The Gantean (Tales of Blood & Light Book 1) by Emily June Street Read Free Book Online Page A

door opened, and a slender hand clutched the lapels of Tiercel’s coat, pulling. He stumbled into the room, and the door clicked shut behind him. I scrambled from behind the drapes to press my ear against the door, hoping to hear a clandestine conversation.
    That was not at all what I heard. I should have known. No Gantean child past the age of ten winters could have mistaken those sounds. Ganteans had no closed doors behind which to hide when they mated.
    I hurried back to the mews with my face flaming in embarrassment that I’d so infringed on Tiercel’s privacy.
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    T he following morning I had to swallow my anxieties and go to Ghilene Entila for my first day as her personal servant.
    Tiercel brought me to Lady Entila’s chamber, ushering me into the finest room I’d ever seen. Purple tinged everything: the paper on the walls, the chair in the corner, the drapes on the large glass windows, the dense carpet on the floor. Lady Entila herself, statuesque in a chair designed to lend her grandeur, wore an overdress of dark violet over a lavender gown, and amethysts jangled on her wrists. Her fine dark hair tumbled down her back in an elaborate hairstyle that must have taken some poor handmaiden hours to arrange.
    Tiercel pinched me to remind me of proper behavior. I bowed.
    “Ghilene doesn’t like this,” the Lady said while surveying me coolly.
    “Ghilene will listen to her mother.” I had never heard Tiercel sound so severe.
    Lady Entila pursed her lips and ignored his tone. “At least the girl doesn’t look Gantean. As you said, no one will ever know. But Ghilene knows, and she’s being difficult.”
    Again, Tiercel clipped his words. “When isn’t that girl difficult? Lili is perfect for this job. Ghilene will learn to appreciate what she’s been given.”
    The door to the purple room opened. Ghilene Entila scowled as she entered, arms crossed over her chest. I had thought her perhaps two years my junior when I had seen her in the mews, but now, in more formal clothes, with her black hair dressed in imitation of her mother, she seemed older.
    “I don’t want that filthy Gantean!” Her first words made me flinch.
    “You have no other option, Ghilene,” said her mother. “She is what you get. Your complaints give me a headache.”
    Ghilene glared across the room at me. “I won’t have it! What will people think of me with one of them as a servant? She’s practically a savage!”
    Lady Entila laughed. “Tiercel says he’s trained her very well, and you cannot tell by looking at her—”
    “You can’t wash out where she’s from—”
    “That’s enough, Ghilene,” Tiercel intervened. “Lili is your handmaiden. She’s been trained for the job, and you will treat her well.”
    “Darling, what will people think of your behavior should they hear you shrieking like this?” added Lady Entila.
    Ghilene only tightened her arms over her body, tensing like a cat about to spring. Her angry glance raked first Tiercel and then her mother. “I don’t know why you always do things like this to me! It’s like you want to make my life difficult!” She turned and fled the room.
    Lady Entila sighed and tapped her fingers on the arms of her chair. Tiercel maintained a stiff posture and said nothing. Lady Entila caught my gaze. “Well, what are you waiting for, girl? She’s your duty now. Go and take care of her. You must learn to manage her. Go.” She waved dismissively.
    As I hurried after Ghilene, anxious excitement blossomed in my stomach. I didn’t have any idea how to handle Ghilene, but I wanted to see the High City.
    When the raiders had dragged me from Gante, I had feared what lay beyond the island. Gantean rumors of the south contained nothing but slander. After seeing Queenstown and hearing more from Tiercel and the Ricknagel girls about Lethemian cities, I wanted to see more. The world was a vaster place than I’d ever imagined on Gante.
    I knocked tentatively on Ghilene’s door.
    “Go