The Crow King's Wife Page 2

  “Tell me what you need to save his wretched life and I’ll have my people gather it. I promise you though Caleb, if this is a trick you will both suffer for it and I will see you dead for wasting my time.” Onvalla spoke the words grudgingly with suspicion lacing every word.

  “Doing the right thing is never a waste of time. You were Micah’s wife, Onvalla. I would have thought you would have learned that. If the rest of Sanctuary would just learn that lesson we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in right now.” Caleb sighed.

  “Jala’s road.” Shade whispered as he allowed his eye to close once more with a faint smile on his lips. He had only met Caleb once before and yet the knight had saved his life. There was hope for Sanctuary yet. If they could find more people like Caleb Faulklin Jala would have all of the support she needed to finish her quest.

  * * *

  “I doubt you will ever walk without a limp again, and I think running is completely out of the question.” Caleb observed as he leaned back from examining the scars on Shade’s leg. The knight had a gaunt look to him from his time in captivity, but still appeared to be in fighting shape. His clothes were tattered and his hair was tangled and matted with filth, but despite it all he still had the bearing of nobility about him. Most would have given up by now, but Shade saw no signs of surrender in Caleb’s dark eyes.

  “It is what it is.” Shade murmured, but couldn’t bring himself to look down at the leg. He knew it was mangled just by the tightness of what remained of his muscles. He didn’t actually need to see it to confirm that fact. “A leg I can live without. The eye I will sorely miss, but my life is what counts and I owe you for that. Thank you Caleb.”

  “I have no doubts you would have done the same.” Caleb replied casually as he stood and paced away from the small pallet he had fashioned for Shade. The thick chain around his ankle rattled across the straw covered floor as he moved and Caleb sighed as he reached the end of the tether.

  Onvalla had allowed Caleb room to move so that he could tend to Shade, but she hadn’t trusted him enough to leave him unshackled. She hadn’t bothered chaining Shade. It had been clear that she hadn’t thought he would live through the night, yet three days had passed and he still clung to life though he was too weak to stand.

  “Do you think she will talk to me?” Shade asked quietly. By the expression on Caleb’s face the man needed the distraction conversation would offer.

  Caleb sighed and the troubled expression on his face faded. He shrugged at Shade and shook his head slowly. “If she were the woman I knew before I would say yes without hesitation. Onvalla was different with Micah and you couldn’t have asked for a sweeter girl. She isn’t though so I can’t say for certain. The Onvalla I’ve seen here is harder and less predictable. I think volatile might actually be the word I want.”

  “Volatile. That doesn’t bode well for peace negotiations.” Shade sighed. It had been three weeks since he had left Merro on his mission by his best guess, and he had spent nearly a week in Merro before he had even left. That gave him perhaps two more days maybe three at most before Jala released the borders and allowed Arovan and Glis to attack. He didn’t have time for volatile. He had to act soon or it was all for nothing, and he would be damned if he lost a leg and an eye for nothing. “I have to talk to her Caleb. I’m running out of time for this.” Shade let his desperation show in his voice in hopes that the knight would realize how serious it was.

  “Before what?” Caleb asked quietly. His pale eyes had settled on Shade once more and he had a pensive look about him.

  “Before the High Lady Merrodin allows Arovan and Glis to wipe the Blights out of existence. She gave me thirty days to do this, and I botched the entire mission with my stupidity. In my arrogance I believed I could reason with the Blights if I could just find them. When they found me I realized my mistake very quickly.” Shade explained in a quieter voice.

  “Things must have changed a great deal more than I realized if Lady Merrodin is determining what Arovan or Glis can do.” Caleb mused and nodded his head slowly. “Rest for now Shade and I’ll see what I can do to arrange a meeting. You will need full strength to deal with Onvalla so sleep as much as you can.”

  “When you talk to them will you ask if they ate my goblin please? I don’t want to ask Onvalla directly when I see her, but I would really like to know the answer to that.” Shade added hesitantly.

