Release date: November 25, 2016
Subgenre: Portal fantasy, Young adult fantasy
About Secret of the Master:
It’s been two weeks since Tommy Travers broke a deadly curse in his
town, one he accidentally brought with him from the World of Books.
Being trained how to control his new power is more important than ever.
As Tommy enters a book under the guidance of his trainer Amelia,
however, the repercussions of the curse are not yet over. A wizard
escaped from the World of Books read Tommy’s mind and he knows where
the Gifted are. If the evil wizard finds a way to unlock his magic, the
warehouse, the Gifted—the world—will be his.
Tommy and his new
friends must find a way to gain back all they’ve lost. But time is
running out, and there’s something Amelia hasn’t told him. A secret—one
that makes him, an amateur Gifted who’s hardly begun training, the only
one who can defeat Mephitis before it’s too late.
In this sequel to Gift of the Master, join Tommy as he finds his true place among the Gifted and braves his most dangerous book yet.
Excerpt:
I
looked at Yalta’s body, the swelling seemed to have subsided, he looked more
like the curly haired young man I had gotten to know the past few days. Yalta had insisted on being the last one to
make sure nobody got left behind. The
children began to hum and sway back and forth, still bowing their heads. Fala suddenly broke into a slow mournful
song, the other children repeated the lines after her.
To the four winds we commit our brother
To the four winds we let him go
Up to the stars his spirit keeping
Down to the mother he must go
Dear Turona take him safe into thy bosom
Dear Turona take him from this place
Keep him safe until all things fail
Keep close our memories of his face
Life is but a fleeting moment
Life is but the changing from winter to
spring
Dear Turona keep him safe in thy keeping
Keep him safe until death has no sting
The
song ended and the children didn’t move.
They stood in silence around the body of their brother. I didn’t know what affected me more, the sad
song or the silence. “He is in Turona’s
hands now.” Fala said, turning from the group and walking back up the
path. I squeezed Kara’s hand and smiled
at her before letting go and following Fala.
Many of the group stayed behind, their heads bowed, and their eyes
closed. Many tears flowed freely.
“I’m
sorry,” I said when I reached Fala. Her
lip quivered, her eyes welled with tears.
She threw herself into my arms and broke down, sobbing. I patted her back and held her tightly,
feeling the same ache. After some time
Fala calmed and pulled away. “It was my
fault,” I said, “It was my idea, if I hadn’t come along Yalta would still be
alive.”
“Nonsense!”Fala’s
eyes were swollen and red from her tears, “You have helped us escape the
clutches of this evil place. We all
knew the risks when we attempted escape, Yalta more than most. Why do you think he always insisted on being
in the back?”
“I
know, but . . .”
“There
is no but, if it weren’t for your leadership we would have spent the rest of
our days walking in circles. In a way,
we were all already dead and you have saved us.” Fala’s red eyes were
adamant.
“I
just feel so bad about this,” I countered, “I should have been able to get all
of you out.”
“Pride,”
Fala accused.
“What?”
“Do
you think that you are a God? That you
cannot fail? You led us boldly, you
tried your best and your best saved all but one of us. Do not diminish Yalta’s sacrifice by
belittling it with could-have-beens. I
would have given my life to see my brothers and sisters to freedom, Yalta did
so purposefully. Let us honor his
sacrifice not with regret, but with gratitude.
He has bought our freedom with his life. What more honor can a person have?”
Amazon
About Robert J. Fluegel:
Robert J. Fluegel is an American author, father of 8
wonderful girls and 1 very special little boy. This is the second in his popular World of Books series with many more
expected. He will keep writing until the world ends or death takes him, whichever comes first.
I have read both books in this series so far and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. I am not an avid reader but when I start to read these books I get drawn up in them almost as much as the boy in the story.
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