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THE EARTH DWELLERS

Book Four of the Dwellers Saga

(AND Book Four of the Country Saga)

David Estes

Published by David Estes at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 David Estes

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Discover other exciting titles by David Estes available through the author’s official website:

http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com

or through select online retailers.

Young Adult Novels by David Estes

The Dwellers Saga:

Book One—The Moon Dwellers

Book Two—The Star Dwellers

Book Three—The Sun Dwellers

Book Four—The Earth Dwellers

The Country Saga (A Dwellers Saga sister series):

Book One—Fire Country

Book Two—Ice Country

Book Three—Water & Storm Country

Book Four—The Earth Dwellers

The Witching Hour:

Book One—Brew (Coming January 16, 2014!)

The Evolution Trilogy:

Book One—Angel Evolution

Book Two—Demon Evolution

Book Three—Archangel Evolution

Children’s Books by David Estes

The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves:

Nikki Powergloves—A Hero Is Born

Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council

Nikki Powergloves and the Power Trappers

Nikki Powergloves and the Great Adventure

Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (Coming soon!)

This book is dedicated to each and every blogger

who has taken a chance on one of my books

and shared what they thought of it with the world.

IMPORTANT AUTHOR’S NOTE BEFORE READING

THE EARTH DWELLERS

The Earth Dwellers will cap off an eighteen month journey that has taken me from unknown Indie author to still-mostly-unknown fulltime Indie author. The change is a subtle one for most people, but for me it’s a dream come true. To the hundreds (and now maybe even thousands!) of readers who have come along for the ride with me, either by reading the Dwellers Saga, the Country Saga, or both, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now down to business. There may be some of you who have only read the three books in the Dwellers Saga or the Country Saga, and are now thinking you’ll read The Earth Dwellers, which is supposedly the 4th book in BOTH the Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Well, that’s awesome! However, I must highly recommend that before reading The Earth Dwellers that you read the three books in the Dwellers Saga AND the three books in the Country Saga. Trust me, doing so will greatly enhance your experience, as The Earth Dwellers takes significant characters from both series and crashes them together (yes, like a water country wave) into an action-packed tale of struggle and loss and hope and friendship…and maybe a little love, too ;)

Anyway, that’s my advice; it’s up to you what to do with it. In any case, thanks for being a part of my own adventure, I’m a better person for having written stories for you!

Recommended Reading prior to The Earth Dwellers

The Moon Dwellers

The Star Dwellers

The Sun Dwellers

Fire Country

Ice Country

Water & Storm Country

A Guide to Slang and Terminology from the Country Saga

Fire Country

Wooloo- crazy or insane

Baggard- an insult, use your imagination…Also, what Perry is!

Tug- a large buffalo-like animal that provides everything from food to clothing to shelter for those who live in the desert

Smoky- attractive (Circ, for example)

Prickler- cactus

Scorch- hell, or the underworld

Searin’- a mild curse word

Blaze- a somewhat-frowned-upon term for human waste

Killer- large wolfish animals that roam the desert searching for food

Burnin’- a stronger curse word

Cotee- Mangy coyote-like animals that hunt in large packs and generally prefer already dead prey

Call- husband or wife previously assigned during a Heater ceremony. “The Call” practice has since been abolished with the creation of the Tri-Tribes.

Bundle- diaper

Grizzed- angry

Pointer- arrow

Fire stick- gun

Fire chariot- truck

’Zard- lizard

Totter- a young child, a toddler

Midder- older kids, but not yet teenagers

Youngling- teenager

Shanker- slacker, lazy person

The Fire- the airborne disease caused by long exposure to the toxic air that has lowered life expectancies substantially

Ice Country

Yag- Large mountain-dwelling creature of ice country legend, not unlike a yeti, bigfoot, or the abominable snowman

Icin’- a mild curse word

Slider- a smooth-sanded plank of wood strapped to one’s feet to quickly slide down the mountain. Like a snowboard.

Freezin’- a stronger curse word

The Cold- what Icers call “the Fire.” Referred to as the Scurve or the Plague in water and storm country, respectively.

Chill- hell, or the underworld

A Guide to the Peoples of the Tri-Realms and the Countries

The Tri-Realms

Star dwellers- the lowest-ranking people of the Tri-Realms, living the deepest underground and in abject poverty

Moon dwellers- the “middle class” people of the Tri-Realms, although in reality their condition can only be described as impoverished

Sun dwellers- the ruling upper class citizens of the Tri-Realms, they enjoy a lavish lifestyle, artificial sunlight, and beautiful underground cities

Fire Country

Heaters- the original desert dwellers who lived in a small village in the center of fire country

Wilde Ones- a Heater splinter group led by a young woman named Wilde. Comprised of only strong-willed girls, the members of the tribe have been trained to fight.

Marked- another Heater splinter group that broke off in order to avoid the Laws of the Heaters. They are easily identifiable due to their markings, or tattoos, which represent how many lives they’ve ended, and how many they’ve saved.

Tri-Tribes- an alliance between the Heaters, the Wildes, and the Marked

Glassies (also referred to as Pasties or earth dwellers)- originally living underground, the Glassies are completely comprised of members of the Tri-Realms who made the trip to the earth’s surface, surviving only by building a large glass dome to protect their city from the toxic air.