This illusory fantasy horror series is Britannia meets The Mist―with a touch of Evil Dead―about a kingdom left to darkness and the girl trying to break its curse to be with her love… But something horrifying lies in the shadows. In these cursed lands, it’s not the darkness that destroys the soul…it’s love.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Katherine Quinn’s To Shatter The Night, which is the second installment in the Mistlands series and releases on December 3rd 2024.
Welcome back into the Mist…in the astonishing sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller To Kill a Shadow…
Some fear the darkness. It’s the place where horror hides, concealing its rank, sharp teeth and insatiable hunger. But there is no darkness more feared than that of the mist that’s overtaken the kingdom…and its brave―and ultimately doomed― soldiers.
Except for Kiara Frey.
She has nothing to fear from the night. Not anymore.
Driven by the fury of her splintered heart, Kiara knows that the answers―and the only possible way to a future with Jude Maddox―begin with the realm’s most notorious thief, the Fox. Together, they hunt down the path to breaking Asidia’s dark curse, but in the shadows, something more horrifying than the mist lies in wait. Watching. Willing Kiara to find the game pieces set in place long ago.
As Jude and Kiara are lured to a sacred temple―a shrine that is the home to both exquisite dreams and chilling nightmares―Kiara’s newfound powers flourish but her shadows threaten to consume her.
Because here in these cursed lands, it’s not the darkness that destroys the soul…it’s love.
EXCERPT
I motioned for Jake to stop as the towering wooden gates to the city came into view. Fortuna flickered like an erratic candle in a storm, resting at the foot of the hill we’d just ascended.
“Hey, since we’re here, I wouldn’t suppose you’d be fine with me taking a turn at the tables?” Jake cocked a questioning brow, an impish gleam igniting in his eyes. I’d missed that spark. “I’m rather exceptional at dice if I do say so myself, and we have traveled far…”
He wanted to gamble. While we had a price on our heads. Of course he did.
“You’ve never mentioned that skill, which is surprising since you brag about everything else you’re mildly accomplished at.” I shuddered, recalling all the many, many private details he’d shared.
Jake shrugged, but pride puffed out his chest. “I have loads of skills you don’t know about. And not all of them are related to bedding handsome men.”
Yep. There it was.
“So humble. I pity the poor boys you’ve lured with those crystal-blue eyes of yours,” I teased. “Maybe one day you’ll find someone that makes you give up your playboy ways.”
Jake’s features wrinkled into a look of disgust. “Doubtful, Ki, but keep on dreaming. That boy would have to check off every damn item on my list.”
“I’m sure it’s long,” I said, although from what I’d learned, Jake didn’t appear to have a type other than “breathing.”
“You’d be surprised,” Jake said, not blinking an eye at my sarcasm. “Cute but intelligent. Bold but gentle. And he can’t be funnier than me.”
“So, no sense of humor, then?”
Jake nudged me. Hard. “Pettiness isn’t a good look on you, Ki.”
“I’m just being honest.” I tapped his nose, and he scowled. “At least you’re handsome.”
That seemed to ease him, and his lips twitched as he suppressed a smile. Flattery was the surest way to his heart.
Jake and I fell into a comfortable silence as we scouted the gates.
We’d grown attuned to each other, able to sense when one of us required a distraction from the thoughts running wild in our heads. He took care not to mention Jude and instead supplied me with stories—too many—of his life back in his village of Tulia.
My favorite being the one where he and Nic dressed the town’s statue of Arlo in ridiculously large hats for a month straight, much to the officials’ annoyance. Apparently, Arlo had looked rather dashing in a violet ensemble with tulle and dyed yellow feathers.
“I say we just wing it and enter,” Jake said.
Images of Arlo dressed in—gods forbid—bright colors vanished from my head.
Jake crossed his arms. “I mean, if Cirian and his guards haven’t come this way, then—”
“Wait, what’s that?” I pointed to the woods, the sound of hoofbeats growing louder by the second. Flames illuminated the leaves as a horde of men emerged from the woods, torches carried in their black leather gloves. They were all carefully concealed beneath thick hoods, but I glimpsed a flash of red below one untied cloak. I grimaced as their leader shouted orders, riders hastening to comply.
The King’s Guard.
“I’m counting two dozen,” Jake supplied in a rush, crouching in a gathering of reeds. I copied his pose. There wasn’t much cover, and if any of the soldiers looked hard enough, they’d probably spot us.
“We need to find him now. Before they do. I know he’s there.” As though to confirm, my scar warmed. It ached now and again, the Godslayer Blade having forever left its mark. “If the king abducts Jude, and Cirian is the Moon God’s pawn, we’ll lose before we even begin.”
“As if we aren’t already at a disadvantage.”
