Mia grapples with the responsibility of her new powers and uncovers even more of Nubis’s secrets in this thrilling second book in the Umbra Tales middle grade series that’s Keeper of the Lost Cities meets The Golden Compass . The Reaper King’s attempt to break free and thrust the rest of the Kingdom of Lunis into darkness has been thwarted, but all is still not well in Nubis, Mia’s moonlit kingdom home. The whole city is on guard for another attempt to resurrect the Reaper King. Though imprisoned, his followers, the Elite, are still inside the city, and tensions among the population are at an all-time high. Meanwhile, Mia struggles to cope with her new Lightcaster powers and to fit in with the rest of the tamers, many of whom are skeptical of her abilities. But it’s the appearance of old friends and new maybe-enemies that will truly put Mia’s abilities—and the loyalties of everyone she trusts—to the test. Janelle McCurdy is an author and fully-fledged gamer. Having started writing and querying at only sixteen years old, she joined Jo Unwin Literary Agency (JULA) in her early twenties. After graduating from Royal Holloway University with a criminology and sociology degree, Janelle moved back home to London and began writing middle grade fantasy. In her free time, you can find her holed up in her room, gaming and watching anime (some of her favorites being Inuyasha , Dragon Ball Z , and Death Note ), or attending numerous comic cons and gaming events. Chapter One CHAPTER ONE Screams pierce the air and flames crackle around me. In the alleyway, I crouch behind some bins with my little brother, Lucas, close by my side. His small hand clutches mine and I squeeze it back. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. The hot stench of garbage invades my nose, and thick black smoke burns the back of my throat, making it hard to breathe. Behind us, at the other end of the dark alleyway, children scream and cry for help as they’re snatched away by men and women dressed in huge red cloaks that flap in the wind. The adults thrust shadowy smoke from their hands in front of the children’s faces, with sinister grins, like monstrous beings that only belong in the Spirit Plain. Reapers. My grip on Lucas’s hand tightens. We’ve gotta get out of here! I go to run, but stop myself and clap a hand over Lucas’s mouth as a gutterslug red cloak steps into our path in front of the alleyway, his back to us. In the distance, something clangs loudly, coming closer and closer, like metal chains or iron bars banging against each other. “Stay close,” I whisper to Lucas. He nods and I slowly remove my hand from his mouth. Shadowy black snakelike creatures skitter past on giant spider legs. Beasts made of shadow and stars: umbra. They search the area with their bloodred eyes, and I pull Lucas down. His little hand shakes in my grasp, and I gently kiss his head. I’m gonna protect you no matter what. A huge cage slams against the concrete in front of us, and we jump. My breath hitches in my throat, and my hands feel clammy. I look ahead and freeze. Trapped within the metal cage like animals are the protectors of our city. The tamers. The very people who fight against the Darkness of the Reaper King and all the other dangers out in the Nightmare Plains. Their shadowy umbra with sparkly golden eyes are pinned to the ground by strange blue spiked collars chained around their necks. What the flip is happening? Within the cage, my eyes connect with all-too-familiar hazel ones, and my gut twists into a knot. Mum. She grasps at the metal bars and quickly turns to whisper something to Dad. He nods and slinks away into the crowd. Loud bangs sound from the other side of the cage, and the red-cloaked guard cusses under his breath and moves to investigate. Now! I tug Lucas’s hand and we quickly, carefully, make our way over to Mum. Her hands shoot through the bars to caress our faces. “My babies.” Her eyes fill with pain and mine sting with tears. Her palm is cold against my burning-hot cheek, and I rack my brain trying to think of a way to get her and everyone out. Lucas sniffles and rubs his cheek against her other hand. “Listen to me,” Mum whispers. “You need to go. He’s coming for you.” What? I shake my head. What’s she talking about? The way she holds us feels so familiar, yet something feels wrong. So wrong. “You’re a Lightcaster, Mia, and you need to master your powers! You’ll never be safe until you do. Take Lucas and go! Now!” Mum yells, but it doesn’t sound like her voice. What’s going on? She pushes us away and I let go of Lucas’s hand. “Mum, what are you talking about?” I grab the bars, but I’m yanked back, snatched from her. I look down and scream at the skeleton fingers latched onto my arms. “Mum! Help!” A sinister chuckle and a venomous voice seep into my mind. “I’m coming to find you.” Don’t turn around. Don’t turn around. “You can’t hide.” “Mimi…” I hear a small voice