Wolf Star Rise: The Claidi Journals Book 2, Tanith Lee [desktop ebook reader .txt] 📗

WOLF STAR RISE

Tanith Lee

www.sfgateway.com

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CONTENTS

Title Page

Gateway Introduction

Contents

Author’s Note

Moves So Far From Vol 1 Law of the Wolf Tower

This Book, Again …

The Un-Wedding Day

Balloon Ride

Yet More Travel Opportunities

Here

There

Where?

In the Air-Harp Gardens

Vrabburrs and Others

My Enemy

In the Dark

The Quest for the Library

Lost in the Kitchens

Between the Sun and the Moon

The Roof

How We Left There

Her Forest

Pearl Flamingo Village

Her

The Star

Website

Also by Tanith Lee

About the Author

Copyright

AUTHOR’S NOTE

When I wrote the last page of Law of the Wolf Tower, I found I still kept trying to add more to it – even though I knew I’d finished. So I began to suspect another book was forming in the back room of my mind.

Sure enough Claidi had much more to tell me. She started to fill my thoughts with journeys and jungles, waterfalls, cross-bred rabbit-tigers – and another deep mystery. Well, I wasn’t going to argue …

It runs like clockwork.

Traditional

MOVES SO FAR

from Vol 1 Law of the Wolf Tower

1) Claidi steals a book to write about her unpleasant days in the luxurious House and Garden. Life here is lived by inflexible rules, for breaking one of which her parents were cast into the Waste. At sixteen, Claidi is herself the maid-servant of Jade Leaf, whose hobbies seem to be bad poetry and beating her maids.

2) A hot-air balloon is shot down by the House Guards. Out of it they drag handsome Prince Nemian.

3) The important Old Lady, Jizania Tiger, informs Claidi that Claidi is herself a princess. Her mother (Twilight Star) was exiled for falling in love with her steward, Claidi’s father. Jizania suggests Claidi should rescue Nemian, and go with him to his powerful city. Though uncertain, Claidi takes the chance.

4) The House exaggerated about the Waste. Even so there are dust storms, poisoned water, and treacherous Sheepers who cheerfully barter Claidi as a sacrifice. Claidi also begins to see Nemian is unfair, useless, and keen on any girl but herself.

5) Rescued by the Hulta, a wild yet honourable travelling people, Claidi learns to ride, ignores Nemian, and tries not to become fascinated by the Hulta’s young Leader, Argul. (But Argul was left a chemical gadget by his dead scientist mother, which has shown him Claidi is the woman for him.)

6) After negotiating a vegetable forest complete with monster, they reach the city of Peshamba among meadows of flowers. Here are technical surprises, including life-size mechanical dolls handy with swords.

7) Just before Claidi and Argul can admit what they feel for each other, Nemian suddenly begs Claidi not to desert him. Seeing his panic is real, she miserably agrees to go on with him to his city.

8) Nemian and Claidi reach the bleak stone City, and his home, the Wolf Tower – where she discovers he is happily married. It is the Tower which wants her, to replace Nemian’s cruel grandmother, the Old Lady, Ironel, as giver of the Wolf Tower Law.

9) The Law is appalling. Read by means of giant dice and ancient, unfathomable books, it forces selected citizens to carry out mindless and often horrifying tasks. Failure to obey is mercilessly punished. (Now Claidi learns why Nemian had been afraid to lose her. It was the Law which said he must bring her back.) Claidi apparently gives in, and becomes Law-giver – the Wolf’s Paw.

10) Argul however has followed her, intent on rescue. Rather than obey the rules Claidi destroys the Law from within, before she and he escape the city for the free world beyond.

THIS BOOK, AGAIN …

Are you still there?

No, of course you’re not. How could you be? You were never there in the first place. I made you up, selfishly, to help me feel less alone. Someone to confide in, the most trustworthy friend I ever had.

Of course, then, too, there was a chance someone might read it, this book. But surely, no one ever will, here. Or if they do, what I write will be some sort of weird curiosity, something to sneer at, amazedly. So it would be best to destroy this book, wouldn’t it, instead of picking it up to write in again … after I thought I’d never write in it again—

Only I remember, when I left the Tower in the City, I took these extra ink pencils and pens. As if I knew I’d go on writing. But that was a reflex.

Naturally, once