The Shifter (21 page)

Authors: Janice Hardy

Tags: #General, #War, #Magic, #Juvenile Fiction, #Fantasy & Magic, #Science Fiction, #Fantasy, #Historical, #Family, #Sisters, #Siblings, #War stories, #Ages 9-12 Fiction, #Family - Orphans & Foster Homes, #Healers, #Children's Books, #Children: Grades 4-6, #All Ages, #Orphans & Foster Homes, #Military & Wars, #Orphans

BOOK: The Shifter

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“May—” Aylin began.

“Probably,” I finished. No more maybes.

“So sooner or later, I’ll have to fight anyway,” he said. “We all will. Just like our parents did.”

“Probably.”

He sighed and thought it over some more, tossing a rock back and forth between his hands. “Okay, I’m in. The Duke can send only so many soldiers at once, right?”

“It’s a small island,” said Aylin. Danello chuckled.

“Yeah, but it’s
our
island.”

I shook my head, feeling strangely better about the future, dangerous as it was bound to be. “No, it’s our
home.”

And we were going to fight for it.

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are tons of folks to thank for helping this dream-come-true book thing actually
come
true. Let’s do the mushy stuff first: Thanks to my hubby, Tom, who put up with me and didn’t mind that I was too scared to let him read a single word until I sold it. To my family, who listened to me ramble endlessly about plots and conflicts and other writerly things that bore nonwriters to the brink of coma. My best bud, Juliette, who had the crazy idea to run off to Surrey for the writers’ conference that made “so
that’s
how you do it!” lightbulbs go off like crazy. Who also spent hours on the phone with me talking about the story, as well as reading it with her razor-sharp brown pen. Thanks to Bonnie, whose critique comments were as hysterically funny as they were helpful; to Ann, who never let me slack off saying what something looked like; and to Birgitte, who stealth-crit on the sly. The not-so-mushy thanks go to Glo, Melody, and the rest of the gang at FYN, who read and ripped apart the first draft with great gusto and insight. Thanks also go to the Bloodies—Dario, Traci, Aliette, and Keyan—for their keen eyes and dead-on advice that helped my “I thought it was polished, honest” draft really shine. Much screaming-with-joy thanks goes to my agent, Kristin, and my editor, Donna, who are both way too fabulous for mere words to describe. They really taught me what a red pencil is for, and the book is astonishingly better because of them. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a quick thanks to Sara and Ruta, the assistants who did all the important behind-the-scenes work they probably thought no one noticed. And finally, I’d be beaten to death (lovingly so) if I didn’t mention my niece, Elise, who is a constant source of inspiration and delight.

Thanks all—you’re the best.

About the Author

A longtime fantasy reader, J
ANICE
H
ARDY
has always wondered about the darker side of healing. She tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing could be dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. She lives in Georgia with her husband, four cats, and one nervous freshwater eel.

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Credits

Jacket design by Holden Designs

THE HEALING WARS: THE SHIFTER
. Copyright © 2009 by Janice Hardy. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Adobe Digital Edition September 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-194957-9

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