Dark Waters

The lights flickered.

Brian s head jerked up from the book. Ollie and Coco looked around too, warily. The lights flickered again.

Must be the storm ­ Coco began.

And then the lights went out.

Right at that same moment, someone knocked ­boom, boom, boom ­on the door.

The three of them froze. They knew better than to scream. They stared at the door. The only light came from the fire. It threw their shadows big and strange on the walls.

Boom. This time the knock shot them to their feet and close together. Coco tripped over her pile of books; Ollie caught her, and they stood in the middle of the room, hands gripping tight.

I didn t see anyone outside! Brian breathed. I didn t see a car . . .

There wasn t a car, whispered Ollie. We d have seen the lights.

Maybe it drove up with the lights off? whispered Coco.

Ollie glanced down at her wrist. She was wearing a watch. But it wasn t an ordinary watch. It had belonged to her mother, who was dead. Its screen was cracked; it didn t tell time. But sometimes it gave Ollie advice.

Like now.

It was glowing faintly blue, and a single word jumped on the screen in faint, flickering letters.

Hush, it said.

All three of them went still. Brian felt sweat start on his forehead. His heart was thumping away, like a pheasant in spring. Why were heartbeats so loud? He tried not to breathe. He could feel the girls hands sweating in his. Run away? Stay still?

Hush.

The knocking had stopped. Now he heard the soft sound of footsteps. Circling the house. Going toward the big front window. Scratch. Scritch. Someone was scraping at the pane of glass. Brian s heartbeat seemed to rattle his rib cage. None of them moved.

The footsteps went back toward the door. Now they saw the door handle quiver. Very slowly, the handle turned downward. Down and down it went. Brian couldn t see

Katherine Arden is the New York Times bestselling author of the Winternight trilogy and the Small Spaces quartet. In addition to writing novels, she enjoys aimless travel, growing vegetables, and running wild through the woods with her dog. She lives in Vermont.

Praise for Dark Waters:
An Amazon Best Book August 2021

Arden skillfully blends a creature feature with a survival tale, taking the series into new territory without deviating from its successful formula. The deliberate pacing maintains a palpable sense of dread, equally anxiety-inducing and terrifying. . . Another deliciously hair-raising entry in a series that continues to make a huge splash. Kirkus Reviews

Describing the creepy setting where all the action takes place with cinematic detail, Arden piles on the terror, weaving in Lake Champlain history and pirate lore.   Buffalo News

The ending definitely ramped up the stakes once more and I m now anxiously awaiting the conclusion to this dark, creepy middle-grade series. If you haven t picked up this series yet, now is the perfect time to do so, if only to suffer with us all through the wait for the final book.   The Nerd Daily

Genuinely spooky . . . Arden s expert pacing and vivid descriptions ratchet up the tension deliciously, build eerie atmosphere, and make for some truly scary moments . . . [and] a tense cliff-hanger, which will leave readers on the hook for the next installment. Booklist

Those who are attracted to mystery, adventure, and spooky stories will be drawn to this sequel like a moth to a flame. School Library Journal

In this hair-raising novel . . . middle-grade readers, ages 8-12, and their adult reading companions, will be thrilled, and frightened, by this latest adventure. . . This is a very fun, and eerie, read-aloud. Addison County Independent

Praise for Dead Voices:

Arden handily transforms the haunted house story into something much richer, scarier, and more sinister. . . Middle-graders who thrill to spooks and scares will find plenty (maybe even