The Crow King's Wife Read online

  “Which do you prefer?” Shade asked as Caleb drew them both to a stop in front of a two story house. His gaze lingered on the brightly colored flowers beside the stairs and he shook his head silently. It seemed so wrong for daisies to be sprouting near the house that belonged to the most dangerous woman in Glis.

  “Caleb is fine for now.” Caleb announced quietly and he glanced behind them at their Blight escort. Turning back to Shade he nodded toward the house. “Don’t let her appearance fool you Shade. Be on guard in here. Onvalla is not as she appears. She is a serpent and she is deadly.”

  “Watch your tongue Faulklin or I’ll cut it out.” The stout guard warned as her hand dropped to her belt to settle around her dagger hilt. She seemed the most vocal of the guards and Shade decided she must be the leader of the squad or simply the biggest fool. With the caution the other Blights had shown it was obviously a very bad idea to pick a fight with Caleb, but then they were close to Onvalla’s house now. It was possible the entire area was filled with Blights and they just couldn’t see them. That could very easily explain the woman’s new found boldness.

  “I’d love to see you try that, Liadra.” Caleb shot back with venom lacing every word. His grip on Shade loosened as he half-turned to face the Blight. “My opinions are my own and I will voice them as I please. You have taken everything else that I have, but that is still mine and I won’t surrender it.”

  “Is now really the time for this?” Shade asked quietly. The last thing he wanted was his meeting for peace with Onvalla to start with a brawl outside her front door.

  “At the risk of sounding petulant, she started it.” Caleb muttered sourly.

  “I’d say childish was a more fitting word than petulant, but as you like.” Shade sighed and pulled back from Caleb as he turned to face the stairs. He let out a rough sigh and hobbled closer to grip the railing as he studied the rough wooden slats and pondered exactly how he was going to accomplish this without further humiliation.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to have help with that?” Caleb asked quietly.

  “I will be damned if I am going to be carried into this meeting. I don’t have much pride left Caleb, but I have too much to stomach that. I’d rather swallow a dagger than be carried.” Shade snapped in a tone that rang with more petulance than Caleb could ever match.

  “As you like.” Caleb replied and Shade could hear the smirk in his voice without even turning to look.

  Shade’s foot had barely settled on the first step when Caleb moved swiftly up behind him and tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of grain. Blood rushed to Shade’s face as embarrassment and anger warred for control of his mind. In two quick steps Caleb cleared the rickety stairs and swung Shade down from his shoulder.

  “Dignity aside Shade you are not as capable now as you once were, and the sooner you come to terms with that the better off you are. You will need help from now on, and we don’t have the time to waste for you to learn that lesson on your own.” Caleb spoke before Shade could even open his mouth.

  Anger roared in Shade’s mind, but he forced it back down. No matter how much he hated it and wanted to deny the words there was a bitter truth to what Caleb said that he knew he couldn’t ignore. Swallowing heavily he bit the inside of his cheek until his anger faded. Nodding slowly he cleared his throat. “Thank you, Caleb.” His voice was colder than usual, but the words were genuine. It was difficult for him to say, but he knew it needed to be said. Had the Arovan been trying to humiliate him it would have been different, but Shade knew Caleb had acted with good intentions.

  Caleb stared at him for several breaths and shook his head slowly. “You are a strange one, Morcaillo. Even Micah would have punched me for that.” He said quietly.

  “Just Shade please. Don’t call me Morcaillo. I’m not the sort to lose my head to anger, even when I probably should. You were helping me, and no matter how hard it is to accept, you are right. For now I am crippled and for now I do need help.” Shade managed to keep his voice calm despite the bitterness the words summoned in his mind. It wasn’t Caleb’s fault he was crippled and it wasn’t right to take it out on him. He had no one to blame for his problems beyond himself, and Onvalla. If not for her Tevrae doses he would have healed, but he couldn’t dwell on that. He was here to make peace with her for Jala’s sake and he couldn’t allow his own personal grievance to risk his mission.

  Turning slowly he pushed open the door of the house and froze as his eyes landed on the woman inside. She had been standing near the window when the door opened, but turned to face him at the sound. He had been expecting someone in armor and perhaps with facial hair by the sound of her voice the night she had visited the prison, but the woman before him was stunning. Her long golden hair fell in waves across her shoulders and her face was that of an innocent maiden with perfect full lips and pale skin. Wide blue eyes followed his every movement as he stepped fully into the room. She looked too delicate to wrestle a child to the ground and yet she was the current leader of the most savage race on Sanctuary.

  Her long skirts swished silently against her legs as she stepped closer and then froze as Caleb entered the room. Her full lips curved into a smile and her face lit with delight. “Ah how the mighty have fallen. Did you enjoy yourself Caleb when you were arranging this meeting?” she asked in a honey sweet voice.

