Page 1

Chapter 1

Ravena

“Oh no,” I whisper when I catch a glimpse of the giant clock in the library. Dad is going to be pissed.

I grab the three books I’m looking at and hurry to the counter to check them out.

Melissant, the elven librarian, is silent as always while she dips her quill into the inkwell and scratches the titles onto her parchment notebook. Her long silver hair and gorgeous turquoise gown are flawless as usual. Meanwhile, I’m a mess—sweaty from running around town before work, and I only realized I had Mire Maw blood splattered on my shirt after I left the house. We had one in last week and I guess I forgot to throw my shirt into the wash. The amphibious swamp beast was causing all sorts of trouble in the Coralle River, swallowing people whole before he was captured and brought to us.

“Professional hazard,” I say with a nervous laugh when Melissant’s sharp eyes narrow on the blood. “He swallowed my father’s shoe before we—Kcckhhk,” I say, running my index finger across my throat. “We got the shoe back. It was gross.”

Melissant hands me the books, her face blank as usual. “You have three weeks to read them.”

“I only need three days,” I say with a nervous laugh as I slide them into my bag. “It’s not like I have any social plans or anything. People aren’t exactly lining up to take the executioner’s daughter out on a date, you know? Can you imagine dating that? Bring her home late and her father will behead you and stuff you in the corpse furnace.”

She just stares at me. I don’t know why she always makes me so nervous. I ramble nonstop around her.

“Guys aren’t exactly clamouring to date the girl with the collection of bloody saws and knives in the basement. Maybe it’s the guillotine we have in the front yard. I’m always telling my dad we should bring it—oh, okay.”

She just silently turns around and leaves.

I take a deep breath, throw my bag over my shoulder, and head out.

“Bye Melissant!” I shout, unable to stop myself. “I won’t get blood on them this time. I promise!”

I glance at the clock again and wince. I’m going to be very late.

Dad is a total sweetheart around me, but he does not appreciate tardiness. Bad punctuality is an unforgivable sin according to him.

So, I hightail it through Moonbell Hollow, my heart pounding as I run past The Silver Bell Tavern where the owner Rufus is carrying out the folding chalkboard menu. He’s a gruff old orc warrior who gives me a nasty growl as I pass. My father executed one of his cousins a long time ago, way before I was born, but you know how orcs are with their grudges. It’s too bad, because it’s the nicest tavern in town and I hear their Dragonfire Poppers are to die for.

I guess I’ll never find out. I drop my eyes as I hurry past him.

It’s a gorgeous fall day, sunny with some bite in the air. All the leaves are warm autumn colors—a gorgeous mix of red, yellow, orange, and gold. This town always looks so cute in the fall.

“Oh, come on,” I whisper as I get to the Market Square. It’s already so busy with the stalls opening and people and creatures waiting around to get the first pick of goods. I get trapped behind a cyclops dragging a dead elk. For giant creatures, they’re incredibly slow.

“Excuse me,” I say, trying to step around him. A group of wizards walk by as I try to go left. I bump into one of them and my arm goes completely numb for a few seconds. It’s best not to touch those guys. Everyone else gives them a wide berth.

I go right and nearly walk straight into a red demon. I gasp and dart out of the way just in time. That could have been ugly. I almost smacked my face into his bare chest and that would have burned something awful. I probably would have had nipple marks on my forehead. I turn and look at him as he walks away, smoke curling off his broad shoulders.

“And I thought I was undateable,” I whisper, chuckling to myself.

I swear this cyclops is getting slower by the second.

“Excuse me,” I say, trying not to step into the streak of blood the elk is leaving on the cobblestone ground. “Can I get past?”

He stops and slowly turns, looking at me with that big ugly eye in the middle of his forehead. These things always freak me out. Especially when they blink all slowly. It gives me shivers every time.

“I’m just trying to get by,” I say, trying to move around him, but a group of dwarves are in my way, arguing about how to set up their stand of gold bars. “I’m late for work.”

He opens his mouth to answer, but these things talk slower than they walk—if that’s possible—so I just dart around him.

“I’m… also…”

“Thanks!” I say, flashing him a wide smile as I hurry away, clutching my bag of library books to my chest.

The crowd is nuts today, so I dart down a narrow alley for a shortcut and step right into a huge heaping pile of horse poo.