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Chapters (64)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  6. Pronunciation Guide
  7. Prologue
  8. Part One
  9. One
  10. Two
  11. Three
  12. Four
  13. Five
  14. Six
  15. Seven
  16. Eight
  17. Nine
  18. Ten
  19. Eleven
  20. Twelve
  21. Thirteen
  22. Part Two
  23. Fourteen
  24. Fifteen
  25. Sixteen
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Twenty
  30. Twenty-One
  31. Twenty-Two
  32. Twenty-Three
  33. Part Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Part Four
  47. Thirty-Six
  48. Thirty-Seven
  49. Thirty-Eight
  50. Thirty-Nine
  51. Forty
  52. Forty-One
  53. Forty-Two
  54. Forty-Three
  55. Forty-Four
  56. Forty-Five
  57. Forty-Six
  58. Forty-Seven
  59. Epilogue
  60. Excerpt from The Sun and Its Shade
  61. The Night and Its Moon Playlist
  62. Acknowledgments
  63. About the Author
  64. Back Cover

The water of the pond was nearly still, but not quite. Something disturbed it, creating a ripple in the surface and preventing the glasslike reflection of the night sky that the body of water should have had for such a still night. She scanned the shores, following the tiny, silent waves to where a large, dark rock blotted out the light of the moon. The sphere of ripples seemingly emanated from the rock itself. Her eyes were focused on the rock as something—a branch?—extended from it.

The rock was strange, its offshoot even stranger.

Amaris stifled the urge to gasp as she realized she was seeing no rock but something living. The extension she saw was the thing’s arm. She blinked, following the arm to its end as a hand filled a canteen with fresh water from the pond. The rock shifted to reveal that it was a wingspan, not a solid shape. The creature’s wings had created the illusion of a solid figure while sheltering the form of a man beneath it. The glint of the moonlight was slowly revealing the enormous, crowlike feathered wings of whatever—or whoever—knelt at the pond.

Inhaling slowly to stifle her fear, Amaris reached for her weapon and, silent as death, nocked an arrow. She wished she’d spent more time on the archery range and less time on swordplay now that her life might very well depend on her ability to make her target. If she shot her arrow, she’d have only one chance. If she missed, the creature would be at her in a moment.

Amaris reached into her chest, willing her heart to still as she quietly stretched the bow’s string, angling for the head of the demon before her. Her fingers shook, but she fought her tremble. She pressed the arrow’s fletching against her cheek, keeping the string taut, as she took her aim for the creature’s chest. The moment before release, she felt something cold on her neck.

The shape at the pond’s edge moved slightly, but the distant creature was now the least of her worries. She was acutely aware of the precariousness of life as the sharp edge of steel pressed into her throat. Her throat bobbed against cold metal.

Amaris hadn’t heard the second man approach. She hadn’t heard anything at all. He moved too quickly for her to react. In a flash, one strong arm pinned her to his hardened body. She was rendered unable to twist free or grab for her weapons. He held her firmly with one arm while his free hand continued to clutch a knife to her jugular. One well-placed nick and she was dead.