1. Sapphire

CHAPTER 1

Sapphire

“ T ake it or leave it, honey! No skin off my nose.” The old man closes his fingers around the compass and pulls his hand back.

I have to bite my tongue, my cheek, my whole damn mouth if I must because I need that compass. I need it bad.

“Fine!” I say. “But I don’t have that kind of cash on me. Will you take an IOU?”

The old man glares at me from under his bushy gray eyebrows and I sigh.

A few years ago—oh, who am I kidding, a few decades ago—my family wouldn’t even need this old witch’s help and if we did, we could pay any price without a problem. But these days…we’re lucky if we can afford rent.

I look around the dusty shoppe trying to find a solution to my problem. I’ve been looking for her and the Book for what feels like forever and I haven’t gotten anywhere. That’s why I need this compass. That’s why I traveled all the way to New England to this very shoppe where I was told I can find whatever my heart desires.

My gaze lands on my black hatchback hand-me-down catching the sunlight outside and I battle with myself. It’s a necessary evil. I’ll just have to rely on the kindness of strangers.

I wish I hadn’t.

“What’s a lady like you doing out here in the dark on your own?” says the man stopped in front of me.

I’m in the middle of nowhere and for all intents and purposes, lost. So naturally I do what every woman dreams of in a situation like this. I hitchhike.

“That’s not a creepy question to ask at all,” I say before I can help myself. “I’m going…” I look at the compass in my hand, “west.”

The man glances at my hand then at the road ahead and gives me a shrug and a smile. “Of course. Got it. Anywhere specific?”

I put the compass back in my purse and wrap my hand around the pepper spray as I get in.

“Just…the next town over.”

I hope.

And if not, I’ll figure it out in the morning when there’s no imminent threat of murder.

Agh, the lengths I’ll go to find what happened to her and to get the Book. No sane person would exchange their car for a probably faulty compass and then get into a stranger’s car in the middle of the night. Not unless they were desperate. And I am.

“What’s your name?” the guy asks and he moves his hand. I pull to the side, pepper spray at the ready, but he’s only trying to adjust the radio.

“Fi,” I tell him.

No one but my ex calls me that and I hate it, but better than giving out my actual name. Names have power, even if I don’t.

“And what brings you to our parts, Fi?”

I take a look out the window and bite my lip.

“Family. Kinda.”

“Oh really? Where do they live? I can take you there if you want.”

I kindly decline and dare to take a peek at the compass. It’s that moment, the needle turns swiftly to the right.

“Stop!”

He doesn’t.

“Could you stop please? I need to get off.”

“It’s pitch black out there and there are bears and coyotes everywhere.”

“That’s okay. I can take it from here.”

He only takes a little more convincing before he finally stops his car and lets me out and a lot more reassurance to drive off but at least he does. And I’m still alive. I’ll take that victory. Whatever good it’ll do me out here in the woods with all the wild animals creeping in the shadows.

But I’m nothing if not brave—or stupid, depending who you ask—so I walk back a mile, eyes glued to the compass and when the needle settles to my direct left, I stop.

There’s a slip road leading deeper into the woods paved with nothing but dirt and goodwill. But something feels off. I can’t exactly put my finger on it though.

I take my phone out and look into my Maps app seeing if I can figure out where the road leads and take deep breaths.

Why couldn’t I have waited for daytime to do this? Why did I have to go trekking in the middle of nowhere at pitch black?

Because I’m smart. See: stupid.

“You can do this Sapph. You’re a Nightingale. Come on!” I growl and bawl my hands into fists for an extra confidence boost and walk into the unknown.

Probably into my death, but hopefully to my coveted Book of Shadows. And to her. To Grams. If she’s still alive.

Sounds reach me from every direction and the darkness makes them louder than anything I’ve heard before. Owls hooting, branches snapping. Wolves howling.

Wait a minute. I thought New England didn’t have wolves? Dammit. Have I been lied to?

The crickets buzz in my ear like white noise and everything else only piles on to the cacophony. As if I’m the one and only attendee at The Walk of Doom: Live in Concert.

I don’t know how long I walk until I see it, the sign, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t almost one in the morning five minutes ago so I must have lost track of time.

Nevertheless, I aim my torch at the sign and almost breathe a sigh of relief.

Welcome to Beastly Falls, it reads.

Finally, some civilization.

I cross the official border of the town I’ve never heard of and my chest gets warm and heavy all of a sudden.

Great. All I need right now is a cold.

Then again, when have I let a little sickness get in my way? Never. That’s when. So I do what I’ve always done and shake it off, continuing further into town. I just hope I can find a motel to stay the night and continue tomorrow.

It’s eerily quiet, and the wildlife on the side road looks a little dead. Hell, the road itself has overgrown weeds and cracks as if it’s not been used for years. Or maybe the town’s funding is severely lacking. Let’s hope it’s the latter because the former could only mean trouble.

But then I reach the edge of the town properly and everything looks…normal. Alive and well looked after.

Odd.

I try to cross the road when a loud chime cuts through the silence and it makes me jump. Another chime and I take a step back. A third chime makes me lose my footing and fall back.

Into darkness.

And pain. And dirt. And critters.

Fuck my life. I’ve fallen in a ditch, haven’t I?

I try to get my bearings but they’re all drowning in the mud.

Stupid, stupid Sapph. Why did you have to keep on going at night? Why couldn’t you wait for daylight? Grandma Celestite always said: “unlike your name, my sweethearts, we’re not creatures of the night so always beware.”

If only I’d followed her advice I wouldn’t be crawling in a ditch trying to find my phone and magic compass.

Not that finding them helps me any. The only thing I can do is confirm my surroundings and that the compass is still working.

Unfortunately, climbing out of the ditch isn’t easy.

Correction. It’s impossible.

So what’s a girl to do but scream for help. Because I’m smart, see: stupid.

But can anyone blame me if I don’t want to be eaten by bears and coyotes? Scream is the next best solution, because what could be worse than being eaten by bears and coyotes?

I don’t know how long into my screaming frenzy I get my answer, but it’s clear luck isn’t on my side when a flying shadow dives right at me.

So I’m going to be eaten by a giant bat.

Just. My. Luck!