House of Blood and Bone

by Kimberley J. Ward

  The right of Kimberley J. Ward to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

  First published 2020.

  UK English Edition.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the use of brief quotations in articles or reviews.

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cover Image Copyright © Kimberley J. Ward

  Text copyright © 2020 Kimberley J. Ward

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  ISBN: 978-1-5272-7246-0

  Also available as a Paperback.

  www.kimberleyjward.co.uk

  To those who were mad enough to have waited so long for this damn thing... You rock!

  Also by Kimberley J. Ward

  The Wyrd Sequence

  House of Fear and Freedom

  House of Blood and Bone

  Book 3 (coming somewhen)

  The Otherside Chronicles

  There is Only Darkness

  Book 2 (TBA)

  PART I

  Chapter 1

  The darkness was a sanctuary to him. It was a blanket of cover that concealed him from prying eyes, wrapping around him like an old friend, like a long-lost lover. Not that he had to worry about being seen, considering what he was and what he could do. Still, one couldn’t be too cautious, especially at times like these.

  Change was coming.

  He could smell it in the air. He could sense it in his bones. His blood thrummed at the promise of war, and his wings burned with the need to take to the air, ready to bring him face to face with his destiny. It would be too dangerous for him to fly now, though.

  He looked to the north, where the moon hung heavily in the sky, a watchful eye that surveyed the forest that stretched out almost endlessly in all directions. It would be full in a couple of nights.

  For some reason, that sat ill with him.

  His eyes lowered and locked onto the creature that was far in the distance, its mighty wings beating at the air with purpose, taking itself and the man upon its back further and further away.

  There had been a time when he had looked upon such a sight with amazement, with wonder. That was a long time ago, though. A time when he had been young and foolish, blind to the ways of mankind. Now, he simply stared at the dragon and its Rider, feeling nothing but anger, anger when he remembered what he and his kind had been reduced to by the Dragon Riders in years gone by.

  He pulled his stare away from the dragon as it disappeared behind the sharp shapes of the Clēa Mountains. He knew that it was no threat to him. He knew that it was too far away to sense his presence. He knew where the dragon was taking its Rider; he knew that they had received their summons from the king.

  King Kaenar was calling his Dragon Riders back to his golden palace.

  The king had heard the whispers and he knew what they meant for him.

  A metamorphosis was on the horizon for the Twelve Kingdoms, rising like a reborn phoenix, all fire and glory.

  With his gaze drifting down to the ruins of what had once been a castle of breathtaking magnificence, he watched and waited.

  Sorrow bred there.

  Few remembered that place and even less knew of its past.

  It was cursed, they said. Haunted.

  He knew, though. He remembered, as did the trees and the earth. They spoke to him, telling him things that few could hear. Secrets, both beautiful and tragic. They were his to keep now, a handful more to add to all the others.

  Secrets and lies. Promises and vows. They were consuming him slowly. He was sure they’d get the better of him one day soon and swallow him whole.

  He was beginning to welcome the idea.

  There was a chill in the air, and he pulled his cloak tighter, huddling deeper into it, seeking warmth and comfort.

  His eyes ran over the castle’s ruins, taking in the sight of crumbling walls of weathered stone, the tangles of vicious briars. Trees grew where towers had once been, and the acres of carefully tended gardens had been devoured by the wild forest long ago. Nothing remained. Not the pale gravel paths nor the heavenly roses which had climbed around the castle’s doors and windows, framing them in lush leaves and enchanted blooms. The air had once been sweet with the scent of a thousand different flowers. Now, the air reeked of desperation and anguish.

  Little of the castle above ground remained. However, it seemed that the cellars and tunnels below had escaped the castle’s destruction. In fact, despite no one living there for hundreds of years, with no one seemingly daring enough to venture to that desolate place, the castle appeared to be in use. People were far beneath the rubble and earth, locked away in cells, chained and imprisoned. Most were of no interest to him. No others were of importance except for one.

  All along he had known where she had been taken, although he had kept that information to himself. He’d had to be patient, to wait and bide his time.

  Everything needed to be just right. Otherwise, all he had been working for would be for nothing. All the sacrifices he had made over the last eighteen years would be rendered pointless.

  He couldn’t let that happen.

  He wouldn’t let that happen.

  His attention went to a door, new and at odds with the ruins surrounding it, framed by the remains of the tower. Leading away from it was a path, muddied and littered with the first fallen leaves of autumn, connecting it to a nearby clearing that was just big enough for a dragon to land and take off from.

  The door opened.

  Although he knew who would emerge, it was still a shock to see them.

  The man stepped out onto the pathway, carrying something in his arms, holding it tight to his chest. The man looked around, searching the tree line, the sky above.

  The man did not sense the pair of glacial-blue eyes on him. The man did not see the figure, hooded and cloaked, trail silently behind him as he slipped through the castle’s ruins, making his way into the darkness of the forest.

