Ley Ryders , livre ebook

Troubador Publishing Ltd - J Williams Holly

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171 pages

English

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Ley Ryders is a fast-paced young adult fantasy with multiple, interwoven plots including characters with physical challenges and a rich, original mythology. From the birth of the world, the mystical force known as the Ley has flowed, bringing life to all beings and creatures. Only a select group of women, the Ley Ryders, can sense Its power, devoting their lives to its influence, bringing help and protection to those in need. But unseen evil threatens to darken the might of the Ley. Petronia is the daughter of a simple blacksmith yet she feels she is destined for something more. Mysteriously mute from birth, she believes her fate is to become a Ryder. Her protective brother Hayden, however, isn't so sure. Pet has abilities more acute than any Ryder but will her skills bring peace or unimaginable darkness? Under the watchful protection of the Ryders and accompanied by Aarold, a bookish but frail prince denied his throne by the deceitful manipulation of his aunt, they set out on a perilous quest to discover the truth of Petronia's destiny. Ideal for readers aged 16 and over, this is a thrilling fantasy novel from the mind of the creator of the 'Jersey Demon Trilogy' about the paths we must take to find our own voice. Ley Ryders gives prominence to those who have physical impairments through the unique characters included and will be enjoyed by fans of Ilona Andrews and J R R Martin.

Sujets

Fantasy (canción de Mariah Carey)

Fantasy

Informations

Publié par	Troubador Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	28 février 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781788031271
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Copyright © 2017 Holly J Williams

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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ISBN 9781788031271

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador® is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
For my parents, Gill and Dave, and my Aunt Jack.

