Ashley Flake

Sophie Foster is on the run - but at least she’s not alone. Her closest friends from the Lost Cities have gone with her to join the Black Swan. They still have doubts about the shadowy organization, but the only way to find answers is to start working with them. And as they settle into their new lives, they uncover secrets bigger than anything they’d imagined. But their enemies are far from done and unleash a terrifying plague that threatens the safety of an entire species.

Pet slimes. A potion brew-off. A creepy forest that no one will explain. What’s a twelve-year-old warrior-in-training to do? As Runt and his friends continue their battle preparation, they face their biggest challenges yet—and it’s not just those zombies decked out in body armor (which is really weird, by the way). Runt’s got a brand-new nemesis who will stop at nothing to claim the top spot in the warrior competition at school. And, to make matters worse, there’s a strange girl following him around wherever he goes.