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Prologue

Forest lands: Pacific Northwest

Seven years prior

* * *

Muffled giggles filtered through the forests, catching the attention of a young barred owl weaving its way through the dense canopy of old growth conifers that covered the area. The owl swooped down and landed on the branch of a magnificent spruce, its eyes following the two young girls who raced along an animal trail cut through the tall, thick ferns.

The spring chill had passed, and the early days of summer gripped the lush green landscape. The girls, dressed in simple handwoven clothing, stood out against the forest floor. Their brown and blonde hair flowed behind them as they ran, as wild as they were.

“Wait up, Jayden!”

Jayden laughed as she ran along the trunk of a fallen tree. She hopped down on the other side and crawled under it to hide. A moment later, Ella jumped down. Jayden reached out from her hiding spot under the massive trunk and grabbed Ella’s slender ankle, making her jump.

Ella squealed with surprise, turning toward Jayden as she fell to the forest floor in a heap of laughter. Jayden grinned back at her friend. Ella leaned forward and wiped a hand covered in dirt along Jayden’s cheek.

“You look like one of those forest creatures that the elders warn us about,” Ella teased.

“I am one of those forest creatures. We both are,” Jayden replied, crawling over to sit next to Ella.

Ella laid back against the soft, moss-covered ground and stretched out, placing her dirty, bare feet on the trunk of the dead tree. She folded her arms under her head to cushion it and stared up at the swaying treetops and blue sky dotted with dense fluffy white clouds. It was a beautiful summer day. A welcome relief from the cold rains of spring.

Jayden flopped over onto her back and did the same. She reached into the pocket of her beige tunic and pulled out a piece of bread left over from their meager breakfast. She ripped it in half and held a piece out to Ella. Ella sat up and reached for the paltry offering as if she were being offered a piece of cake—something neither of them had ever tasted.

“I’m glad winter is done,” Ella said as she picked a tidbit of the bread off.

“Me too.”

Ella looked at Jayden with a look of regret. “I’m sorry, Jayden.”

Jayden sat up and shrugged. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s not your fault.”

Jayden fingered the bread she was holding. She wasn’t hungry anymore. It wasn’t Ella’s fault. According to her parents, it wasn’t any of their faults.

No. If anyone is to blame it is the Others.

The Others had driven them out of their home in the middle of winter when they came too close. Jayden’s little brother, Robert, had always been sickly. It hadn’t mattered that she had added her best furs to cover him or tried to give him half of her meager meals, he had grown weaker and weaker. He hadn’t survived the move. They had lost six more people because of the Others over the harsh winter months.

There hadn’t been enough food, and there was never enough protection from the cold. Jayden lifted her face when the sun peeked through the canopy. The warmth felt good against her skin. She just needed it to reach her bones.

“Do you think we will have to move again soon?” Ella asked.

Jayden nodded. “Probably. I overheard the elders say that the Others are making it harder for us to hide from them. They are talking about moving to the mountains to the west.”

“The mountains! We’ve never gone that far before. There is always snow on them,” Ella groaned.

“Maybe the shifters won’t like the snow,” Jayden said.

Ella shook her head. “It didn’t stop them from coming into the woods this past winter,” she replied in a glum voice.

Jayden reached out and squeezed Ella’s arm. She knew that Ella was terrified of what the Others would do to them. Jayden was scared too, but she was also determined to be ready. That was why she spent most of her time scouring the forests, learning the best ways to hide and fight.

When the day comes that we meet the shifters again, I will be ready to fight them.

“Maybe we will be safe in the mountains, but I hope it isn’t for a while. My mom can’t move far right now. My little brother or sister is making her sick,” Ella said.

“My brother did that to my mom. I’m never going to have children,” Jayden declared, tucking the piece of bread back into her pocket and rising.