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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

“Then let’s hope the tumble doesn’t smash up that pretty face of yours when we land, so you can display you on your funeral pyre.”

The ag’drurath had been flying for nearly eight hours, according to the path of the sun, as it descended to their left, over the sea, still discernible even behind the clustering clouds. For some time, Amaris had felt the temperature get colder. Her muscles tensed and her teeth chattered against the frigid air. She warmed inexplicably hours into the flight and wasn’t sure if it was because her cells had grown numb or if the dragon was giving off some unknowable heat, but it comforted her. She’d allowed herself to relax, unclenching her muscles for what remained of their flight.

It seemed impossible that they’d stayed in the air as long as they had, but it had become clear that they couldn’t wait forever for the beast to land. How could the monster not have wanted to stop after all this time? Black blood had left acrid trails for miles upon miles until there was no blood left to be seen. While neither could swear it to be true, there seemed to be a fibrous, skin-like sack covering the wound on its amputated leg.

Perhaps flinging themselves from the animal truly was the better choice. If they waited for it to touch down, the ag’drurath would be tired and hungry. They were undoubtedly too exhausted to run any farther from the serpent. It would be a sorry end to their tale if they escaped its jaws in the coliseum only for it to eat them in a forest. Gadriel was right. Their safest bet was to leap as soon as they dipped into the tree line.

The reptilian monster was losing elevation, however gradually. What had once been dots and smudges below them colored into the shapes of distantly scattered farmhouses, trees, and cattle. The appearance of livestock piqued the demon’s interest, and it began to lower its flight path, keeping its blackened eyes open for any sheep, cows, or shepherds that had the misfortune of being outside this late into this most unfortunate, fateful evening.

The clear, blue day had grown chillier and gloomier the farther north they traveled. Clouds encroached until the sky overhead was caked in thick, gray waves. The ag’drurath flew lower and lower, slowing with a backward beat of its wings. Amaris peered up from the gap between the creature’s back and Gadriel’s tattered, sheltering wings. His protective body and blood-slick feathers were the only thing that seemed to be helping her cling to any body heat at this height. Amaris dared to lift her head enough to peer into the distance, spying where the dragon seemed to be angling. A clearing on a nearby mountainside was dotted with sheep.

“It’s going for that flock.” She pressed into his body, shouting into his ear.