Chapter 1: Part 8 - The Top of the World
Once, Oska had known his grandmother’s house like the back of his hand. Blackthorn Manor was an imposing edifice in southern Queensdale, but it was also relatively secluded; visitors to Claypool often never realised it was nearby. It had been the perfect summer retreat for rowdy Valpari children and their frazzled parents, which meant Oska could remember sun-baked days running across the lawns and swimming in the lake. It had seemed idyllic.
Chapter 1: Part 7 - Babysitting
Out of all the new recruits to her guild, Erin hadn’t expected Auri Valpari to be the most difficult. Both she and Oska were odd and not always in step with the world around them, at least at first glance. Once you got to know them better, you discovered that Oska was far sharper than he first appeared and had something of an acerbic tongue. Auri, if anything, was even more dreamy and distracted. She had a tendency to finish Oska’s sentences, but a lot of the other things she said made no sense at all.
Chapter 1: Part 6: Escape
Oska knew, as he darted towards the tapestry, that there were two ways this could go. Either he’d be caught and killed, probably by Ruby herself – or he’d escape. The latter, not surprisingly, was his preferred option.
Chapter 1: Part 4 - Gunpowder and Roses
It was as dark as a grave in the cellar Vilma left him in. There had been a candle, for a little while, but that had long since burnt away. Even the puddle of wax was now cool. Oska had traced his way around the room before it went out, finding three damp stone walls, with a heavy wooden door in the fourth. The cobbled floor sloped down into a pool of water at the opposite end, as though the whole room was sinking into the earth.
Chapter 1: Part 2 - Old Acquaintances
Reconnaissance in Divinity’s Reach wasn’t what Oska was used to. He’d grown up in the city and knew every nook, cranny, and secret there was to know – but that wasn’t helping much now. He hadn’t been sent back here to fight enemy forces, or carry intelligence, or even to learn the city’s news from his family. He was here, in the words of his new guild leader, to watch and wait.