Read Online The Lightning Bolt by Kate Forsyth - Free Book Online

the power of plants, cat’s eye shell for sea and water, and the power of seeing clearly. She wished she knew what had happened to Van, and to the lightning bolt charm. She felt the truth was hidden here somewhere, if only she could see it.
    â€˜But we have our whole lives ahead of us, Van,’she said. ‘It’s true we need to leave here very soon. If we cannot rescue them in time, our families will hang! We cannot stay here, as much as we like you. But once our lives have returned to normal, then why cannot we come and stay with you again? Or you could come to us. The Great North Wood is very beautiful. You could come to Beatrice’s wedding! We’ll sing and dance and feast.’
    He stared at her, startled. ‘But . . . I cannot dance . . .’
    â€˜Why not?’ Luka said, and Emilia knew he was about to say, ‘You’ve still got both feet, don’t you?’
    â€˜Of course he can!’ she cried. She did not want Van to curl back into himself like a hedgehog, all his sharp spines raised. ‘I bet you’re a beautiful dancer, Van. It’d be great fun. You should hear Beatrice sing, Van, she sings like an angel.’ But then her shoulders drooped, and she turned her face away. ‘Though if we can’t break our familiesout of gaol, there’ll be no wedding because Beatrice will be dead.’ She did not need to pretend to cry. Sobs were shaking her narrow rib cage. ‘And Baba and Noah too!’
    â€˜Not to mention all my family,’ Luka said soberly.
    Emilia looked at Van pleadingly. ‘We really need your help, Van.’
    â€˜My help? What could I do?’
    â€˜You could ask Stevo to make some keys for them,’ Fairnette burst out. ‘They’ve got moulds, they just need someone to copy the keys.’
    Van’s face closed down. He turned away from them, saying nothing.
    Fairnette hurried on. ‘You know Stevo would do it if you asked him, Van. He’d do anything to make it all up to you, you know that. Or you could ask Father. He wouldn’t suspect you of being some kind of spy.’ Bitterness rang through her voice. ‘Either of them would do it in a flash, if you asked them.’
    â€˜And you could tell us what happened to the lightning bolt charm,’ Emilia said softly.
    Van spun round and stared at her with eyes wide with shock.
    â€˜What?’ he croaked.
    â€˜Your family’s good luck charm,’ Emilia said. ‘The lightning bolt.’
    â€˜Why?’ he said shortly, through his teeth. The blood had drained away from his face, making the red scars uglier than ever.
    She showed him the charms hanging from her wrist. ‘Our Baba sent us to find them,’ she said. ‘They’re the luck of the Rom. If we could gather them all together again, we could –’
    â€˜They’re not good luck!’ Van cried. ‘They’re cursed bad luck!’
    â€˜Why, what do you mean?’ Fairnette said. ‘I’ve never heard that said before. Father always used to say the charm had brought us luck.’
    Van shut his teeth together smartly and would not speak.
    â€˜Please tell us,’ Emilia said gently. ‘We really want to know.’
    Van sighed, then said in a compressed voice, ‘It was all because of the charm that I got burnt.’
    â€˜But . . . how? Why? I don’t understand,’ Fairnette said unhappily.
    Van did not look at them. ‘Stevo and Father had been arguing about that stupid charm for weeks. Stevo thought Father should give it up to him. It’s always worn by the master smith, you know, the Big Man . . . and that was really Stevo now, for all that Father went up to the foundry every day.’
    â€˜But I thought . . . do you mean Father was not really doing the job?’ Fairnette was surprised.
    Van stared into the fire. ‘Father was getting rather vague about things, like ordering more limestone . . . and