Excerpt from The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"No," she whispered, and felt the growl sink back down. She struggled out of his embrace and pulled on an old shirt, worn to softness.

"Knock knock!" called Red Gold, which seemed pointless to North as he was already knocking. She heard him unclip the edge of the canvas cover, and his berry-red cheeks appeared over the coracle's edge. "North child, why are you hiding from me?"

"Don't be silly, Jarrow. I slept in, that's all. Is it late?" Behind Red Gold's head the sky was dark blue threaded with pink. The sun wasn't up, and North knew it would be a while until break¬ fast. She was soothed by the slow breath of waves and the scrape of the coracles shifting: the lullaby of the sleeping circus.

"No, no, don't worry about that. Just ready yourself and come out here. I have a surprise."

North tied her hair in a knot and began gathering her bear's things. If she had to be woken so early, she might as well make the most of it. "I'm sorry, I can't. We'll be moving pitch soon, and I should let the bear get some exercise in the shallows while we're here, so if you don't mind—"

"Come out here. I'm not asking." Red Gold's head disappeared from the lip of the coracle. In the gap left, North saw that the streaks of pink in the sky were burning to red.

She leaned over the bunk to settle her bear. Her toe bumped against the box containing the golden chains, and she did con¬sider them; she rarely left her bear alone, and if he woke without her there he might be frightened or angry. But no—the chains would make him angrier still, and even a bear on the rampage was not as scary as Red Gold when disobeyed. She pulled on trousers and a knitted jumper. It took her a moment to find her bell—all damplings had to wear a tiny brass bell on their clothes when on land, in case they were mistaken for landlockers—and another moment to attach it to the laces of her soft leather shoes. Usually she went barefoot, and the soles of her feet felt as thick as her coracle's hull. But no matter how tough it was, she would not let her bare skin touch land. She stretched her jumper, making sure it hung loose over her middle, and climbed out of the coracle.

Red Gold had already made it to the dock and stood with his arm around his son, chest thrust forward. North's boat was midway along the line, and she took as long as she dared to make her way along the chains. In the brightening light, she could not ignore the peeling paint and rusted metal of the coracles. In places, the reds and greens and purples had flaked off entirely, leaving patches of dull gray. Saltwater and paint did not mix well.

Ainsel had clearly paid a visit to the Island of Maidens—Whitby and Melia's scathing nickname for the glamours' boat. His hair was braided with feathers and the contours of his face were subtly shaded to match his clothing. Blue under his cheek¬bones, green along his brows, a merging of the two at the corners of his eyes. He looked as vain and haughty as his horse.

"Good morning, North," he said as she stepped on to the dock where the Excalibur was moored.

"Good morning, Ainsel. I trust you slept well."

"Such a fine day for an adventure, isn't it, my little ones?" cooed Red Gold. He hooked his arms into North's and Ainsel's elbows. He managed a few steps like this, but their different heights made it impossible, so he settled for striding along be¬tween them. "The sky—glorious! This land—glorious! The joy of being with my two most favorite young lovers—most glorious of all!"

North offered up a tight smile. It was taking all her concen¬tration to make sure that Red Gold stayed in the middle. More than anything, she did not want Ainsel to reach for her hand. She'd have to let him take it, and his skin would be as smooth as satin slippers, and she'd be forced to run back to her coracle and tie shut the canvas and never come out again.

Reprinted from The Gracekeepers Copyright © 2015 by Kirsty Logan. To be published by Crown, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, on May 19, 2015.