Book excerpt: Little Laylah, a magical young girl with extraordinary powers, is escorted to meet the Grand Empress of Gaia Ladrieh on her 8th birthday, known as her Soul-Crown day. When she meets the Grand Empress, she's in for a big surprise! Little Laylah has been specifically chosen to accompany the Grand Empress on a special mission to the Stars.As they await the ceremonies and rituals for Laylah's big day, the Grand Empress tells her the story of her childhood and how Gaia Ladrieh - a beautiful Empire of magic, fairies, gardens, temples and palaces - came to be.The Empress tells her of her journey to the Mountain of the Wisdom Kings: a dimensional portal beneath a pond in the woods, where she entered into the world of the Seven Lords of the Cycles. By thinking upside-down and inside-out, and overcoming death and time, the Empress navigates their realms to uncover the Greatest Secret of them All!