Blood Song: The First Book of Lharmell Page 6

  This was more like it. She did know something, and the way she was reacting, it was juicy, too. Still, I didn’t want to appear too eager. ‘Who? Lilith and Amis?’

  ‘No,’ she said in a whisper. ‘The Lharmellins.’

  I looked around. ‘Are we being spied on?’

  Carmelina looked around too, her eyes darting into the shadowy parts of the gardens. ‘We could be. Who knows? They’ve got strange powers.’ She gripped my arm, staring into my eyes. ‘They’re not human.’

  I suddenly felt a bit sick. ‘Oh, really?’ I said, trying to keep my voice light. ‘What are they?’

  She shrugged. ‘I don’t know, but they’re dangerous. They like blood. You know, to eat.’

  My mouth dropped open.

  Blood. To eat.

  At the same time as I was revolted, I felt the hunger flare up inside at the mention of blood.

  Carmelina saw the horrified expression on my face and nodded. ‘I know. It’s ghastly, isn’t it? But Rodden says we’re not to talk about it. We’re just to get on with things and he will deal with it. Let’s catch up with the others.’ She grabbed my hand and tugged me along, as if we could leave our conversation behind like a bit of unappealing scenery.

  The events at dinner suddenly took on a whole new meaning. I remembered the cold looks Rodden had given me, the suspicion in his eyes. The way he’d looked at me as if I were the enemy. What if I was the enemy – the bastard child of a Lharmellin? Could my mother have betrayed my father with a monster? She’d lied to me about my illness. Maybe she’d lied about who my father was as well. It would explain my terrible hunger for blood.

  I yanked my arm from Carmelina’s grasp. ‘Why are you at war with the Lharmellins? What have they done?’

  Carmelina shot a glance at me, nodding surreptitiously towards Amis and Lilith. ‘Oh yes, the ducks are lovely,’ she said for their benefit. Then she hissed, ‘I’m sorry, I just can’t talk about it. Rodden would be very angry with me.’

  I spent the rest of the excursion smiling and admiring the ducks, the trees and even more flowers, and looking like I was having a jolly good time. On the inside I was in turmoil. It didn’t make sense that Renata would bring me to Pergamia and let me be exposed as one of their enemy. I thought of the king and queen’s beaming smiles. They hadn’t looked suspicious of me. No one had been anything less than welcoming to me. Except Rodden. There was something about him that I didn’t like, and now to find out that he had everybody too scared to even say ‘Lharmellin’ made me wonder what he was afraid of.

  If no one was going to tell me what I needed to know, I would just have to find out myself.

  I considered my options, which were few. I had seen Lilith flirt with Lester of Varlint, and that seemed to have got her anything she wanted. If I found the right person and flirted at them, they might start talking in order to show off. Perhaps a soldier. I could go all gooey over his uniform and shoot a few stealthy questions at him.

  Later in the afternoon Renata and Lilith had tea with the king and queen and Amis. I suspected, as I hadn’t been invited, that it was to discuss the betrothal. I sat on my balcony, tossing an apple back and forth between my hands but not feeling hungry enough to bite into it. Leap sat on my lap, watching dragonflies dance above pots of gera- niums. The vivid blooms were beautiful, but I was heartily sick of looking at flowers. Instead, I gazed out over the city. I imagined that the streets were bustling with life. I suddenly longed for anonymity, to be one of the cityfolk buying potatoes or selling bolts of fabric. Anyone but a princess turning into a monster.

  I heard Lilith and Renata come back. Carrying Leap with me, I went to my bedroom door. ‘How did it go?’

  Renata clasped her hands under her chin. She looked at Lilith. ‘Do you want to tell her?’

  Lilith looked like she could barely contain her excitement. ‘We’re betrothed, and . . .’ she paused for effect, ‘the wedding’s in one week! ’ She ran to me and clasped her arms around me, not even noticing that she was hugging Leap too.

  ‘One week?’ I echoed. ‘That doesn’t give them much preparation time.’ And it wouldn’t give me much time to nose around, either. After the wedding I would be packed off home again. That is, if whatever had drawn me here allowed it. I thought of the crippling pain I had felt on the morning of the departure when I’d had second thoughts, and shuddered.