  “Your goblin?” Caleb asked with a raised eyebrow. By the concern on the knight’s face Shade could tell he was about to check him for a fever again.

  “My goblin.” Shade repeated with a nod and smiled faintly at the knight’s bewildered expression. “It’s not like the rest of its kind Caleb. I suppose it’s from the same sort of broken mold I am. I’m not like a Morcaillo either, so it was easier for me to give the goblin a chance. I know what it’s like to be different.”

  Caleb nodded slowly and a faint smile creased his lips. “A goblin then. Yes I will ask if I get the chance. Don’t hold your breath for it to be safe and sound though. They ate my horse the day I arrived. Meat is scarce here and it’s a wonder we haven’t been added to the menu yet.”

  “Pray for the best and expect the worst. That is the motto for life I think.” Shade murmured as he settled into the pallet once more. Caleb was right he would need all of his strength to speak with Onvalla. Just the short conversation with Caleb had worn him out. He had expected to recover faster than he was, but it seemed even Changelings had limits on what they could endure and he was well past his own. By rights he should have died and it still amazed him that he hadn’t. Fate apparently wasn’t done toying with him yet.

  Chapter 1

  The Darklands

  The life tether fluctuated again and Finn frowned in response. He had grown used to sensing death amongst the sunlit world, but he knew this soul, and he didn’t want it in his domain. Shade Morcaillo had been enough of a pain in his ass when Finn was alive and the last thing he wanted to do was try to judge the man fairly in death. Aside from his own personal feelings on the matter though, Shade was Jala’s ally, and because of that Finn couldn’t allow him to die. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the tether once more and tried to force it back away from his domain.

  It didn’t make sense for Shade to be so near death. The man was a Changeling and by his birthright alone he should have been able to evade nearly every danger life offered. Yet he was closer to dying than Finn cared to think about. Tentatively Finn searched for Jala’s tether and reassured himself that she was well. The urge to scry on both of them was growing in him, but he couldn’t waste the power to do it just yet. He needed to hold everything he had to face what was coming and even the small trickle of power he was sending to help Shade would be considered wasteful by Fiona.

  “Are you even listening to me?” Fiona demanded and Finn slowly turned to face her with a look of annoyance.

  “I am now.” Finn announced with very little enthusiasm as Fiona went back to adjusting his cloak and every other detail she could think to check. She had been unbearable since he had received the summons from the Divine, and she was only getting worse now that the time had arrived to face them.

  “Did you hear any of what I said? This is important Finn.” Fiona sighed and moved around to stand in front of him forcing him to meet her eyes. Her white armor had been polished to a shine and her dark hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail. If it weren’t for the blood stained cloak she wore, Fiona would have looked positively respectable.

  “I heard are you listening to me. The rest well...” Finn shrugged one shoulder and smiled at her with as much charm as he could force into the expression.

  “They will all be there Finn. All of the Aspects as well as the Divine and you must and I do mean must be respectful. You will be outnumbered and your only prayer is to charm them if you are still refusing to simply give them Seth. I don’t know why you are protecting Seth anyway. He doesn’t deserve your protection.” Fiona said in the tone of voice that was typically res
erved for disobedient children.

  “We’ve discussed this topic well past the point of my patience. I cannot seem to get my reasons through your thick skull so let’s just leave it at I am protecting him. So please drop it. As far as being respectful and outnumbered…fine, I’ll be respectful.” Fiona stared at him in disbelief as he fell silent and Finn raised an eyebrow at her in question. “What?” he asked after a long moment.

  “Did you really just agree to do the logical thing so easily?” she asked quietly her eyes still wide with wonder.

  “Don’t say it like that Fiona. Damn you make me sound like an idiot.” Finn snapped and narrowed his eyes at her as Fiona continued to stare at him with an expression that suggested he was just that.

  “I’ve served you for nearly five years in the Darklands Finn. Respectful is not a word I would use to describe you, idiot however…” Fiona’s voice trailed off as she stepped back from him and nodded her approval at his polished armor and thick black cloak. “You are a handsome idiot though and you look more Divine than I’ve ever seen you. Did you gather the power like I told you to?”