“Screwed or not, we’ve got to hurry,” I encouraged, already bursting into action and racing down the far end of the hill and away from the main gate tower. I prayed the guards wouldn’t turn their heads, but I was covered in enough filth that they might not spot me. I spared a peek over my shoulder, finding two blue eyes glinting in the night. Brax remained on the outskirts, standing watch.
I shivered as I flung my hood over my head and quickly tucked my red hair out of sight. Jake sprinted to keep up as we reached the wooden walls, out of breath and panting.
To our left, the King’s Guard soared through the gates, receiving only withering looks from the half-awake watchers stationed atop the walls.
Cirian didn’t have many friends in the north. Fortuna and the cities surrounding it acted like kingdoms of their own, able to take care of themselves without the king’s aid.
I grabbed Jake and wrapped my arm around his waist, tugging him closer to the entrance. We could be two lovers in search of rest or some gambling for the night. The guards wouldn’t know unless they’d been instructed to find us and given our descriptions. I relied on the chance they hadn’t.
Jake stiffened when we came into view of the gates, but when I made a theatrical show of nuzzling into his chest, the watchers we approached paid us little note.
Like I’d prayed, they saw us as nothing but a harmless pair in search of a little drink and fun. No one looked twice. They were too busy focusing on the guards, who were parting the crowded streets like a crimson plague.
Through the gates, we came into the main square of the city, which was ten times the size of Cila’s. Packed with colorful vendor carts and exuberantly dressed magicians and contortionists, it would have been a splendid scene of enchantment, if not for the fear washed across the faces of the masses as they took in the storming soldiers.
People—who’d been playfully roaming the avenue before—now ran, trampling over others in their haste to get away. In a blink, Fortuna became a place of horrifying chaos.
The guards shouted, some hopping off their horses and immediately snatching citizens, pulling them close to their faces and screaming. I couldn’t make out the words, but I bet it had to do with Jude, especially when I looked to my right.
I nudged Jake, pointing at a wanted poster tacked to a lamppost. It was a crude drawing of Jude, the artist turning his full lips into a scowl. Below, it read, Reward for capture. Alive.
“At least Cirian wants him alive,” Jake said with a grimace.
Regardless, his face was now known, and anyone who spotted him here might very well give him up for the right price.
Someone bumped into Jake’s shoulder, causing him to stumble. He managed to right himself and, still holding on to my arm, pulled me into the closest alley as pandemonium unfolded.
A man shrieked as the crowd knocked him to his knees, barely rolling over before a steed trampled him, the blows from its hooves killing him instantly. The guard atop the horse snickered, spitting at a stunned stranger before jerking the reins and aiming deeper into the city.
Another soldier whistled at a woman passing by, shouting crude words that made her scurry away in more than fear for her life. When she vanished, he resumed his assault on other victims, cursing at their backs when they ignored his vile language.
“Disgusting,” Jake spat, restraining me from racing into the streets and tearing the offending guard from his horse.
My nails bit into my palms hard enough to draw blood.
Rage simmered within me as painted doors were kicked open, the intricate carvings etched onto the frames ruined by steel-toed boots. The King’s Guard rushed into dwellings and shops, tearing apart homes and livelihoods as if they had every right.
Men and women and children shuffled into the streets wearing nothing but their underthings, sleep wiped from their wide eyes. One of the crimson bastards even struck a young boy no older than ten when he went to reach for his mother, who was protesting loudly, tears tracking down her ruddy cheeks.
Jake’s grip on me tightened. I hadn’t realized I’d been struggling in his arms, too focused on trying to reach these criminals wearing the colors of the realm’s supposed protectors.
“One day,” Jake promised in my ear. “You’ll get your chance to end those bastards, and when you do, I hope you aren’t merciful.”
I nodded, my eyes prickling. If we survived this journey, I’d make it my life’s mission to unseat such cowardly men of unearned power. I’d raise my blade and slice off the hand of any who struck a fearful child, who cornered terrified women, and who beat the defenseless.
I may not be the most skilled fighter, nor the most selfless, but I never had it in me to sit back and watch when I could do something about it. Looking at such abuse now made bile rise in my throat. I hated that the only thing I could do was swallow it down. The realm was at stake.
Drowning out the screams, the panicked cries, the injustice occurring all around us, I motioned to where the guards moved into groups, each setting off in a different direction.
“They’re splitting up,” I murmured, my voice raspy with anger. “They’re trying to find the commander, which means we have to find him first.”
I felt him. My magic felt him. My scar throbbed in tune with my heart, and my shadows mingled with the sliver of Raina’s warm light, my body abuzz with more than trepidation and wrath.
Where would Jude hide in this place?
Without the luxury of time to scour the city, I’d have to take a guess, which felt all but impossible given I’d never set foot here before.
“He wouldn’t stay at one of the gambling dens, as his face would be far too recognizable,” I said. “I’d say he chose an old inn off the beaten path, in a quieter part of town. Or he’d bargain with someone for a private room in their home.” That’s what I would do, at least. Better to stay off the books entirely.
