Death Weavers (55 page)

“I agree,” Dandalus said. “The more time you have on the road in the prison wagons, the better you can plot your escape.”

“I'll still have my power,” Cole said.

“Yes, but it will not work as easily as it does here,” Dandalus said. “You will have to learn how to control it in the physical world while inhabiting your physical body.”

Cole shook his head. “The problems never end.”

“Not in this lifetime,” Dandalus said.

“And not when an all-powerful torivor could break loose any day,” Jace added.

“Send us,” Mira said. “We're ready.”

“We'll be in different places,” Cole reminded her.

“Which is why we better get started,” Mira replied. “Don't worry, Cole. If you can't get free, we'll break you out.”

“Those in the prison wagons may want to consider playing dead at first,” Dandalus said. “No need to let your captors know immediately that you have returned from the echolands. It could work to your advantage.”

“Sound strategy,” Honor said.

“Are all of you besides Cole in agreement that I can return you to your bodies?” Dandalus asked.

They all agreed.

“Off you go, then,” Dandalus said.

Cole was once again alone with Dandalus.

“I'll go get Joe and Desmond,” Cole said.

“I'll be here when you want me,” Dandalus said.

Cole stopped putting his power into the stone.

“Where did they go?” Desmond asked.

“Back to their bodies,” Cole said. “Joe, Mira, and Jace are all right, but everybody at the Temple of the Robust Sky has been taken by Enforcers. We're in prison wagons headed for Junction.”

“They're carting us to Owandell,” Desmond said.

“Probably,” Cole agreed.

“Don't worry, Cole,” Joe said. “We'll come find you.”

“We'll try to save you the trouble,” Desmond said.

“The piece of the Founding Stone will remain behind,” Cole said. “My sword won't come either.”

“A spare sword?” Winston asked with interest,

“You're dead,” Harvan said. “We'll let Ferrin have it, as long as he chooses to linger.”

“I do have some experience with a blade . . . ,” Ferrin said.

“Here is the Weaver's Beacon,” Cole said, handing it to Prescia. “It saved us more than once.”

“I'm glad,” Prescia said. “But the beacon was just a tool. You did most of the saving, Cole. I'll do my best to help you on the other side as well.”

“Thanks,” Cole said. He exchanged farewells with Callista, Durny, Drake, Ferrin, and Winston. He looked over at Thunder. “Will she be all right?”

“She'll be extremely popular,” Harvan said. “You know how difficult it is to find a horse here. I'm hoping we'll be good friends.”

“Thank you, Harvan,” Cole said. “I was so overwhelmed when I got here. I'll never forget you. Thanks for all your help.”

“I'm glad I got to tag along,” Harvan said. “You're an extraordinary young man, Cole. And your story is only just beginning. Continue as you have commenced, and I predict that nothing will be able to stop you.”

“We better get going,” Desmond prompted.

“Okay,” Cole said, holding out the piece of the Founding Stone. Desmond and Joe laid their hands on it, and Cole pushed his power into it.

Everything went white, and Dandalus was back.

“May I have your permission to return you to your bodies?” Dandalus asked.

Desmond, Joe, and Cole all agreed.

Desmond and Joe vanished.

“Well done today, Cole,” Dandalus said. “I fear some of your greatest challenges remain. But your power could save you. Learn to master it. Rescue the Outskirts. If you end up in Junction, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks, Dandalus. Bye.”

And then Cole could see nothing.

Rough, wooden planks rattled beneath him as the wagon jolted along an uneven road. Cole was on his side, hands bound behind his back, ankles chained together. A hood covered his head.

A flood of forgotten sensations overtook him. Hunger. Thirst. Soreness. Exhaustion.

He once again had an actual, physical body.

Though uncomfortable, the sensations were all familiar.

But one important thing was different from when he had left.

When he turned his attention inward, Cole could feel his power burning bright.

