The Shadow Guard
Page 19
Chey is standing mere feet away, even as I write this. He is so protective of me as the Palace Centurio and I am much indebted to him. With him, I fear not the future nor my path in it. Since the unrest in the quarry he will not be swayed to part from me, and in truth, my dear friend, I do not want him to.
Now, despite my delay in responding, I hope you will offer me a detailed letter telling me all of the news from Zipa. How much longer until you can invite children inside the Saavedra Academy for Learning? How proud our tutor would be to know of this tribute! The crates of books that will help you with your endeavors should be arriving soon. Zarif curated the collection himself and I think you will be pleased. The academy in Quarry Town opened last month and the children and parents are delighted with it!
I’m sorry that I cannot write more, but I must meet with Lord Yonda soon. He’s brought his whole family this time—what a passel of children and grandchildren that man has!—which has kept the chamberlain on her toes, as you might imagine!
Zarif, Chey, Tonio, and I look forward to your next visit, so please don’t keep us waiting much longer. The palace rooftop isn’t the same without you.
Yours,
Xia
Our deepest gratitude to:
Kevin Lewis, for taking the chance.
Ricardo Mejías, for taking the helm.
Barry Goldblatt, for getting us started.
Tracey and Josh Adams, for seeing us through.
The Disney-Hyperion gang, for ongoing support, and Kelley McMorris, for the gorgeous covers!
Team JD: Heartfelt thanks to Tracie Vaughn Kleman, for her poet’s eye, pretty words, and good humor throughout the many pages of our friendship. To Kevin Lewis, for constantly inspiring us with his Ory-like enthusiasm, Zarif-like curiosity, and Tali-like courage. And to Ricardo Mejías, our own young Saavedra, for his endless patience, wise insights, and for seeing the forest when we could only see trees. It was an honor to share the world of Tequende with you. Boundless appreciation as well to the people who keep me tethered to the real world with their love and loyalty. My family: Kyle and Ryan Durango; Larry and Susan Greider; Sherry, Natalie, Hillary, and Chad Stanford. My Westside family: Diane and Bill Stevenson; Angie, Mike, Jack, and Bridget Stevenson; Katie, Joe, Joey, and Will Trupiano. And, of course, my True Blues: Bill Cairns, Jenny Cottingham, Peter Kousathanas, Catalina Malaver, Juliana Parra, Doris Samuelson, and Tyler Terrones.
Team TVZ: To Gary Kleman, a man who defines so many words for this writer: love, devotion, compassion, patience, and honor. To our awesome pack of kids who paint every single day with the brightest colors: Cole and Abbie Zimmer; Gryphon and Teagan Kleman. My mom and bonus dad: Pauline and Werner Schwitalski, for always listening. My twin sister, Trish DeLong, for shenanigans and our big brother, Paul Vaughn, for getting us out of them. To my nieces and nephews, I love you all so much: Zach, Mahaley, and Jesse Vaughn; Wes, Alec, and Josie DeLong; Chase and Reagan Schwitalski. To the whole Kleman clan for such a warm welcome into the fold: Jackie and Ray, Steve, Becky, and Nick Kleman; Diane, Al, and Erick Starkey; Sarah and Donny Westcamp; Jody, Pete, Jackie, and Zach Bible; Jeff and Rachel Holstein; Jamey and Aunt Kay Harker. A huge bow to the Disney gang for making so many dreams come true: Kevin Lewis, Ricardo Mejías, Joann Hill, and Dina Sherman. I’m fortunate to have dear friends who guide me in writing and life: Laura Collier, Jessica Swaim, Mary Mahoney, Amanda Bimonte, and Patty Piron. Buckets of gratitude, love, and friendship to my writing partner, Julia Durango, who has taught me how to plot stories and a life I love—we made it, JJ!
J. D. VAUGHN is the pen name of Julia Durango and Tracie Vaughn, two friends who are also writing partners. They have written the middle grade novel The Second Guard. Julia is a former school librarian from Illinois and a winner of the Golden Kite Award. Tracie, a high school English teacher from Ohio, has also received critical acclaim, including the Schneider Family Book Award. They both share a love of travel, reading, chicken biscuits, and the teenagers who call them Mom.