22/10/2024
"The sands, boy," the old man rasped, his gaze burning into Kadeema, "they test us all. Some bend, others crumble, but those who carry a fire in their hearts, a purpose brighter than the Jinn's fury, will always stand when giants rise and prevail. Fear, boy, is not a stranger in the desert. It hides in the shadows, and dances in the darkness, but it is not your master, my son. It is merely a voice out of many that will speak to your heart. What matters is which voice you choose to listen to."
He tapped Kadeema's chest again, this time with a father's firmness. "This fire you doubt, it may not roar yet, but its embers glow inside you. You are desert-born. A child of the sun and wind. This land is in your heart. Its challenges are your trials, and when those trials come, they will not ask you to be fearless, but to be true. True to yourself, and the fire within, even when it's hidden by doubt and when your heart beats with hesitation. This is your strength, Kadeema. In the quiet courage to face your doubts and rise above them."
I LOVE this conversation between this father and son in the third book in The Sand Princess series. Wrapping up final edits this month. Look for this one in December 24!!!