  “Yes Fiona. If I was holding any more power I would likely explode. I am full capacity just like you said I should be. Now let’s get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. I have things here that require my attention and I can’t afford to waste much time with this trial of theirs.” Finn sighed and looked around his hall one last time. It seemed far too empty to his eyes. He had gotten used to Legacy being around as well as Zoelyn, but they were in the sunlit world once more. Even Seth had been absent from the throne room for days, though after their last talk Finn couldn’t blame the man. Perhaps one day everything would return to normal, well as normal as life in hell could be.

  * * *

  Finn had never been a religious man in life and the sheer number of people in the room astounded him. He had never realized there were so many Aspects before. The council room was bowl shaped with benches lining all sides surrounding a pit of sand at the bottom. Everywhere he looked someone was watching him. The only place vacant was the sand pit. Every other corner of the room was occupied. He let his gaze slowly wander through the crowd and his eyes lingered on a red-haired woman that lounged on a bench. She was dressed in tight leather clothes that barely concealed any of her body and the expression on her face was predatory. Her hand trailed down to the floor to brush against the fur of a massive black wolf that lay near her feet. Several more of the animals were curled around where she sat, but they were so tangled together that he couldn’t get an accurate count of them. “The Aspect of nature?” Finn whispered to Fiona hesitantly. The woman certainly wasn’t what he had imagined the Aspect of Nature looking like, but he approved regardless.

  “Hardly. That is Olivia the Aspect of the Wild, and she would rip you in half gleefully so quit staring like a love struck child. She represents the savage side of nature and is not known for a sunny personality.” Fiona rolled her eyes as she spoke and gestured silently with one hand further into the crowd. “That is the Aspect of Nature and I don’t think she likes you much either. You are Firym and they tend to burn things and you are death which while it is natural is still not a favorite of the Aspects that are inclined to goodness.”

  Finn followed the direction of Fiona’s hand and smiled faintly at the indicated woman. She was exactly how he had imagined she would be, with long dark hair and a flowing dress that seemed almost transparent. Vines twined around her arms and neck with soft hued flowers accenting the dark green leaves at intervals. Two bright colored little birds flitted around her occasionally landing on her shoulder or upraised hand. If not for the scowl that was painted on her delicate face she would have been the picture of serenity. Obviously Fiona knew what she was talking about in regards to the Aspects, and it was just as obvious that he couldn’t count on the Aspect of Nature for support.

  His attention moved past her and through the crowd once more. There were no friendly faces that he could see, and even the ones dressed darkly were scowling at him. With a sigh Finn glanced back at Fiona and motioned to the pit. “Is that the speakers circle?” he asked quietly.

  Fiona snorted back laughter and shook her head at him sharply. “No Finn. That is where they will rip you apart if you displease them. The sand is there to absorb the blood so it can be gathered more easily. Silver blood is valuable even to the gods.”

  “Well isn’t that sweet.” Finn whispered bitterly. His attention moved once more to the assembled Aspects until he found War amongst the crowd. He wasn’t sure which of the Divine had summoned him, but it had been Divine and not an Aspect. There had been too much power in the demand for an Aspect and as far as Finn knew War was the most powerful Divine right now aside from perhaps himself.

  Stepping forward Finn cleared his throat and squared his feet. With a faint smile he calmly reached into his cloak and produced a cigarette. He always smoked before a fight. It was a habit from life that he couldn’t shake. Despite Fiona’s words he knew there was no way to charm this crowd, so that only left one option.

  “I’m not sure which of you decided to waste my time, but one of you did. I’d rather keep this as short as possible so can the one who summoned me please speak up so we can get this farce over with?” Finn spoke as loudly as he could without yelling and his words echoed through the room.

  “Finn!” Fiona hissed behind him with panic thick in her voice.

