Shadows of Destiny

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Velocity Girl and Xuàn Hú: Shadows of Destiny (aka Velocity Girl 3) by Jon Klement (published by Wandering Sage Books in 2008) marks the character Smerd's first chronological appearance in the Smerdiverse. Author Jon Klement initially added Smerd to the series to provide more "silliness, spontaneity, and comedy relief" to an otherwise serious costumed hero series. Fan response to Smerd was enormous. Smerd the p'ckit dragon quickly stole the limelight from Velocity Girl and Xuàn Hú. Although the little dragon continues to be the crimefighting duo's sidekick, he has also starred in his own webcomic series, children's books, and in an upcoming graphic novel anthology from Wandering Sage Books.

This book was nominated for the 2009 Golden Duck award in the young adult category.

Another major character introduced in this book is Knightshade, a divorced dad deprived of contact with his children whose deep depression triggered his latent powers. The emotional darkness of his depression connected him to an actual "Dark Place" dimension which he learned he could enter, emerging from the "Dark Place" dimension at any point on the Earth, in effect, teleporting. His connection to the "Dark Place" also provided him with other abilities.

In the plot, Titan (the main villain from Velocity Girl 1) sends his minions Null and Voyd to Earth to retrieve a weapons cache Titan's alter ego, Vincent Baxter, left behind at some point in the past. Velocity Girl gets accidentally transported with Null and Voyd to a planet in deep space where she finds herself involved in the fulfillment of an alien prophecy.

Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

"An old foe returns in the third novelized adventure of Velocity Girl and Xuàn Hú. When Titan sends his minions back to Earth from deep space to collect hidden weapons, the teen speedster and her mentor engage them in combat, only to become separated as Velocity Girl is dimensionally warped into space along with the villains Null and Voyd as they flee. While Xuàn Hú recovers from his wounds and desperately seeks a way to rescue her, Velocity Girl meets several new friends, including Smerd the p'ckit dragon, a symbiotic being who becomes bonded to her. Events accelerate as Xuàn Hú enlists the aid of the mysterious Knightshade to help him locate Velocity Girl. Will she be able to do her part to fulfill an alien prophecy to save an entire planet of psychic aliens from extinction at the hands of an ancient and powerful demon?"