Two Excerpts of Animal Speak Book Two!

Hello again!
So you all know that my first Novel, Animal Speak: The Book of Teachings, which is the first in my Animal Speak Series, is now published, thanks to my wonderful team at SBPRA, but what you dont know is that I have been very hard at work writing the Second installment which is called:Animal Speak: The Oasis of Fire. As a special treat for my readers, here is the synopsis and two excerpts from the second book.

Synopsis:
The Second Installment in the Animal Speak series by W. F. Mick, The Oasis of Fire will lead Stanley and his companions on a perilous journey more darker and terrible than they could ever imagine!
When a terrible curse is placed on Desmond, stripping him of his ability of speech, Stanley must race against all odds to save him! Trekking through The Nowhere Lands, Wandering the streets of The Silver City, and even Sailing across the sea to the fabled land of Elda to seek the wisdom of the original Speakers! As they Journey, they will come across an enemy far more dangerous than ever before, an enemy who is gaining the strength and support of many. Full of familiar Characters and even a few new ones, The Oasis of Fire, is sure to carry you away with the tides that it brings!


Excerpt one, Taken from: Chapter One-The Escape
A man in flowing red robes was hastily speeding through an alleyway, in pursuit of a shackled man who was quite a considerable distance in front of him, now taking a left onto a dazzling and beautiful cobbled street, packed with people and animals. The shackled man was darting through the crowd with the most extreme precision, as if he had planned it. His pitiless eyes were burning with a fierce determination as he pushed passed the people, now gasping and shrieking as they recognized him.

The man in robes shot a dazzling ball of golden light at his retreating opponent from a staff of bamboo that was bound in red cloth, but missed. The light crashed into a cart of apples and shattered it to splinters with a breathtaking flash of blinding gold light. The owner of the cart shouted obscenities at the man as he rushed by, but the man did not care, he had eyes only for the man ahead of him.
A dog, as large as a small fawn, and almost identical in color came speeding out of an alley ahead of the shackled mans left. The man in chains gave a gasp and his eyes widened in fear as the dog fearlessly sped towards him. Before the man could plan an escape route, the dog bounded into the air, and with the force of a sledgehammer, knocked the man down to the ground with a crash. At the same moment a tall man in an acid green cloak, carrying a sword and wearing thick armor on his chest, emerged from a crowd of people. He darted quickly over to the chained man and brandished his sword, pointing the tip of the blade at his throat, daring him to move another inch.
The man in robes rushed up, breathing heavily, he clutched a stitch in his side as he skidded to a halt next to his dog.
"Alright brother?", the man with the sword asked his friend, smiling slightly.
"Better now.", said Stanley, clutching at his side and staring down at the man pinned on the ground, smiling up at them with what they could only guess was pleasure.
Stanley kicked him hard in the ribs. The man groaned and rolled over, clutching his ribs, rubbing the spot where he had been kicked.
"Get up Hart.", Stanley said to the man, stooping down and lifting him up to his feet with the help of Elliot.

Excerpt two, taken from:  Chapter Two- The Nowhere Lands

The land began to grow flat after a while, the great green hills diminishing and turning into thick sand. Plant life began to grow scarce then, only thin brown tufts of plain grass stuck up through the sand, trying desperately to reach for the heat of the sun above. The temperature change was nearly immediate, the air near the village had reeked of the smells of the crisp and coming winter, now it began to grow sweltering hot and the breeze became nonexistent and the air was humid and dry. Sweat was running fast down their foreheads and getting into their eyes, stinging them slightly, and Desmond and Willow now began to pant heavily. Suddenly the land sloped upward for nearly a mile, and they had to focus much energy in getting up what appeared to be a rather mighty dune, their legs sinking in the sand above their ankles and weighing on their feet, not to mention filling their boots and shoes with the gritty stuff, making it rather uncomfortable on them as they climbed. The six companions reached the top of the dune at last, and all of them gasped in wonder.

The Nowhere Lands seemed to be comprised of nothing but hundreds upon hundreds of massive towering dunes as far as they could see. They sat at the top of the dune for a while, looking at the great challenge ahead, and taking small swigs of water from their canteens. Stanley looked at his map of the great desert and was quite dismayed to see that there was no path marked on it for safe crossing, in fact there was no path at all, just sketches of dunes.

“Well.” Elliot said exasperatedly after a few more minutes, “Shall we get moving then?”

They all nodded simultaneously, not wanting to talk, as it seemed a futile waste of energy, and that was something that they would surely need crossing this place, and began to slowly descend down the dune. They traveled on for hours, climbing up one dune and then down it, only to be faced with trudging upward on another, and repeating this process. Their mouths were parched, and the sweat began to drench them so badly, that their clothes stuck to them. There was no breeze in the air, and the temperature began to increase horribly as each minute seemed to pass as the sun made its progress high above them in the sky. They began to grow weary and exhausted, the sand in their boots now beginning to feel like heavy weights on their feet. Only Oliver seemed to not be affected by the heat of the desert, Stanley assumed being high up in the sky would be unbearable, but the great falcon kept gliding above them, enjoying the small breeze that only he could reach. Near dusk as the sun began to set, they reached the top of a particular tall and towering dune, and they all decided that they would rest for the night. Thankful for this decision, Stanley dropped his pack upon the ground and pulled out the tent that Prentice had given him long ago in Oakhill, and set it up. The difference in the tent was immediate, the shade it provided seemed to be a blessing and it was cool and comfortable inside. There was no wood to be found to make a fire, so they ate a cold dinner of bread, honey, and berries. The heat began to wane as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon away west, and was replaced by a cold so frigid that only the desert could create. They huddled together inside the tent that night, each one taking turns at guarding, sitting outside in the icy air in front of the tent, wrapped in blankets, holding their cloaks tight around them. Elliot was watching guard, while Stanley, Desmond, Lumen, and Willow sat inside the tent, shivering slightly. Then Elliot gave a small yell, and popped his head inside the tent.

Thanks for reading!

Get your copy of Animal Speak: The Book of Teachings today so you can be ready for the next adventure!
www.sbpra.com/wfmick

Much Love always!

-W. F. Mick-