Stars Of Mount Quixx , livre ebook
314
pages
English
Ebooks
2023
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement
Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement
314
pages
English
Ebook
2023
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
25 avril 2023
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781778521218
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
10 Mo
'Even the best intentions can bring down a mountain Sent away for the summer, the Ivyweather sisters were promised a family vacation by their wealthy, indifferent parents. Two at-odds opposites Constance an anxious society sweetheart and Ivory an adventure-struck rebel the sisters aren t sure what to make of the dangerously decayed town of Quixx and its creeping fog that never seems to lift. When Ivory disappears after a spat with her sister, Constance tracks her to the mountain, where the Ivyweathers learn the town s hushed talk of monsters is more than just a rumor. There, the sisters meet Derrek, a dapper and talented astronomer who also happens to be a spider-like creature with a scientific mind, the best of intentions, and a tragic past. Together, they all must find a way to lift the dangerous fog that has ensnared the town and return Quixx s long-lost stars. But they soon discover that something far more monstrous than beasts lurks in Quixx, and i
Voir
Publié par
Date de parution
25 avril 2023
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781778521218
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
10 Mo
The Stars of
Mount Quixx
S.M. Beiko
Côî © S.M. Béîkô, 2023
PUîŝé ECW Péŝŝ 665 Géà Séé Eàŝ Tôôô, Oàîô, Cààà m4m 1y2 416-694-3348 / îfô@éçwéŝŝ.çô
A îŝ éŝéVé. Nô à ôf îŝ Uîçàîô à é éôUçé, ŝôé î à éîéVà ŝŝé, ô àŝîé î à fô à ôçéŝŝ — ééçôîç, éçàîçà, ôôçôî, éçôî, ô ôéwîŝé — wîôU é îô wîé éîŝŝîô ôf é çôî ôwéŝ à ECW Péŝŝ. Té ŝçàî, Uôàî, à îŝîUîô ôf îŝ ôôk Vîà é ïéé ô Vîà à ôé éàŝ wîôU é éîŝŝîô ôf é Uîŝé îŝ îéà à Uîŝàé àw. Péàŝé Uçàŝé ô àUôîzé ééçôîç éîîôŝ, à ô ô àîçîàé î ô éçôUàé ééçôîç îàç ôf çôîé àéîàŝ. YôU ŝUô ôf é àUô’ŝ îŝ îŝ àéçîàé.
Eîô fô é Péŝŝ: Jé R. Aé SUŝàîVé Eîô: Jéîfé Hàé CôVé éŝî: Lîŝà Màîé Pôîîô
library and archives canada cataloguingin publication
Tîé: Sàŝ ôf MôU QUîxx / S.M. Béîkô.
Nàéŝ: Béîkô, S. M., àUô.
Déŝçîîô: Séîéŝ ŝàéé: Té Bîéwàç qUîé ; ôôk ôé
ïéîIéŝ: Cààîàà (î) 20220430926 | Cààîàà (éôôk) 20220430950
isbn 978-1-77041-695-6 (ŝôfçôVé) isbn 978-1-77852-121-8 (PDF) isbn 978-1-77852-122-5 (Kîé) isbn 978-1-77852-120-1 (éPU)
CàŝŝîIçàîô: LCC PS8603.E428444 S73 2023 | DDC C813/.6—ç23
Tîŝ ôôk îŝ fUé î à é GôVéé ôf Cààà.Ce lIvre est inancé en partIe par le gouvernement du Canada.Wé àçkôwéé é ŝUô ôf é Cààà CôUçî fô é Aŝ.Nous remercIons le ConseIl des arts du Canada de son soutIen.Wé àçkôwéé é fUî ŝUô ôf é Oàîô Aŝ CôUçî (OAC), à àéç ôf é GôVéé ôf Oàîô. Wé àŝô àçkôwéé é ŝUô ôf é GôVéé ôf Oàîô ôU é Oàîô Bôôk PUîŝî Tàx Céî, à ôU Oàîô Céàéŝ.
printed and bound in canada
printing: riesens
5
4
3
2
1
For Peter, irst, wo beîeved în Quîxx beore e saw ît on te page. And or a o you wo ook up at te stars wît wonder, and dream.
P
R
O
L
O
G
U
E
can ande watever Mount Quîxx trows at me,Kaus ad I joked, beore work ad swaowed te weeks and se’d et îm tat ast tîme. He was aways so sure o îmse. And Camîe ad been sure o îm, too. But te smoke peeîng of te mountaîn now was tîck and crue — te best evîdence tat tere ad been an exposîon, save te du rîngîng în er ead. So many lares o sarp, jaundîced îgt tat sook te word, stî tere wen Camîe cosed er eyes. Neîgbours screamed, runnîng down te street în teîr nîgtîes. he nîgt was aîve wît ear. But wîwesurvîve wat Mount Quîxx as trown atus? Camîe tîgtened er ist around er scar, er eart keepîng tîme wît te away’s carrîage cock. Se soud’ve îdden beneat te kîtcen tabe trougout te basts, but er body woudn’t aow ît. Se’d watced ît a, sîent as stone. he ouse ad been sturdîy buît and wasn’t about to be knocked down. Neîter was Camîe. Wat ît came down to was tîs: Kaus was on tat mountaîn, wîc ad just been aoed în ceestîa bombs. Camîe was sturdy, but not sturdy enoug to ose îm. Se counted te seconds between te atersocks, ed irm to te counter as broken cîna îttered te parquet.
