Chapter ONE - Weebly

uildings. The breeze off the harbor had stiffened and
the moon was higher, its glow brighter.
The girl stepped off the road and cut through the
empty fields that lined the lane. The grass was wispy
here, the ground more sand than soil. Anna led Ethan to
the fortified wall that guarded this end of the Neck and
pointed to a small bundle lying on the ground at the
wall’s base. “There,” she said, her voice sounding as
thin and hollow as a ghost’s.
Ethan glanced around again, then stepped past her
and bent to pick up the ball of cloth. It felt light, but he
could tell right away that something substantial lay at its
center. Peeling away the material, Ethan found a small
jewel. He pulled a few strands of grass from the ground
at their feet, but then paused, eyeing the girl.
“I’m going to summon a light,” he said. “A simple
living spell. Is that all right?”
Uncle Reg eyed him avidly, pleading with him to try
a stronger spell against the girl. Ethan knew better than
to make the attempt.
Anna nodded jerkily. “Just light. Nothing else.”
“Right.” Ethan held the grass in his hand and said,