‘Pardon?’ asked Drake.
‘My name. Or at least the one I was born with. Henrietta Ravenhelm.’ Hero reached up, pulling off her goggles to reveal her keen, grey eyes. She offered Drake a tight smile. ‘But I’ve always preferred “Hero”.’
Drake returned her smile with a grin, his shoulders visibly sagging with relief.
The Zadkille airship had now risen high above the clouds and was swiftly disappearing. Joss watched it go, the sound of its engines swept away by the wind. ‘You know, as much as it surprises me to say, I honestly don’t care what decision they come to today,’ he said. ‘I know the value of the journey that we’ve been on together. We may never become paladeros, but we’ll always be brethren. I … I’ve never really had that before.’
Hero’s smile turned tart as she wrinkled her nose. ‘Don’t make me gag …’
Their shared laughter was interrupted by the doors to the terrace shunting open. Joss turned around, expecting to see a hovering mechanoid sent to usher them back to the council’s chambers, but instead he found himself baffled by a most unexpected presence.
‘Sur Verity,’ he said, watching as the eye-patched paladero crossed the terrace towards them. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Lord Malkus tasked me with delivering a thousand head of livestock to the North Market,’ she replied as she joined them by the railing. ‘We stopped here on the way back.’
‘What a fluke that we’d be in Tower Town on the exact same day …’ Joss said, and Sur Verity contorted her face in what passed for a smile.
‘Never been one to put much merit in flukes, myself. Lord Malkus has eyes and ears everywhere. I’d say he knew you were on your way back and wanted you greeted by a familiar face. Nice to see you haven’t lost my sword, Josiah,’ she said, gesturing to the Champion’s Blade.
‘I have to admit …’ he replied, wrapping his hand around the grip. ‘I’ve grown quite attached to it.’
‘Is that so?’ Sur Verity said with a twinkle in her eye, which then faded along with her smile. ‘I should say, I stopped by the grandmasters’ chambers on the way up here. They asked me to pass on their decision …’
The three prentices each tensed. This was it. The moment that their entire lives rested on.
Sur Verity’s smile flared up once more, becoming a toothy approximation of a grin. ‘Congratulations.’
Letting out a whoop of celebration, the Bladebound grabbed hold of one another, clapped each other’s backs, and laughed with wild abandon. It felt like too little to cheer, but it was all there was to do. They had persevered against impossible odds and they had won. What else was there now but to celebrate?
It occurred to Joss, however, that there was one other thing to say. Pulling himself away from the others, he turned to address his mentor.
‘Sur Verity, I know things haven’t been the same between us since the Tournament and I know I can be a difficult prentice at times,’ he said, saying what he needed to before he had the chance to reconsider. ‘But I just wanted to tell you –’
‘Don’t rush to thank me just yet, Josiah. Y’see, your journey may be over, but your training has only just begun.’ She slammed a hand down on his shoulder. ‘And you’re going to need all the luck you can gather if you’re to make it through.’
Joss thought of everything he had seen and done. He had faced down a tyrannosaur in the heart of the Gauntlet. He’d survived an attack of carnivorous mantises, had caught lightning on the edge of his sword, had traversed the Ghost City of Vaal and defeated the Lady of Life Everlasting. But just from the look on Sur Verity’s face, he knew she was telling the truth. The greatest challenge still lay ahead. And there was only one thing he could think to say to that.
‘Luck is muck,’ he said, standing tall as the wind picked up again and all of Tower Town bowed beneath his feet. ‘I make my own.’
EPILOGUE
THE witch’s castle was as silent as a burial chamber. The night’s mist had rolled in through the holes torn in both the roof and the walls to flood the throne room. Among the rubble and the scattered dragon bones a frail figure stirred, coughed, and slowly struggled to her knees.
‘Thrall …? Thrall, I have need of you …’ the Stitched Witch called out, her voice brittle.
‘I am here, my lady,’ the darkness replied, and from it swept a cloak of black feathers.
‘Thrall … Find me – something living. I need life’s blood to –’
‘There will be no more of that, my lady.’ Thrall waved his hand as he crouched at the witch’s side. ‘I have heard from our master, and he is not pleased with what has transpired here.’
‘Surely His Highness realises –’
‘His Highness has little patience for emissaries who make grand promises and then fail to deliver, witch.’ Thrall spat the word at her, and she recoiled. ‘You promised us an undead army, countless legions to wage the war that lies ahead. But your power is long diminished, consumed by your own vanity, and your promises are as valuable as vapour. Consider this the severing of our alliance.’
Thrall held out his palm. Energy began to flow from it, quickly building in strength. The Stitched Witch didn’t even have the chance to scream before Thrall placed his hand on her face. Her skin dried to ash. Her body crumbled to dust. When he raised his hand again, all that was left of her was scattered to the wind.
Rising, Thrall walked from the ruins of the witch’s castle. Tonight, the Kingdom of Ai slept peacefully. But before long it would be plunged into a nightmare from which there would be no waking. And Thrall would be there to watch it burn.
Dusting off his hands, he strode from the sinking castle and into the night.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
EVERY book is a collaborative effort and this one has been no exception. I’d like to thank all the incredible people at Hardie Grant Egmont, with special thanks to my publisher Hilary Rogers and to Marisa Pintado for their expert guidance, as well as to Penelope White, Nikki Lusk, Sarah Magee, and all the publishing, sales and marketing teams (with special shout-out to interviewer extraordinaire Mandy Wildsmith).
Jeremy Love provided both the amazing cover illustration and the defining element of all fantasy novels: the map. I couldn’t imagine a better artist to bring these characters to life, and if I could I’d have him illustrate every page.
My agent Clare Forster was instrumental in bringing this all together. Many thanks to her and all the Curtis Brown Australia staff for their hard work. Thanks also have to go to Sally Goldner from Transgender Victoria for her invaluable insights.
My friends and family have been very supportive and patient throughout the writing of this book, and I’d like to express my gratitude to Mum, Dad & Suze, both Nans, Judy & Carl and Nicole & George.
Finally, my greatest thanks go to Simone. My wife, my best friend, my collaborator in life. I’m so happy to have shared in not only this adventure with you, but all the adventures yet to come.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steven Lochran spent his childhood writing stories and now he does it for a living. He graduated from Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, and has worked as a film
critic, projectionist and DJ. He’s spent the last decade in the publishing industry surrounded by books, as well as writing the Vanguard Prime and Paladero series. He lives in Melbourne with his wife and two spoilt cats.
Paladero:
The Riders of Thunder Realm
published in 2016 by
Hardie Grant Egmont
Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street
Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia
www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.
A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia
eISBN 9781743584217
Text copyright © 2016 Steven Lochran
Design copyright © 2016 Hardie Grant Egmont
Cover design by Kristy Lund-White
Cover illustrations by Jeremy Love
We welcome feedback from our readers. All our ebooks are edited and proofread vigorously, but we know that mistakes sometimes get through. If you spot any errors, please email [email protected] so that we can fix them for your fellow ebook readers.
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