It was like looking into a mirror, with only two flaws. His hair was long and black—a deeper black than any hair I'd ever seen. And his ears were long and pointed, like that of Yenen Clan. But his eyes were mine, his face was mine, and he stood at exactly my height. He was skinnier than I, and his skin was pale, as though he’d been deathly ill for a long time. But, despite these differences, we could be twins. No—the same person.
“Don't confuse him, Master,” Haeon said, breaking through my thoughts. “We ought to explain the truth—that he is merely your copy, not your other half. He was meant to replace you, though it would never work.”
I blinked. “What do you mean?”
Kirid smiled—my smile. He raised a clawed hand, and my orb flew to him, lighting in his palm. “It's true, Kiido. When I was lost, you were meant to take my place. Somehow, you were given the powers of Vendaeva, but they are only a copy—a shadow of the power I possess.” His voice wasn't arrogant, only factual. And honest. That was another difference we had; he told the truth.
I shook my head, trying to comprehend. “You were lost?” As though in answer to my question, my mind recalled the dream of that infant child. My eyes widened. “You—you're...?”
“That's right,” Haeon said with a smirk. “Master Kirid is the real Vendaeva, while you are only a false hope.”
“But...I-I came through the puddle.”
“A tampering of the prophecy. Few had heard of it before it was rewritten, and so it was easy to fool them.” He shrugged. “Now you know, Jason Sterling. You are only a lie.”
It was as if reality was crashing in around me. As if my lies had caught up with my fantasy and I had no more room for imagining. It was over.
“It's all right, Kiido,” Kirid said gently, stepping closer and holding out Liitae. “That doesn't mean you can't stay here.” He smiled. “I want you to stay.”
“Of course, we'll have to take your powers,” Haeon said. “You won't need them, after all.”
I stared at him. “No.”
“It's the only way. Because of your powers, Master Kirid can't access all of his. If you really want to save Paradise, you'll cooperate.”
I backed up. “No. You don't want to save Paradise. Kirid Clan made it sick in the first place. You can't take my power.”
“Don't be a fool,” Haeon said. “You don't have a choice.” He raised his palm and I felt myself restrained, unable to move. “It won't hurt. Besides, you won't miss it.” His eyes were shining.
I looked at Kirid. “Please stop him.”
He shook his head, gray eyes remorseful. “Haeon knows best.”
Before I could respond I felt a tingling in my head. Through my mind's eye, I saw our conversation play before me in rewind. Then it was dark, and I couldn't remember what I'd just seen. I saw the fight with the shadows, but that disappeared too. Lon, pushing me in the puddle. Chasym, before him. In a matter of seconds, I saw my life play in reverse—and then I forgot what I'd seen. As everything became darker, I saw a blur of my life with my family. And finally, the last fleeting image was of being held, and I gazed into the loving eyes of a strange woman.
I could move, and I fell to my knees, then collapsed to the ground. I laid there, staring into nothing
Who was I?
To be continued in Book Two:
Key of Paradise
###
The Paradex
A few notes on the language of Paradise—
As there are many rules in the Paradisian language, it would be impossible to give a definitive guide on the exact science behind it; however, there are basic rules which make it easier in the attempt to sound fluent (or at least proficient).
First, a little tip: remember that hard sounds aren’t as hard as English words. Emphasize the soft; soften the hard. Like Veija—you emphasis the ‘V’, and you soften the ‘J’ (although there are exceptions to this). It should be noted that the ‘J’ is always soft except at the beginning of a word or name. Thus, Veija versus Jenen. The first is a soft ‘J’, while the latter is hard.
Bear in mind that Crenen is not a good guide to the language. His broken sentences are not in keeping with the phraseology of the native tongue. He intentionally sounds unique. A more accurate demonstration of literal translations comes from observing Jenen, who speaks both excellent Paradisian and English. Sentences are generally structured the same in both tongues.
The Paradisian language is the sole surviving language in Paradise. There have been, through time and wars, variations on words and phrases, but generally the language has remained true. Its roots come from the Renocahn and were eventually adopted by all other cultures. Over time every language save this were forgotten, apart from Seeric runes, whose magical properties spared them the dissolution of other alphabets.
