Read Online The Wildkin’s Curse by Kate Forsyth - Free Book Online Page B

Liliana had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Merry followed behind, filled with wonder and a strange feeling halfway between fear and awe.

CHAPTER 6
Climbing Stormfell
    L ILIANA LED THEM CAUTIOUSLY UP A STEEP FLIGHT OF STONE STEPS. At the top she paused behind a curtain of hanging ivy, listening intently. At last she lifted the ivy leaves aside and tiptoed out into a derelict courtyard, the boys close behind her. Gaping archways revealed glimpses of what once would have been guardrooms and stables but were now filled with weeds and fallen stone.
    Merry looked up into the sky, expecting to see the familiar shape of Tom-Tit-Tot swooping towards him, but the sky was empty. He decided the omen-imp had simply gone hunting, something he had had little chance to do during their swift and out-of-control ride down the river.
    Liliana went through a grand archway guarded by stone eagles almost as tall as she was. Beyond was a vast, empty hall, one wall almost completely demolished so they could see blue sky beyond. The floor was thick with rotting leaves and weeds, and birds flew about busily, their nests built behind the wooden heads that lined the vaulted ceiling. Craning his neck, Merry saw carved birds and beasts and fairies of all descriptions, some grotesque, some beautiful. It was strange to see a tiny swift dart behind the ear of a snarling wooden grogoyle.
    Liliana took them through a massive oaken door hanging off its hinges, and up a broad, curving stairway into one of the towers. Through a bewildering array of ruined halls and rooms and steps, she led them ever higher, till it seemed they must come out on the battlements themselves. Along a filthy hall they came, Zed trying to stop his sleeve from brushing against a ragged tapestry that hung down one wall. To their surprise, Liliana stopped and lifted the tapestry aside, releasing a small cloud of dust-coloured moths. Behind the tapestry was hidden a tall, narrow door, carved from some black wood.
    Liliana took an iron key out of her pocket and unlocked the door, opening it wide so Zed and Merry could go in before her. Inside was a round room with arched windows that looked out onto the lake and forest and mountains. They were so high off the ground Merry felt as if he were a bird, flying high among the clouds. He wondered if tendrils of mist ever crept into this room, as Briony said they did into Rozalina’s Tower of Stars.
    Curtains of golden-coloured velvet hung from floor to ceiling at the windows and were swathed about the four-poster bed which stood on a dais in the centre of the room. Faded tapestries—twice the height of the boys—showed scenes of feasting and dancing and riding. Everything was clean. The sheets on the bed, though much darned, were crisp and white. The mirror above the washstand was polished brightly, and the rugs on the smooth stone floor looked as if they had just been beaten. All the furniture gleamed with beeswax, and the room smelt of fresh flowers, which stood in jars and pitchers on the table and mantelpiece and beside the bed. A tray with a steaming teapot and a basket draped with a white napkin stood on the table by the fireplace.
    Liliana sighed with happiness. ‘This is my room.’ She spoke quietly, and her face seemed warmer and softer. ‘Stiga has been here. Somehow she always knows when I’ll be home.’
    â€˜Who’s Stiga?’ Zed strode to the table and lifted up the napkin, smiling to see the fresh, warm bread rolls hidden beneath.
    â€˜She was a servant here in the castle, when my grandmother was queen. Somehow she escaped the massacre. She has a kind of knowing . . . not exactly a Gift . . .’ Liliana fell silent, looking at the faint tendrils of steam rising from the teapot. ‘She’s very shy. She doesn’t like strangers. Yet she’s brought cups and plates for you. She knew you were coming.’
    The cups and plates were mismatched and chipped but