  The figure trailed behind the man, nothing more than a ghost in the night, and found himself wondering why the man was there, of all places. He wondered if it troubled the man to return there after so long, to see the place that had once been so close to his heart lying in pieces, little more than a memory. He wondered if the man remembered that place at all, or if he had forgotten it, too broken to remember anything from before.

  The man went deep into the forest, where the trees were tall and silent, and where much of the ground was covered in a dense thicket.

  All the while, the man carried something in his arms. Someone.

  It was a girl, asleep or unconscious, small and fragile, with long hair trailing over the arm of the man who carried her. Whilst he couldn’t see her face, he knew that it was her, the one he had come to collect now that the time was right. She was much changed. Just as he had known she would be.

  Just as she needed to be.

  He watched, bemused, as the man did something unexpected. Slowly, carefully, the man kneeled and laid the girl on the ground, setting her down between two trees that had grown close together, offering her some shelter from the brisk breeze that was coming in from the mountains.

  The man stood, uncertainty on his face, eyes running over the girl’s thin form. Then, as if he wasn’t quite sure of himself, like he was taking himself by surprise, he hesitantly unclasped his overcoat.

  The man placed it over the girl, swiftly tucking it around her like a blanket, and then quickly backed away. He looke
d spooked, like he wanted to run. The man didn’t, though. He lingered for a heartbeat, his sapphire-blue eyes sparkling with something that was eerily akin to fear. He whispered something, the wind whisking the words away before the hooded and cloaked watcher could catch what he had said, then he turned and slipped away, disappearing into the trees, little more than a shadow amongst shadows.

  Wings itching with growing misgivings, the watcher stepped forwards, moving to stand over the girl. His head tilted to the side as he stared down at her, and he wondered… He wondered about a great many things…and lost the battle of keeping his wings pressed flat against his back.

  They snapped open, spreading wide, buffeting the air with mighty beats as he shot upwards, shooting into the sky like a fired arrow, a black spot against the all-knowing moon.

  Chapter 2

  The girl ran through the forest. Brambles snagged her clothing, tearing at the already shredded fabric. Tree branches reached towards her like grotesque claws. Seeking her. Trying to ensnare her. Her heart hammered in her chest, fast and wild, and her blood roared in her ears, drowning out all other sounds.

  Was she being followed? Hunted?

  The girl didn’t know.

  She didn’t know anything. Not anymore.

  So she ran, propelled forwards by the sense that something terrible loomed behind her.

  How had she got there?

  Where was there?

  She had awoken on the ground, cold and alone, swallowed by the darkness of night. An overcoat had been thrown over her, acting as a makeshift blanket. Whilst it had made a valiant effort, it hadn’t been able to stay the chill for long. That was what had eventually made the girl stir, forcing her from the blessed calmness of sleep. Shivering, she had sat up slowly, finding herself to be fuzzy-headed and weak. The girl’s thin arms had trembled at the strain of pushing herself upright.

  Slipping into the overcoat—the colour too dark to distinguish easily, perhaps a deep blue or black—she had leaned back against a tree, uncertain of what she was meant to do. She had cast around, searching for answers, for some form of help. Neither had been found.

  The forest had been still and silent—no whisper of wind or rustle of stirring leaves. It had felt as if something unseen had been watching, waiting. Unease had crept over the girl. She had needed to get away from there. Far away. She had started to run, not thinking about what she might be running from or why. The girl had acted on instinct, dashing blindly through the dark forest, twigs slapping against her like whips, thorned undergrowth ripping her tattered dress-top and leggings beneath her overcoat, slashing her skin.

  The girl ran until she could run no longer, until the forest wasn’t quite so silent and the sense of being watched had eased. It felt as if she had been going for hours. Her legs shook and her breaths rattled in her chest. The girl allowed herself to slow and stumble to a stop, and before her legs could collapse beneath her, she settled down against a tree, pressing her back against its rough bark, huddling between its gnarled roots for shelter, for some semblance of safety.

  Pulling her knees to her chest, the girl wrapped the long overcoat snugly around her, desperate to find some warmth. It was a cold night, and the threat of a frost hung in the air. Though sleeveless, the overcoat was thick and covered her from shoulder to ankle. She looked up, peering through the forest’s canopy. The sky was clear; the stars, bright specks of light, were twinkling like the finest of diamonds, and the moon was heavy and low, half-hidden behind the mountains in the near distance. The moonlight was pale and ghostly, trailing over the forest’s floor in a gentle caress, struggling to break through the leaves that still lingered on the trees, not yet ready to join their brethren on the ground.

  The girl peered into the gloom around her with wide, brown eyes, trying to make out any details of her surroundings, trying to figure out what she should do next, where she should go.

  In every direction, there was nothing but the dark, twisted shapes of trees. Unable to bear being still any longer, the girl stood on unsteady legs. The need to get moving, to put as much distance between her and what was behind her, burned strongly. Unable to summon the energy to run, the girl settled for a slow, limping walk.