Knowing this, and paying close attention to the following pronunciation guide, should help the reader to familiarize oneself with the basics of how words sound in Paradisian. The Paradisian tongue has fairly precise rules to its vowels and consonants (mostly the latter), but like in English, they do vary from time to time.
‘A’ is usually either “uh” and “aw” sounds, which makes the name Jason seem to Paradisians very peculiar in its spelling. A good example of both common sounds is the name Sasha [saw-shuh].
‘E’ often makes an “eh” sound, though occasionally it can be an “ee” (as in “need”). The former is the case in the name Crenen [kren-en].
‘I’ can also be used for the sound “ee,” but usually sounds like in the word “in,” such as the name Kirid [k-eer-id].
‘O’ can be either “oh” or “aw.” The first is rare, while the latter is so in names like Haeon [hay-on] and Lon [lawn].
‘U’ is almost always “uh,” but can be “oo.” The latter is the case in serecu [sare-eh-koo].
And lastly, ‘Y’ sounds like the word “eye.” This occurs in the word Hykyae [high-KAI-ay].
The real difference lies more in the consonants. The most prominent example rests with the word gerani, which is often mistakenly read as jer-on-ee; it should instead be gur-ON-ee. (Gur as in “grrr” like the growling sound a furapintairow makes.)
Paradisian is not an easy language to master, unless one is raised with it. In this regard it is very much like English. The occasional exceptions to rules is one cause of this. However, once the basics are mastered it is only a matter of vocabulary, as the sentence structures are the same as in English.
—Compiled by Acolyte Rederen of the Third Order of Vendaeva, residing in the East Sect of Kirid Clan during the Fourth Age, in the year 4092.
People & Pets
BEASTIE [bee-stee] – Key's pet dog, an American Eskimo.
CHAS [chaz] – An arrogant jock in Key's high school.
CHASYM [chaz-im] – “Shifty Cocky Man” – A shapeshifter and Lon’s friend.
CRENEN [KREN-en] – Leader of Yenen Clan.
FENIK [Fenn-ik] – “Gross Smelly Man” – A warrior of Yenen Clan.
FURA [furr-uh] - Nickname for the furapintairow. (Also see Furapintairow)
FURAPINTAIROW [fur-ah-pin-TAI-row] – Venomous animals considered sacred to Paradisians.
HAEON [hay-on] – “Delusional Broken Man” – A male Seer.
HISKII [hiss-kee] – “Quiet Sneaky Thing” – A warrior of Yenen Clan.
JACOB STERLING – Key's youngest brother.
JANA STERLING – Key's older sister.
JASON “KEY” STERLING – (See Key)
JENEN [JEN-en] – The first Paradisian to encounter Key, expect for two furapintairow.
JEREMY STERLING – Key's younger brother.
KEY – “Strange Coward Boy” – The main protagonist.
KIRID, elder [k-eer-id] – Leader of Kirid Clan.
KIRID, younger [k-eer-id] – The only son of Kirid (see Kirid, elder).
LIITAE [LEE-tay] – Key's Essence—or soul—personified (sort of).
LON [lawn] – Seer Veija's protector and elder brother.
MENEN [MEN-en] – Personal servant of Crenen.
SASHA [saw-shuh] – Female doctor of Yenen Clan.
SIKEL [sick-ELL] – A member of They.
THESHER [thesh-er] – Carnivorous equine beasts.
VEIJA [vay-zhu] (Hint: rhymes with Asia) – A Seer working with Crenen.
YENEN, elder [YEN-en] – Deceased leader of Yenen Clan.
YENEN, younger [YEN-en] – The eldest son of Yenen (see Yenen, elder).
Places, Powers & Palatables
CORE, The – The core of Paradise.
GERANI [gur-on-ee] – An intoxicating, vision-inducing, tree-clinging grape.
HEALING POOLS – Once gifted to the people of Paradise by the Core, these pools had properties that healed all ailments, but now they are corrupted and cause suffering instead. (Also see Core, The)
KIRID CLAN [k-eer-id] – A division of Paradisian people who dwell in the West.
KIRID, Realm of – The capitol city of Kirid Clan.
