Description: Chapter 1 The daylighter world was unbearably bright. Even at night, the smiles of the Sisters seemed excessive, especially surrounded by all those stars. And then, during the day, the Three Brothers drowned the sky with light. Amri could only hope that his eyes would adjust over time. Until that time, the Grottan Gelfling wore his hood, trying to keep his face in shadow even as he followed his companions through the sun-dappled mountain wood. His eyes moved across the moss- and grass-covered earth, like a pelt over the mountain''s stone skeleton, whose soggy soil bled into Amri''s sandals. Through the brightness, Amri caught something stirring in the wood. Whatever lurked ahead was distant enough to be seen but not heard. Were they being watched? He reached out and tugged on Kylan''s sleeve. The Spriton boy walked just ahead of him, using a stick to clear brush away from their path. Under his free arm he held a scroll with a map he''d drawn, and hanging at his breast was his firca , a Y-shaped musical instrument made out of bone. "Kylan," Amri whispered. Maybe his new friend''s green daylighter eyes could make something out. "Do you see something? To our right. Under those trees!" "Where?" Kylan lowered his voice instinctively, ears swiveling back and forth, straining for any sign of danger. "What are you two whispering about?" Naia appeared behind them. She had been farther up the hill, breaking the trail, when she''d realized that the others had stopped. Amri wasn''t surprised she had returned so stealthily. Dagger in hand, camouflaged in tan and brown leathers, locs pulled back in a loose knot, she was every inch a Drenchen warrior. Somewhere nearby, a twig snapped. Amri drew the sword that hung at his hip, though he had no idea how to use it. Naia ducked to a crouch as six tall white-and-gray animals emerged from the trees, only a stone''s throw away. The big-eared creatures'' long, slender legs carried their furry bodies high among the branches. The beasts grumbled softly to one another, flicking their proboscises to taste the sweet sap that dripped from the wintry trees. Kylan fell back in relief, wiping his brow. "Wild Landstriders. And here I thought the Skeksis had found us." Amri stared at the Landstriders as they passed, trying to absorb every detail of the wondrous creatures. Naia watched him with an amused smile. "Landstrider rear ends can''t be that interesting," she teased. "Maybe not to you. I''ve never seen a Landstrider front end, so . . ." "Fair," she chuckled. "Well, come on. We''ve got to keep moving." Naia and Kylan left, forging ahead on their trail without a second glance as the troop of Landstriders disappeared into the wood. Amri wasn''t surprised. The others were from this world, after all. Kylan''s clan, the Spriton, had named the Landstriders as their sigil creature. Even Naia''s clan, the Drenchen of Sog, lived under the sky and had contact with the outside world--when they wanted it. Amri, on the other hand, had been born in a cave deep in the Grottan Mountains, only exploring the daylighter world in tiny, forbidden excursions that had to be taken at night. Naia moved with an unbreakable pace, eyes always fixed ahead with focus and determination. As they reached the top of a small wooded hill, the green gave way to a brilliant white. A cold wind came down, smelling of salt and crystal; snow and frost felted bark and every leaf. The cold, white stuff reflected the day even more than before, but even so, Amri couldn''t deny it was beautiful. He stooped to touch the wet crystals, squeezing the snow into a melting lump in his hand. A tiny voice sounding of chimes and whispers came from Kylan''s shoulder. "The frost line means we''re near." Perched in the folds of his collar sat a shining blue creature with eight needle legs. Tavra had lost her Gelfling body--that of a Vapra soldier, with iridescent wings and trained hands that had wielded the sword that now waved uselessly in Amri''s clumsy grip. She now inhabited the form of a crystal spider. Amri sheathed the sword back at his belt before he cut someone with it by accident. "To Ha''rar?" he asked. He was curious to see the Gelfling capital and its legendary citadel. "To our destination," Tavra replied. "I thought Ha''rar was our destination," Kylan said, raising a brow. Amri couldn''t make out Tavra''s little spider face, but the impatience was evident enough in her voice: "Eventually, yes. But we cannot simply charge into the citadel." "Why not?" Amri asked. "Do we need to make an