Free Bloodrush (The Scarlet Star Trilogy Book 1) by Ben Galley

deserts.’
    ‘Stop worrying,’ Merion replied, and with that he got to his feet, and forced himself out onto the platform.
    Merion was carrying Rhin and the rucksack in his arms now, rather than on his shoulders. After checking that his luggage was being unloaded, he wandered down a short set of steps and onto the dusty earth of the town.
    Both boy and faerie peered around. The light was fading fast and not all the street-lamps had been lit. Aside from the station workers, the platform was empty. All the passengers had disappeared, already barging their way into the first tavern they could find.
    ‘Your aunt should be meeting us, am I right?’ Rhin asked.
    ‘Yes. Aunt Lilain.’
    ‘ Aunt Lilain . Sounds so plain next to “Karrigan”.’
    Merion had to admit the faerie was right. ‘Well, she’s a Hark nonetheless.’
    Rhin sighed. ‘Hark or not, it looks like she didn’t get the wiregram about picking you up.’
    Merion stared back at the sign hanging above the platform. ‘Fell Falls’, it said, in bright blue lettering. Merion found a nearby barrel and perched on top of it. ‘Nice place,’ he muttered.
    Rhin shuffled out of the pack so he could see Merion’s face. The boy’s face was expressionless now, deadpan. ‘Could be worse, from what the men were saying.’
    All Merion had to do was look left, to the west, where a few rugged hills stood stark against the red of the dying sun. ‘This is the frontier, Rhin. All of those things that the men talked about, they’re just out there. Barely a stone’s throw away.’
    Rhin unsheathed his knife and waved it around, slicing at the air. ‘Well, they can come try their luck. They’re not the only ones that are magic,’ he hissed to the darkness. Nothing replied. Nothing moved and, secretly, they were both very glad.
    ‘See?’ Rhin sheathed his knife.
    A moment passed, and Merion huffed sharply. ‘Where on earth is that aunt of mine?’
    Rhin looked about. He pointed towards the milling crowds of the town. ‘I don’t suppose it could be that crazy woman sprinting towards us, could it?’
    ‘I think I’ve had my fill of crazy,’ Merion sighed as he turned.
    There was indeed a woman coming towards them, and she was indeed sprinting. If you have ever had a stranger run as fast as they can towards you, with little or no explanation, then you will know how nervous Merion suddenly felt. Rhin even went as far as to unsheathe his knife again, poised inside the rucksack.
    ‘Thank the Maker!’ cried the woman, as she skidded to a halt barely a foot from Merion. He coughed as her dust cloud enveloped his face.
    The woman patted him on the shoulder and smiled broadly. His aunt was all wire and tanned skin, quite obviously as strong as a mule, and not nearly so old as Merion had expected. In fact, there was barely a wrinkle on her face, just a smattering of well-used laughter and frown lines. Her hair, the trademark Hark blonde, was scraped and tied back into a long ponytail that ended somewhere above her hips. She had a brown mole beneath her left eye, almost like a lost teardrop.
    It was her clothing that gave Merion the most cause for concern. Instead of the graceful frocks and dresses in which he was used to seeing women, his aunt dressed somewhat like a man. She wore dark jeans held up by a thick buckled belt, and a checked shirt rolled up to the elbows—very informal indeed.
    ‘Sorry about that. I thought I’d missed you! Don’t want you wandering off on your first day here. Somebody could have shot you!’ she looked about furtively, as if checking for snipers.
    The look on Merion’s face told her that he did not get the joke, if it could even be called one. She patted him on the shoulder again and smiled even wider. Merion was just grateful she still had all her teeth.
    ‘I’m joking, nephew. One good thing about Fell Falls is that we’re too busy shooting other things to be shooting ourselves. In a way, it’s the friendliest place on earth,’