Beatty - Serafina and the Seven Stars

Copyright 2019 by Robert Beatty

Designed by Phil Buchanan

Cover art 2019 by Alexander Jansson

Cover design by Phil Buchanan

All rights reserved. Published by Disney Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney Hyperion, 125 West End Avenue, New York, New York 10023.

ISBN 978-1-368-01062-7

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Biltmore Estate

Asheville, North Carolina

1900

S erafina raced through the forest, her sharp panther claws ripping into the leafy autumn ground, propelling her long, black-furred body through the underbrush. She scrambled up moss-covered rocky slopes and dashed through shaded meadows of swaying ferns, making her way swiftly home.

The sound of rapid footfalls charged up behind her.

She burst forward with new speed, leaping over the trunk of a fallen tree, then tearing through an open field.

But now two of them were on her, snarling as they lunged at her sides.

The first mountain lion pounced on her back with a ferocious growl and tumbled her to the ground. The second slammed into her head.

She spun on them with a hissing bite, pushing them away with her legs and swatting them repeatedly with her claws retracted, then broke free and ran.

You silly cats need to get out of here, she thought as she leapt the stream that marked the back side of Diana Hill. Were getting too close to the house. Youve got to go back.

She surged forward, trying to put enough distance between her and her young half sister and half brother that they would finally return to the depths of the forest. But seeing her attempts to outrun them, they became more invigorated than ever. Her sister bounded ahead of her, growling playfully as she looked back at Serafina over her shoulder, challenging Serafina to chase her.

Slow down, Serafina thought as they reached the top of the hill. You need to be careful here.

But in that instant, the air exploded with the loud, wrenching sound of twisting metal, bending wire, and a mountain lion yowling in pain. Her sister had been running so fast that she never saw the wire fence in her pathdidnt even know what a fence wasand slammed right into it. The terrified lion kicked and clawed, trying desperately to fight this strange, coiling attacker.

The other mountain lion circled his sisters flailing, wire-entangled body in agitation, but was utterly unable to help her.

Serafinas heart lurched in panic. She quickly shifted into human form and moved toward her struggling sister.

The more the young mountain lion fought against the wire, the more entangled she became.

Serafina grabbed the rats nest of metal with her bare hands and tried to tear it away. But the lion kept fighting, pulling against the wires, scratching and biting and growling.

Just stay still, cat. Im trying to help you! Serafina told her sister in exasperation, but as the entwined lion stared up at her with her golden eyes, Serafina knew her sister couldnt understand her.

I told you we were done playing for the day, she said as she pulled and pried at the wire. You shouldnt try to follow me home. Were too close to the house.

As she worked to free her sister, she glanced around to get her bearings. A short distance away, surrounded by the vine-wrapped stone columns of a small gazebo, stood Biltmores Roman statue of Diana, goddess of the hunt, with a bow in one hand, a quiver of arrows on her back, and a deer standing at her side.

Were far too close, Serafina thought again as she struggled with a length of wire that had ensnared her sisters legs. Her brother and sister might get themselves into all sorts of trouble if they passed into the grounds of the mansion; the last thing she needed was for someone to spot a mountain lion running across Biltmores lawn.

From this high position atop Diana Hill, Serafina could see Biltmore House below her, with its pale-gray limestone walls and leaded-glass windows gleaming in the light of the setting sun, the steeply slanted slate-blue rooftops piercing the sky, and the misty ranges of the Blue Ridge Mountains rising in the distance.

The house was a beautiful sight, tranquil and serene. But she didnt trust pleasant feelings. Or beauty. And she definitely couldnt cotton to the nerve-racking peace and quiet that had been slithering around the estate for the last several months. This mishap with her sister aside, nothing sinister had happened at Biltmore in a long time, but she hadnt been able to shake the feeling that it soon would.

She finally managed to get her sister out of most of the wires, but there was still a bad one wrapped around her front leg. The lion kept yanking her paw away at the worst possible moment, anxious to get free, but hindering Serafinas efforts.

Just hold on, girl, Serafina said, stroking the lions head. Im almost done.

There were small cuts on her sisters shoulders and legs, but Serafina wasnt sure how she could help her. She didnt have any bandages, and even if she did, there wasnt any way to keep them in place.

I need Braeden, she thought in frustration. He would calm the lion and heal her wounds.

But Braeden was gone. And the shock of it still throbbed in Serafinas heart. After all their struggles, fighting to stay together and to stay alive, they had been undone by a few words on a wretched piece of paper in a city far away. She had wanted him to stand up, to fight, to slash at his uncles words.

But he couldnt fight it. He knew he shouldnt fight it.

And now she was once again alone.

As she wrenched the last of the twisted wire from her sisters leg, the lion rose to her feet and rubbed her whiskered face appreciatively against Serafinas cheek. And their brother came over and rubbed his shoulders against them as well.

It seemed as if maybe they were a little sorry for their rambunctiousness, and she was sorry, too. She should have stopped running sooner than she did and warned them of the dangers of the man-made world. Biltmores groundskeepers must have put up the wire fence to protect the stand of small maple trees they had planted at the top of Diana Hill. The cubs were full-grown now, but they were still young and inexperienced.

But as she was hugging her brother and sister, a shift in the breeze touched the bare skin on the back of her neck, and put a chill down her spine.

Startled, she turned and scanned the line of trees surrounding the distant house, looking for any sort of danger: a mysterious figure or encroaching enemyanything that might signal that trouble was a-prowl.

She studied the balconies and towers of the house for unusual movement, and then the gate, the road, and the paths leading into the gardens.

Over the last few months, she had patrolled the grounds day and night, sleeping only when she had to, for her memories of her past battles never slept.

No, she told herself as she gazed down at the house and out across the mountains, she wasnt going to let any of this beauty and pleasantness fool her.