Blood Storm: The Second Book of Lharmell Read online

  Rodden sat with me sometimes but he would fidget so restlessly that it was a relief when he went back to his turret room.

  One perfect sunny morning I sat with Carmelina on the grass playing with a clutch of fluffy white kittens that had been presented to her mother from one of the city nobles. Leap looked on, bemused by their antics. They were so tiny they were dwarfed by dandelion blossoms. One clung to the front of my dress and stared up at me with wide, shocked eyes. Two simultaneously attacked Leap, gnawing at his paws with their tiny teeth. Good-naturedly, he let them clamber all over him.

  Then Carmelina spoke words that made my blood run cold.

  ‘Princess Penritha will be arriving at the palace shortly, did you know? A messenger from the main party reached the palace last night.’

  I hadn’t even told Carmelina about the flogging. She’d noticed my stiffness and I had muttered something about sunburn acquired in the desert. At first she’d asked a lot of awkward questions, about why Rodden and I had snuck away in the middle of the night, and whether we’d eloped, and what on earth I’d been doing all this time. I made the whole journey sound very dull and she eventually stopped asking.

  ‘How long until they arrive?’ I asked, trying to keep my voice level.

  ‘Oh, a day or two at the most. The messenger left them just outside Delafor,’ Carmelina said, naming a town that was a mere hundred miles from Xallentaria. Penritha must be in a great hurry to cover the distance between Ansengaad and Prestoral and then on to Xallentaria so quickly. And I could well imagine what had spurred such haste.

  I disentangled the kitten from my dress and handed it back. ‘I must go in,’ I told Carmelina, scooping Leap into my arms. ‘There’s something I forgot to . . .’ I trailed off, not bothering to finish the thought as I hurried across the grass.

  Leap butted his head against my chin, but I was beyond comfort.

  Rodden was unmoved by my news when I finally ran him to ground at the stables.

  ‘Let her come. She can’t do a thing to hurt you now. You mustn’t worry.’

  ‘It’s not me I’m worried for.’

  ‘Oh? And what do I have to fear from a scrap of a princess?’

  I kicked straw around the stall and watched Rodden groom his horse. ‘Princesses can make an awful stink when they want to.’

  Rodden cast me a dark look. ‘I’ve noticed. But so can I.’

  But you’re not a royal, I wanted to scream. The court will favour Penritha and whatever sob story she constructs for her brother.

  ‘How long until we’re ready?’ I asked.

  ‘Oh, days probably.’

  ‘More than enough time to cut your head off.’

  Rodden gave a short laugh. ‘I would like to see them try.’

  ‘Well, I wouldn’t!’ I cried, and tore from the stables.

  SIXTEEN

  The next afternoon, under a heavy grey sky, I watched Princess Penritha and her retinue gallop the final distance to the palace. The princess sat atop a large black horse surrounded by a contingent of soldiers in full armour and armed with halberds. Her long brown curls hung loose down her back and she wore a riding habit of crimson and ebony. The Ansengaad standard, a black serpent against a red background the same shade as the princess’s dress, flapped in the wind.

  Never did a royal party look more like it was about to go into battle.

  Standing on my balcony a hundred feet above, I was too far distant to see the expression on Penritha’s features. But her brother’s face flashed before my eyes, flushed red and ferocious as he wielded the whip. I shuddered. I had never met the princess but if she was anything like her sibling it was an introduction I would rather forgo.

  Rodden had departed that morning for the alchemist’s, swearing to do all he could to hurry things along. He’d mentioned that there was something strange about the yelinate he’d collected in Amentia – that it was discoloured somehow, perhaps impure.

  ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ I’d said, suddenly sick with worry.

  ‘It will work,’ he’d assured me. ‘But trying to purify it has delayed things.’

  He’d warned that he could be absent all day and possibly the evening, and seeing the fearsome retinue approach, I was glad. Princess Penritha was out for blood.

