The Dirt Eaters

  Roan smiles at Alandra and they sit together, feet dangling in the cool water, watching their flock, listening.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I WOULD LIKE TO THANK Susan Madsen, Guillermo Verdecchia, Barbara Pulling, and Pamela Robertson for their time and effort and belief. I am deeply indebted to Elizabeth Dancoes for her tireless and crucial contributions. Elizabeth’s ideas, advice, encouragement, and artistry have left an indelible mark on this book.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  DENNIS FOON IS THE AUTHOR of the novels Double or Nothing and Skud. His many stage plays have received international acclaim, including the British Theatre Award for Invisible Kids. His screenplays include the award-winning Little Criminals, White Lies, and Torso.

  Dennis lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he’s working on Freewalker, the sequel to The Dirt Eaters.

  FREEWALKER

  THE LONGLIGHT LEGACY TRILOGY:

  BOOK TWO

  To save a new generation, Roan must enter the heart of the sinister City …

  One year has passed since Roan, along with Lumpy, Alandra, and the children, escaped from the Brothers. Now, in the haven they call Newlight, Alandra has begun traveling the Dreamfield with her young charges, exploring the potential of their fertile minds.

  Disaster strikes when the children mysteriously fall into near-fatal comas. Desperate for answers, Roan and Lumpy set off to find a cure. Their quest will take them into the heart of the foreboding City. It is there, among the City’s menacing dwellers, that Roan will find his lost sister, Stowe … alive!

  But Stowe is no longer the sister Roan once knew, and the shadow that has fallen on her threatens to destroy them all.

  Dennis Foon delivers the second heart-pounding installment of The Longlight Legacy in Freewalker.

  Praise for Freewalker:

  “Full of menace, mystery, and marvels, Freewalker is a compelling read made even better by Dennis Foon’s ability to combine great fantasy and SF ideas.”

  —Garth Nix

  © 2003 Dennis Foon

  Edited by Barbara Pulling

  Copy edited by Pam Robertson

  Cover art by Susan Madsen

  Cover design by Irvin Cheung/iCheung Design

  Interior design by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

  Ebook development by WildElement.ca

  All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical—without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Distribution of this electronic edition without the permission of the publisher is illegal. Please do not participate in electronic piracy of copyrighted material; purchase only authorized electronic editions. Annick Press ebooks are distributed through Kobo, Sony, Barnes & Noble, and other major online retailers. We appreciate your support of our authors’ rights.

  This edition published in 2012 by

  Annick Press Ltd.

  15 Patricia Avenue

  Toronto, ON M2M 1H9

  We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for our publishing activities.

  Cataloging in Publication

  Foon, Dennis

  ——The dirt eaters / written by Dennis Foon.

  (The Longlight legacy trilogy)

  ISBN 1-55037-807-4 (bound).—ISBN 1-55037-806-6 (pbk.)

  —i. Title. ii. Series: Foon, Dennis. Longlight legacy trilogy.

  PS8561.O62D57 200---C813’.54—C2003-900790-1

  PZ7

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