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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 had sat excitedly at the feet of the older children who’d woven tales of orphans adopted by knights, by fae, by kings and queens, or by leagues of assassins who guarded the continent. Her favorite story was that of a princess who’d come to their orphanage in search of an infant boy to match her husband’s golden-brown hair. The princess had traded her daughter—one with the traitorous features of a love outside of marriage—for a golden-haired boy who could inherit the throne. It was a story she and the others had asked to hear time and time again, all of them hoping that one day it might be they who were swept away from the dingy cots and cold floors and bland food for life in a castle.

As Nox looked at the baby in the basket, she wondered what kind of story they’d tell about her. This babe was unlike any she’d ever seen.

Nox took a small, tanned hand and brushed a silver-white strand of hair out of the baby’s face. The motion revealed a tuft of white brows and thick white eyelashes. The baby stirred slightly at the movement, eyes fluttering open. It didn’t cry when it looked at her. Instead, it seemed to wiggle within its blankets, blinking happily at her with lavender-colored eyes flecked with silver and cooing slightly before drifting back to sleep.

“She’s made of snow,” Nox said quietly.

“That she is.”

Part One

Alone, Together

One

Few of life’s joys are as pure as a pretty rock.

Nox’s eyes twinkled with amusement as she took the odd shape from Amaris’s outstretched hand. Glittery bits crumbled from Amaris’s palm like powdered stardust as she brushed her hands together. Nox dragged a nail over the rock, curious at how the shimmery surface flaked at her touch.

“Where did you find it?” she asked.

“There are a whole bunch by the pond. They look like jewels. Come look!”

There was no such thing as a day without chores, but occasionally the goddess smiled down on the children and allowed a break from the toils of life in Farleigh. The list of dos and don’ts before enjoying the pleasure of a free afternoon was exhausting.

Do all of your chores. Don’t enter the rooms or offices beholden to the matrons. Do ask your peers if they need help with their duties, ensure everything in the manor is clean, and check on the younger children. Don’t go into the kitchen, get stains on your clothes, or track dirt through the halls. Do thank the All Mother for your free time by saying your prayers. Don’t yell, run, or leave the grounds. And whatever you do, don’t disturb Matron Agnes.

Today, Nox and Amaris had been separated. It was her least favorite kind of day.