The Crow King's Wife Read online

  Leaning to one side Neph glanced at the heavily yellowed pages and frowned. From what he could tell it was a genealogy book of the houses of Delvay. “I know the houses of Delvay. I don’t need a lesson on my own people.” Neph informed him dryly.

  Fortune looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and then returned his attention to the book wordlessly. He scanned through several more pages and then nodded faintly to himself before he removed his suit coat and sat back in the chair further. Still silent he began to roll the sleeve of his silk shirt up until well past his elbow. His eyes narrowed and slender ridges rose in his skin forming a spiraling design with a shield near the center. The flesh gradually darkened around the markings until they stood out like a dark grey tattoo against his paler flesh. “Do you know what this is Neph?” Fortune asked as he held up his arm for Neph to get a better look at the marking.

  Neph studied the sigil carefully before shaking his head slowly. It was tempting to make a smart ass comment, but Fortune was an Aspect, and due respect regardless of the current situation.

  “It’s the sigil of the Guardians.” Fortune informed him quietly. The marks began to fade from his skin as he lowered his arm and his attention turned back to the book before him. “I was with them in the beginning. When the split came to Delvay, before they fled the city. I was one of the first to join the movement actually.” His hand slid slowly across the book in front of him and sigils began to glow softly under his touch. The air above the book shimmered and an image formed of a powerful built man in badly scarred armor with two swords across his back.

  Neph stared at the image and then back to Fortune with narrowed eyes. The Aspect had the same coloring as the illusion of the man, with pale blond hair and blue eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. Fortune was wiry and slender where as the man in the book was tall and heavily muscled across the chest and shoulders.

  “Kadren Zengael.” Fortune said as he waved a hand toward the image. His brow furrowed and he chewed his lip for a moment before he continued. “Who I used to be, but I can see the disbelief written clearly on your face so allow me to elaborate. I was nearly the only one in my family to follow the Guardians path. My younger sister did as well, but I often wonder if she didn’t simply do it to follow in my footsteps. My brother and my mother were staunch Extremists, were my father still alive when the division came I have no doubts he would have been Extremist as well. I might have been too, but the woman I loved was pure Guardian. I believed in peace, but she was a fanatic about ending all fighting no matter the cost. In the end she was the one that devised the plan to stasis the heroes.” Fortune paused once more and glanced up at Neph.

  “I honestly fail to see how this is in anyway helpful, unless of course you happen to know the spell to release them from stasis.” Neph said in annoyance.

  Fortune smiled faintly and shrugged one shoulder. “My twin brother Tyvosh as well as my mother were caught in that stasis spell.” He continued as if Neph hadn’t voiced any complaint at all. “Originally the plan was to lock them into stasis and destroy them while they were defenseless. My beloved volunteered to act as a conduit to cast the stasis spell, and they would have used her to destroy those caught by it as well, but she had a fatal case of my sword through her chest before they had a chance. I was supposedly there to protect her while she was defenseless during the spellcasting, but my family was trapped by that spell. It was her or them, and I had already tried to talk her out of it. So I made my choice. With that action I became betrayer in the eyes of Delvay as well as the Guardians, and thus had to make a few changes to myself in order to hide.” He waved a hand at himself and smiled bitterly at Neph.

  Neph’s frown deepened and he folded his arms over his chest as he considered what he was being told. Essentially his true father not only snuck into the beds of married woman, but he was a two time traitor as well. The information did not bode well for a good relationship between the two of them. There was only so much respect one was due for simply being an Aspect, and Fortune was rapidly losing what he had acquired on that merit.

  “This little tidbit of my life may have you confused, but it explains why Ren kept you alive. He tested you time and time again to try to determine who your true father was, but he kept getting the same thing. His life magic always showed that you were of Delvay blood and nearly identical to him in life patterns. It never once occurred to him that you actually were related to him, because he didn’t know the bit of history I just told you. My little sister who sympathized with the Guardians never actually left Delvay. Her husband was the leader of the country, she couldn’t leave. She had no choice but to hide her affiliation and remain behind. When news of the Barrier arose she helped gather the heroes and did everything she could to help the Guardians trick the Delvay into retreating peacefully. Once the Barrier came up she settled in for what she hoped would eventually be a peaceful life, and finally allowed herself to become a mother. KayDelvayon and RenDelvayon were the names she chose for her children.”

