Quest for the Sun Gem (21 page)

Ethan, Lily, Saxon and Roana have cracked the code, only to find that the Moon Pearl is being sent on a Sedah warship back to the land of the invaders. The only hope for Tiregian is for the four children to give chase in order to save the precious stone.

The fisherfolk can help. So can Saxon’s mysterious acquaintance, Fox, a disreputable smuggler who will do anything for a pouch full of Roana’s gold. But the sea is far more dangerous than the land. There are sea monsters, wild storms, greedy pirates, and the sheer power of the ocean itself – not to mention the deadly warship they are chasing.

Will Fox’s stealthy black sloop,
The Owl
, carry them to safety, or will the Moon Pearl remain in the hands of their enemy? And even if they make it home alive, will Sniffer be waiting for them?

Belinda has worked as a writer and public relations consultant for nearly twenty years. Her overseas adventures inspired her travel stories for the
West Australian
newspaper and
Out & About With Kids
magazine, amongst others.

Belinda comes from a very literary family, with a history of Australian writers stretching back 180 years – her great-great-great-great grandmother Charlotte Atkinson published the first Australian children’s book in 1841, and her sister Kate Forsyth and brother Nick Humphrey are both published writers. Belinda’s passion for children’s books was reignited when she had her own three children and began telling and writing stories for Nick, Emily and Lachlan. Belinda is currently writing the next two titles in the
Sun Sword Trilogy
.

Belinda lives in a tumbledown cottage overlooking the sea in Sydney with her husband Rob, three gorgeous children and lots of animals, including a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback called Asha (the real-life inspiration for Aisha).

A big thank you to everyone in my life, but particularly to:

Rob Murrell – for being my first reader, editor, research assistant, military tactician and best friend. His help was enormous, even being woken in the middle of the night to check the final changes to the manuscript.

My sister, the talented writer Kate Forsyth, who pushed and encouraged me to finish this story, even when my computer crashed and everything was lost. Her advice, editing and encouragement were inspiring.

Gilly Evans, my mum, for giving us all an obsession with books and writing, and a lifetime of love.

My dad, Gerry Humphrey, for many true-life adventures, some of which have made it into these books.

My brother and fellow writer, Nick Humphrey, who kept asking when I was going to write a book, and Glyn Evans, who has always been there for us.

Zoe Walton at Random House and Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown, for giving me the opportunity to see the Sun Sword come to life.

Lastly, for being so enthusiastic, questioning, demanding and imaginative, I thank Nick, Emily and Lachlan Murrell, without whom this story could never have been written.

The True/False ambigram
click here
is reproduced with the kind permission of John Langdon. You can find more of his extraordinary work at his website:
www.johnlangdon.net