PARADISE – The world in which Key appears through the puddle.
PARADISIAN [pare-uh-dis-ee-an] – Term used in reference to the people of Paradise, as well as its language.
PARADISIACAL DISEASE [pare-uh-dis-AI-uh-kal dis-ease] – The deadly epidemic sweeping across Paradise.
PHUDEL [fuu-del] – Paradisian word for “Puddle.” (Also see Puddle, The)
PUDDLE, The – A portal which carries Key from Earth to Paradise.
RENOCAHN [renn-oh-kahn] – A shapeshifting people, the more powerful of whom can alter their own bodies. The weaker can only cast illusions.
RESEJ [ress-ej] – A meadow in the east of Paradise, where medicinal herbs grow, including the cure for a furapintairow's bite.
SWENSI [swen-see] - Sugar
THEY – A group of Paradisians who want Vendaeva for themselves.
VENDAEVA [venn-day-vuh] – The prophesied hero meant to save Paradise from the terrible Paradisaical disease.
VERENVEY [vare-en-vay] – Chasym’s surname.
YENEN CLAN [YEN-en] – A division of Paradisian people who dwell in the east.
YENEN, Realm of – The capitol city of Yenen Clan.
Paradisian Phrases
“Vais! Sa Vais!” – “Prince! My Prince!”
“Eyia sovei cir hej slovej. Veys irefen ii cran yas.” – “The men have been worried. We're relieved that you're alive.”
“Sa Vais, eyias deshe ii cran yas.” – “My Prince, I'm glad that you're alive.”
“Cra yas en veikes. Teishne.” – “You live as well. Excellent.”
“Keis lavun taka lem.” – “It would take more [than that].”
“Cra vener eyia baskyne, Lon!” – “You left the barrier, Lon!”
“Vener miek diay kryn.” – “You never came back.”
“Daja vener soraj ihi kryn keis levieshna jaer lanya deirsh eyia baskyne liish cra liiv, Domi Libin Kag? Se braryr hem.” – “Do you know how hard it was to get through the barrier without you there, Stupid Thoughtless Fool? Thanks for nothing.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When this book first took shape, it was serialized on DEVIANTART.COM, where its first supporters were incredible! I wish to thank each reader from that time for their tremendous outpouring of love, enthusiasm, and constructive feedback. Without them, this story would not have thrived and grown into the monster that it is. My heartfelt thanks to several beta readers in particular: Laura Barton, Sonya Bramwell, Madeleine Ethridge, Moriah Hale, Lisa Jones, Sun-Ae Patterson (who has also helped with formatting and final read-throughs!), Megi Perkins, Brett Starks and Tremani Sutcliffe!
Special thanks to my sister Heidi, stalwart supporter and illustrator, as well as my sister Tawnee, self-proclaimed #1 fan of Paradise! (She’s probably right.) And to the rest of my wonderful family—thanks for putting up with drafts and more drafts, vocal readings, and obsessive hours over many years. And for naming two cats after Crenen and Jenen. (No joke!) You’re all amazing!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M. H. Woodscourt has been a writer since she was twelve and a storyteller all her life. Twenty moves through her youth provided opportunities to see the world, experience people, and cultivate a highly (sometimes overly) active imagination; thus, the fantasy genre called out to her, demanding her attention. Story ideas haunt her in the night, characters demand birth, and she loves every disturbing moment.
The Paradise Series is also an ongoing webcomic series: LIARSGOTOPARADISE.COM
TO MY DEAR READERS,
Thank you for picking up this book! My heart is full of gratitude. I hope you’ve enjoyed Key’s journey into Paradise and all the zany, maniacal people he’s met so far. The story still has a path to take, and I look forward to sharing Key’s adventures and growth with each of you.
If you’d like to keep updated on future releases and giveaways, you can visit my website: https://mhwoodscourt.com! I’m also on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Hope to see you there!
I do have one favor to ask. If you enjoyed this book in any measure, please take a moment to leave an honest review online. Reviews are hard to come by these days, and it would mean the world to me if you took a moment to present your thoughts on my book.
Thank you,
M. H. W.
A Liar in Paradise Page 23