  At the appointed hour I entered the great hall for the first time since returning to Xallentaria. As reluctant as I was to be in her presence, I would face this woman. She wouldn’t be given the opportunity to spread lies without someone holding her accountable.

  I took my seat at the high table next to Carmelina and received a greeting from the king and queen. Amis gave me a warm smile, and I allowed myself to relax slightly. Amis was on Rodden’s side. He would protect Rodden no matter what.

  The trestles below were filled with courtiers glistening with jewels and clad in fine velvets and silks. How strange it was to look upon them again after being among the ordinary folk of Pergamia and the Jarbin of Verapine. How much collected wealth, I wondered, was in this room tonight? And it was for this that my mother schemed and forced her daughters into marriages. I recalled the rich clothes Renata now wore, the plans she had for improving the castle. My union and Lilith’s were for the good of the people, she insisted, but how much was for her own satisfaction?

  Lilith took her place next to Amis and she kept her pinched white face turned away from me. I was still angry with her – and she, evidently, with me – but I felt a stab of regret. Maybe I’d been wrong of late to keep the truth from her. She was not only my sister, she would be queen of Pergamia one day and would have to know the truth about Lharmell. I did not relish her reaction when I revealed myself to her.

  Princess Penritha entered. She had her brother’s wide mouth and hard eyes. Her shoulders were broad in her scarlet dress and she held herself with pride. Some might think her handsome, just as they did Folsum. But I read cruelty in her features.

  Several ladies of Ansengaad proceeded into the hall behind the princess and settled themselves at various tables. They all gave me cool looks before turning to their neighbours and speaking in low voices. The rumour mill had begun. By the end of the second course many of the courtiers were casting looks in my direction. At the other end of the high table, Penritha remained as silent as stone.

  ‘What is happening?’ Carmelina asked, noticing the tension in the air. ‘Why is everyone looking at you so?’

  I pressed Carmelina’s hand, aware that she was the closest thing I had to a friend in the whole room. ‘You must know that no matter what is said tonight, Rodden has done nothing wrong. You do believe me, don’t you, Carmelina?’

  Her eyes grew as round as saucers. ‘What happened in Amentia?’

  I saw Penritha rise and my stomach lurched.

  ‘Swear it,’ I begged. ‘Swear that you believe me or I don’t know how I shall bear it.’

  Carmelina nodded, holding fast to my hand.

  Penritha addressed the king. ‘Your Highness, while I appreciate the hospitality, I have come to Xallentaria on the most urgent business. I cannot be silent on the matter any longer.’ Her voice was pitched to carry; the hall fell silent.

  King Askar smiled at the princess. ‘My dear, we do not discuss business when there are far more pleasant pursuits before us. Eat, drink. We can talk of sober things on the morrow – for I see from your expression that the matter has some gravity. Besides, this is the first time I have seen my daughter-in-law’s sister at table these past weeks. I have a mind to scold her, and that is all the solemnity we can bear tonight.’ The king winked at me.

  Penritha did not sit. ‘I have not the time, Your Highness. I must return to my brother early upon the morrow. He is convalescing in Amentia.’

  ‘Oh dear,’ Queen Ulah said. ‘Has he been unwell?’

  ‘More than unwell, My Queen. Prince Folsum was at
tacked and mutilated in a place from which he expected nothing but shelter and protection. He will never be the same again.’

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Penritha’s guard edge into the hall, blocking every exit. They were unarmed, as protocol required when they were in a foreign king’s court, but I felt their menace just the same. Their gaze was focused squarely on me.

  I realised my mistake. Penritha hadn’t come for Rodden. She’d come for me.

  ‘An alliance was proposed between my nation of Ansengaad and Amentia,’ Penritha went on. ‘My brother, who will one day be king of our great nation, to be wedded to a princess of Amentia. All parties approved the match.’

  I never approved it.

