Author: Lee Mavin
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Publication Date: June 2, 2026
Pages: 300
Genre: YA Fantasy
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback & Kindle
Amazon: https://a.co/d/0252DH0c
For centuries there had been an ongoing war between Asalandia, the proud monarchy of the east and Kastanair the progressive democracy of the west. However, the years of war would end with the most unlikely turn of events.
Outis Everrett, the disappointment of his family, a measly poet, is suddenly thrusted into an epic adventure across the sea, with the King’s blessing. His poem, the poem that somehow won the first annual Asalandian poetry competition, was meant to be taken across the seas, to the enemy island of Kastanair, there, it would be read by the President of Kastanair, the newly elected and very progressive, Penelope Chinwa and she was supposed stop the war after reading those so special words.
So Outis set sail aboard the Golden ship, guided and protected by the Knights of Sunrise and their adventures began. The Knights are led by Bartholemew Aries, the most famous soldier in Asalandia, though when their ship drifts off course to the mysterious island of Aquos Atalantious, the Princess of the island soon lures him to stay. So, the Knights of Sunrise become distracted by the beauties of this foreign island. After failing to find the prince, who had been taken by a monstrous octopus, the Golden ship sails onto Kastanair, without its leader, who had fallen in love with the Princess. They then sail to Syanthia, where the worlds’ meat was produced. There they meet, the young Kastanairian, Gwenia Xiachung, an enthusiastic vegan on a mission to stop everyone eating meat. Outis is thrown into a pig saving mission with Gwenia and is intrigued by the young girl. After saving the pigs and convincing the head of meat production to change his ways with a beautiful poem about animal empathy, Gwenia falls in love with Outis. She joins him and the Knights of Sunrise on the voyage to back to her country, Kastanair. Once they finally reach the shores of Kastanair, they are attacked on the shores by a small army, led by Caslian Jesper, the tough captain who worked his soldiers to exhaustion. The Knights, Outis and Gwenia are rescued by Nastab and his band of terrorists who take them on horseback through Kastanair to Mount Xian. Nastab and his men come from a rebel group who had been dwelling on the plateau of Mount Xian, plotting to overthrow the government of Kastanair. However, their leader, who had driven their group to crimes and violence, was hoarding their food and treasure.
Caslian Jesper follows the terrorists to Mount Xian, in pursuit of two of his enemies at once, the terrorists and the Asalandians. Outis and Gwenia are suddenly taken off their horses by huge hawks, who fly them up Mount Xian, to a cave opening. There Gwenia and Outis meet The Tall Man, a strange man with huge black eyes who has no name. He takes them into the cave, and they fall more tall people. There they learn that the tall people had been in the caves for hundreds of years and they care not for treasures of war. The tall man collects water from an underground stream and fruits from the cave roofs and they take Outis and Gwenia up to the top of the mountain. There they find Caslian’s army had managed to climb to the top of the mountain in attempt to attack but they were too drained to fight so the tall man shared his fruit with them. Both sides rested as Outis read a poem to the leader of the terrorists.
Outis and Gwenia are then taken to the capital, by an eclectic group including Nastab, The Tall Man and the Knights of Sunrise, they journey through the planes of Kastanair where they are attacked by wolves. The Knights and Nastab fight the wolves off valiantly and they continue. When they finally reach the capital Outis reads his poem to the President, but it is not the words of his poem alone that convince her to stop the war, it is the group he brings with him, a group of once enemies, who had come together with the same goal.
First Chapter:
He Was No Warrior
Outis Everrett was an overthinker. Every night, he would toss and turn in his tiny chamber, going over and over the things he had to do the next day. He would plan his tasks and rehearse what he would say, looping it all in his mind until he slowly became too tired to think—and finally fell asleep. He had been like this for a while now, and try as he might, he couldn’t break the habit. The constant worrying made him sleepy, and it became difficult to handle his day-to-day tasks. During the day, he would mope about with his head down, of little use to anyone. To most people around him, he was a nobody—a useless man, easy to forget. But Outis Everrett was much more than that. Outis Everrett was a poet. He loved poetry and wrote a great deal, though he didn’t consider himself a real poet at the time. He simply thought very little of himself. One thing he knew for certain: he wasn’t a strong man. He wasn’t a sailor, a guard, or a soldier—and he never wanted to become one.
He sighed and thought of his father’s words: “We come from a long line of warriors. Long have we held our swords high and defended our lands with pride. It is your destiny, my son, to take up arms and keep fighting.”
But he was no warrior. He was as thin as a limegoat and had been cursed with his mother’s short stature. He was shorter than the average Asalandian—and much 10
weaker. He spoke with a soft, unsure voice and often didn’t speak at all. He rarely exercised, and even his hair was unusually dark for an Asalandian—it was light brown; most Asalandians were blonde.
He had avoided conflict his whole life, running from the bullies who called him Tiny in Sword School. As a child, he often hid in his room and read. He loved adventure stories about long journeys and was especially drawn to the poets of the old world. He loved imagining—dreaming of far-off lands, tales of monsters and horror. He was intrigued by the idea of destiny and longed for love.
He was lonely and kept his thoughts hidden from everyone. He believed no one would understand him and was afraid to appear vulnerable. So he read constantly, alone—and sometimes, he wrote. He was an amazing poet, but poets weren’t talked about much in Asalandia. In fact, poetry was hardly read at all.
To be shunned was rare and rarely spoken of. Most children—so long as they were able-bodied—trained hard before the test, and if they failed, they tried again. Outis was shunned from the warriorship because he failed to take the final test. The reason was simple: he was too scared and couldn’t swing a sword hard enough to even make a sound.
He had always been a quiet young man, troubled by the weight of a society that pressured boys to fight and molded them to be battle-ready. Everyone was constantly hearing about the threat of the enemy. Every day brought news: the Kastanarians were getting closer, the Kastanarians were preparing for war. The King announced it relentlessly, proclamations echoing from the palace. 11
During these frequent declarations, everyone was expected to stand and listen. It was an unspoken rule—and most people wanted to hear what the King had to say. Outis was not one of them. He had stopped listening long ago, choosing instead to focus on other things. One of those things was poetry.
About the Author:
His latest book is the YA fantasy, The Wars Between.
Visit his website at leejmavin.com.
Connect with him on social media at:
╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.mavin.925/
╰┈➤ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mavin798
╰┈➤ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5103759.Lee_J_Mavin
╰┈➤ TikTok ➜ https://www.tiktok.com/@leemavin4
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