The beasts came and destroyed our world. Kilhaven’s founders defended themselves, and for the past 150 years, the walls of this small village, where Jarvis Graye lives, have kept them out. This fall, though, something feels different. 13 year-old Jarvis is living his usual life, dreading school, cleaning up after pigeons at his courier apprenticeship, and trying not to humiliate himself in archery class. At least he’s got his best friend, and there’s even an interesting new girl around. But… the strange noises, the dead deer, now the missing boy – the clues are there that something sinister is afoot. Jarvis suspects his weird neighbor is to blame. But first, he must find proof. With Jarvis’s life and the safety of the village on the line, he and his friends race to uncover the truth and stop the one who is behind it all.
About the Author
Scott Keen is married and has five daughters. He graduated in 2006 with a Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting. He is also the author of three young adult novels: Scar of the Downers, Rise of the Branded, and War of the Downer King. He currently lives in New York.
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Jarvis attempted to give his father a quizzical, yet innocent, look. His father read it, but wasn’t believing it.
“Mordecai Woode is no fool,” said his father, answering Jarvis’s unspoken question. “He’s the game warden. He’s seen you. He’s warned you that if you and Aron keep going in there, he’ll have the two of you arrested by Sheriff Skor. I don’t doubt it, either. We can’t have deer dying in the preserve.”
“But I didn’t do anything!” Jarvis protested.
“I believe you,” said his father. “But if you’re caught in the preserve, others may not. I’m just warning you for your own good.”
A long silence pierced Jarvis. In that time, his father beckoned Ophelia back into the kitchen where they finished their meal. After dinner, Jarvis went up to his room, shut the door, lit his lantern, opened the window, and stared out at the empty field, thinking about the news his father just relayed. He could hear the distant voices of his parents, no doubt discussing it further. Why would someone kill three deer? For what reason? Was it the same person that was walking in the forest the night before? Was it an animal? Could it have been a beast? Jarvis laughed at that last thought. Even if beasts still existed, there was no way for them to get into the village. No, it had to be a man. That conclusion, however, didn’t make him feel any better.
By this time, Jarvis’s eyelids had grown heavy. He had gotten very little sleep the night before, and he could hear his bed crying out for him. So Jarvis lay down and fell into an early sleep, where he dreamt of things, things that shook him awake in the middle of the night.
Excerpted from The Society of the Watchers by Scott Keen, Copyright © 2021 by Scott Keen. Published by Scott Keen Books.
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