It was an unusual sight indeed. For the first time in history, the Pathfinders had assembled for war. A vast fleet of sleighs sped across the frozen landscape, led by Commander Ember Stormbreaker, now the most powerful person in the entire Snow Sea. She had vowed to rid the worldof the Leviathan menace that plagued all of human-kin, and to fulfill her oath, each vessel under her command was armed to the teeth with powerful, ancient weapons from the World Before. Racing ahead of them was another smaller fleet. Unlike the glorious sleighs of the Pathfinders, with their colorful sails and proud insignias, these sleighs were jagged and rotten, their torn black sails stained with blood-red slashes. They were Wraiths, and they had led the Pathfinders on a merry chase to the very ends of the known world. Not that catching the sinister raiders was the Path- finders' main goal. Their true target--a Leviathan swarm of unfathomable size--had disappeared beneath the snows under the barrage of fire the Pathfinders had unleashed upon it. But the Pathfinder fleet would not give up the chase so easily. Wherever there were Wraiths, Leviathans were sure to be close by. But perhaps even more strange was the fact that, for the first time in many years, fighting Leviathans was not the first thing on Stormbreaker's mind. Her focus was entirely on the child she followed into the cargo hold of the sleigh known as the Frostheart . The child, a boy from the far north named Ash, swallowed hard, butterflies circling wildly in his belly. He felt like he was walking through a dream, as though each step he took were on air instead of the solid wood beneath his boots. Once below, Commander Stormbreaker made to speak, when she noticed someone else had followed them into the dark, creaking hold. It was Lunah, the Frostheart 's navigator, who was only a little older than Ash and just so happened to be his best friend. "Don't mind me, just grabbin' something for the cap'n," Lunah said, clearly doing nothing of the sort. For a long moment, Stormbreaker watched the girl pretend to rummage through some crates. Finally the commander cleared her throat loudly, her cool, steely eye boring into Lunah. "Know what? I'll come back when yer done," Lunah said, her face flushing as she rushed back up to the deck. At last, Ash was alone. Alone with this woman he barely knew, this famous Leviathan hunter. His mother. Ash's thoughts churned and his heart thrummed against his ribs. He'd imagined this scene countless times. During the lonely years in the Fira Stronghold; throughout his voyage aboard the Frostheart. So often, it had been his final thought before he drifted off to sleep, a smile creeping onto his face--a thought he'd found comfort in and that had kept him going through it all. The scene always went the same. After years of searching, Ash would finally find his parents. His mum and dad would scoop him up into their arms as they cried tears of happiness, squeezing him so close he knew he'd never feel alone ever again. They would be proud beyond words that he'd journeyed halfway across the world to find them, facing countless dangers that would have daunted even the most experienced Pathfinder, so impressed with the brave boy he'd become. But now that Ash was finally standing before his mother--or should that be Ember? Or . . . or Commander Stormbreaker? He wasn't entirely sure what to call her--his imaginings suddenly seemed very childish indeed. His mother didn't cheer. She didn't reach out for him. She wasn't crying tears of pride or joy. She wasn't even smiling ! Should he make the first move? His mother had the reputation of a hardened warrior to uphold, she couldn't be seen cuddling . But now that they were alone . . . just maybe ? "Mum . . ." Tears stabbed at the backs of his eyes as he moved toward her with his arms open. She took half a step back. The movement was small, but to Ash, it felt like a slap across his face. He stopped in his tracks, a lump forming in his throat. Maybe this is normal , Ash told himself. Maybe this is just how parents are with their children? Stormbreaker's one good eye stared at Ash with an intensity he could barely withstand. Her hands were balled into fists, her already intimidating build made more imposing by her large rugged cloak. Ash tried to pull his shoulders back in the hope that he'd look bigger, like he really was her son, but he found himself shrinking further into himself under her gaze. Why is she looking at me like that? Was she angry with him? Frustrated he'd managed to find her? Was she really his mother at all? All Ash knew was that he had to break the unbearable silence. "I-I'm sorry about the Shrieker . . ." Ash croaked as he nervously tried to tie his fingers into knots. He probably hadn't made the best first impres- sion , arriving on a Leviathan hunter's sleigh riding a Leviathan. "I--I--" "So you are a Song Weaver?" Stormbreaker asked, the accusation punching Ash in the gut. He nodded. Stormbreaker's face shifted, though whether it was from fear, hatred, or something else, Ash couldn't tell. "You took after your father, then, in the end." The