But while she was above reproach-mostly because no one ever dared reproach her-his own behavior was being closely observed and chronicled. It was something of a joke, however, as she possessed an impressive vocabulary of vulgarity of her own and made liberal use of it. Onal, the crotchety old woman who’d spent the last five decades serving as the royal family’s physician and most trusted adviser, always said foul language was a clear sign of a weak mind. But his only companion was his own reflection, which gazed back at him from the mirrored panel on the other side of the carriage. īleeding stars, he cursed before glancing around the empty carriage to reassure himself that no one had heard. He wanted to have it figured out before the excursion reached its end, and though Greythorne-the final stop and chosen location to begin his coronation procession-was only a few miles away now, he was sure he could have the puzzle cracked and the candy consumed before they pulled onto the drive.Īs he concentrated harder, his humming tapered off.

Convinced the box concealed candy, Conrad had been poring over it for the duration of his Renaltan tour. It was from his sister, Aurelia, an early gift for his upcoming coronation, now only two days away. Everyone knew the first verse, but he much preferred the lesser-known second, which described a phantom horseman:Īs Conrad hummed, he fiddled with a new toy: a pointed puzzle box with nine sides and a series of intricate buttons and latches that had to be pressed and turned in just the right order to open a hidden compartment with a prize inside. It was an old Renaltan folk song, meant to be sung in a melancholic minor key: Don’t go, my child, to the Ebonwilde, / For there a witch resides.

No matter how rough A map of the western realms, Achleva and Renalt, including Greythorne manor and village Part OneĬonrad Costin Altenar, eight years old and the ascendant king of Renalt, was humming to himself in time to the creaks and jolts of his carriage.

| Summary: As the people of Achlev struggle to survive the instability fueled by Dominic Castillion, Aurelia is determined to save them and her loved ones at any cost. Names: Smith, Crystal, (Crystal Campbell), author.ĭescription: Boston New York : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, | Series: Bloodleaf trilogy | Audience: Ages 14 and up. The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows: For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.Ĭover illustration © 2020 by Chantal Horeis

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