, câmon now, Lan, Marin was caught not following the rules . . . again. Why must he wander outside of our Great Mist realm?â It was more of a statement than a question. Their realm had been kept secret, protected, all these years. Stoutwyn scratched his head. âWe know that heâs not a bad young WynSprign, but he must be dealt with in a way that teaches the others . . . He is not above our rules, you know?â He held his floog out on his knee.
Lanico leaned toward Stoutwyn, stretching his long body. His elbows rested on his knees and he cradled his forehead with one hand, as the other hung low. He turned through his curtained hair, grimacing at Stoutwyn. âBut banishment?â he asked, his teeth glinting from the blaze.
âI know, that was a bit extreme,â Stoutwyn puffed around his pipe stem. âWe all know that Trayvor is a bit quick to speak.â
ââAnd slow to think,â finished Lanico, a slight smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
âAye!ââStoutwyn blew out smoke quicklyâ âAnd itâs not as though we can contain the young lad. But,â he rationalized, âsomething must be done, Lan.â His stare was uncommonly serious. âSomething . . .â
âStout, you and I both know that if Trayvor werenât here, this conversation of banishing Marin wouldnât be taking place . . .â He raised his voice. âItâs been over a hundred years since he was advising at my fatherâs side, and he still holds my heritage against me. He still seethes that I chose to adopt Marinâclaiming him as my heir. He still blames me for . . .â Lanico felt his pulse quicken and throb. No, I blame himself for that too.
âAye. Trayvor blames you for everything.â Stoutwyn knowingly interjected.
Lanico swallowed against the truth in that statement, but he continued, âIt has been obvious thatâthat swine still secretly wishes he could be King.â Damn him! A rumble of distant thunder growled over some far-off place. Stoutwyn remained silent, giving short nods as response.
In the silence, Lanico Loftre, the General and Prince of Odana, sighed pensively. Marin himself only complicated the matter and Lanico was allowing his temper to get the better of him. They were past the days when Marin would come to him after falling and seek a kiss on an elbow to heal the scrapes. No, Marin was old enough to rebel and try to escape from their secret forest realm.
âIâll talk to Marin about this in the morning,â Lanico breathed, looking back to the fire, glowing ash still lifting toward the sky. âHeâs probably asleep by now.â He paused. âIâll let him know that if he is caught again, he will face banishment. It seems the options are limited and we are well over the limit on his attempts.â
âThatâs the way, Lan.â Stoutwyn nodded again through smoke. âHeâll listen this time.â
Lanico reasoned with himself. It hadnât been easy, being the only guardian for Marin all these years. He tried his best, always. Tomorrowâs talk will go all right, he reassured himself. He would convince Marin to stay in their territory, or so he hoped. He felt a sense of calm return and slid his gaze and his infectious smile to a weary Stoutwyn seated next to him. âYour turn!â he called out suddenly.
In one quick streak, Lanico leapt straight onto the high tree branch above them. Though years older than all of them, he remained youthful with his Fray heritage and still seemed young enough to be the son of any of them. Some had begun to have their suspicions about Lanicoâs heritageâthere had always been rumors. He shrugged them off, as all his fellow elders didâit was their sworn duty of course, one of the last ones. Even Trayvor upheld the trust. They would take to their death the identity of Lanicoâs holy Fray mother.
Lanico quickly began to climb off into the dark night toward his section of the Great Mist.
Stoutwyn could hear him laughing as his voice faded into the darkness above and stood looking up at the branches. He grumbled, âPfft. That show-offââhe waved his thick hand in the air with annoyanceâ âleaping about like a crazed squirrel . . .â He picked his way to a nearby pool of water for the fire bucket and doused the fire. Their glowing meeting site immediately blackened in the night.
Stoutwynâs eyes flickered with a dim glow in the newfound dark.
                                                       ~
Lanico approached the heavy wooden door to his home, a simple house carved into the side of a tall hill covered with living trees. Ancient tree roots supported the interior walls to the home he shared with Marin. The door gave a low moan as it opened, revealing the still and quiet that lay within. Without the aid of moonlight, the interior was dark. Lanicoâs eyes were glowing lightning blue in the enveloping darkness. He left the door open for only a moment so the bright moonlight could show him the candle on the thick wooden table by the door. Once lit, the candle illuminated the small kitchen and eating area. He removed his green cloak, hung it on a small hook, and closed the door.
The candlelight hinted at the sitting room hidden beyond, and faint light gleamed on his sword that hung on the wall there. He ran his fingers through his long, silver hair, whispering, âWhat to do with Marin, what to do with Marin . . .â He moved with caution, for the young WynSprign would be asleep in his den.
