Excerpt: The Wind and the Mountain

aaaaa! The excerpt thing is open. I can post an excerpt before I'm allowed to write.

aaaaaa!

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The smallest of us have to climb into the narrowest tunnels closest to the surface.
In the dark, brushing against roots on all sides, it used to be fine, but now they've started destroying the forest and the roots turn to ash when you touch them, you're left underground surrounded by choking dust and you can't cough because you're so close to the surface they'll hear you.
Sometimes a little dirt falls from above in a clump and smacks you on the head.
Sometimes it feels like the whole tunnel has collapsed on you and you have to hold your breath and push with your hands backwards until you’re clear of the collapse.
We've got a new system, the dead end tunnels, or the tunnels that give to the surface for listening, when you get to the end of the tunnel, you tie the rope around your wrist. If anything happens, the other person in your team is waiting to pull you back through.
Like, if they detonate explosives near your position. Or if they spot you and manage to hit you with an arrow.
Elodar is at the end of the tunnel, I’m waiting at the far end of the tunnel for him to come back, Qali just behind me in the bulge where the tunnel starts sloping downward.
“Shhhh,” he says. “I hear something.”
He pokes his head up, and starts screaming immediately, in the starlight I can see a pale green fog settling into the hole.
A sizzling sound.
Elodor screams. He drops back down into the tunnel and starts crawling backwards toward me, I can hear him screaming and crying.
Elodor is eight, one year older than me.
His feet thrash about in the tunnel, then he stops moving and is silent.
I crawl forward and pull at his leg.
“Get up, Elodor, they’ll open up the tunnel and get us.
I pull at him but I’m not strong enough.
I back up to where Qali is crouched.
“I can’t get Elodor to wake up.”
“Oh,” she says.
“I can’t get him to move and he’s too heavy.”
“Oh,” she says.
“Move over so I can turn around.”
“Okay.”
I turn around and am halfway down the tunnel before I remember I’m supposed to tug on the rope.
I give it a pull and wait for a count of five. Nothing comes back.
“Qali?”
“Yes?” she says, her voice sounding small.
“You need to come with me. We’ll get an elder to come wake Elodor up.”
“Okay,” she says.
I wait, listening, but she doesn’t follow.
“You need to follow me now,” I say.
“Okay.”

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The title The Wind and The Mountain has a 35.9% chance of being a bestselling title!