Secrets of Stone

by Coltrane Seesequasis

Overview

Centuries have passed since the forces of nature won the war against humanity. Sentient animals now rule a healing world, and as the stain of mankind continues to dwindle, a young wolf called Silversong is determined to rise in the hierarchy of his pack. Strong at manipulating wind and air, all he needs is a way to prove himself to his Chief.

Before he can get the respect he deserves, however, Silversong’s aspirations are cut short by the Heretic and his outcast wolves. Against all odds, the Heretic and his band of exiles escape their imprisonment far to the west and wreak havoc on Silversong’s pack. The exiles pose a threat unlike any other, and their enigmatic leader won’t stop his brutal conquest until all wolfkind submits to him.

Silversong can’t let a monstrous wolf like the Heretic roam free. With the wind at his back, he pursues the leader of the exiles into forests of shadow and into ancient places better left forgotten. But the further he strays from home, the more he comes to realize that maybe his enemies aren’t so evil after all. Maybe there’s a reason for the destruction they seek… and maybe there’s a far greater danger lying in wait.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781928120421
Publisher:	Kegedonce Press
Publication date:	09/07/2024
Series:	A Wolf in the Sun , #1
Pages:	243
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Coltrane Seesequasis is a young fantasy writer of Willow Cree heritage who grew up in Gatineau, Quebec. He first began his writing journey on long bus rides to school where he would alleviate the boredom by daydreaming of fantastical worlds, noble heroes, and unwavering villains. Eventually, he put those ideas to paper and started writing stories of his own with the hopes that they would one day morph into something more than just a passion. Secrets of Stone is his debut novel and the first book of a planned four-book series that follows the adventures of the young wolf Silversong. Inspired by a love of nature as well as myths and folklore that challenge the limits of creativity, Coltrane Seesequasis joins a new generation of writers, adding his voice to the immersive genre of fantasy.

Read an Excerpt

PrologueA BROKEN CHAIN

"Keep up, orthey'll catch you!" the grey wolf barked.
Swiftstorm followed the voice ahead of her, wincing at thepain exploding through every paw. Despite exhaustion and discomfort hinderingher resolve, she darted through the malformed pines and jumped overoutstretched roots, matching the speed of her leading partner. The savagelaughter behind them provoked a chill and stiffened her hackles. The exileswere getting closer.
"I wasn't exactly planning on stopping," Swiftstorm huffed,legs numb from sprinting as the stuffy air denied her the comfort of a completebreath. "But thanks for the reminder, Greyhail."
Greyhail craned his head over his shoulder to smirk at her,his eyes like amber sunsets too deep and too flawless for the scarred face theycontrasted. "Had to make sure your focus was on the appropriate thing," he grunted,panting away his fatigue. "You always get distracted whenever you're near mefor some reason. Must be my good looks, eh?"
Heat seeped into Swiftstorm's cheeks, but she forced herselfto scowl until he turned around. "Ugh... you're so hopeless." She tried to hide acreeping smile.
"Not as hopeless as the situation we're in," he snorted.
The remaining stars glimmered defiantly against thethickening clouds, but like the moon before them, the shadow smothered theirlight. Raspy voices cheered at the triumphant darkness, and the evergreensgroaned and twisted in place, their roots below coming alive.
"Look out!" Swiftstorm yelped.
One of the roots tripped her partner, and he smacked hismuzzle on the frozen ground. Before he could get up, tendrils of wood explodedout of the soil and entangled him like snakes coiling an unsuspecting rat. Hethrashed and wriggled, but the choking prison never softened its assault.Slowly, the tendrils began to decay, emitting an odor foul enough to sickeneven a vulture's stomach. They dragged him low and ignored his struggle.
Swiftstorm's nostrils curled. She blocked her nose andforced her mouth to suffer the unclean air instead. Even so, the sickeningstench soured her tongue and wrenched her gut. "Greyhail!" She skidded to a standstillbeside him.
"Argh!" Greyhail yowled, biting at his confines in betweenheaves. "Get them off!"
"Quit moving!" She braced herself and tore at the rottingroots, spitting and swallowing so the bile never escaped beyond her parchedgullet.
"Quit moving?! Really?!" Greyhail's forelegs broke free."Oh, sure. I'll just relax while these roots BURY ME ALIVE!"
"Oh, be quiet, you bug-brained buffoon!" Swiftstorm growled,using her quick claws to sever the stubborn tendrils. She grabbed her partnerby the scruff and helped him up. "Try not to embarrass yourself like thatagain. I'm getting tired of saving your sorry backside."
"Consider my sorry backside eternally grateful." Greyhailcoughed and gave her a thankful nuzzle before stepping away from the writhingroots. "I definitely owe you the fattest prey I can sniff out."
Swiftstorm snorted and nudged him on the cheek. "For all thetimes I yanked your tail out of trouble, you owe me much more than a singlemeal."
The ceaseless barking of their pursuers reminded her of thedanger they were in.
Ugh, to think this was supposed to be a simplescouting mission to see what the exiles were up to. It looks like we've managedto attract the attention of every faithless mongrel in the entire Furtherlandsinstead! Some scouts we are.
Greyhail gave her a funny look before turning toward theirdestination. "I'll think of a fitting reward after we're safe in one of thecozy caves of the Great Chain. Deal?"
"Deal." Swiftstorm nosed him on the snout.

