{Excerpt+Giveaway} THE UNDISCOVERED DESCENDANTS by Jo Visuri

I’m thrilled to share an excerpt from The Undiscovered Descendants and give a brief glimpse of Auor Island and its inhabitants. The excerpt is from the middle of the book where Tristan and Elin have snuck into a secret tunnel at Aunt Adis’s house. Enjoy!
“I had only the guidance of the little red light to try to find Tristan’s back and jump on it. Tristan was muttering frustrations under his breath over my lack of progress. Piggyback success was finally achieved after the third try. Tristan immediately took off, running as fast as he could.
For some reason, the way back in the pitch-dark passage seemed longer. Perhaps because I didn’t have the comforting blue light of the Trollkors ring, or maybe it was the anxiety over getting out before we were discovered. We both seemed to draw a sigh of relief as the metal staircase came into view…wait, I thought, why could I see the metal staircase?
There was faint light…and it was coming from somewhere above the staircase. Tristan quickly released me and I slid to the ground. He placed his hand on the metal railing of the staircase. He clearly felt a vibration. He put a single finger in front of his mouth, motioning me to stay quiet.
This was bad! There were only two ways to go—back where we’d come from or up the stairs. Neither were good options. Tristan seemed to be contemplating the same thing as he came close to me. He looked back toward the way we’d come and then up the stairs.
Suddenly he pulled on my hand, tugging me towards the staircase. However, instead of starting upward, he led me to the back of the last spiral. He motioned me to drop to the ground and crawl underneath the stairs. I did as he asked, crawling along the damp dirt floor until I reached the stone wall. Tristan was instantly beside me. I could feel the heat from his body as it hugged closer.
The shaking of the stairs intensified. I could hear a faint female voice above us. The voice grew louder as it approached. It sounded as if it was having a conversation with someone, but the responding voice was absent.
“Yes, of course, sir…I understand completely…I am on my way to check the register as we speak…No, sir. I have not seen any sign of the Resistance assembling on the island…No, sir. I took your call on SRT. I should hear you fine all the way…Yes, sir, that is correct. The Smá-menn have not developed unimpeded cell coverage yet.” The voice paused.
I recognized the figure of Ms. Haugen, the librarian and Tristan’s aunt, as she stood at the bottom of the staircase within reaching distance. She seemed to hesitate for a moment as if sensing our presence.
All she’d have to do was turn around. With her night vision, Tristan and I huddling underneath the stairs would be clear as day. I could tell that Tristan was holding his breath as well. Together we watched as she started to slowly turn her body towards us. We both shrank down, trying to get as small as possible.”