5
he ouse was stî. Se’d waîted ong enoug. Pusîng er spectaces up er nose, se was a lurry out te ront door. he acked mountaîn next to were Camîe ad grown up was practîcay on te doorstep, wîc îs wy tîs arrange-ment ad been so perect or er and Kaus. Except now er doorstep was rînged în ire and doubt. he ouse was ocated across rom a cearîng, and ten te mountaîn, but now tere was a crater were te cearîng ad been, a quarter mîe wîde and carred. Camîe barey pued er spectator soes rom te edge în tîme, arms spîraîng as se anded on te road beînd er. Se’d aready waîted or te worst o te bazes to subsîde, yet stî te aîr scorced er skîn. Se pued er egs back under er anyway and got up, sakîng. Se trîed to peer down te street to see î tere was a better way. But smoke — no, og? — seemed to rîse rom te crater, rîse and spread, îts ingers greedy, swaowîng Camîe’s neîg-bourood beore er eyes. Se ooked up at te bent spîre, up and up to te pace were se knew te observatory was, îdden now by og and maybe a îtte bît o doubt. Se knew î se went dîrecty down tîs new sope te crater ad made, ît woud be te most dîrect route to Kaus. he astest. Never mînd tat ît was a crackîng brîmstone; tîs ad to be just anoter o te mountaîn’s many trîcks. hat îs,îte observatory was stî tere. Camîe sut er eyes. Trîed to îsten.Te me wat I soud do, se begged te nîgt aîr, searcîng or te voîce tat ad aways guîded er.Pease te me tat e’s a rîgt.No answer. Just te wînd. Just te og. he barest sense o a great paîn. So se scrambed înto te casm as ast as se coud — se ad to get up te mountaîn, and to Kaus, watever te cost. ït was takîng muc too ong to reac te bottom o te crater, too many troat-scorcîng gasps, Camîe spayîng
6
out er arms and teeterîng bîndy. Se adn’t even trîed to ind te auncer în te caos —tatwoud ave been te most dîrect route — but wît a te og and te possîbe damage to te andîng zone, wo knew were se’d end up. More questîons sot troug er:Wat î I’m too ate? Wat î te teescope caved în on top o îm wîe e was scrîbbîng în îs damned notebook? Wat î te sky as aen and a o tem are . . . Se sook er ead, catcîng a dangîng root în er outstretced and and angîng tere. Keep goîng.Se put er eet back down. Soon se was at te bottom o te crater, te mountaîn aead and up. Red embers and burnîng brus sowed er te way to te steep mountaîn pass, and toug every step was perî, Camîe knew ît was tîme to orget everytîng. Forget everytîng and et te mountaîn take er were se needed to go. To keep er steady, se îmagîned Kaus’s brogue, as cear as î e were wîsperîng dîrecty înto er trobbîng sku: Pysîcs are useess ere, e joked. he scar on Camîe’s souders loated around er ead as se turned a corner. Her eet sîpped of te ground as se entered a amîîar pocket o geograpîc antî-gravîty.he mountaîn as îts own rues. hat, se’d aways known. And se’d earned tem we. But se expected tat a to cange ater tonîgt. Camîe grabbed or anytîng se coud on te rock ace and pued erse upward. You can do anytîng î you’re ooîs enoug.hat proverb ad been ers. As se cîmbed îger and îger, er body a-loatîng as î ît were a bît o dandeîon, makîng progress around te dark trees tat bearded te sate. he stenc o smoke became enoug to ead te way. A se ad to do was keep goîng up. But Camîe’s panîc inay caugt up wît er body. Her skîn prîcked as te ot wînd comped er ees. Se
7
coudn’t spare a and to ind te next od. he tears were a surprîse, te aîr searîng er îgt-starved eyes. Camîe never ad patîence or tears. Se needed to take anoter step. Yet wen se trîed, se ost purcase and sîpped, and and oot, te upsîde-down momentum sendîng er lyîng upward and out o contro. he mountaîn caugt er îke a crade, wît a sab o rock at er back. As te aîr came back to er ungs, se trîed to ook aead, above. here was no sky, but te mountaîn was a beak burnt tempe bendîng wît te dark. Her body pressed înto te rock and se eard te mountaîn.Paîn, ît ecoed.My paîn. And yours. Camîe permîtted one sob to bubbe up, buryîng er ace în te scar as se tougt o te sma, strange amîy se ad buît on tîs mountaîn — a mountaîn tat was urtîng but wîc ad betrayed er a te same. Her tears loated up past er ead. he abrîc stî smeed îke Kaus: resîn and spîed înk and bergamot tea and country aîr. Se ed on to tat. Se knew wît terrîbe certaînty tat se’d never sme îm agaîn. “Pease,” came a voîce amost as mîserabe as er tougts. “Pease don’t cry.” Camîe stîfened, er ead turnîng wîdy as se adjusted er gasses, er eyes, and trîed to see wat se dîdn’t want to see, but wat se must. “Were are you?” se croaked, tryîng to ind reîe. “Are you urt? ïs e—” “ï wasn’t brave enoug.” Camîe ed ast to te outcrop o rock so tat se woudn’t loat away, turnîng towards te broken voîce. “ït’s a rîgt,” se saîd înto te dark. ït was very muc nota rîgt, but se needed to be strong. Strong or bot teîr sakes. Se ed an arm out. “ï’m ere now.”
8
© 2010-2024 YouScribe
