That little ray of light was all it took; the spectral boy began to grow. He burst forth from Pitch’s chest joyfully, free at last! The moonbeam was thrown from side to side as the boy, with one quick tug, wrenched the radiant dagger from the cold heart that had trapped him. Bearing the blade aloft, with the moonbeam still caught inside lighting the way, the boy shot like a rocket straight up and out of the cursed cave and into the starry night. By the time his feet hit the snowy ground, he looked every bit like a real boy, if a real boy could be carved out of mist and light and miraculously brought to life.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 1

The crew, too, was ready to fight to the last, and they knew the secret of how to fight a shadow. Meteors or shooting stars carved and fashioned into swords, spears, and bombs were filled with an astral brightness that shadows could not withstand.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 5

The tree’s roots had torn from the ground and were thrashing and grabbing at the bear like an octopus. It swung a massive limb to strike at the bear, but the creature blocked the blow, snapping the branch off at the trunk and sending it crashing into a house. Then the bear clawed at the tree’s trunk, digging holes that revealed the tree’s hollow.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 9

No one knew exactly how old he was, for even he did not know his birthday, but he was old enough for the beginnings of a beard and was without argument the most daring young rascal in all the Russias. A hero he was not. But it was said that he once defeated an entire regiment of cavalry with a bent steak knife—while he was eating. Impressive swordsmanship indeed, but not the kind of achievement that would make a mother proud.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 6

Ombric was generally a wizard of extraordinary calm. Nothing seemed to surprise him. How could it? He was the last survivor of the lost city of Atlantis! He was a man who had seen and done everything. He could communicate telepathically to his owls. Walk through walls. Turn lead to gold. He’d helped invent time, gravity, and bouncing balls! But today, as he talked to this cluster of insects, he seemed, for the first time that the children had seen, perplexed and worried. His left eyebrow furrowed into a frown.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 2

But the children were getting better at avoiding these traps. So the nightly struggle grew more complex. It was a game that the parents indulged and Ombric always enjoyed, but there were times when patience would wear thin. Once, the children even stood in plain sight atop the trees that ringed the village, but, having painted themselves with sky and stars—with Ombric’s magical paints, no less!—they were not discovered until dawn.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 3

He had the advantage—he saw the bear, but the bear had not yet seen him! He rammed Petrov into the bear’s black fur at full speed, knocking the brutish creature off balance. Drawing a second saber, North managed a half dozen deep wounds before the bear regained his footing. With a roar that shook the forest, the creature swung around faster than North ever thought possible. One single swipe was enough to fling thief and horse into the air. North landed in the tree’s hollow. Though badly wounded, he did not falter. With the children huddled behind him, he stood his ground.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 9

And so he took sanctuary in Ombric’s books. To steal treasures from every country in Europe and the Russias, a bandit needed to read and speak in their various languages. So North had no trouble diving into ancient Italian texts or even Greek or Latin.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 13

“No!” cried Katherine. “We must stay together. Look! Something’s coming!” She pointed to tiny lights that were beginning to dot the forest around them. Fireflies! In numbers too vast to calculate, they swarmed forth and attacked the shadows like luminous darts released from an invisible bow. Moments later the birds, the reindeer, and nearly every creature in the forest joined them! Then the trees began to swing their branches; the vines lashed out like whips. But how can a shadow be fought?

he shadows splintered apart. But since they were shadows, they instantly came together again, taking new forms. They snapped and crushed the vines and hurled the forest defenders as if they were leaves in the wind. Undaunted, the forest army fought desperately on, rising repeatedly to protect the children. Still, the shadows slipped past them and began to envelop the children in a blanket of darkness. The older children immediately draped themselves over the younger ones in a last effort to protect them. And where is the bear? Surely the bear will help us, they thought as the inky blackness flooded over them.

Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 4