Page 11 of A Storm Rises

“Your father visited early.” Nia set the tray on the marble table between the chairs. With lips pursed, her eyes scanned the area. “Is everything all right?”

Her maid knew and understood her father’s viciousness for she too had been the victim of his wrath. It was long ago when Avalynn found Nia huddled in the corner, crying. Though too young to grasp the nuances of it all, Avalynn never forgotten the fear on Nia’s face. Or the red mark across her cheek.

Avalynn wanted to tell everything but did not dare cross her father or put Nia at risk. Instead, she settled on sharing the bare minimum. “Engrendorn is dead. The role of hunter for House Stromm falls on me now.” The less her trusted maid knew, the better.

Nia covered her small mouth with her blue-painted fingernails. “What happened?”

“Dragons.” Avalynn raised the delicate glass cup. “In the North.” The warm lemon tea touched her lips and kicked her thirst into high gear. She gulped the rest, then set the cup down with a clink. “My father, he—” She stopped and searched for the right hint.

“I can guess.” Nia’s eager eyes suggested the solution. “You will not have to say the actual words.”

Avalynn shook her head. Even a guess might endanger her friend. “I am in the hunt. And that is all you need to know.”

Nia pulled her shoulders back and nodded. “Yes, my princess.” Her long lashes fluttered like butterfly wings. “How may I assist?”

Pushing aside her father’s words, excitement budded inside of her. She was competing in the hunt at last. A grin spread across her face. “Notify the Master of the Blade. Have him meet me in the training circle in one hour.”

“Yes, my princess.” She smoothed out her skirt. “I will set out your clothing, then notify Master Kragar.” She pointed at Avalynn’s hands. “I will bring a salve for those cuts and an energy potion since you lack sleep.”

Was it the dark circles under her eyes? The bed she had not slept in? Avalynn rose to her feet and hugged Nia. “You always take such good care of me. I have no idea what I would do without you.”

“I am honored and blessed to be with you, my princess.” She clapped her hands together with a twinkle in her eye. “Now, let us get you ready.”

After a quick wash, Avalynn returned to her bed and found her clothes laid out. Brown training pants, a matching brown tunic, and a thick black belt. Beside her outfit rested the salve and energy potion.

She dressed without delay, her fluid movements matching her rapid-beating heart. She threaded her leather belt through her pant loops. What did Kragar know about the penalty for last place? She sat on the white plush chair and slipped on her black boots. Did he know anything about the Sublander? She needed answers to her pressing questions.

She rubbed the salve on her hand and then gulped down the minty potion. A surge of vitality raced through her fae veins. She whiffed the crystal vial. Hints of the Green Falls water swirled in her nose mixed with herbs she could not quite identify. Whatever it was, it would help in the hunt. She would ask Nia to make more.

A soft rustle whisked through the silent room. Setting the vial down, she turned and saw an envelope. It rested by her door on the marble floor. She hurried to the door and yanked it open. Nobody. She went back inside her room and examined the plain white envelope. She opened it and removed the note.

Trust your instincts, not your past.

She lowered the note. Who sent this? What did it mean? The hunt. It had to involve the hunt. But how? She put the note back into the envelope and shoved it under her mattress. She tucked it as far as she could reach. The note was her secret, and she’d ask Nia about it later. Now she had to focus on Kragar. Duty and destiny called her name. She would answer that call with a resounding victory.

Avalynn stepped from her bedchamber and marched down the sparkling white corridor. She passed rows of gardenia-filled vases. The blooms filled the air with that rich and velvety sweet aroma. She trotted down the winding staircase, crossed the foyer, and exited the glass doors. Her mind raced toward the training meadow at the edge of the palace grounds when a pair of slender arms slipped around her waist from behind and hugged her. She turned and saw her ten-year-old sister, Lily. She smiled from ear to ear, as if she had found buried treasure.

“I heard the news! You are a hunter!”

Lily had spent hours watching Avalynn train. When she didn’t win the qualifier, it broke her little sister’s heart worse than her own. Inconsolable, Lily cried for days. “Yes, my little princess. Always remember…hard work and honor pay off.”

“I knew it would. I prayed to the Stars above.”

“And it worked.” She tucked Lily’s long silver hair behind her sharply pointed ears and kissed the top of her head. “I am headed to meet Master Kragar. Want to come?” She would take her little sister with her anywhere.

“Sure. But will you look at my dress first?” Lily held out her lilac-colored dress skirt and spun. “Is it pretty?”

“It is! You are the prettiest princess in all of Faevenly.”

The sisters clasped hands and continued along the crushed gravel path toward the training circle. “What kind of training are you doing?” Lily asked.

They passed a group of gardeners tending to a row of blooming azalea bushes. “I’m not sure. But I think today will be mostly strategy since the hunt is only a few days away,” Avalynn replied.

Lily slowed her pace. “Strategy? No training? Sounds boring.”

Avalynn stopped and pulled Lily closer. “It may sound boring, but it is the most important thing in hunting and even ruling a kingdom. Sound strategy makes for a successful hunt and, later, a successful queen.” These were words of wisdom for her sister. She waited to see if she would listen.

Lily scrunched up her nose. “Um, I have something else to do.” She pulled her hand from Avalynn’s grasp. “Have fun with your strategy.”

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