Lanicoâs boots thudded softly against the wooden floor planks as he entered the sitting room and cleared a small stool from his path with his foot. The scrolls resting on the stool rolled and bounced onto the floor mat below.
Lanico sank into troubled thought on his favorite chair, his arms along the armrests. The wall behind him displayed his sizable collection of weapons around the sword, all well used in practice and in combat. The staffs had scuffs and dents and the swords were dull, with thousands of tiny scratches from countless strikes. Reluctant Leader, as Lanico called it, was the sword he wielded as the Odana General Prince. He was still the crowned Prince of the WynSprigns. The sword was truly the most prized item in their simple earthen home, recalling his rank in days long past. Constructed from the finest steel in all the world and Lanico kept the Reluctant Leader razor-sharp. Despite the countless strikes it had endured, not a blemish or mark marred it. It was perfect, made of a rare steel available only to royalty, cryntanium.
Lanico had become accustomed to the silence of his home these years. Marin was often wandering outdoors and leaping into treesâand lately, leaping into trouble. He had tried to raise Marin as best as he could, but the circumstances were quite different from when he lived in the castle. There, they would have had ample assistance; cooks, maids, tutors, trainers, and of course his own Fray mother, who would stop by occasionally. Here in the wilds, there had been none of this.
The responsibility of raising Marin had also come to Lanico for the sake of his friends Lieutenant General Izra and Second Lieutenant, âEmerald Knightâ Treva, Marinâs late parents.
âTreva,â he breathed. Closing his eyes and seeing details of her lovely face now etched in memory. What would she have thought about all of this? He had no living offspring, but having raised Marin as his own since the boyâs birth; he would see to it that Marin was next in his line for the throne. He whispered to the lost love who wasnât there, âI could get it back for himâthe people of Odana will need a respectable King, after all.â He took another slow breath and continued, âAnd unlike my mother, IâI wonât be around forever.â
He felt a lump rising in his throat. Open, his eyes glowed cyan again. He thought about the staggering odds of returning and claiming the throne, and immediately brushed this dream aside. Who am I kidding? General Prince Lanico died during the Battle of Odana, as well as did any chance of reclaiming the throne. It was a nice dream, however pointless.
He glanced down to spot a scroll just at his foot. âBut, thatâs a thought for another day . . .â he muttered quietly. The past hurt too much to deal with, every memory a sharp blade. Without an army, or even a sizable group of trained warriors, any plans to take back the throne would be a foolâs dream.
He quieted his painful thoughts and swallowed hard against the stone in his throat. His face hardened and he moved onward, inscribing on the scroll the events of the nightâs elder meeting, as if it were somehow more important.
An epic fantasy about a band of misfits reclaiming their rightful land and throne, The Legacy of Lanico is pure fantasy escapism. Overall I give it an enthusiastic four stars, due to its superb pacing, lovable characters, and heartwarming message, in spite of a smattering of typographical errors, at times sub-par writing, and hasty ending.
What I loved most about The Legacy of Lanico was how immersed I felt in the mystical world of Odana, with its purple mountains, and the Great Mist, with its hobbit-like tree trunk homes. Having read and reviewed this book in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, what I hoped for in picking up this book was escapism, and that's exactly what the author delivers. Each day after seeing the national news about body counts piling up, The Legacy of Lanico offered a blissful and adventuresome respite from the harsh realities of the world as we know it. I loved the beautiful imagery in this epic adventure.
I also especially appreciated the excellent pacing. As a lover of plot-driven genre fiction, I find that poor pacing can easily ruin an otherwise great plot, but, for the most part, The Legacy of Lanico does not disappoint. Chapters alternate in which plotline they follow, which adds a welcome variety to the reading experience. Add in a cast of lovable (and, for the villains, appropriately loath-able) characters, and you've got a recipe for an entertaining fantasy novel. My only minor issue with the pacing is that the resolution felt a tad rushed. Although I understand that this book is the first in a series, I would have preferred to have had at least some resolution of the subplots involving Gish, Marin, and Anah, who did not feature at all in the final few chapters.
As for things about this book that didn't quite work for me, The Legacy of Lanico provides a prime example of something that I as a reviewer have often repeated: great storytelling can easily overcome technical flaws, but the opposite is far from true. The Legacy of Lanico is living proof of the first half of that statement: there are numerous typos, and the prose is awkward in places, but the entertaining story overwhelmingly makes up for those issues. Therefore, I highly recommend this book for lovers of fantasy who care most about darn good storytelling and who can easily forgive little typos. If you are the sort of reader for whom such technical errors take you out of the story experience, then The Legacy of Lanico may not be the best fit for you. But otherwise, I recommend it for fantasy lovers looking for pure, fun escapism.