  ‘As you will remember, King Askar,’ she said, nodding reverently to him, ‘given Pergamia’s ties to Amentia you yourself were consulted and were generous enough to bestow your blessing. Papers were drawn up. There was much celebration in my kingdom. The people could not wait to greet their future queen.’

  Penritha looked down as if overcome by sorrow. ‘I have seen my brother. Since the attack he cannot stand to be out of doors. He takes fright at shadows and wakes screaming every night. His body bears terrible scars and his eye –’ Penritha covered her face with her hand a moment. ‘His left eye was torn from its socket.’

  There were gasps from those at the high table and the courtiers. Queen Ulah began to fan herself.

  Lilith turned to me, a question twisting her brow. Her eyes flicked to my shoulders; she had noticed my stiffness after all. Her frown deepened.

  Penritha raised her head. ‘You have all seen the great and terrible birds that are stabled near the northern turret. You have heard their fearsome cries. I myself approached them this very afternoon. They are wild and vicious creatures, brought back from northern parts. It was these birds that assaulted my brother. But make no mistake –’ she glared round the hall – ‘wild as they are, they answer to one person. Princess Zeraphina, Second Daughter of Amentia. The princess my brother was promised in marriage.’

  All eyes turned to me.

  ‘The princess, learning that she was to be affianced to Folsum, sought to do away with him. While walking in the grounds of the Amentine palace he was set upon by one of these birds in a deliberate attack.’

  ‘That’s a lie,’ I shouted. ‘Your brother is a bully and a brute. He attacked my bird.’

  Penritha and I faced each other down the table. ‘Heated words, princess. They are stoked out of love for another, are they not?’

  The court held their breath. Even the king was engrossed.

  ‘Well? Speak, Zeraphina. Or shall we ask the one who knows you best?’ Penritha turned to my sister.

  Please, Lilith, I silently begged. You must know this is all lies.

  Lilith’s eyes roved over the courtiers, the king and queen. Penritha. Her expression was filled with resentment and anger. I had brought scandal and upset into the court she was to one day rule, and she did not like it one bit. Finally her eyes rested on me. She seemed to come to a decision. ‘It is true that she loves another.’

  The room erupted with scandalised whispers. Penritha looked triumphant.

  ‘That proves nothing,’ I yelled over the din. Eventually the hall quieted. ‘I was set upon by Prince Folsum in the grounds. He attacked both my bird and myself. We acted in self defence.’

  ‘A giant eagle and a wild princess against one man?’ Penritha asked. ‘The defending was undoubtedly his. Do you not know how to fight, Zeraphina? Did you not best the greatest archers in the kingdom only a few months ago?’

  I did not want to do it but she left me no choice. I stripped off the wrap that covered my shoulders. I yanked down the shoulders of my dress. ‘This is what your precious brother did to me.’ I turned, and let those at the high table and all at the trestles below gaze on Prince Folsum’s handiwork. The cuts had healed over the past weeks but they were still a bright, angry red. Anyone could see that I’d been flogged.

  I turned back to the high table. ‘Lilith. Sister,’ I implored, clutching the dress to my breast so that it did not slither to my ankles. ‘Stand as my witness and tell the court that this woman has it wrong. That I could never do such a thing as she describes.’

  Lilith studied the whip marks that crisscrossed my arms; the shiny red ribbons that snaked over my neck and around my shoulders. She was still angry with me, I could tell. Her eyes slid away from me. ‘Cover yourself, Sister, it is unseemly.’

  She didn’t denounce me. She didn’t call me a liar. Not out loud. But she’d as good as done so. If I didn’t have the support of my own sister, no one was going to believe me. I sat in my chair, pulling my wrap around me.

  Penritha said, ‘Her guilt is written all over her face.’

  I shrank into the cloth about my shoulders, ashamed now. Wanting to hide from all the stares, the whispering. Did Lilith really believe that out of love for Rodden I had attacked the prince? There had been mortification in her eyes, as if my display had embarrassed her. Surely my safety was more important than what the court thought of me, and, by association, of her, wasn’t it?