Every book poses unique challenges. It was both fun and difficult to create the echolands. I had never taken my characters to the afterlife before, and I wanted to create a fantasy version of the hereafter that would feel a little different from anything we had seen. Such efforts take lots of time, and consequently require help and patience from my publisher.

Once again it has been great working with Liesa Abrams and the good people at Simon & Schuster. I also received generous understanding from my original publisher, Shadow Mountain, as they wait for me to finish
Dragonwatch
, the first book in the sequel series to Fablehaven.

Liesa helped me improve
Death Weavers
. She has the wonderful gift of being able to recognize and articulate how to make stories better. I also got useful feedback from my agent, Simon Lipskar, who also helped work out scheduling issues with my publishers. I am grateful to work with smart, talented people.

The whole team at Simon & Schuster deserves my thanks. Owen Richardson did another fantastic cover. Thanks also go to Mara Anastas, Mary Marotta, Jon Anderson, Lucille Rettino, Emma Sector, Carolyn Swerdloff, Jodie Hockensmith, Matt Pantoliano, Mandy Veloso, Jessica Handelman, Julie Doebler, Brian Luster, Christina Pecorale, Gary Urda, and so many others.

Some additional readers like my wife, Mary; Tucker Davis; Pamela Mull; and Cherie Mull provided additional reactions and feedback. I appreciate their efforts!

This has been a turbulent year for my family. My last grandparents passed away and tight deadlines placed challenging restraints on my time. My thanks go out as always to my understanding wife and my fantastic kids.

My gratitude also extends to you, the reader. Thanks for sticking with this series and for telling people about it. One more to go. I'll talk more about that in my Note to Readers.

There is now just one book left in the Five Kingdoms series. Hopefully, Book 4 left you as excited to read Book 5 as I am to write it!

For the past few years I have released two books each year. With that aggressive publishing schedule, I found myself sliding a little farther behind with each book. I generally wear one of three hats—writer, promoter, or dad. I need to write the books, I need to help readers discover the books, and I need to be there for my wife and kids.

Deadlines have placed a lot of strain on my life over the past few years. I have put in the work to be proud of everything I have written, but I believe that going forward, to keep the level of quality high, and for the good of my family, I need to slow down the pace a little. I'm not retiring or anything—just hoping to get closer to one book per year than two.

As a result, it looks like Dragonwatch, my sequel series to Fablehaven, will come out a little later than initially planned. Instead of fall 2016, look for it in spring 2017. And that in turn will push my final book in the Five Kingdoms series to fall 2017. And yes, that will once again be two books in a year. Stop paying such close attention!

This postponement is being done to ensure I have time to make both of those books the best they can be. I can't wait to revisit the people and places of Fablehaven with my Dragonwatch series, and am excited to write the finale to Cole's adventures in the five kingdoms.

And of course there will be more books after that. . . .

To connect with me, look up my author page on
Facebook
, follow me on
Twitter
, and check out my Instagram account
@writerbrandon
. My website is
brandonmull.com
. If you like the stories I'm telling, share them with people.Many of us discover the books we read through recommendations from friends and family.

Also by Brandon Mull

Five Kingdoms

Sky Raiders

Rogue Knight

Crystal Keepers

Beyonders

A World Without Heroes

Seeds of Rebellion

Chasing the Prophecy

Fablehaven

Fablehaven

Rise of the Evening Star

Grip of the Shadow Plague

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Keys to the Demon Prison

The Candy Shop War

The Candy Shop War

Arcade Catastrophe

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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First Aladdin hardcover edition March 2016

Text copyright © 2016 by Brandon Mull

Jacket illustration copyright © 2016 by Owen Richardson

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Jacket designed by Jessica Handelman

Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia

Author photograph by Laura Hanifin

copyright © 2011 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The text of this book was set in Perpetua.

This book has been cataloged with the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-4424-9709-2 (hc)

ISBN 978-1-4424-9711-5 (eBook)