“Then this area wouldn’t be the place to look. It’s all shady dens and taverns.” Jake subtly scanned the narrow avenues before setting his jaw. “Wait. Come with me.”
I didn’t argue as he steered us from the congested square, guiding us toward a grimy side street brimming with run-down townhomes.
The sunfires barely glimmered here, and we stumbled over the uneven stones. I wished we had a torch, but that would’ve bought us even more scrutiny. No one here carried them, seeming to have adapted to the dim. We’d be obvious outsiders.
“I came here once with…with Nic, when his parents sold their famous gin,” Jake said, his voice laced with grief.
My heart skipped several beats at the way he spoke his name like a familiar prayer. Nic had been a beautiful blur of smiles and lilting words, and while I hadn’t known him long before he was killed in the Mist, an ache took residence in my chest.
“I remember that this part of town offered a few inns. The section over here had some shops as well, but it’s definitely not…savory.” He peered over his shoulder, and I tracked his gaze to a rushing river, a tarnished bridge reaching across. “That’s where the wealthy live. The lucky few who got out of the slums. He wouldn’t go there. He’d stick out too much.”
“I’d venture to say that those across the river would rat him out in a heartbeat.” I peered across the water, finding the silver homes and their neat rows too orderly for my tastes. There were no sounds of life emanating from its banks, and even the guards crossed to its side with hushed voices and soft feet as if in respect.
I preferred the chaos of the northern side of the city, where the streets curved without reason, and the shops and taverns were all bright colors and uneven lines.
Jake shook his head. “Everything has a price here, Ki.”
Of that, I knew all too well.
We hurried down the sprawling boulevard, mindful to keep our heads down.
We’d made it a decent way away from the initial onslaught of the soldiers, and I took stock of the city and its many eccentricities as we hurried through.
We passed a wood-paneled tavern entitled Death’s Door, the walls painted all black, and the patrons inside hunched over the bar, their faces practically in their drinks.
Many more taverns blurred together, but the fourth captured my fleeting attention.
Bright red doors were sprung wide open. Copper fixtures carrying fresh sunfires highlighted its name, The Sly Fox, and raucous laughter reached my ears, floating out beyond its doors as singing voices mingled with rowdy music.
Jake tugged me forward, but something about that particular tavern tempted me. It might’ve been the swaying bodies swerving about the dance floor, or the way every inch of the space was covered in bright tapestries.
Surely they’d heard the screams by now? And yet they all drank and danced and smiled as if the outside world couldn’t touch them.
On a closer inspection, I realized it was one of the few taverns the guards hadn’t assaulted, no broken windows or towering guards questioning patrons. I wondered why. Perhaps the owner had already paid them off.
“Almost there,” Jake whispered into my ear, and I swiftly glanced away from The Sly Fox. He brought us down a few more quiet streets, the shutters of the shops and homes all closed tight.
We’d just rounded another corner closer to the outskirts when we happened upon several merchants loading up their wares.
Wagons of Fortuna’s renowned ale were lined up, tarps tied down over the merchandise. The drivers grumbled, clearly irritated more by the possible delay than the threat to people’s lives.
I flinched as invisible fire slid down my back, my magic awakening. Something told me we were in the right place…that Jude was close. Raina’s magic was calling to him.
I shoved Jake behind a row of stacked crates and placed a gloved finger against his mouth. His lips parted, but I shook my head, mouthing, “Wait.”
Both light and dark battled once more, one turning my body hot and then the other cold with each breath. I clutched my chest, teeth grinding together, the ache throbbing and painful.
A shout sounded, succeeded by the pounding of boots. My heart skipped as I peered around the crates, careful to remain hidden in the dim.
Three King’s Guards lugged an unmoving body behind them, the prisoner’s legs dragging in the dirt.
The longer I stared, the more potent my fear became, swarming into my chest like a hive of insects, nipping and stinging my insides.
The prisoner… I squinted, icy-hot chills accompanying the buzzing of my skin.
The edges of my vision shifted as black clouds curled around my periphery. They danced before skittering away, a pale-yellow light replacing the darkness and heightening my sight.
It reminded me of what had happened in the Pastoria Forest with the two patrolmen, and then back in the Knights’ sanctum when I’d led our group through the underground tunnels. I’d been able to see better than the other recruits, though the shapes in front of me had been tinged in that same pale-yellow glow.
Warmth overpowered the ice in my blood, and Raina’s magic ignited my every pore. Narrowing my gaze further, I willed everything to clear. My desire drove my power, commanding it with thought alone. As easy as breathing.
The body they lugged was carelessly shaken as one man clearly struggled to uphold his end. But the pause allowed me to see the captive’s face.
I’d already suspected whom they’d captured, but witnessing his slackened features broke me in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
Jude.
