Seekers

Fragments is the story of Father Curtis, Priest of the Order of the Eternal, who seeks solace in the serenity of his secluded parish, sheltered from the oppressive regime's grasp. But when he is unjustly branded a heretic, he is forced to embark on a harrowing journey for survival. In the process, he discovers that the very foundation of his beliefs has been built upon falsehoods. Amidst the chaos of his escape, he is confronted with the stark realization that the world he once trusted is a labyrinth of deception, orchestrated by the tyrannical forces of the Order. His own fate and the fate of humanity hang in the balance as he battles to find the truth about himself, the Order, and Creation, in a world where seeking the truth is a capital offense.

Three bears . . . one destiny From the author of the nationally bestselling Warriors books comes a brand-new animal fantasy series. Three young bears from different species-black, polar, and grizzly-are separated from their families when they are just young cubs. They find themselves brought together on a perilous journey. Fate is about to change all these bears lives forever, setting their paws on a path toward a future they cannot yet imagine . . .

It is the year 2158, and Hegemony has fallen.But the Order, the one-world religion, remains … securely ensconced as the unseen power behind all human government.Should any desire for truth be rekindled in the hearts of men, the Order stands ready to stamp it out …The Seekers have spent generations in their secret quest for truth, keeping alive the knowledge-that once there had been a True Light, now lost to this darkly oppressive world.Now, from the other side of the globe, word comes-there is a surviving copy of the True Text! Professor Reuel, Father Curtis, and Philip mobilize to save this precious relic, and the team of Keepers who have guarded it.But the Order is intent on getting there first. And they have a head start.What can a lone group of hunted revolutionaries do in the face of a massive global power like the Order? How can they prevail against such an indomitable foe? And if they fail, how will humanity ever learn the truth about themselves, the Order, Creation, and Eternity … ?

Destiny has brought them together. . . . Young black bear Lusa has left the comfort of the zoo, determined against all odds to make her way in the wild. It is there that she encounters grizzly cub Toklo and a mysterious changeling named Ujurak. Once united, the cubs find themselves on a journey toward a mystical place-if only they knew where. Meanwhile, separated from her family, polar bear cub Kallik trusts her intuition to lead her on a path traveled by many bears before her. At last the four cubs meet at the sacred Great Bear Lake, a place of peace and healing where bears gather to cele­brate the longest day. But all is not harmonious. Danger lurks beneath the calm surface of the lake, and only if they put aside their differences and truly come together will the young bears have any chance of surviving the harsh realities of the wild.

The Last Great Wilderness . . . There is a place where bears can live in peace, where there is sea-ice all year, where the forests are full of prey, where flat-faces never go. Polar bears Kallik and Taqqiq, black bear Lusa, grizzly Toklo, and the shape-shifting Ujurak believe that this fabled bear paradise must be the destination of their quest. But the path they follow is dangerous. The burning Smoke Mountains are more treacherous than anything the bears have faced before, and tensions run high as they encounter obstacle after obstacle. A rushing river and hostile flat-faces separate them from their goal, and a bear is pushed to the brink of death. Signs and omens point in different directions, and the bears, though traveling together, must each follow his or her own star . . . causing one bear to leave the group forever. But as the others travel on, they soon learn that it will take all their strength and determination to reach their destination. And, if they reach it at last, they may learn that what they thought was their quest's end is in fact a new beginning. . . .

Is this journey's end . . . or just the beginning? Toklo, Kallik, Lusa, and Ujurak have finally reached the Last Great Wilderness, the legendary bear paradise they've been searching for. But while his companions think they've come to the end of their long journey, Ujurak feels a deep unrest. Is this truly where they're meant to be? In the Last Great Wilderness, one by one the bears begin to remember their true natures. Toklo feels the urge to hunt caribou and mark his territory as a brown bear should, and Kallik feels the pull of the ice within her. It's only Lusa, happy just to be in the wild, who fears the day when her friends will leave her to follow their own paths. As the bears adjust to this new life, disaster strikes. The friends are forced to venture into the world of the flat-faces to save the life of one of their own. Once there, the end of their journey seems farther away than ever, as a new path spreads out before them.

The spirits dance like fire in the sky. . . . The three cubs-Kallik, Toklo, and Lusa-along with their shape-shifting companion, Ujurak, stand on the edge of the sea-ice under the blazing Northern Lights. The land has come to an end, but the bears' journey is far from over. Now they must put their trust in Kallik's paws, as she feels the ice pulling her out toward the ocean. Life on the ice is more difficult than the bears imagined. While Kallik struggles to remember her polar bear roots, Toklo bristles in the unfamiliar territory and Lusa gets weaker by the day; black and brown bears don't belong on the ice. Meanwhile, Ujurak learns firsthand what lurks beneath the whorls and bubbles of the ice, and what he discovers will change everything. Just when it seems like they'll never survive in the frozen wilderness, a mystical encounter with a bear spirit assures them that all will be well. But this strange vision leads to even more questions, and ultimately it might tear the bears apart-this time for good-as the next steps of their journey come into focus.

On the unforgiving Arctic Ice . . . United once again, Toklo, Lusa, Kallik, and Ujurak continue across the ice. Conditions are harsh and especially treacherous for the black bear and grizzly bears who are not used to the brutal cold, never-ending snow, and limited food. But the bears are certain now that they're on the right course, and with the stars still guiding them, they push forward. When they reach land at last, the group is overjoyed, but something is not right. The bears who live here are ill. What's wrong with them? What can the foursome do to help? Is aiding these strangers the ultimate goal of their quest? Ujurak just might hold the key to their mission in his paws, yet it's Lusa the new bears are especially interested in. Three young cubs, each from different backgrounds, and their mysterious shape-shifting companion have grown up together in their long and dangerous journey to save the wild. Now, when their task appears more difficult than ever, the bears must make a critical decision . . . and for one bear the path ends here.