Rise of Souls

Book 0: Prophecy of the Sisters

by Michelle Zink

Genres: YA Historical Fantasy

Synopsis

The third of three haunting novella spin-offs to Prophecy of the Sisters to be published as e-books. The Gate to the mortal world is finally closed. Lia Milthorpe has settled with her husband on Altus, the land that bridges the gap between the Otherworlds and the physical one. Samael's banishment has brought prosperity to the land, and no one is happier than Una Whelan. For the first time in centuries, those who live on the island--including Una and her suitor, Fenris--can do so in peace. Or so they thought. This novella reveals what happens to Lia, Dimitri, and Altus after Circle of Fire, the final book in the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy. If you thought there was a happy ending, think again.

Release date: July 3, 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Print pages: 44

Sample

Isleen pushed the oars into the water, her mind on other things as the boat skimmed through the mist.


She had awoken early, as was the custom for a guide. There were not often travelers awaiting ferry to and from the island, but those called to this kind of service knew that guests were sometimes unexpected, their purpose often urgent.

Of course, this had been less true since the arrival of Amalia, the new Lady of Altus. In fact, Isleen could not remember a time that had been more peaceful than the year since Lady Amalia had taken the island in hand. The closure of the Gate to Samael, archdemon and enemy of the Sisters, had signaled an end to the fear that had informed every action of the Sisters for two thousand years.

It had taken time for the island to relax its guard, for celebrations to take place without the ever-present vigilance of the Brothers tasked with securing them, for Lady Amalia to walk freely about without a battalion of protectors at her back (though some on the island claimed to see Dimitri follow her at a distance, ever-watchful for potential danger to his beloved).

Even Isleen and the other guides had been allowed to relax their standards for passage to Altus. They still traveled through the mists that shrouded the island in secrecy, still took their assignments only from a select few people, but gone was the worry that their lives could be taken at any time, the island breached by the Lost Souls.

Thanks to Lady Amalia—and yes, her infamous sister, Alice—Samael would be trapped on the Otherworldly plane for eternity, the Gate that would have been his passageway to the physical world closed. And that meant the mortal world on one side of Altus was finally safe from the Otherworldly demon who resided on the other.

And Altus and all who lived there were safe as well.

Isleen tipped her face to the sky, the hood of her cloak falling back to reveal her long, dark hair as the mist swirled around her. The briny smell of the sea was part of her. She smelled it on her skin when she returned to the Sanctuary at the end of each day, listened to its soft roar as she fell asleep at night. Sometimes she was certain saltwater ran in her veins.

She felt the approach of land before she saw it. She was used to being on the open sea, accustomed to the vast expanse of water and sky around and above her. An obstacle ahead—any obstacle—rang like a false note through her bones.

She lifted the oars out of the water, allowing the boat to glide slowly forward, feeling the sandy bottom of the ocean scrape against the hull as it found the shores of England.

The beach was empty. In the distance, Isleen could see the sway of beach grass, the faint shadow of trees. She was beginning to wonder if she had misunderstood her instructions, miscalculated the timing, when a figure approached through the fog.

At first, Isleen did not know if the figure was a man or a woman. She and the other guides were never told in advance whom to expect. An order to see someone through the mist to Altus was enough. They guided their boats to land, picked up the waiting passengers, and delivered them to the island without question. It was not their place to query those who supplied the orders.

But a moment later, a man stepped confidently into the boat without a word. Isleen was relieved that he did not greet her. Speaki. . .