Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow

It is Spring’s Eve during the Winter of Three. Clocksmiths (those trained to understand Ages) and observers gather around the Skyfaced clocks located across the Free State; these clocks track the phases of Ages rather than time. The clocksmiths speculate on whether their predictions are correct and the clocks will turn from Morningtide, indicated by a light pink color, to Basking, a bright yellow that signals a time of danger as well as opportunity. They have noted three disturbances: a rising tide, a falling star, and a waking giant. Their discussions refer to the Hollowpox, a wave of sickness that affected the population of Wunimals (animals who speak and think like humans), and rumors of calls for reunion between the Free State and the Wintersea Republic, its traditional enemy. As midnight arrives, the face of the clock turns from pink to gold. Clocksmith apprentice Olly Wainwright feels “[a] strange, quiet discomfort from the knowledge that somewhere, a giant had woken” (6).

The narrative jumps back four months to Hallowmas of the Autumn of Three. The Wundrous Society is hosting the Black Parade, a celebration of Hallowmas. Nightbeacons (candles that attract the restless dead) are lit from the fireblossom trees that