  Renata flopped onto a settee. ‘Darling,’ she said. ‘They’ve been making the preparations for weeks. Which is why I knew to have Lilith’s dress made before we got here. I told you, Mother knows best.’ Her face shone. She loved it when she was right.

  I kissed Lilith’s cheek. ‘I’m very happy for you,’ I said, hoping she couldn’t see the strain in my eyes. ‘I need a lie down. The heat’s getting to me.’

  I lay beneath the gauzy netting wishing I was back in Amentia practising my archery, and that I had never heard of the blasted north.

  ––

  Courtly dinners, it seemed, were to be a nightly affair. At the high table that evening I sat next to Carmelina while she chattered at me. She didn’t seem to notice that I didn’t chatter back. To be fair, if I hadn’t had a lot on my mind she might have been a pleasant diversion. But in my present agitated state she was grating on me. I couldn’t wait to get away, saying that I needed some fresh air as soon as the meal was over.

  The trestles were packed away and I skirted the dancers that were assembling in two rows on the marble floor. I pushed aside the curtains that led to the terrace and stepped into the cool night air.

  Music floated on the wind, but it was an earthly tune, coming from the court musicians. I turned and watched the dancers through the gauzy curtains. From where I stood they were an anonymous, homogenised group, whirling and stepping to the smart beat of the tambourine. A nasal horn bleated the melody. Renata had taught me the courtly dances, but I found them rigid. I had imagined a dance to be a fluid thing, open to whim and interpretation. But in fact it was as strict as a military parade. The girls stood in a row on one side, the men on the other, and they moved around in intricate but ordered patterns, now holding hands, now not, passing one another silently. Many of the women held their heads aloof the whole time, bestowing barely a glance on their partner. The whole affair seemed rather cold.

  Now would be a good time to make my escape, but as I emerged back into the hall I ran straight into Rodden. I moved to side-step him, but he bowed. You can’t walk away when someone’s bowing at you, so I waited for him to straighten.

  ‘May I have the next dance?’ The words were colourless, automatic; it was barely a question. It was manners making him ask an unpartnered girl to dance. My refusal would be gratefully accepted.

  ‘No, sir, I mean to –’

  ‘As the sister of the bride you should be dancing,’ he interrupted. ‘If the king thinks you’re not en- joying yourself he will begin to wonder if you doubt Pergamia is good enough for your sister, and if the marriage should take place at all. You don’t want that, do you?’

  For heaven’s sake, it was just a dance. ‘Indeed not, but . . .’

  Rodden held out his hand as if my reply had been an assent. The next dance was beginning. He gave me a hard look. Perhaps it would be safer to go along with it; it might add authenticity to my pretence of being a normal human girl and not the offspring of their blood-drinking enemy. If that’s really what I was. I swept past him, ignoring his hand, and took my place. Rigid and cold, I thought. That’s what the dances were and that’s what I would be.

  But the dance wasn’t rigid like I’d imagined. As my feet paced well-rehearsed steps, I found there were too many opportunities for glances, intimations. Every touch and turn held meaning and promise. I realised I’d had it all wrong. The ladies weren’t aloof, they were coquettish.

  Rodden and I stepped towards each other, raising our right hands to take the other’s. We turned, our clasped hands a pivot. There were not many places to look. Most couples gazed into each other’s eyes, but I c
ouldn’t bring myself to do that. I was terrified I was about to give myself away. I stared at our joined hands, my fingers intertwined with his. At last, after eight beats that had seemed like an eternity, we unclasped and paced in a wide arc, moving up the row. The dance was a continuous one, everyone repeating the movements until the line had cycled through once. As we came together again, Rodden murmured, ‘Are you counting the beats in your head?’

  ‘No. Why?’

  ‘You look like you’re concentrating very hard.’

  Yes, on not giving myself away to you. ‘I’ve never danced this one before, not properly.’

  ‘I would never have guessed.’ His voice was level and I couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic.

  I had resolved that it was safer to keep my mouth shut, but I couldn’t help myself. I had just one week in Pergamia and I suddenly felt a burning desire to show this trumped-up politician that, while he might be able to terrify his own people into silence, he didn’t scare me.