  “My Grandmother?” Neph demanded doubtfully.

  “Technically your Aunt actually.” Fortune corrected mildly before continuing. “Even if I had wished to remain outside beyond the Barrier I had little choice in the matter. The Guardians were hunting feverishly for me, and my entire family was here. So I willingly stepped into the trap. I wandered aimlessly about the lands for a while, before I realized without a house or a nation to call my own there was only one way I could still try to help end the fighting or at least ease some of the pain. So I Ascended and chose Fortune as my Aspect. It was pure luck that had kept me alive or from being caught up until that point, so it seemed fitting. That and there was very little chance that anyone from Delvay would ever pay much attention to an Aspect such as myself. Things were wonderful aside from the constant wars and the unfailing attempts to tear down the Barrier by nearly every house. So I set about trying to find a way to bring peace to Sanctuary in a more civilized manner than the Guardians had chosen.”

  “Neph please quit glaring at him that way. Aside from me, you are the only person he has ever trusted this knowledge to, and I promise if you just hear him out it will all click into place and make sense.” His mother spoke in a tone of pleading and Neph did his best to wipe the scowl from his face.

  Neph wasn’t sure why he was humoring her, and it wasn’t something he wanted to question. It wasn’t his nature to forgive and forget easily, but with her it seemed as though he had already forgiven. He no longer felt anger toward her, and he knew if he put much thought into he would. There were so many choices she had made that could make him hate her if he allowed himself to dwell on it, but the simple truth was, he had lived most of his life without a mother, and the thought of losing her again was gut-wrenching. She wasn’t alive, and she wasn’t truly dead, but he was desperate enough to take what he could get. At least this way he might possibly have a chance to know her.

  Fortune glanced at him once more and pushed Neph’s beer toward him. “I wish it were a short explanation, but for you to fully understand I can’t spare the earliest details.” He sighed and shifted in his chair before he seemed to abandon all hope of getting comfortable and simply leaned forward to rest his arms on the table. “My first attempt was Dashara. I thought that ending slavery would be a wonderful way to alleviate some suffering. Seth buggered that project from all angles. Fiona Veirasha was my second attempt, and once again an outside force buggered it to all hell. Then a priestess of mine among the Fionaveir sent a prayer to me asking for help for a woman who was abused at the hands of the Merrodin.” Fortune paused and another faint smile lit his face for a moment. “That was the first knowledge I had of Jala Merrodin; A prayer for her before she was even born from one of my most devout servants. So I joined the Fionaveir in their crusade for a revolution. Originally it was planned that certain houses would have to find new leadership if peace was ever to come to Sanctuary. To my delight RenDelvayon’s name was on that short list. House Merrodin was to have
a new leader as well, a tiny little girl that had just been born while the plan was being made. Myth tried to bugger that plan as well but I clung to it with tenacity as I never had before. When Merro was destroyed I sent more power to that child than I had used in centuries to keep her alive, then ensured that she would be found by those that would keep her safe. Over the years I shielded her as best I could, but my true power over the situation was limited. I couldn’t interfere directly because I’m an Aspect, and there was a Divine involved that is much more powerful than I am. So when she arrived in Sanctuary I did my best to ensure she would stay safe, by sending her directly to Finn at the first opportunity and thus into the hall my son lived in. I wasn’t sure about Finn Sovaesh, but I knew once you had given her a chance to prove herself to you that you would protect her.”

  “So you turned her from Shade and set her up for heart break with Finn.” Neph broke in coldly. “Do you realize how much Jala and Shade have in common? They share the same desire to save the world and the same idealistic view of how things could be. If she hadn’t turned to Finn the world might be better off and one of my friends might still be alive today. Finn died for Jala not for her dreams, and he is one of the fallen that we could truly use alive right now.”

