Unwelcome

Начало книги

Once again I have to express enormous gratitude to my agent, Evan Marshall, and my editor, John Scognamiglio, for their continued guidance and encouragement and their belief that my work was worthy of a sequel. And heartfelt thanks to my family and friends who are now my most enthusiastic fans.

one drop

two drops

three drops

four

water is mixed

with blood once more

shadows and light

on a crimson stain

will the sun prevail?

or will darkness reign?

Outside, the earth was cold.

The New Year brought with it an early frost, burying the past, at least temporarily, beneath a thick layer of snow. Archangel Academy was practically empty, most of the students spending their holiday break with family, so the campus was a sea of white, an enormous unsoiled blanket with only a few patches of brownish-green grass, bruised yet resilient, peeking out every hundred yards or so as a reminder of what was and what will be again. Tomorrow when classes resume, the sprawling blank canvas will be tarnished with footsteps, the imprints of students making their claims on the land, their own private piece of the world. Looking out from his dorm room window at the wintry landscape, a landscape that would soon be altered, Michael was once again amazed at how quickly everything can change.

Читать дальше →