Blood Storm: The Second Book of Lharmell Page 24
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Blood Song
The First Book of Lharmell
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ONE
I was thinking of blood again so I went to practise my archery. That’s what I always did when
I thought I was going to kill something. I hit the bullseye every time and nothing had died yet, so at least I had that going for me.
I didn’t know any other sixteen-year-old girls but the ones in my books didn’t obsessively fire arrows because they felt the urge to bite someone. They worried about suitors and ribbons and things. Then again, a few got fed to dragons, so I seemed to have it better than some.
There was still an hour before sundown but the forest around me was blackening into an early twilight. The light barely mattered; I could practise well into the night if I wanted to, still firing perfect shots.
Leap was curled up on my discarded cloak. His eyes were slitted and he watched me, purring when I glanced at him. Far above us Griffin was hovering over the clearing, golden wings spread against a steely sky.
My feet were tangled in the long, unkempt grass. The grounds of the Amentine palace were once the most magnificent in all southern Brivora. Now, they have fallen into disrepair. As the wealth of the House of Amentia trickled away over many genera- tions, so too did the magnificence of the palace. The gardens were weedy and overgrown. The forest had reclaimed the land, and uncut saplings had become towering oaks. Ivy had crept inexorably up the steep castle walls, reaching far above my head to touch the windowsill of my lofty bedroom.
By the time my mother took the crown as queen, the disorder was complete. It would take huge sums of money to repair not only the gardens to their former magnificence, but also the crumbling castle, the spreading mould and unfashionable décor – money we didn’t have. It was easier for my mother simply to shut up the unusable parts of the keep. So this was what she did.
I preferred it in the grounds where there were still tracts of scraggy grass and I could set up my archery range, the forest enveloping me on four sides.
The world had all but forgotten our existence, but I found I did not mind so much. I liked my solitude. If given the choice, I would prefer to stay that way forever.
But we wouldn’t. Lilith was to be married. And sometime soon, all too soon, it would be my turn for a husband. As Second Daughter I would have to make my home with my husband in his kingdom, wherever that should be.
I grimaced, and swiped another arrow from my quiver. My skin crawled at the thought of someone touching me.
Lilith, on the other hand, had always detested our home for its chilly and ramshackle nature, and was looking forward to her marriage to Prince Lester and life as the future Queen of Varlint. Amentia was hers by inheritance but I doubted she would rule it from its rightful seat. Rather she would reign by proxy from Varlint. Perhaps Amentia had seen its last queen.
I notched the arrow, which I had fletched myself with Griffin’s golden feathers, and aimed at the target thirty feet away. I drew back on the taut string, my eyes narrowing, seeing nothing but the ringed red circle.
Before I could fire I was distracted by the urgent drumming of hoof beats approaching rapidly. I tried to shut out the noise but the horse’s scream as it was pulled to a sudden halt made me start.
‘Drat.’ I lowered my bow and waited, ears cocked towards the keep.
Silence.
I raised my bow and drew back on the string. I had the red dot in my sights again when voices reached my ears. I couldn’t make out the words but the speakers were agitated. Again I lowered my bow, preferring to wait until the interruption ceased. I glanced at Leap; he was tucked into a tight ball, his short silvery fur fluffed out against the cold. His purr rumbled deep in his chest, and he flexed his claws luxuriously.
I was raising my bow for the third time when a cry rang out. It was sharp and defiant, the noise evaporating quickly in the brittle air.
Lilith.
‘Oh, blast it all!’ I cried, hurling my bow to the ground, where it bounced harmlessly in the long grass. My concentration was ruined so I bent to unstring the bow. There was no point practising any more today. I would have words with my sister when I got inside. She had no respect for –
I noticed that Leap had lifted his head and his ears were pricked in the direction of the castle. His pupils dilated and he raised himself into a crouch.
My breath caught. Something was wrong.
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Version 1.0
Blood Storm
9781742754796
Copyright © Rhiannon Hart 2012
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
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First published by Random House Australia in 2012
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Hart, Rhiannon
Title: Blood storm [electronic resource] / Rhiannon Hart
ISBN: 978 1 74275 479 6 (ebook)
Series: Hart, Rhiannon. Lharmell; 2
Target audience: For young adults
Dewey number: A823.4
Photograph of girl by Ana Gremard
Other images © iStockphoto/DavidMSchrader; MO:SES/Shutterstock.com; Nadya Korobkova/Shutterstock.com and Kiselev Andrey Valerevich/Shutterstock.com
Cover design by Design Cherry
Internal design by Midland Typesetters, Australia
Typesetting and eBook production by Midland Typesetters, Australia
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