  Glancing back Finn smiled at her and winked. “That was respectful in Firym.” He whispered before lifting his cigarette to light it. Angry murmurs rippled through the crowd at his words, but he wasn’t concerned. From what he had seen so far the Aspects mirrored the Elder Blood in their behavior, and very few Elder Blood were ever willing to back up their complaints with actions. It was the outspoken ones that acted, and he had never even heard of most of these Aspects which meant they weren’t outspoken.

  “You broke the treaty with the Elder Blood.” The voice came from the back of the room, and it was a familiar one.

  Finn’s eyes settled on the speaker and he did his best to keep the look of shock from his face. He didn’t know the man well, but he did know him. He had never realized Lutheron was Divine though. “I answered a prayer.” Finn replied after a long moment of silence. “That isn’t breaking the treaty as far as I’m concerned.” He added as the crowd began to mutter in discontent.

  “Your demon slaughtered an entire city of Rivasans and you claim it was the answer to a prayer?” Someone shouted from the crowd, but Finn couldn’t spot who it had been.

  “Victory in battle and Death to my enemies were Jala’s exact words and it was sent as a prayer to me. She even kissed her holy symbol. How could I resist such a heartfelt plea?” Finn spoke casually and allowed himself to slouch a bit where he stood. If they realized he had no fear of them it would give them pause. Anyone in their right mind would be terrified right now, but oddly enough he wasn’t.

  “Then you claim Seth acted on your behalf? I was under the impression that you didn’t realize what he was doing until it was done.” War’s voice rose above the crowd and the Divine stood from his bench. His eyes were locked on Finn and his expression was demanding. It was clear that Fiona had already reported to him and War knew the truth of the matter.

  “Miscommunication I’m sure. Seth acted exactly as I wished him to and I have no regrets for his actions. Three prayers were sent from that battle and he answered all three with his attack.” Finn replied in a tone that brooked no argument on the matter.

  “You have put all of our temples in danger with this!” A voice screamed from the crowd.

  “There is no way we can stand against the Elder Blood if they turn on us.” Someone else offered from the opposite side of the room.

  “Kill him and appease the Elder Blood.” A woman yelled from the back and Finn gave up trying to see who was speaking. There were simply too many people in the crowd.

  “I support his actions.” A blond haired man bellowed ov
er the noise and rose to his feet. The crowd silenced at once and all eyes turned to look at the newest speaker. He was dressed in a fine blue suit and he looked too slender to offer much help in a fight, but his voice was clear and filled with power. He bowed his head slightly to Finn and offered a faint smile. It was the first hint of good will that Finn received since he had arrived, and he took it as a very good sign.

  “Fortune?” War asked in confusion as he turned to look up at the Aspect. “You support breaking the treaty?” War paused and shook his head at the Aspect in obvious confusion. “Fortune you have more temples than any other Aspect. You have more to lose from this than anyone else.” He pointed out calmly as if Fortune must have somehow misunderstood what he was doing.

  “If not for Seth’s intervention Delvay would have been lost. If you care to remember Delvay is one of our strongest sources of power. With things as chaotic as they are now we can’t afford to lose their faith.” Fortune paused and looked around at his assembled peers. “Do you think the Rivasans would have honored us as Delvay did? I may have the most temples, but I know where the most faith lies. I would trade twenty of my temples for one shrine in Delay without hesitation.”

  “Was the survival of Delvay worth the fall of the gods?” Lutheron asked in a quiet voice that seemed to carry throughout the room. “They will burn our temples and kill our priests for this. We have seen their anger before the treaty and we know how cruel the Elder Blood can be.”

  “Do you have a personal grievance with me Lutheron? You have been a thorn in my ass since I met you in Firym. I believe at that time you were trying to convince Jala that I wasn’t worthy and now you are trying to convince the Aspects that I’m not worthy.” Finn called loudly and stepped another few feet closer to the edge of the sand pit. “Did I bed your sister or something? I know before I met Jala I frequented quite a few houses of ill repute so I suppose anything is possible. Or is it just jealousy that fuels your words?”