The Earth Dwellers

THE EARTH DWELLERS

Book Four of the Dwellers Saga

(AND Book Four of the Country Saga)

David Estes

Published by David Estes at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 David Estes

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Discover other exciting titles by David Estes available through the author’s official website:

http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com

or through select online retailers.

Young Adult Novels by David Estes

The Dwellers Saga:

Book One—The Moon Dwellers

Book Two—The Star Dwellers

Book Three—The Sun Dwellers

Book Four—The Earth Dwellers

The Country Saga (A Dwellers Saga sister series):

Book One—Fire Country

Book Two—Ice Country

Book Three—Water & Storm Country

Book Four—The Earth Dwellers

The Witching Hour:

Book One—Brew (Coming January 16, 2014!)

The Evolution Trilogy:

Book One—Angel Evolution

Book Two—Demon Evolution

Book Three—Archangel Evolution

Children’s Books by David Estes

The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves:

Nikki Powergloves—A Hero Is Born

Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council

Nikki Powergloves and the Power Trappers

Nikki Powergloves and the Great Adventure

Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (Coming soon!)

This book is dedicated to each and every blogger

who has taken a chance on one of my books

and shared what they thought of it with the world.

IMPORTANT AUTHOR’S NOTE BEFORE READING

THE EARTH DWELLERS

The Earth Dwellers
will cap off an eighteen month journey that has taken me from unknown Indie author to still-mostly-unknown
fulltime
Indie author. The change is a subtle one for most people, but for me it’s a dream come true. To the hundreds (and now maybe even thousands!) of readers who have come along for the ride with me, either by reading
the Dwellers Saga
,
the Country Saga
, or both, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now down to business. There may be some of you who have only read the three books in
the Dwellers Saga
or
the Country Saga
, and are now thinking you’ll read
The Earth Dwellers
, which is supposedly the 4
^th
book in BOTH
the Dwellers Saga
and
the Country Saga
. Well, that’s awesome! However, I must highly recommend that before reading
The Earth Dwellers
that you read the three books in
the Dwellers Saga
AND the three books in
the Country Saga
. Trust me, doing so will greatly enhance your experience, as
The Earth Dwellers
takes significant characters from both series and crashes them together (yes, like a water country wave) into an action-packed tale of struggle and loss and hope and friendship…and maybe a little love, too ;)

Anyway, that’s my advice; it’s up to you what to do with it. In any case, thanks for being a part of my own adventure, I’m a better person for having written stories for you!

Recommended Reading prior to The Earth Dwellers

The Moon Dwellers

The Star Dwellers

The Sun Dwellers

Fire Country

Ice Country

Water & Storm Country

A Guide to Slang and Terminology from the Country Saga

Fire Country

Wooloo- crazy or insane

Baggard- an insult, use your imagination…Also, what Perry is!

Tug- a large buffalo-like animal that provides everything from food to clothing to shelter for those who live in the desert

Smoky- attractive (Circ, for example)

Prickler- cactus

Scorch- hell, or the underworld

Searin’- a mild curse word

Blaze- a somewhat-frowned-upon term for human waste

Killer- large wolfish animals that roam the desert searching for food

Burnin’- a stronger curse word

Cotee- Mangy coyote-like animals that hunt in large packs and generally prefer already dead prey

Call- husband or wife previously assigned during a Heater ceremony. “The Call” practice has since been abolished with the creation of the Tri-Tribes.

Bundle- diaper

Grizzed- angry

Pointer- arrow

Fire stick- gun

Fire chariot- truck

’Zard- lizard

Totter- a young child, a toddler

Midder- older kids, but not yet teenagers

Youngling- teenager

Shanker- slacker, lazy person

The Fire- the airborne disease caused by long exposure to the toxic air that has lowered life expectancies substantially

Ice Country

Yag- Large mountain-dwelling creature of ice country legend, not unlike a yeti, bigfoot, or the abominable snowman

Icin’- a mild curse word

Slider- a smooth-sanded plank of wood strapped to one’s feet to quickly slide down the mountain. Like a snowboard.

