The Awakening by Dorine White
Nightmares really do come true, and for fifteen-year-old Kyler Birkwood, they are just beginning. Raised on a farm by his Aunt Martha, Kyler has no clue about the magical heritage swimming through his blood. When he discovers evidence of a mythical creature, a terrifying beast thought only to exist in fairy tales, his safe world shatters. Left at a school of magic to hunt for clues, he is overwhelmed and disbelieved. As loved ones begin disappearing and Orcs roam the land, Kyler must undergo a journey that takes him from the High Courts of the King to the unknown forests of the East. His magic just awakening, Kyler is the lone hope for a world that will not listen.
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Excerpt
Walter
The road sloped down toward the
fishing port at an awkward angle. Walter loped over patches of dirt and rubble,
while looking at the view before him. The dwellings he approached could
scarcely be called homes. They were hovels pasted together with sticks and mud.
Many leaned against trees for support, while others stood on their own with
piecemeal stone chimneys to support their weight.
Children
ran around with dirty faces and bare feet. Some of the women stopped working as
Walter passed through. The hunger in their eyes betrayed greedy thoughts, but
no one had enough courage to chase after a wolf.
Glad
to leave the smelly hovels and hungry eyes behind, Walter raced over cobbled
paths. The closer he drew to the port, the more the smell of salt water filled
his nose. He drank in the damp air with a pleased snort. The port was still at
least a mile ahead, but from his vantage point he could see the water’s edge.
Large vessels of all kinds lined the banks. His keen hearing picked up the
hollers of men as they off-loaded barrels and crates.
As
far as his eyes could see, homes were crammed together like puzzle pieces. They
rose between twisted streets and alleys, making the city into a maze. Walter
wasn’t sure the salty air could cover the stench of a human population so
tightly packed into a city. Closer to the docks, large warehouses sprang up
like gophers from holes. He stopped on the path, waiting for Martha to catch up
with him. A wolf alone was a sure way to get captured by traders. He needed her
presence as his master to use as a disguise.
“I
see you finally decided to stop.” Martha’s voice floated up from the path
behind him. “I was afraid you’d run all the way down to the port.”
While
turning his head, he cocked an eyebrow in her direction. “What? And miss a
grand entrance with you?”
Reaching
his side Martha scratched his thick head. “I think someone’s a little full of
himself!”
“You
know the plan won’t work without you holding me by a leash.”
The
plan was to listen to the gossip of the village. Martha figured that with all
the comings and goings of a fishing port there were bound to be rumors and real
information floating around. Their job was to separate the junk from the
treasure. Key phrases like “large flying monster” or “missing villagers” would
be tip-offs. With Martha holding his collar, he would appear to be no more than
a tame pet. They’d be able to eavesdrop on all sorts of conversations.
Author Dorine White My name is Dorine White. I am a children's fantasy author and a book reviewer. I grew up back East in Maryland and attended BYU in Utah. I have a BA in Humanities with an interest in Art History and French. Currently I live in the beautiful, yet rainy Northwest with my husband and 6 children. My first novel was published in 2012 and is the beginning of the Cleopatra's Legacy series. The first two books are out, The Emerald Ring and The Ruby Pendant. Look for the third book, The Diamond Looking Glass in the summer of 2015.
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