  Fortune sighed heavily and the last of his smile faded away. “Anthe Jendoshay has been a very good friend of mine for some time. When I act on something this big I consult her before I do anything. Had Jala stayed with Shade, Myth would have killed them both according to Anthe’s visions. When I questioned her about Finn in the beginning it was happily ever after. The Fionaveir are the ones that soured that milk I’m afraid. It wasn’t the Avanti that had him killed as Jala believes, but that is neither here nor there at the present. He is dead, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I gave him the luck to evade Hemlock, and he ignored it as so many people often do. Finn chose to finish his mission rather than survive, and he has my respect for that.”

  “Madren’s witch?” Neph asked in confusion. He didn’t think Anthe was a common name, but he had never heard Madren use her surname before.

  “She is one of the Tolanteer witches, but I’m not sure she would appreciate being labeled as Madren’s witch.” Fortune corrected mildly. “I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point the Fionaveir strayed from our intended path. I fell out of the loop and they stopped informing me at all before they made their next move. Now things are truly in a world of shit and I’m not sure if there is anyone left to trust from the original arrangement. In the beginning there were several High Lords helping us. Damon Veirasha, Elijah Arovan, Nicoli Blackwolf, Arjuna Firym as well as Jaradon Faydwer; they all knew of the plan and supported it. Damon is dead as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Elijah’s country is nearly crippled. Nicoli’s country is crippled and he appears to be going a bit mad. I no longer trust Jaradon Faydwer I think he may be suffering from the same issue the Fionaveir appear to be having, so that leaves me with Arjuna and you.” Fortune gazed at Neph with a smirk and then chuckled bitterly. “And I’m not at all certain about you.”

  “What about Jala? Or Jin Han’shy?” Neph asked sharply.

  “Jala wouldn’t listen to me if I dropped to my knees before her and begged. She blames me for Finn’s death as well as several other things I tried to prevent. I hold no grievance toward her for it, but I also cannot depend on her because of it. As for Jin, well I have never truly trusted his motives. I knew him outside the Barrier and while everyone in here is a bit of a bastard, Jin is the king Bastard of them all. To make matters worse he is a mind mage so you never truly know what is really happening when dealing with him.” Fortune explained sadly.

  “We have a few cards left to deal, but we have to know where you stand before we can share more Neph.” His mother added quietly.

  “I chose my alliance, and I’m not turning my back on it. My only interest right now is seeing that those I sided with survive.” Neph said firmly.

  “Then there are a few very important things that you must know. Things that no one else realizes and could very well change the course of things in days to come.” Fortune said calmly as he withdrew a pouch from his jacket and sat it down on the table before him. He fumbled with the silk ties for a moment then withdrew a small square box. Neph knew the sort well enough from his days at the Academy that it didn’t hold his attention long. It was a smoker’s kit, and it would contain nothing more than tobacco and paper, neither of which held the least bit of interest to him. Finn and Valor had both carried them, but Neph himself had never developed the habit of smoking.

  “Let us start with the most problematic. Have you heard of Azashy of the thousand-eyes?” His mother began the moment Fortune had fallen silent.

  Neph shook his head slowly at the name and looked between the two of them. Fortune seemed content to let her guide the conversation for the time being and was intent on rolling a small sheet of paper filled with tobacco. His mother was watching him intently with a look of concern on her face that Fortune didn’t appear to share at all. The Aspect seemed perfectly relaxed without a hint of nerves, despite the tone of the previous conversation.

  “Azashy was formerly the spy master in Glis, long before the difficulties with the Blights arose.” His mother began and glanced once at Fortune as she spoke, but the Aspect still seemed to be entirely absorbed with his cigarette project. She rolled her eyes and Neph found himself smiling despite his stress. “Azashy was to be executed in Glis, but given the nature of her services she was able to flee before they had a chance to arrest her. She has lived in hiding for some time now, only offering her services to a select few. She is likely the single most talented information broker on Sanctuary, and now she is missing. Fortune believes she is the key to our enemies being one step ahead of you, Such as the ambush here in Delvay. With Azashy feeding your enemies information there is no way to surprise them.”

  “How do you know she is missing and hasn’t simply gone back into hiding? Or maybe she is allied with our enemies.” Neph broke in before his mother had a chance to continue.

  “Let me field this one Cora.” Fortune said in a mildly distracted voice.

