Beyond the Valley of Thorns

by Patrick Carman

  And then I was asleep and rocking on the waves, riding the water toward home, enjoying the quiet company of the Lonely Sea.

  It would be the last quiet I would know for some time.

  To be continued …

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  The Land of Elyon Book 3

  The Tenth City

  Alexa Daley is lost at sea — drifting perilously close to the cliffs — and a storm is coming that threatens to tear the Warwick Beacon to pieces.

  Armon, the last of the giants, is tracked relentlessly by the black swarm, whose aim is to turn him against Alexa and thwart her pursuit of the Tenth City.

  Yipes is held captive by an evil band of ogres, his fate unknown.

  And The Land of Elyon has begun to fail, poisoned by the evil that creeps across the Dark Hills and into Bridewell.

  As she moves toward a thrilling conclusion, Alexa must find a way to overcome the Lonely Sea, rescue Yipes from the clutches of Victor Grindall, and unlock the mystery of the Tenth City. But can she find the answers she needs in time to save The Land of Elyon?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  PATRICK CARMAN maintains that he does not now have, nor has he ever possessed, a Jocasta or any other type of gemstone that offers the power of interspecies communication, telepathic or otherwise. Parties interested in obtaining such a stone are well advised to look elsewhere.

  Mr. Carman does, however, speak to young people of his own species, sometimes aloud and sometimes in print. He makes his home in the wilderness of eastern Washington and insists that it is a rather ordinary home and is not, in fact, surrounded by stone walls.

  Mr. Carman plays no musical instruments, but he has been known to torture dinner guests with attempts on the harmonica. He divides his time between writing, public speaking, spending time with his wife and two daughters, reading, fly-fishing, paragliding, and snowboarding.

  To learn more about Patrick Carman and The Land of Elyon visit:

  www.scholastic.com/landofelyon

  In addition to the people I thanked in The Dark Hills Divide, I would like to add the following: Charisse Meloto for her boundless energy and leadership; Jennifer Pasenan, Rachel Coun, and Katy Coyle—their enthusiasm and hard work make me wonder how I got anything done before I met them; Barbara Marcus and Jean Feiwel, for making me feel at home in an unfamiliar place; Remy Wilcox for her critical eye and unwavering support; and to Jeremy Gonzalez, who risked everything on my behalf.

  Copyright

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

  This book was originally published in hardcover by Orchard Books in 2005.

  Copyright © 2005 by Patrick Carman.

  Cover art by Brad Weinman

  Cover design by Steve Scott

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

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  e-ISBN 978-0-545-30234-0