  ‘My cat saw something in the sky last night,’ I said, hoping he wouldn’t guess this was a half-truth. Leap had seen it, but I’d seen it first. ‘He kept staring, but I couldn’t see anything. It was so dark.’

  ‘Bats,’ he said curtly.

  ‘Oh. The soldiers started making an awful racket. Are they scared of bats?’

  ‘Hardly.’

  We parted for a moment, turned away, turned in again, then reclasped our hands and circled in the other direction.

  ‘Her Majesty the Queen is terrified of bats and has given orders to shoot them down. A fool’s errand.’

  ‘Oh, I see.’

  The dance ended and he bowed to me. I dropped into a curtsey and before I could rise he had stridden off.

  Carmelina was instantly at my side. ‘Was that Rodden? He never dances, never ever.’

  ‘I’m honoured,’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘He didn’t want to, you know. It was stupid protocol that made him ask.’ Over Carmelina’s shoulder I saw Queen Ulah disappear onto the terrace with her husband, laughing and talking as she went. A woman terrified of bats wouldn’t go into the open air at night. ‘Carmelina, is your mother afraid of bats?’

  She gave me an odd look. ‘Bats? No. What makes you ask?’

  ‘Oh, nothing. Shall we get some water?’ I turned and saw Rodden watching us. His eyes burned with anger – he’d seen me question Carmelina.

  The irony was that even though it had been him doing the lying, I was the one in trouble: he knew I was on to him, and that could only make things all the more dangerous for me.

  SIX

  I started my detective work the very next morning. Questioning Rodden had been a mistake, but it wasn’t one I was going to make twice. There were hundreds of people in this castle who must know something and so far I had barely talked to any of them.

  I scrunched my hair as it dried, making it look rumpled as if I’d just gotten out of bed. I had a pink off-the-shoulder gown that made me look a bit like a dessert, and I put a geranium behind my ear. Feeling quite ridiculous, I applied a little rouge to my lips and practised smiling flirtatiously and batting my eyelashes in the mirror.

  There were archery ranges in the bailey and, as I was feeling a little rusty, it would be a good place to practise as well as meet a few soldiers. I left Leap curled up on my bed and didn’t put on my gauntlet, wanting to appear like any other court lady. But that begged the question: did court ladies practise archery? Never mind, the plan would have to do. It was the only one I had.

  The range was deserted when I arrived, so I shot a few arrows for myself. There were all perfect shots; it seemed I wasn’t rusty after all. I was yanking the arrows out of the board when I heard a few deep male voices. Four soldiers came onto the range, jostling each other and kicking up dust.

  ‘Right, you lot!’ bellowed one of the men. ‘Show me you’re not a bunch of little girlies and give me some bullseyes.’ He looked at me and winked. I forced myself to smile back. Judging from the decorations on his uniform he was the captain, and as I paced back to my firing spot I let my body go languid, trying for a sexy, swaying walk but certain I just looked boneless. I clutched my bow awkwardly, notched up an arrow, pulled back with a deliberately weak arm and fired. The arrow bounced off the target and fell into the dust. I giggled and stomped my foot. Then I rolled my eyes and played with my hair. Was it too much?

  A few of the soldiers guffawed.

  I notched up another arrow, and as I drew back on the string I shut my eyes and turned my face away as if I was scared to look.

  ‘Here, here, here,’ the captain said, coming over. He held out a meaty hand for the bow. Testing the string he said, ‘Why, this is a big bow for such a li’l lady. You should ’ave something for your weight class.’

  Idiotically, I’d brought my own bow with me. It was large and obviously for a man. My arms had grown rather strong over the years – stronger than they probably should have, no matter how much archery practice I’d done.

  I gave the soldier a vacant look.

  ‘You need something smaller, honey,’ he explained.

  ‘Oh?’ I said, fluttering my lashes at him. ‘I had no idea.’ I saw a gooey look come into his eyes.

  ‘Well, you’ll just have to sort that out later, lovey. But meanwhile, you’re gripping it all wrong. Let me show you.’

  From behind, he put his arms around me and the bow in my grasp. He smelt vile, like sour wine and unwashed clothes, and his stubble scratched my cheek, but I kept an inane smile on my face. Together we notched up an arrow, drew back and fired. The arrow sank into the board, albeit at the very edge.