few times Ash had seen Commander Stormbreaker back in the Stronghold of Aurora, she had appeared as hard as stone, but in this moment she looked as fragile as thin ice. Ash had almost come to terms with what it meant to be a Song Weaver, the few misunderstood and persecuted human-kin who could communicate with Leviathans through their mystical Songs, but seeing his mother's reaction made his stomach clench. His brain flipped through the thousands of questions he'd planned to ask his parents when he finally found them. Where have you been all this time? Why did you leave me? But now that, at long last, he had the chance, words abandoned him. It wasn't meant to be like this. They were supposed to be laughing and catching up and sharing stories. It wasn't meant to be like this at all! Stormbreaker broke the silence. "Why have you come here?" Ash recoiled. Of all the questions she could've asked, after all the time they'd been apart, that was it? No How are you , or Tell me about yourself , or even a little I missed you so much ? Why was he here? Surely it was obvious? "I--I came to find you," Ash said in a very small voice. "You should be with the Fira, where it's safe," Stormbreaker said, as though he'd disobeyed a clear order. "I left you there for a reason." Safe. Ash thought back to the way the Fira had shunned him, turned him into an outcast. If it hadn't been for his yeti guardian, Tobu, Ash was sure the Fira would've left him in the wilds for dead. "They exiled me," Ash said quietly. "For being a Song Weaver?" Stormbreaker's expression was unreadable. Ash nodded. "You--you never came back. I had no idea where you were, what had happened . . . I thought that maybe you'd left me forever!" For an instant, Ash thought he caught a flicker of shame somewhere beneath Stormbreaker's ice-cold expression. She stepped closer, reaching her arms out toward him. Her hands hung in the air, flexing with indecision, before she awkwardly patted him on the head. Ash froze. His senses burned and his heart cried out at her touch. It wasn't a hug, but it was something . It was the closest he'd been to either of his parents since they'd left him, all those years ago. He worried that if he moved, even dared to speak, his mother would disappear, and he would be left alone all over again. Stormbreaker smelled of leather and sweat--not quite how he imagined a mother would smell, but it was how his mother smelled. My mother . . . my mother . . . Ash repeated in his head, again and again, as though saying it to himself enough times would make him finally believe it. "I had to protect you, Ash," Stormbreaker said, softer than before. "I knew that as long as there were Leviathans in this world, it wouldn't be safe for you out here. After what happened to your father . . ." "What did happen to him?" Ash blurted, although he already had a pretty good idea. He'd only recently discovered that his father, Ferno, had once been a Wraith--one of the cutthroat Song Weavers obsessed with revenge against the Strongholds for the way Song Weavers had been treated. Ash knew that his father had helped the Wraith leader, Shaard, gather what was needed to release the Devourer, the God-Leviathan that had the power to destroy civilizations. He knew that Shaard had taught Ferno the Devourer's Dark Song, a Song that could force Leviathans to do a Song Weaver's bidding, but which had also begun to slowly eat away at his father's soul. And he knew that with his friend Rook's help, his father had changed, seen the error of his ways, and tried to make things right before he fled far away to escape the Devourer's mind-corrupting Song. Ash knew all of this, but he wanted to hear it from his mother. "We lost your father many years ago. The Leviathans stole him from us." She said the word "stole" with particular ferociousness. She blames the Leviathans , Ash thought, his heart sinking, just like all the stupid stories. But Leviathans didn't steal Dad's mind and force him to run away.Only the Devourer's Dark Song can do that. It was Shaard who led my dad into the Devourer's clutches. If anyone's to blame, it's him! Ash wanted to tell Stormbreaker the truth, that the Leviathans weren't their enemies, that they had no power to control Song Weavers as all the legends claimed, but as he looked into her glimmering eye, his courage failed him. What if it made her angry? Ash couldn't bear the thought of her not liking him, of her not wanting him around. "On the day we lost him," Stormbreaker continued, "when you were still a baby, I made an oath to the fire spirits that I would defeat the Leviathan monsters once and for all. I swore on my life that I would make it a safer world for you to grow up in. A world where we could be happy . . . where we would be free to be a family again." A family again . . . ? Ash could think of nothing he wanted more. "Do you . . . do you know where Dad is?" Stormbreaker turned her head to the side, casting her eye down. "No," she replied finally. Ash nodded. It was the answer he'd expected, but that didn't stop his heart-wrenching disappointment. "It was Dad who left me a trail to follow," Ash