The Sapphire Flute: Book 1 of The Wolfchild Saga Read online



  "The Sapphire Flute is a steady burst of imagination and adventure. What a great start to the series!"

  James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner

  "This book has everything I read fantasy for: excitement, adventure, engaging characters, and a storyline that is completely unpredictable. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Karen Hoover is one heck of a writer! Now I just want to know when I can get my hands on her next book."

  J. Scott Savage, author of the Farworld Series

  "A delightful tale filled with action, magic, and enchanting characters you're sure to love!"

  Julie Wright, author of The Hazzardous Universe

  "This is one of those books I can picture myself reading when I was much younger--I think it would be among my most-loved books of my pre-teen and teen years, along with A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, The Oval Amulet by Lucy Cullyford Babbitt, and Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles. Perhaps it may be presumptuous of me to rate The Sapphire Flute so highly. I do so because this story resonated with me the same way those did. I can see my self re-reading this book many times down the road, as I have the titles I mentioned above."

  Melissa Owens, of Melissa's Bookshelf,

  book review website

  By Karen E. Hoover

  THE WOLFCHILD SAGA

  The Sapphire Flute

  The Armor of Light

  *The Emerald Wolf*

  *The Amethyst Eye*

  *The Hidden Coin*

  *The Ruby Heart*

  *The Crystal Mallet*

  *Forthcoming*

  THE SAPPHIRE FLUTE

  by

  Karen E. Hoover

  Book 1 of TheWolfchild Saga

  Copyright © 2011 Karen E. Hoover

  Cover Art © 2011 Deirdre Eden Coppel

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, certain characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN 978-1-613-64423-2

  2nd Edition June 2011 / First American edition March 2010

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  It's hard to know exactly who to thank when the first words of this story were written over seventeen years ago. For all those who helped in the early years, you know who you are and I thank you—for the feedback, the late night brainstorming sessions, and the encouragement when everything felt like drivel. This book would not have become what it was without those beginnings, and for that, I thank you.

  There are a few people in particular who deserve some individual thanks, though, and this is the place to do it. First, Darla Isackson, for telling me that the only way I wouldn't get published was if I quit writing, and who encouraged, pushed, and pulled me forward at times to keep me moving ahead. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and for believing I could do it. Second, my dear friend Shari Bird, who spent many a morning walking with me pounding out the details of my stories and believed in when I forgot to believe in myself. She's got to be the best butt-kicker in this world. Thank you, Shari, for your love and encouragement, and for loving my stories almost as much as I do.

  For Tristi Pinkston, editor and friend extraordinaire, who saw the potential in me and helped me on my journey to publication long before she became my official editor, and for Candace Salima, who always encouraged me, and when Valor Publishing Group opened its doors, invited me in, she gave my book a home for a time. I'd also like to add thanks to BJ Rowley and and Muriel Sluyter for all their hard work on the book, and Deirdre Eden Coppel for the AMAZING cover. For all the friends and critique groups who've seen the rounds of this story, I thank you. I'd be nowhere without my family, and wish to thank them for the patience, tolerance, and encouragement, despite simple dinners of fruit, toast, and cheese, and the many, many days and nights I've spent up the canyons writing, or buried in the basement. Gary, thank you for encouraging me to follow my dreams and helping make it real. Austin and Robert, thanks for being the amazing kids you are and for understanding this crazy need I have to throw words on a page.

  And most especially, I'd like to thank my Heavenly Father—for without His gifts and guidance, I would be nothing.

  Dedication

  To my biggest cheerleader and greatest fan,

  the woman who told me I could do anything if I wanted it badly enough,

  and was with me from the first word until the last.

  I only wish she were here to cross the finish line with me.

  I love you, Mom.