  ‘There!’ he said, beaming at me. ‘Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?’

  I twirled the bow in my hands. ‘Why, not at all, sir. You soldiers are certainly very . . . capable,’ I said, letting my eyes linger over his uniform. Inside his armour, the captain puffed up like a popinjay. I looked around, up at the soldiers on the parapets. ‘This palace seems to be so heavily guarded,’ I continued. ‘Why is that?’

  ‘Why, now, you’re not to concern yourself with such things, lovey. You just let Hoggit take care of it.’

  Hoggit. The name was as endearing as his face. I twirled a strand of hair in my fingers, forcing myself to look up at him wide-eyed. ‘But we’re not in any danger, are we? What with the war and all?’

  ‘No, honey, no. Them dirty Lharmellins –’

  ‘Captain Hoggit,’ an imperious voice called from the entrance to the range. ‘Is there something you should be doing, or would you like me to find something for you?’

  Rodden Lothskorn. I dropped the hair I was twirling and folded my arms angrily. Just when I was about to discover something useful.

  ‘Ah, yessir. Going right now. Men!’ Hoggit bellowed, and his soldiers fell in behind him and moved out.

  Rodden strolled over to me, hands behind his back. His eyes took in the reddened lips, the tousled hair. My cheeks started to burn. I itched to tug at the neckline of my gown, to pat down my hair.

  ‘I’ve been watching you. That was either quite a performance or you’re a terrible archer.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ I said, keeping my voice languid. I notched up an arrow and fired. The arrow sank into the very centre of the target. ‘What do you think?’

  Rodden looked at the arrow, then at me. His eyes bored into mine as though he could see straight through me. He took the bow from me, weighing it in his hands and testing the string.

  Damn, damn, damn! I really should have found a ladies’ bow.

  ‘Your hair. Those eyes,’ he said, and I could tell he wasn’t referring to my make-up. ‘This bow. That shot. Your questions. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.’ He handed back the bow. ‘I’ll be watching you.’

  I wasn’t going to let him see that he’d rattled me. ‘I’m looking forward to it,’ I said, and swept past him, putting a little waggle in my step. This flirting thing wasn’t so hard after all.

  ‘Don’t be a tar
t,’ he called.

  My face burned, but I forced myself to continue across the bailey without changing my walk. As soon as I was inside the keep I dropped my bow and pressed my back against the cold, stone wall. Damn him! Was I ever going to find out anything useful?

  ––

  Rodden had left me no choice. Questions weren’t getting me anywhere. I would have to snoop.

  But what with endless dinners, toasts and high teas to celebrate Amis and Lilith’s betrothal, I found it difficult to get away. I was constantly stuffed with food, plied with cordials and wines and surrounded by tedious people. Nobody seemed to know anything about the war, or they just weren’t telling. Didn’t they care that it was going on right over their heads?

  I was sitting within a gaggle of Amis’s aunts. All they wanted to talk about was the bride and stuff themselves with tiny pink cakes. After refusing a third glass of wine because I was starting to feel tipsy, I gazed around at the sitting room. It was pink and frilly and belonged to Queen Ulah’s sister, Rupa, who lived at court year-long. Rupa was onto her fourth glass and becoming quite cheerful indeed. She and her sisters, Calli and Munah, were discussing the men at court and ranking them in order of attractiveness.

  ‘The Earl of Federna!’ shrieked Calli. ‘Now there’s a man you can hold on to.’

  ‘Yes, all three hundred pounds of him. Honestly, dear, must you always choose the fatties?’ said Munah, shoving another cream cake into her jowls.

  ‘Oh, let her have the fatties. More young and handsome ones for the rest of us, eh?’ Rupa nudged her neighbour, which set the others off and I found I was being hit repeatedly in the ribs by corpulent elbows.

  ‘Speaking of young and handsome,’ continued Rupa, ‘how about that strapping Lothskorn fellow? You know, the prince’s friend.’

  The other aunts clapped and screeched their agreement. I hid a smirk, wondering what Rodden would make of his admirers.

  Rupa turned to me. ‘You know him. I saw you sitting next to him at high table. What do you think of Lothskorn?’