appointment or something?" Naia looked over her shoulder, nodding in agreement as she marched up the mountain slope. "I''ll barge into All-Maudra Mayrin''s personal chamber uninvited if I have to," she said. "She needs to know about the Skeksis, and fast. Rian should be here, too. If we find him and get that vial of essence in front of the All-Maudra, there will be no way she can deny the truth." "It''s not about invitation, Naia," Tavra said. "We''ve been alone in the wilderness since Kylan sent our message from the Grottan Sanctuary Tree. We have no idea if anyone has received it, much less whether they believe." Amri shivered. What they''d done was monumental, especially if the pink petals dream-stitched with their message had reached each of the seven Gelfling clans. That had been the whole point, after all: to send the warning as far and as fast as possible, so what had happened in the Grottan caves would never happen again. Naia''s pace slowed until she stopped, sighing and putting her hands on her hips. The three of them were quiet so they could hear Tavra''s voice over the wind that whistled through the snowy pines. "Naia, Kylan. Amri. I know you want to reach Ha''rar. What the Skeksis have done--are doing--is a horrible crime and must be stopped. But the Gelfling have lived in the hand of the Skeksis for generations. It is not easy to change the way things are. People are learning our names and faces. But like Rian, we will be known as traitors. Not heroes. For this reason, we must be cautious, even with my mother. We must understand the weather before we inadvertently walk into a blizzard." "You think your mother might still side with the Skeksis, even if she saw that vial of essence?" Amri asked. The idea was a disheartening one. "Even if she saw what happened in Domrak--saw what happened to you?" "Belief is only half of the task we face," Tavra replied. Naia''s eagerness deflated, her green ears flattening. "Fine," she said. "Then what should we do?" "We could disguise ourselves as Podlings and sneak into the citadel," Amri suggested, trying to lighten the mood. Being so serious all the time was exhausting. "Spy on the All-Maudra from the rafters. Oh, I guess Podlings wouldn''t be very good climbers." Naia laughed, and even Kylan cracked a grin. Tavra, as usual, had no sense of humor about any of it. "Chase the scent of the sea," she said. "When you see the seafarer''s lanterns, follow them down the cliff to the shore." As they heeded Tavra''s directions, the earthy trail gave way to more snow and stone. The cliffs and mountain forms shimmered and glittered, like smoothed crystal reflecting the bright blue of the sky. Amri had never experienced the scent of the sea. He wasn''t sure what to expect. But when a draft of salty air gusted across their path, there was no mistaking it. "Smells like it''s coming from that mountainside," he said. Naia nodded, looking the wall of rock up and down. "Pretty steep," she remarked. Amri didn''t think so, but then again, rocks were his specialty. Maybe his only specialty. It didn''t matter, anyway. If his friends couldn''t follow, then there was no point to making the climb. That much could have been said of their entire journey. "There''s a passage through," Tavra said. "That way." They waded through the snow, into the shadow cast by the cliff. For a grand moment, Amri''s eyes had a rest from squinting, though it wasn''t for long. A spot of light shone through the trees. They followed it, in moments finding a low tunnel through the rock. Amri traced his fingers along the tunnel wall as they walked through it. "You''re so smooth, like you were polished," he said to the stone, falling behind a step or three. Naia and Kylan were more interested in reaching the other side. He pressed his hand against the glossy surface, soaking in the cold of it and closing his eyes. "What made you? Hm?" "Are you talking to the wall?" Naia called back to him, over her shoulder. She and Kylan stood at the end of the tunnel, their silhouettes the only relief from the blasting of the daylight. "Come on, crawly-foot!" Amri sighed and gave the wall a goodbye pat. He hurried down the tunnel, grunting when he slipped on the icy path. Normally the tunnel would be no problem for a Grottan like him, used to caves and rock, but the sandals strapped on his feet made him clumsy. Crawly-foot indeed. When he reached the other side of the tunnel and stopped beside Naia and Kylan, all he could see was blue. An endless

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