Freezin’- a stronger curse word

The Cold- what Icers call “the Fire.” Referred to as the Scurve or the Plague in water and storm country, respectively.

Chill- hell, or the underworld

A Guide to the Peoples of the Tri-Realms and the Countries

The Tri-Realms

Star dwellers- the lowest-ranking people of the Tri-Realms, living the deepest underground and in abject poverty

Moon dwellers- the “middle class” people of the Tri-Realms, although in reality their condition can only be described as impoverished

Sun dwellers- the ruling upper class citizens of the Tri-Realms, they enjoy a lavish lifestyle, artificial sunlight, and beautiful underground cities

Fire Country

Heaters- the original desert dwellers who lived in a small village in the center of fire country

Wilde Ones- a Heater splinter group led by a young woman named Wilde. Comprised of only strong-willed girls, the members of the tribe have been trained to fight.

Marked- another Heater splinter group that broke off in order to avoid the Laws of the Heaters. They are easily identifiable due to their markings, or tattoos, which represent how many lives they’ve ended, and how many they’ve saved.

Tri-Tribes- an alliance between the Heaters, the Wildes, and the Marked

Glassies (also referred to as Pasties or earth dwellers)- originally living underground, the Glassies are completely comprised of members of the Tri-Realms who made the trip to the earth’s surface, surviving only by building a large glass dome to protect their city from the toxic air.

Ice Country

Icers- the mountain-dwelling people who have long-survived a harshly cold world of snow and ice

Water & Storm Country

Stormers- a tribe that lives on the stormy seaside plains, surviving off the land and riding horses that they refer to as the Escariot

Soakers- a pirate-like people that control a large fleet of ships and prefer living on the water, landing only to replenish their fresh water supply

And now the end begins…

Chapter One

Adele

I
blink against the blinding sun and the crimson sky and the birds wheeling overhead, and they’re still there. My mind is spinning, whirling, remembering: the long journey with Tristan through the rock-surrounded shaft, the exhilarating walk down the tunnel to end all tunnels, the thrill of stepping out onto the surface of the earth, of kissing Tristan, of breathing the real, real air.

And then the three girls appearing, as if from nowhere. But no, they stepped from the shadow of the very rock looming behind us. The middle one asked a question—something about who we are and a sun goddess, right?—one that’s still hanging in the air, patiently awaiting an answer.

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out; not a breath, not a word, not a sound.

Thankfully, Tristan answers for the both of us. “I’m Tristan Nailin, a sun dweller, and this is Adele Rose, a moon dweller. We’ve come from the depths of the earth.”

The girls just stare at us for a moment, the two on the sides not smiling, but not frowning either—just staring, like we’re covered in filth. The one in the middle, however, is wearing a thick scowl, her eyebrows bent and threatening to pinch her nose. I want to look away, to avert my eyes under their scrutiny, but I don’t. I stare right back.

They’re wearing very little clothing, just small swatches of material that appear to be some kind of animal skin, around their chests and torsos. They’re beautiful and dark and, strangely, remind me of Cole—who I haven’t thought of in a long time—not because of their skin, which is several shades lighter than his shadowy complexion, but because of the undercurrent of energy that seems to surround them, both dangerous and exciting and the kind you want on your side. Especially the middle one, the frowner, who is musclier than I am, her toned, tanned arms hanging loosely at her sides.

And then not.

In a split second she’s managed to whip out a long blade, glinting in the sun.

“Now, Skye,” the tall one beside her says, her voice smooth and almost soothing. She reaches out a hand and touches her fingers gently to the middle girl’s arm. Skye, I assume.

“They’re
burnin’
Glassy baggards, Wilde,” Skye says, her eyes darting between Tristan and me.

“We don’t know that,” Wilde says, firmness in her tone.

Shaking off Wilde’s hand, Skye steps forward, spinning her blade casually. “Yer from the Glass City,” she says. Not a question.

“No,” Tristan says.

“Yes,” she says. “Only the Glassies are vomited from the earth.”
Welcome to Earth
, I think wryly.