  A new voice joined the fray. ‘Now, wait a minute.’ It was Amis. He looked furious with Lilith. ‘Those are whip marks on her back. How do you explain that if Folsum was acting in self-defence?’

  ‘They are from an unrelated injury. Or her lover gave them to her as false evidence – or for other purposes,’ Penritha said darkly.

  ‘Listen here, I know Rodden –’

  I winced.

  Penritha arched her brow. ‘Oh, so it is common knowledge that they are lovers? I wonder that no one thought to inform the good people of Ansengaad.’

  Amis began to stammer a reply but he was drowned out.

  ‘I noticed he is absent, this Rodden Lothskorn,’ she said, her voice thick with scorn. ‘It is no small matter, meddling with the property of Ansengaad. There could be grave consequences.’ She let these words settle over the crowd a moment. ‘But,’ she went on, her voice brisk, ‘my brother and I want a speedy resolution to this whole affair. I am here to ensure that what was promised to the people of Ansengaad is delivered. A bride for their prince.’

  I felt sick. Folsum still wanted to marry me. I remembered what Rodden had said, about men who enjoyed having their low opinion of women confirmed. If I was wed to Folsum I was as good as dead.

  ‘The princess has assured my brother that she remains pure of body if not of heart, and despite his present condition and all indications being contrary, he is willing to take her at her word – if she will honour the agreement that exists between Ansengaad and Amentia. If his generosity is refused, however, the prince and I will see to it that all parties involved in this sordid, underhanded affair are brought to justice.’

  I looked into Penritha’s grey eyes. Rodden. She would kill Rodden if I didn’t agree to marry her brother. He might believe that he couldn’t be convicted of a capital offence in Pergamia, but I knew that Penritha would find a way – legal or otherwise.

  I heard the thud of heavy footsteps. Penritha’s guard approached the high table.

  ‘My dear, you forget where you are,’ King Askar said, an edge to his voice. His own guard, fully armed and armoured, watched Penritha intently.

  The princess held up her hand, and the men halted.

  I didn’t mistake their purpose. How fitting, I thought numbly, that I be escorted from the room as if for execution.

  I couldn’t stand the staring eyes any longer. ‘The prince is very generous,’ I whispered. I rose, clutching my disarranged clothing around me. As I left the dais the soldiers closed in and I was shepherded from the hall. Not a single voice spoke in protest.

  I felt the silence of one in particular most keenly.

  It was only once I was back in my room that I began to panic.

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sp; Penritha’s guard was stationed outside my door. I ran to my balcony, already knowing that it was hopeless. There was a hundred-foot drop to the ground below. Even if I had that many sheets to tie together I would be too terrified to attempt the climb down. I looked up and saw only the sheer face of the palace walls rising to the battlements above.

  I went back in. The room was dark and I huddled behind a sofa, needing the security that concealment brought. I hugged my knees to my chest and shivered on the cold marble floor.

  I had to kill Folsum. If I didn’t kill him he would kill me, or worse. I must do it soon, and do it properly. I would never get a second chance once he was on his guard. If I killed him in Amentia while he was still bedridden I could take a horse and disappear into the forest. There was the risk that I’d run into harmings but, honestly, being taken to Lharmell would almost be a blessing. Anything to get me away from Penritha and her guard.

  Could I do it; murder him in cold blood? Creep into his room at night and slit his throat? I thought of the harming in Verapine that Rodden had not wanted me to kill; his words, all those weeks ago.

  No matter how remorseful you are or even if you have no choice in the matter, you’ll always be that person, the one holding the knife, with blood on their hands.

  I wondered what would be worse: being a cold-blooded murderer or wedded to Folsum. I felt the sting of my scars against the cold marble wall and knew what I’d choose when the time came. No matter what it made me.