Wanderling (Spirit Seeker Book 1) (23 page)

“The ancient white man sold our
spirit guide, our pathfinder. He confessed in front of our eyes and in our
ears, and now his blood feeds the earth. Let us join the search groups in the
desert and save the boy who will take us to victory by the sea. And if we do
not find him tonight, we know where he goes. We follow him to the sea both
ways, and we will take back what was stolen from our fathers’ fathers!”

As the man’s booming voice reached
the climax of his speech, the desert people burst into a hearty roar, stomping
their feet and shouting great war cries. From all around, the sound of horns
erupted into the dark night, reverberating through the air until Burano felt
filled with the energy of the united crowd.

At last,
thought Burano. He
climbed down from the boulder, stepping around Ollie’s still form to greet
Jarod.

“Give him an honest burial,” said
Burano. “Ollie’s sacrifice has just secured our alliance.”

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God knows where I would be without
the support of my friends and family who have tirelessly supported my writing
hobby/addiction. First, a huge thanks to my parents, who poured their time and
resources into my education, always letting me be creative with my schoolwork
and supporting my aspirations as I began writing. Also thank you to my sister
Lawana, who is a better critic, editor, and friend than I deserve.

In addition to family support, I
am blessed to have Marvin, Paul, and Joe, all of whom have encouraged me and
offered professional advice and feedback on many projects. I am also thrilled
to have a talented illustrator in Hannah England, who perfectly captured my
novel in the cover of this book. Thank you Hannah!

Last but not at all least, I want
to acknowledge my first reviewers and proofreaders who helped me in various
stages of development, from rough draft to last-minute polishing. To Ted,
Genevieve, Heather, Kristin, and the LASMU writers: thank you for your
criticisms, corrections, encouragements, and heartening words. You held me (and
the manuscript) together through this lengthy process!