Lost Town (The Wyldemere Chronicles Book 1)

And so down, and down, and down they went, the stone steps of the circular stair seeming to stretch on forever, making them feel like they were the last two people in all the world. The light from Sara’s glowstone was bright enough to banish the shadows from their path, but not from their hearts and minds. What happens when it burns out? she thought again. Trapped. Lost and alone in the endless night….

It was then, just as she was preparing to chastise herself for being so maudlin, as her mind’s eye watched the serpentine tail of her last thought slither past, that they heard it: strange noises drifting from below with ominous portent. Most prominent amongst these noises was a low, rhythmic creaking.

Indeed, so convincing was the rise and fall of its rasp that, had they not known they were in a tower, they would have sworn they were aboard a ship—wooden hull flexing, hemp ropes stretching, as their vessel went sailing through the choppy, shark-infested waters of Deedlebrine Sea.

“Must be the foundation settling,” said Devon, sounding as unconvinced as Sara felt.

“Yeah. The foundation….”

“I just hope it’s more solid than it sounds.”

Sara nodded and shushed him, perking her ears to the echoing drip, drip, drip of water.

“Don’t shush—”

He was interrupted by a distant moaning, no doubt the forlorn cry of a lost soul doomed to wander the endless night for an eternity.

Gooseflesh rose on Sara’s arms. “Okay…. So what was that?”

Devon smiled grimly at her. “A ghost.”

“A ghost?”

”Well, sure. What else would it be?”

“I…don’t know. The wind? A wolf? A very cranky old man?”

His smile broadened. “Nope. It’s a ghost.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “But you don’t believe in ghosts.”

“Correction. I didn’t believe in ghosts.”

“Great. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Sara shivered, drawing the hem of her cloak together. “The deeper we go, the cooler it gets.”

“Yeah. And that breeze is almost cold. Not see your breath cold, but probably in the fifties, anyway.”

“And the air’s getting thinner, too. Feels like that time I was on holiday with my parents in the Cragstone Mountains….”