Contents
Chapter 1
The Dancing Stone
Chapter 2
Darklife
Chapter 3
The Journeying Triad
Chapter 4
The Calling
Chapter 5
An Unwelcoming Audience
Chapter 6
The Makings of a Sovereign
Chapter 7
The Path Yet Walked
Chapter 8
The Marble Speculum
Chapter 9
Within Goodstone Citadel
Chapter 10
Phebus
Chapter 11
The Iron Golem
Chapter 12
Ley Origins
Chapter 13
The Bazaar on the Quay
Chapter 14
A Bottleful of Midnight
Chapter 15
Siege of Shadows
Chapter 16
The Rain-soaked Copse
Chapter 17
An Apprentice Abroad
Chapter 18
A Relentless Pursuit
Chapter 19
The Sightless Seer
Chapter 20
The Path of Blood
Chapter 21
The Sable Spirit
Chapter 22
Bracken’s Birth-Land
Chapter 23
The Masked Huntress
Chapter 24
Unveiled And In Peril
Chapter 25
A Distressing Discovery
Chapter 26
The Snow Listens
Chapter 27
The Halls of Kelhalbon
Chapter 28
The Princess’s Story
Chapter 29
Ac-Nu
Chapter 30
Attackers of the Ley
Chapter 31
Written In Stone
Chapter 32
Reunion at The Fallen Inn
Chapter 33
A Vindictive Alliance
Chapter 34
The Bait and The Snare
Chapter 35
The Weald of Megrim
Chapter 36
Phebus To The Rescue
Chapter 37
The Destroying Angel
Chapter 38
The Subterranean Army
Chapter 39
The Taking of Murkcroft
Chapter 40
The Voice of The Ley
Epilogue:
The Smith of The Heart
Chapter 1
The Dancing Stone
The golden sunlight of the late autumn afternoon filtered through the trees of the copse, warming Hayden as he hurried along the ridge that led down to the stream. It would soon be dusk and if he did not start back to the village soon it would be dark and there would be no wood for the fire. His mother had sent Petronia out hours ago to collect logs while Hayden helped his father in the blacksmith’s forge, but his older sister had not yet returned. Hayden was not surprised to hear that Petronia had not come home, for she often wandered off and lost track of time but he still worried.
He came to the grassy bank by the bubbling stream which was dotted with young saplings sheltering in the shade of their older siblings. Sure enough, he spotted Petronia’s white cotton cap amid the rushes that grew on the far side of the river a few feet away, bobbing around like a pale bird as she busied herself at the water’s edge. Hayden called out her name; at once the lass raised her head looking at him with her coal black eyes. Standing up, she slipped something into the pocket of her apron before gesturing with her hands.
‘You’ll have to come closer,’ he called, cursing not for the first time his sister’s muteness.
Shrugging her shoulders with frustration, Petronia hitched up her skirts and carefully picked her way across the large boulders that jutted out of the water. Hayden watched her. Short and stocky, like him and their father, Petronia was the picture of good health. In fact, there appeared to be nothing physically or mentally wrong with her apart from the strange fact that Petronia could not or would not speak. As a babe, she never even cried. Not that it mattered much as their parents, consigned to the fact that their child might never utter a word, taught her to express herself through gestures and finger shapes, a method that Petronia was now well versed in.
She crossed the river and hurried over to her brother, an expression of frustration etched on her features. ‘ I was coming, you know! ’ she signed, her fingers moving through the air nimbly. ‘ I don’t need you watching over me all the time, little Brother!’
Hayden sighed. ‘I wasn’t watching you. Mother just sent me to see if you were coming back with the firewood. Have you got it?’
His sister nodded and pointed to a large bundle of logs and twigs resting safely beneath a nearby oak. Hayden smiled and went to collect it, but Petronia held out her hands in protest. ‘ I can manage, ’ she gestured indignantly. ‘ You’ve been working at the forge all day; I will carry the wood. ’
Stooping over, she gathered up the firewood under her arm and headed off up the ridge in the direction of the village. The hamlet of Ravensbrook had been home to Petronia, Hayden and their family for many generations. A small collection of huts and freeholds, it stood peacefully on the western edge of the deep wood, in the far south of Geoll. The Ley barely ran here and people barely spoke of it for the land was rich and life was peaceful. Travellers seldom came to Ravensbrook and did not stay long when they did for there was little in the village to interest people. When travellers did come with tales of far-off cities, their stories did nothing to stir Hayden’s heart, as his feet were firmly and happily planted as apprentice blacksmith at his father’s forge. Ravensbrook was home and if he lived there till the day he died, Hayden would be more than happy.
Glancing at the sun riding low in the sky, Hayden called to his sister. ‘We’d better hurry, Petronia, it’ll be dark soon and you know what they say. Strange creatures come out in the woods at night. Wood imps will steal your soul away if you’re not in by dusk!’
Petronia stopped in her tracks and looked back at him with an expression of weary disbelief. She had large, striking eyes and full shapely lips that clearly stated with the slightest movement what her tongue could not utter. Right now, they declared that they were both way too old to believe the fairy stories told by the village elders.
To illustrate her point even clearer, she set down the firewood and twirled round on the spot, arms raised dramatically above her head, mimicking the way the wild folk were said to dance.
‘Well, I believe them,’ stated Hayden, as grinning Petronia picked up the wood again, ‘and it wouldn’t do you any harm to as well. You know what Mother says: it isn’t your tongue that scares away prospective suitors, it’s your stubbornness. You could have been married to a dozen fine men by now if you hadn’t frightened them away! Only in August, Bartholomew the cooper’s son came a-courting and Mother had to tell him that you were off wandering in the woods. It isn’t maidenly!’
The humour drained from Petronia’s pretty features as she crossly turned her back on her brother and marched off in the direction of the village. Hayden sighed reluctantly. He had not meant to hurt his sister, but the truth was there were aspects of her character that sometimes troubled him. Not only was she stubborn and fiercely independent, she also had a peculiar interest in collecting stones, juggling them skilfully in her fingers and sending them rolling in spirals across the ground. He had thought it a curious and fun game as a child, watching her send the small, round pebbles spinning across the dirt as they played, but they were no longer children and Hayden was sure that had he been born with his sibling’s impairment he would want to make himself more accepted into the community, not drive people away.
He hurried after her across the leaf-carpeted ground, reaching her side just as the trees began to thin, revealing the small group of wooden longhouses that formed their village. Beside their own home, stood the small shed that housed the furnace, anvil and other items their father used in his craft. Through the open door, they could see the scarlet glow of the fire and the powerful silhouette of Godfrey as he put away his tools for the evening. The warming smell of fires and stew drifted on the autumn air, calling them home.
Hayden caught hold of his sister’s shoulder just as she was about to hurry down the hill towards the village. She spun to face him, her pretty features still fixed in a cross frown. ‘I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said what I did; I only try to look out for you. I would love you to find a good husband and be happy. After all, you are seventeen.’
Petronia’s eyes grew wide with frustration as she angrily thrust the firewood into Hayden’s arms. ‘ Maybe I don’t want you, Mother or Father to find me a good husband!’ she gestured firmly. ‘ Maybe I don’t want to marry at all! Maybe I want, I want...’ Her hands balled into frustrated fists as she tried to express the longing she felt in her heart. ‘ Some