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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

Nox followed. Curiosity pulled her forward like a rope, the desire to know burning hotter than the chill of the night. Carpet muted her footsteps as she padded along the corridor, allowing her to move soundlessly down the hall. If it hadn’t been for the distracting crack of thunder and ongoing banging at the door, the matron might have spotted her as she descended the stairs. Instead, Nox remained several feet behind the Gray Matron and the buttery glow of her candlelight, unnoticed.

Nox knew she was clever for her age, as the matrons had repeatedly told her as much. On more than one occasion they’d complimented her curiosity, her studiousness, and remarked on how peculiar it was to see such an old soul in someone so little. She spent hours watching the world unfurl around her, learning its games, rules, and players. Her small stature and quiet nature helped her remain undetected as she observed.

Her cleverness for shadows reassured her she wouldn’t be spotted if she crouched behind a table in the foyer. The curtain of her hair fell around her, concealing her in the shadowy puddle of her hiding place. She curled her hands around her toes to warm them as she sat in darkened silence, watching, inhaling the scent of rain and wet earth and the cold, sharp smell of late seasons.

A visitor in the middle of the night was a new player. This was a game she’d never seen before.

The matron reached the large wooden front door and lifted the iron cover to the glass spyhole carved into its middle. She peered at whoever pounded on the door from their place on the landing. The matron appeared to consider her options briefly before lifting the wooden slot barricading the manor from trespassers. The knocking stopped the moment she began to pull the door open. Swirling raindrops blew over the threshold with windswept fury as if the storm itself spat in her face. A cloaked, rain-drenched man with wild eyes leered down at the woman in her wool shawl and nightclothes. He did not step into the manor, but the sight of him sent a shiver through Nox all the same.

“Agnes, I have something you’ll want to see.”

The Gray Matron started to shake her head with a disgruntled sound. She moved to push the door shut once more, ridding herself of the bother of the rain and the unwanted presence of the stranger.

The man flattened his palm against the door, refusing to let it close.