Moonbound: The Curse of Ashfall

moss and shadow. The road ahead curved sharply into the woods, slick with mud and the scent of pi

ogging the glass. She watched the trees blur by, thick and tan

d herself. Not in front

. She hadn't said much since picking Lyra up from the train station an hour ago. But then again, wh

finally said, though her tone was

e scent of rosemary and jasmine that always clung to her scarves. She wanted the creak of

that w

was only

ngs, its church steeple rising like a dagger through mist. The place looked like it had been carved out of time, untouched by mode

g," Lyra

n, leading up to a weathered Victorian house that leaned slightly to one side. Paint

iriam said, kil

the house. "It

en amusement and sadness. "It's just o

he kind of place that had stories in its walls and secrets in its floorboards. A single light glowed in

ud. The furniture was covered in sheets, and the air felt thick-almost watchful. She co

room," Miriam said, open

ral wallpaper and a wrought-iron bedframe. A window overlooked the

o unpack," Miriam sai

pened. The silence in the room was oppressive, almos

r. No, a

ow, but saw only trees. St

ired. Jet-lag

eyes. But as she drifted into uneasy

nt. Low. And

⋆

. Ashfall High stood at the end of a long road, its brick facade draped in ivy and shadow. Students m

bject in a place that had

er head down as she navigated to the office, got her schedule, and trie

't feel suffocating was

he town. A tall man with steel-gray hair and a tired expression st

ble. "I know most of you have heard them since childhood. But for those who a

her hand. "Are we talking

nodded. "Am

irl next to her, a petite b

ike men. They say they live in the forest. People vani

d. "And tha

irl said with a shrug. "

⋆

ngs Miriam had brought up. Most were books, old photos, and a leather

legible. Her mother's handwriting

etter. The blood sings louder near the woods

ld wind whispered

ound outside-

w. The woods loomed beyond the backyar

l for a wolf. To

ore she could regi

eart alre

s not what

r, perhaps