  Without fear pushing her forwards, the girl’s mind began to wander, drifting off into a twilight zone between conscious thought and daydreams. Something slowly awoke within her, uncoiling and rising from a place unknown to her.

  Warmth bloomed in the girl’s chest. Her right forearm and hand tingled as a peculiar sensation filled her head. It was as if someone else was there, another mind rubbing against her own.

  It was strange but not entirely unwelcome.

  The girl reached out to it, pushing her mind towards it.

  Whoever, whatever it was startled into awareness. Its shock, its surprise, coursed through her body as if it were her own.

  Shaken, the girl fell to her knees, overwhelmed by powerful emotions that weren’t hers.

  The other mind abruptly withdrew, severing whatever connection there was between them. The sudden silence in her head was deafening. It felt wrong. The girl was incomplete.

  Panicked, desperate, she cast out her mind, searching for the presence. She found it, could sense it in the distance. The mind was no longer open to her, shielded behind walls of solid amethyst.

  The girl closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to locate it, trying to pinpoint its whereabouts. Her breath left her. It was near, only a few miles away. But it was moving rapidly, heading in the opposite direction to her.

  It was leaving her behind.

  All sense of rationality deserted the girl. She scrambled to her feet, racing in the direction of the other, the distance between her and it becoming greater as the mind grew ever fainter.

  The girl sprinted through the dark forest with reckless abandon, distressed beyond reason at the prospect of losing the other. She narrowly avoided careening into tree trunks and barely avoided tripping over roots and fallen branches.

  The wind picked up, blowing in from the mountains which were steadily getting closer, pushing against the girl, making her hair fly around her as if possessed. The wind carried something with it, a sound, a whisper. She slowed for a heartbeat and turned her head, her eyes searching the darkness for any hint of movement.

  At first, the girl saw nothing. Then, when she was about to turn away, she caught sight of something in the corner of her eye: a glint, a brief shimmer in the sinister gloom, gone before it was ever really there.

  The girl paused, her heart racing, her large eyes scanning her surroundings, watching, waiting for it to show itself again.

  It revealed itself in brief flashes here and there, disappearing before the girl could identify what it was. Misgivings fluttered in her stomach like butterflies, a gentle warning. She spun around and began running once again, chasing after the amethyst-shielded mind. It was so far from her now. She could hardly sense it. Fearful that she would lose it, the girl pushed herself harder, forcing herself to go faster, further.

  A shape hurtled out of the darkness, heading straight for the girl.

  She tried to skid to a stop, but damp leaves slipped beneath her bare feet, throwing her off balance. She fell to the side, and the ground suddenly vanished.

  The girl was airborne for a heart-stopping second. Then her descent came to an abrupt and bruising end as something hard smashed against her chest.

  The girl lay there, stunned and breathless, her ribs aching. Slowly, she came to realise that a fallen tree had stopped her fall. She had come to a painful rest at its base. The ground around her tilted down at a steep angle. The darkness had concealed the drop.

  Shaking, the girl pushed herself up and discovered that she was nearly at the bottom of the slope. On unsteady legs, she clambered down the rest of the way, finding herself standing in a long, narrow gully. The girl looked around, trying to spot the creature that had sprung at her, and there, sitting on a branch above her head, she spied a bird.

  A ra
ven.

  Its black feathers gleamed in the ghostly moonlight, and its vivid, blue eyes seemed all too bright in the darkness around them.

  They stared at each other, eyes locked, and a peculiar feeling settled over the girl, one that made goosebumps rise on her forearms. She frowned up at the bird, and for some reason lost to her, she reached out to it.

  The raven fanned its wings and uttered a piercing caw!

  The girl jumped and pulled back her hand. She didn’t like the look of its beak, large and sharp. Blinking, trying to clear away the fuzziness that lingered in her head, she began to slowly back away.

  With an angry caw, the raven took flight, heading straight for the girl. She ducked, feeling it shoot over her head, only just missing her, and she heard the sound of hurried wing beats. The girl didn’t turn to see where it was or what it might be doing. The girl didn’t wait for it to return, talons bared and beak aimed with intent.

  Once again, the girl found herself running, barrelling through the dark forest at a breakneck speed. Through the gully she sprinted, the earthen banks rising up on either side of her, too steep for her to clamber up in a hurry. The ground was slick with leaves and muddied water, and it was hard for the girl to stay upright. The raven was behind her, beside her, its wings flapping furiously.

  Then it wasn’t.

  The girl slowed and turned, ready to run at the slightest noise, the faintest flicker of movement, and peered into the gloom. The raven was nowhere to be seen. All was still and quiet. The girl let out a shuddering breath and leaned against a tree, trying to calm her racing heart. She didn’t understand why the raven had singled her out, corralling her through the forest.

  As the din of panic began to recede, the girl cast out her mind, searching for the mind shielded behind amethyst walls.

  It was gone, too far away for the girl to sense anymore.

  Pain tore through the girl as her heart was split in two.