Reading Group Guide

"Keep up, or they'll catch you!" the grey wolf warned.

Swiftstorm followed the obvious advice. She darted through the malformed pines and jumped over outstretched roots, matching the speed of her partner despite the pain exploding through every paw. The savage laughter behind them stiffened her hackles. The exiles were getting closer.

"I wasn't exactly planning on stopping," Swiftstorm huffed, legs numb from sprinting as the stuffy air denied her a comfortable breath. "But thanks for the reminder, Greyhail."

Greyhail craned his head over his shoulder to smirk at her, eyes like amber sunsets in his broad and scarred face. "Had to make sure your focus was on the appropriate thing," he grunted, panting away his fatigue. "You always get distracted whenever you're near me for some reason. Must be my good looks, eh?"

Heat seeped into Swiftstorm's cheeks, but she forced herself to scowl until he turned around. "Ugh, you're so hopeless." She tried to hide a creeping smile.

"Not as hopeless as the situation we're in," he snorted.

The remaining stars glimmered defiantly against the thickening clouds, but like the moon before them, their light was smothered without mercy. Raspy voices cheered at the triumphant darkness, and the evergreens groaned and twisted in place, their roots below coming alive.

"Look out!" Swiftstorm yelped.

One of the roots tripped her partner, and he smacked his muzzle on the frozen ground. Before he could get up, tendrils of wood exploded out of the soil and entangled him like snakes coiling an unsuspecting rat. He thrashed and wriggled, but the choking prison never softened its assault. Slowly, the tendrils began to decay, emitting an odour foul enough to sicken even a vulture's stomach. They dragged him low and ignored his struggle.

Swiftstorm's nostrils curled. She blocked her nose and forced her mouth to suffer the unclean air instead. Even so, the sickening stench soured her tongue and wrenched her gut. "Greyhail!" She skidded to a standstill beside him.

"Argh!" Greyhail yowled, biting at his confines in between heaves. "Get them off!"

"Quit moving!" She braced herself and tore at the rotting roots, spitting out the sickening chunks of wood before they could slide down her parched gullet.

"Quit moving?! Really?!" Greyhail's forelegs broke free. "Oh, sure. I'll just relax while these roots BURY ME ALIVE!"

"Oh, be quiet, you bug-brained buffoon!" Swiftstorm growled, using her quick claws to sever the stubborn tendrils. She grabbed her partner by the scruff and helped him up. "Try not to embarrass yourself like that again. I'm getting tired of saving your sorry backside."

"Consider my sorry backside eternally grateful." Greyhail coughed and gave her a thankful nuzzle before stepping away from the writhing mass. "I definitely owe you the fattest prey I can sniff out."

Swiftstorm nudged him on the cheek. "For all the times I yanked your tail out of trouble, you owe me much more than a single meal."

The ceaseless barking of their pursuers reminded her of the danger they were in.

Ugh, to think this was supposed to be a simple scouting mission to see what the exiles were up to. Somehow we managed to attract the attention of every faithless mongrel in the Furtherlands instead! Some scouts we are.

Greyhail gave her a funny look before turning toward their destination. "I'll think of a fitting reward after we're safe in one of the cozy caves of the Great Chain. Deal?"

"Deal." Swiftstorm nosed him on the snout.

"Good. Now come!" He bolted in the direction where the summer sun would rise, kicking up clumps of frigid earth.

Editorial Reviews

https://open-book.ca/News/A-Young-Wolf-Faces-His-Enemies-and-His-Destiny-in-Coltrane-Seesequasis-Thrilling-Debut ;

From the Publisher