Xannu

In the first book of "The Southern Lands" series, reality is a fragile bridge between two vastly different worlds. Terence "Terry" West is an ordinary twelve-year-old boy in Bottleford, England, but when he holds a mysterious rune coin, he becomes Teern Truthbringer, a muscular eighteen-year-old mercenary in a parallel realm. For over five hundred years, Teern has been cursed with immortality by the Power Almighty, tasked with a singular, grueling mission: he must find and proclaim the Xannu, the Deliverer who will lead the people to salvation.

As the ancient Scriptures of Al’Zaneed begin to unfold, Teern is joined by Maria, a young woman whose destiny is equally profound. Rising from her humble training to become the "Mother of Mothers," she wields powerful magic and guards sacred rune carvings—ancient pieces of red wood like the Byzau (Temperance) and Tazzau (Sanctuary) that hold the key to restoring order to the lands. Their group is completed by the unlikely figure of Matthius, a pale, fourteen-year-old student priest who eventually discovers he is the very "Spirit of Truth" they have been searching for.

Their journey toward the "city of the sky," KA'Truin, is fraught with peril. They are hunted by the malevolent Warlock Mayhem, a master of disguises and dark magic who commands swarms of razor-toothed Vandyrs and ferocious, scaly Kriks. As friendships cross the boundaries of worlds and the line between reality and dreams blurs, the prophecy reaches a violent climax. In the midst of a final, world-altering battle, Teern must face the weight of his mortality and the heavy price of fulfilling a destiny centuries in the making.

“Listen to the teachings of a wise man. You may not understand all he says but you will surely have nourishment for the future. Be positive and plan for success. Failure to plan is to plan for failure. Worry not at what came before but only prepare yourselves for that which is ahead.” (Pika’Al 10:1-5, The Scriptures of Al’Zaneed)

Xannu tells the story of Terry West, a twelve-year-old English boy, who travels to an alternate world using rune coins that he discovered while digging for old bottles. In his other parallel life he is an eighteen-year-old soldier, Teern Truthbringer, who is tasked with finding the Xannu - ‘he who will lead the people into deliverance’. The book’s accompanying scriptures, Pika’Al (The Prophecy) by the ancient prophet Al’Zaneed, provide a history, backdrop and set of clues. The book is really two stories in one, as Terry switches between his two existences. Leading a journey of discovery in one land, and remaining an integral part of his circle of friends in another, leads to many dilemmas. How will he balance the two lives he leads, solve two sets of problems, and understand the lessons he receives from both? Only time will tell. But time is something he doesn’t have too much of as everything is unfolding in ways that he could never have imagined! Xannu – The Prophecy is the first in a four-book series entitled ‘The Southern Lands’, which chronicles numerous trials and adventures on a journey that is limited only by our imaginations.