There were twin cities, once. Because of the stone they could quarry, one city was black and the other was white. They were called by those that lived there The City of Shadows and the City of Light, though their official names had far less poetry in them. They sat on either side of a great tidal river that was so wide it was hard to see one bank from the other.

Jem and Ez met in their boats in the middle of the river. Ez gave Jem a curling stone – the key to fulfill a prophecy so old it had been forgotten by all but the angels. When Jem turns the key, the cities will never be the same again.

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