House of Winter

epilogue

author's note - this is a double update, so make sure you've read the previous part first!

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There were too many ravens. They circled in the night sky and then descended upon the rocks of the old city, hunting shadow mice among the ruins.

Isabella watched the way the mice scurried between the stones, their tiny dark bodies reflecting the firelight. One of the ravens caught a mouse, and she heard it's final squeak of terror as it met its dark death. She threw a stone over the wall, and the ravens erupted like one dark beast, fleeing from the perceived threat and disappearing into the darkness.

It was so cold and dark here. Colder than anything she'd ever experienced. She had thought winters in New Hamilton were cold, before she came to this place where the suns never rose on the horizon. It was forever dark, and the whole world was ice. They were further Dorth than she'd thought it was possible to go. Beyond the end of the world, where there was nothing but darkness.

On a map, she'd once seen the old outlines of Stargarzen, the ancient nation of Night Starrlings, before it had fallen. Before anyone could remember, Stargarzen must have once been a place where people lived and farmed and survived, because the ruins of their civilisations were here. And if they farmed, then they must have had sunlight. How else could they have survived in such a place?

But now, the darkness was forever. Everyone who had once lived in Stargarzen had immigrated further Loth - they'd colonised Lombardia, and mixed through the other nations of the world. But the night starrlings had died out, and now there were so few left that everyone seemed to forget about them. Night starrlings always disappeared into the shadows of the world.

She had thought, her whole life, that Stargarzen was abandoned. So when they had finally arrived to the ancient city, she'd been surprised. Deep within the ruins of huge fortresses, there was life. There were ravens, mice, and dark creatures that made noises in the neverending night.

Kicking one more rock to annoy the ravens, she finally stood up and descended the staircase that led underground. It was far warmer down here, but there was never anything to do.

There was a source of heat, she'd learned, deep below the surface of the city. Hot water bubbled through the walls, so that this city remained warmer than the rest of the Icelands. It allowed the ravens and mice and small creatures to live on through their endless night.

She got inside and slipped back into the halls of the House of the Moon. It was a dark, warm place, with walls covered in fungi that needed no sunlight to survive, and floors that were warm underfoot. Sometimes the ceiling dripped, and sometimes her breath made steam. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt properly dry, or warm.

While their leader was away, the priestesses of the House of the Moon were in charge, but Isabella had found it remarkably easy to slip beneath their notice. She was only one water starrling among a sea of other starrling children who had been brought here. And besides, none of the priestesses could see.

They had dark holes where their eyes should be. Some of the other kids whispered horrible stories to each other late at night. Stories about how the priestesses had lost their eyes - gouged out by the dark demons, or eaten by ravens - but Isabella found the true story the most horrific one of all. She'd learned, from sneaking around where she shouldn't be, that the priestesses removed their own eyes in some gruesome ritual to become a priestess.

Despite their dark rituals, the priestesses weren't so bad. They made horrible mushroom soup for just about every meal, and they chanted strange things seven times a day, but they had no real interest in the children, so while their leader was away, the children took care of themselves. Some of the older ones insisted on lessons and training regimes, to keep them busy, but mostly, they were free to roam.

Well, as free as any child could, knowing that beyond the ancient ruins of this city, there was nothing but endless icy wasteland, where they'd die from exposure after a day or two. There was no escape from the House of the Moon.

But Isabella knew if she waited long enough, her sister would come.

Ariane Domez had spent her life getting her sister out of every bad situation she'd ever been in. This would be no different. She was just taking a bit longer than usual.

... to be continued

in Book 3!

which will be called

Starrlings: House of Night

if you can't wait, you can join my patrons and start reading it IMMEDIATELY! it's on patreon (the link is in my bio)

but of course I'll be uploading it to Wattpad in 2023, so if you don't have any cash right now, keep an eye out for the next book.

Thanks so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed!

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xx elle