Starlight On Willow Lake

For my parents, Nick and Lou Klist, my first and best readers. Your love, wisdom and courage are my inspiration.

Contents

Cover (#ube76dbfc-08a8-5d2a-ace2-91ee18ea6600)

Back Cover Text (#ubb369f6a-7c09-50e9-a133-55642e012de0)

Booklist (#ufb97b4ba-c5b1-54b8-b44c-7d4e9cb406da)

Title Page (#u3e669491-ea56-56e5-b19d-8b5a7c9f807b)

Dedication (#ue6ce5a5d-192b-5f06-b6bd-f6bb929e95b8)

Part One (#u4fefe0cc-d1b9-5344-be42-48b383376d11)

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Part Two (#litres_trial_promo)

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Part Three (#litres_trial_promo)

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Part Four (#litres_trial_promo)

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Part Five (#litres_trial_promo)

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Part Six (#litres_trial_promo)

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Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgments (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Part One (#ulink_d3b43779-cd37-5886-8044-50f29903b3e3)

“Of all things visible, the highest is the heaven of the fixed stars.”

—Nicolaus Copernicus

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Mason Bellamy stared up at the face of the mountain that had killed his father. The mountain’s name was innocent enough—Cloud Piercer. The rich afternoon light of the New Zealand winter cast a spell over the moment. Snow-clad slopes glowed with the impossible pink and amethyst of a rare jewel. The stunning backdrop of the Southern Alps created a panorama of craggy peaks, veined with granite and glacial ice, against a sky so clear it caused the eyes to smart.

The bony, white structure of a cell phone tower, its discs grabbing signals from outer space, rose from a nearby peak. The only other intrusions into the natural beauty were located at the top of the slope—a black-and-yellow gate marked Experts Only and a round dial designating Avalanche Danger: Moderate.