said. "It's why I'm here . . ." Stormbreaker blinked in astonishment. "Your father guided you here?" "He hid clues in the lullaby he used to Sing to me as a baby," Ash explained. Stormbreaker was speechless. "You . . . you didn't know?" "There is much your father never told me." She did not say the words kindly. Ash swallowed, then went on. "The clues led me to the frost-heart, and then to Solstice, where I was meant to take the frost-heart for safety." He'd hoped his incredible journey to the fabled hidden Stronghold where human-kin and Leviathans lived side by side might've impressed Stormbreaker, but if it did, she gave no indication. "Frost-heart?" she asked. "You mean this sleigh?" "No . . . well, not really--it's what our sleigh is named after. It's the heart of a powerful Leviathan Ancient. It acts like some kind of key to the Devourer's prison." "Ferno and Shaard used to speak of the Devourer. The most powerful of all Leviathans. But I thought it was only a legend." "Shaard searched the entire world for the frost-heart, and Dad wanted me to keep it away from him. But I . . . I . . ." Ash flushed, his throat tightening. "I couldn't. Shaard followed us to Solstice. He stole the frost-heart and his Wraiths kidnapped all the Song Weavers who lived there. The Wraiths are forcing them to fight on their side, even though they don't want to!" Ash paused, not for the first time noticing the similarities between the Wraiths and Pathfinders--how they'd both given the Song Weavers no choice but to obey their orders. "The Wraiths follow Shaard?" Stormbreaker asked, looking confused. "Why would such creatures follow him?" "The Wraiths aren't dark spirits, like everyone believes--they're . . . they're human-kin. Song Weavers." Ash was ashamed to admit it. People already greatly distrusted Song Weavers, and this awful truth would only reinforce their prejudices. Stormbreaker's eye narrowed and Ash hurried on. "They've been turned by the Devourer's Dark Song and follow Shaard unquestioningly, and they'll force the Solstice prisoners to do the same! Shaard wants to use the frost-heart to unleash the Devourer from its prison. That's where he's heading right now!" Stormbreaker's gaze grew distant. "I can't believe I didn't see it. It was all there in front of me . . ." "The frost-heart is calling out to the Leviathans for help," Ash said. "And that's why so many Leviathans have gathered together," Stormbreaker continued. "To answer the call of this heart . We were amazed when we came across the swarm. The fleet had set out to test our new archeo- weapons, but never did we imagine we'd come across so many Leviathans at once . . ." "They're trying to save the frost-heart, and we have to help them," Ash said. "If Shaard releases the Devourer, I don't think any of us will be able to stop it." Stormbreaker considered his words carefully, her brow creasing at the mention of helping Leviathans. Ash bit his tongue. He just needed her to believe that Shaard was the real threat; that's what mattered right now. He could show her later that the Leviathans weren't the enemy. Ash half expected her to scoff at him, but instead she gave a curt nod. "I agree." "Y-you do?" "I don't know much about this Devourer, but I understand Shaard well enough to know whatever he plans will have terrible consequences for the Strongholds, especially if it involves some Leviathan breed we've never seen before. I will put an end to his madness, once and for all." A cautious smile grew on Ash's face. He barely dared believe it. His mother wanted to help! He had a sudden overwhelming urge to throw his arms around her. He leaned closer, but Stormbreaker remained still. "I'm happy I found you," Ash said, trying to encourage her. "I missed you so much!" Stormbreaker seemed taken aback by his words. "I'm . . . I'm happy to see you too, Ash." The slight crack in her otherwise firm voice was the only sign she was speaking the truth. "I just wish our reunion wasn't in the most dangerous part of the world. You being here . . . complicates things. And I can't afford any distractions. I need to focus; the fleet deserves that from their commander. They're looking to me to lead us through this." Ash stared down at his boots, his belly feeling hollow. He wanted to do his mother proud, not be a nuisance. "This battle is bigger than any one of us. We are fighting for our very survival, and we must all do our part. And that includes you, Ash." Light suddenly spilled into the hold as the door to the deck slammed back. Stormbreaker's scruffy first mate stood in the opening. "Commander," he said urgently. "You're needed up top." "I'll be right there, Jed," Stormbreaker said, before turning back to Ash. She raised her hand again but still seemed unable to decide what to do with it. Ash willed her to reach out and comfort him. Without another word, she spun on her heel and headed up top to play her part. _____________ Opal Roengchai Designer | PRH-Viking Children's Books 1745 Broadway, 17th Floor NY, NY 10019 Excerpted from Rise of the World Eater by Jamie Littler All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