  Neph seized on the name immediately and watched his mother as he repeated it over in his mind. Cora It was the single most valuable bit of information Fortune had given him since the conversation had begun. Everything they had told him so far was useful of course, but that had been the one thing that he had wanted to know that he couldn’t quite phrase a question for. He should have known her name without asking, and it was too awkward for him to admit that he hadn’t.

  “Damn it.” Fortune muttered as the thin paper crinkled as he tried to roll the cigarette. Cora rolled her eyes once more and pulled the smoker’s kit toward her as well as the mutilated cigarette Fortune had been so intent on. The Aspect gave her a grateful smile as she began the process of rolling a fresh paper and then looked at Neph with a grin and a wink. He cleared his throat quietly and glanced toward the cupboard behind Neph. “Cora of course doesn’t drink, but I do.” He prompted quietly.

  “Just full of vices aren’t you.” Neph muttered as he rose from his chair and fetched a bottle of brandy and two cups.

  “Vices make life interesting and I do hate to be bored.” Fortune said with a shrug. He watched Neph long enough to ensure he was going to pour the drinks and let out a quick sigh. “Now as to the point of Azashy, she won’t be working willingly with our enemies, because she is a very special case. She isn’t truly a bad person. There was simply an unfortunate event in Glis that led to her downfall. You know the Black Bastard?”

  “Caleb, yes I know him, and I know he doesn’t exactly appreciate being called the Black Bastard.” Neph said in a mildly reproachful voice. Caleb Faulklin had been close to finishing his term at the Academy the year Neph had arrived at the school. Neph had shared a few classes with the man and had never found complaint. For the most part Caleb was quiet and observant, until you pissed him off. Grim as his friends
called him had a temper to rival any Firym and easily match the Delvay.

  “Yes well, it was Azashy that told the Lady Blackwolf who Caleb’s true father was. It was a naïve action, and it changed the face of the Glis court. Caleb was exiled to Arovan. Blue Bess was exiled from Lord Blackwolf’s company. She was given the choice of leaving Glis with her son, but chose to continue to serve House Blackwolf at Sebastian’s side rather than his father’s. In retaliation for Azashy’s actions Nicoli Blackwolf had intended to have her quietly silenced before she could reap more mischief. Azashy found out and fled. Since that day she has been in hiding and only parts with information to the few individuals she approves of, and none of the information she has parted with has ever been about Glis.” Fortune pulled the glass of brandy to him the moment he fell silent and took a small sip. He nodded with approval at the vintage and glanced toward Cora.

  “Given the nature of her exile from Glis it stands to reason that if Azashy was going to turn to the enemy she would have done it then. Why wait until now after all? If she was going to hold a grudge she has had years to betray Glis.” Cora said as she slid the perfectly rolled cigarette toward Fortune and gazed at Neph once more.

  “So if I can manage to find out where they are hiding her I can end them being one step ahead of us constantly.” Neph concluded with a nod. It was useful information, and would be even more useful if he could pass it onto Jala. Until she decided to speak with him again though that was rather impossible. He wasn’t really sure what he could do with the information alone, but Fortune seemed to believe he could somehow benefit from it.

  “The next bit of useful information is discretionary. Use it as you will or don’t use it at all. The choice is entirely yours.” Fortune sipped from the brandy once more and leaned back in his chair. “Several months ago, not long after Jala announced to the world who she was, there was an attempt on Shade Morcaillo’s life. At least that is what Shade assumed. It was a Nightblade assassin that attacked him, and Shade placed her in a storage gem in return for it. I don’t actually think she meant to kill him however given the circumstances. She seduced him, and then attempted to stab him while he was still in a daze over the loss of his virginity.” Fortune paused and smirked at Neph. “He wasn’t wearing a Bachelor’s ring however, and she stabbed him through the hand. Not only did she manage to get a sample of his blood she quite possibly managed to get pregnant as well. The Nightblade’s and Kali are on very close working terms which means Kali may very well have Morcaillo blood to use in her creations as well as Shade’s child to train. The Assassin in question was released from her stone when Shade fled the city of Sanctuary. No one has seen her since.”