The Dragon Hammer (Wulf's Saga Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

You do not mess with me!
    Gunnar let out a grunt of surprise. And pain. His hands went to his temples.
    “Princess, that hurt . How can you be that strong? He didn’t warn me about—”
    Then the door burst open and her bloodservants rushed in.
    The tie with Gunnar was broken.
    Gunnar stood. “We could have had something, Princess,” he said. “We are both very alike, you know.”
    “I didn’t want to have sex with you.”
    “Don’t be an idiot, Ravenelle Archambeault, that’s all you wanted.” He turned toward her servants. “I’m leaving,” he told them. “Your precious mistress is safe, you poor slaves.”
    He stalked past them and out the chapel door, leaving behind the lingering scent of sandalwood cologne and fresh blood.
    Ravenelle wiped her face, and the palm of her hand came away red. She’d been crying and hadn’t realized it. Here was another way she was not like anyone else in the castle. Another reason she would never fit in.
    Like all true Roman aristocrats, Ravenelle cried blood tears.

Chapter Four:
The Tryst

    Saeunn Amberstone held tightly to the hand of Ulla von Dunstig and pulled her hurriedly along. The two girls made their way down the underground passageway. This was a servant corridor that led from the castle at Raukenrose Castle to one of the kitchens that was a separate building. The passageway was pitch dark. It was lit by oil lamps during the day, but now the time was half past midnight.
    Both girls could see nothing, but Saeunn had a sixth sense that Ulla did not possess. Like all of the Children of Starlight, she could sense the direction to her homeland, Amberstone Valley, from any spot on Earth. And she could always find her star in the sky at night. She just knew where she was. All elves did.
    And sometimes her star also spoke to her.
    Your land-dragon is stirring tonight, my child. The clutch is restless. Tonight we sing to calm them.
    I hear you, my star, my soul.
    Since she had been down this corridor several times before—with and without Ulla in tow—she also knew where to pull up short and stop walking.
    Ulla, who truly had a terrible sense of direction even for a human, stumbled, but Saeunn caught the hem of her dress and steadied her.
    They had gotten to the locked iron grate that covered the corridor at night. Saeunn put her hand out and touched the cool metal of the grate, then lowered her hand gradually until she felt the keyhole.
    “All right, here it is,” she said, guiding Ulla’s hand to the spot. “Use the key.”
    After curfew the gate was locked and the key got hung in its place on the rack.
    She’d been the one who had taken it. That was always her role. She could move a lot more silently and quickly than Ulla.
    Stealing the key was also the least of the ways they were disobeying. If the duke and duchess found out—
    No, when they find out, Saeunn thought. They are definitely going to find out. She didn’t have to see the future to guess that much.
    Ulla was breaking the rules big time.
    Saeunn heard the voice of her star again. You are restless as the dragon tonight, my child.
    I am happy, my star. Just a little overexcited.
    Her star laughed a tinkling laugh like crystal ringing.
    The humans interest you?
    Yes, my star.
    The girl you are helping?
    Yes, she is untraditional.
    And the other, the brother?
    He’s very intelligent. I do like him . . .
    Take care not to become too attached, for you know—
    Yes, I know. They die.
    And we do not.
    “Saeunn?” said Ulla. “Are you in there? You’re doing that thing again, where you get all distracted and practically turn into a statue.”
    “Talking to my star,” Saeunn answered. “We’re done. Open the gate.”
    “Elves are really strange sometimes,” Ulla said.
    “It wasn’t my idea to go rambling around in the dark, you know.”
    “Okay, okay.”
    Ulla slid the key into the keyhole with far too much racket. Saeunn figured Ulla’s hands were trembling. There was the click of the lock