Authors: David James
And the girl is gone
And the night is gone
And the world is gone-
Our hearts beat on,
Our hearts beat on,
Out hearts beat on.
“I’ll keep you safe,” I said.
I hoped.
Author’s Note
There are many facts woven into this story, but only some of them are completely true. I’ve taken liberties with the idea of Morpheus, Greek god of dreams and leader of the Oneiroi “Dreams” triplets. There are many interpretations of the Oneiroi, but I have molded the idea that Latin poet Ovid presented when he named them as Morpheus, Phobetor, and Phantasos. I also played around with the Arthurian legend of Merlin, and the idea that Myrddin Wyllt was his modern image. There have been several claims that a prophet named Lailoken was truly Myrddin Wyllt, and therefore Merlin, so I thought it interesting to incorporate that as well. And, as with everything else, I chose to bend and break some of the constellations and star patterns in the sky to better fit the story. Any differences in the reality of astrology were intended. For Calum’s constellation, I focused on the latin word “Caeles” (pronounced "KAI-leyss") which means “divinity/dweller in heaven” and used that name as a model for both his character and his power.
Acknowledgments
To my Mom because she was the first reader, and the first believer. And to my Dad for always being there. I won’t thank you for all the things you both have done for me over the years because that list would be another novel entirely, but I will say this: Thank you both for letting me run after my dreams with my whole heart, and for giving me the courage to believe. To you both, I am forever thankful.
Thanks to my sisters, Kara and Kelsey, who would fight for me even harder than Kate fought for her siblings. Rest easy, because I would do the same. Thank you both for being there no matter what, and for being the only two people in my world that never asked me when I was getting a job.
Many thanks to Amy, Jean, Toby, Gordon, and the many people that helped me learn about myself at Hazel Park High School.
A special thanks to Abby, Lindsay, and Brandon who know me better than anyone in the world. You three were, and continue to be, my lifelines to the real world, and my closest friends.
A big thanks to early readers, Will and Rachel and Matt, who asked me repeatedly if they could read this story until I caved. And to Donna, who read this story years ago when it was a completely different story.
To my whole extended family, both blood related and not, who have given me endless amounts of happy memories.
A big thanks to Keary Taylor for designing such an amazing cover and for her early enthusiasm. To Helen Boswell, the Queen, for her support and superb editing skills, and for her friendship. And to you, the reader, and to all those I’ve forgotten, my thanks is yours. Always.
David James
lives in Michigan. He has worked as an editor and a teacher, and still dreams to one day be a Power Ranger. He lives for cool autumn days, gummy worms, bad movies, popcorn, and books.
Learn more about David’s writing process at
http://djamesauthor.blogspot.com
Watch out for
The Warrior’s Code:
Zack’s Short Story
And find out what life was like
for Kate and Zack on their
journey to become Warriors.
Find out what happens next in
Book two
Shadow of The Sun
With Kate bound to live in
Ashfall, Calum is left to
Protect her sisters and help
bring the Order back to grace.
With more blood, more magic,
and more romance on every page
this second chapter will
leave you breathless.
To be released Late 2013
Table of Contents
Table of Contents