A little six-year-old girl called River Greene sat perched upon her bed, a pouting expression on her face as her slightly-blurry gaze skimmed across the books on her bookshelves. With a dramatic sigh, she fell back and groaned in an oddly sing-song tone, “Bored, bored, bored!”
Just then, her...
As River stepped through the door – which had mysteriously swung open, even though she could see no doorman – she felt beyond overwhelmed. The hall was large and spacious, with tapestries woven with bright, bold colors hanging on the walls. Mosaics made of polished jewels were spaced...
Amara glanced up at the sun. “Hurry. We are late. It is not good form to be late when meeting your king.” She sped up to a slow, graceful lope that River recognized immediately.
“Hey, how can you do that?” she asked, matching the pace shakily at first, then smoother, so that she and Amára’s...
Suddenly, a thought pounded through River’s mind – her phone. Her phone might be working again. She had to call her mom and tell her to call the police. She had to tell her that some monsters has escaped from a zoo and that Caleb was missing and that a crazy person, no matter how beautiful, was...
River awoke to the sounds of singing birds and rustling leaves. She blinked, staring stupidly at the wood ceiling above her, her mind a complete blank. All she was aware of was the sounds of a forest and the paneled ceiling she stared at. A moment later she realized she was very thirsty. Some...
“Then stay there! I think that’s yarrow. I’ll only take a second.”
Caleb wavered for a moment, then chased after his sister. When he caught up with her she was kneeling next to the flowers, grinning. “This is great!” River said. “It’s yarrow, all right. The leaves are unmistakable...
Chapter I
Fifteen year old River walked next to her brother Caleb on the sidewalk, her bright blue earbuds a sharp contrast with her dark outfit. Her black mock turtleneck, black cargo pants, and short black boots weren’t her usual style, and the gothic colors had surprised her friends. She...