A new threat is lurking in the shadows in the electrifying fifth novel of The Hidden World of Changers series! Fiona, Mack, Gabriella, and Darren are Changers, a magical line of shapeshifters that can transform into mythological creatures, from werewolves and selkies to lightning birds and spirit foxes. It’s spring break in Willow Cove, and Mack, Gabriella, Darren, and Fiona are going on a class trip to Wyndemere Academy, a boarding school just for Changers! The kids are excited to learn more about the Changer world and to compete in the Youngling Games, a sporting event held each spring. But while Gabriella trains for the Games, Fiona camps out in the library, and Darren learns more about his powers, something is following Mack. He keeps catching a glimpse of a fox—a kitsune like him—with gleaming golden fur. Little does Mack know that the kitsune has a message for him, and nothing will stop her from delivering it. H.K. Varian has always loved reading about ancient mythology, ruins, and magic. Though H.K. once dreamed of having awesome powers like in Changers, writing became kind of like magic in and of itself. Today H.K. lives, writes, and has adventures in Pittsburgh, though most of them don’t involve battling warlocks, storming castles, or retrieving enchanted objects. The Shadow Fox Chapter 1 The Prophecy Mack led the group into the living room just as Jiichan was emerging from the kitchen, carrying the teapot and eight porcelain teacups on an antique tray. A moment later Fiona and Yara, the two waterborne Changers, arrived together. Fiona looked in Mack’s direction and raised her eyebrows. Did you learn anything else about the golden kitsune? she thought to him. Another useful ability Changers had was being able to speak telepathically to each other. It came in handy when they were all in their animal forms and speaking English, or even just speaking out loud, wasn’t exactly an option. For the last few months, Fiona had tried to help Mack find more information about the golden kitsune in an ancient book of Changer history known as The Compendium. It had family trees, the locations of Changer bases, and detailed accounts of Changer battles, but the book only allowed certain people to read certain pages. It never really gave you the whole picture, much like the First Four. Nothing yet, Mack thought back, still feeling frustrated. Fiona gave him a sympathetic smile and joined the group around the coffee table, where Jiichan was carefully pouring tea for each of them. Mack and his friends had waited a long time for this day. Fiona’s eyes sparkled with curiosity while Gabriella, a superathlete in both her human and Changer forms, was ready to leap into action and do whatever needed to be done. Even Darren, who’d had doubts about his new Changer life, waited a little impatiently to hear what the First Four had to say. The First Four exchanged pleasantries about the weather and sipped their tea. It was all Mack could do not to shout, Spill it already! Tell us about the prophecy, but he knew that would only slow everything down and upset his grandfather. Ms. Therian caught Jiichan’s eye and nodded. “It’s time, Akira,” she said. “Before we begin,” Jiichan addressed Mack, Gabriella, Darren, and Fiona, “I want to be sure that each of you is ready. Once you embark upon this path, there is no turning back. You’ll be more than Changers; you’ll be leaders in training. That’s not something you can walk away from. It’s also something we’d hoped to delay for a few more years, but as Yara would say—” “The cat’s out of the bag,” Yara finished. In the tense silence that followed, Jiichan’s dark eyes took in each of the younglings, one at a time. Fiona nodded solemnly, as did Gabriella. Darren hesitated and then did the same. “I’m ready,” Mack said. “No turning back.” Ms. Therian stood and carefully reached into her satchel, pulling out an exquisitely carved box made of silver maple. Mack recognized it immediately. It was the box that held the Changing Stone—the stone that had revealed their Changer abilities to them on the first day of school. There was total silence as she lifted the box’s lid and removed the large, round moonstone from the folds of midnight-blue silk. Mack remembered that it had been forged by magic thousands of years ago. A non-magical person looking at it would simply see a beautiful gemstone, milky-white streaked with color, like a giant opal. But when a Changer gazed into it, the stone revealed his or her true form. But they knew all about their Changer forms now. . . . Why did they need the stone again? “We already know—” Mack blurted. Ms. Therian’s eyes on his were enough to make him be quiet. More waiting, he thought. “Stand with me and put your hands on the stone,” she said. “All together.” Mack, Fiona, Darren, and Gabriella did as she asked. Then the First Four filled the spaces in between them and started to do the same. The whole thing was a l