  “I did what I had to do and nothing more.” Caleb replied in a voice so filled with hatred that Shade cringed at the sound of it.

  He glanced back at the Arovan and wondered if he should have asked the man to wait outside. This conversation was going to be difficult enough without Caleb’s anger, and the man had already declared he wasn’t willing to keep his opinions to himself.

  “Oh Caleb don’t be like that.” Onvalla purred, but her expression was anything but friendly. She was gloating and it was obvious that she was enjoying Caleb’s anger. It was like watching a child bait a bear, and Shade knew it would end just as poorly if he didn’t do something soon.

  “Milady Onvalla I know you and Caleb have bad blood between the two of you, but I really think we should press onto business rather than prodding each other’s wounds. What I am here to discuss is important to everyone in this room and more important than personal grievances.” Shade spoke just loud enough for his voice to carry and took pains to keep his tone as respectful as possible despite his own feelings. In truth he wanted to punch her in the face for taunting Caleb almost as much as he wanted to stab her for leaving him hanging in a barn to rot. He sighed heavily and silently prayed she wasn’t scanning his mind, by her expression though she didn’t seem to be, unless of course she was as good at acting as Caleb was.

  “Such pretty words.” Onvalla snapped her eyes flashing back to land on him. She did nothing to hide the loathing she felt for him and Shade felt his hopes sinking further.

  She had too much prejudice in her heart to hear anything he said unless he could think of something really good, really quickly. He had dealt with hard negotiations in Sanctuary before during his time as the ruling lord of his quarter of the city, but he had never entered into a negotiation with so many cards against him. He was disfigured, stunk worse than a sewage soaked corpse, and was wearing torn and filthy clothing. There was no way he was going to charm anyone in his current state, especially not someone that already hated him simply for the blood pulsing through his veins.

  “I was sent here to offer peace to your people, Lady Onvalla. I’m not trying to flatter you with pretty words, it’s simply the truth. This is more important to me than any personal feelings I have, and if you truly care for the well-being of your people it should be just as important to you.” Shade pressed and knew the moment the words were out of his mouth that he had chosen poorly.

  Her expression darkened and she stalked closer to him her delicate hands clenching into fists. “Liar.” She hissed. “Filthy Morcaillo liar. You say Jala Merrodin sent you to make peace. The same Jala Merrodin that provided the gods accursed glasses t
hat allow my people to be seen? Do you know how many of my people have died because of those glasses?” Onvalla pressed her voice growing louder with each word and the threat in her eyes was deepening with every step.

  “One more step and I’ll be forced to restrain you Onvalla.” Caleb warned. “I won’t kill you, but I will stop you from killing him.” He added as he took a step closer to Shade.

  Relief washed over Shade at the words and he took a slight step back toward Caleb. It might look like cowardice in Onvalla’s eyes, but it was practical in his. Even if she was slight of build he didn’t want to fight her, and he wasn’t sure that he could even dodge her blows.

  “At the time Jala provided those glasses your people were raiding without mercy Lady Onvalla. Jala took what measures she deemed necessary to protect her people and allies. At that time she believed your people to all be evil and animalistic in nature. She has learned better since then and regrets her ignorance on the matter. Her offer for peace is genuine and I promise I’m no liar on the matter. Tell me what I can do to prove myself to you please. We are running out of time on this.” Shade spoke slowly and calmly and knew he only managed to keep his nerves from his voice due to the fact that a very large and very intimidating Arovan was standing just behind him. He was on delicate ground and he knew it, but the fact that the Blights all seemed to fear Caleb did a lot to build his confidence. Even if he was useless in a fight right now, Caleb quite obviously wasn’t.

  Onvalla glared at him for a long moment and a smile slowly formed on her lips. If anything the expression was even more unnerving than her anger. She was about to name a price and Shade knew just by the look in her eyes that it would cost more than he was willing to pay. “You want to prove yourself Morcaillo?” She asked coldly and slowly nodded at him. “Fine then, I’ll give you that chance. Bring me the head of the one that killed Micah and I will listen to this Jala Merrodin’s terms. Prove you are genuine by killing a Rivasan and avenging Micah. The Morcaillo and the Rivasans are allies, and if you want to prove that you don’t serve House Morcaillo than this is the best way I can think to prove it.”

  “I’m no Assassin, Lady Onvalla.” Shade objected weakly as his thoughts spun from her words. That was quite possibly the last thing he had expected her to ask and even as he spoke his mind was desperately scrambling over how impossible the task was. He had two days at best, he was crippled, and he didn’t even know for a certainty which Rivasan had killed Micah. It was doubtless one of the High Lord’s countless sons, but he didn’t know exactly which one, and he wasn’t sure that anyone truly did. Several of the Rivasan leaders had escaped the Last Stand in Arovan, and it could have been any one of them that swung the blade against Micah and Honor.

  “Fetch our gear and he will do it.” Caleb said firmly behind him and Shade whirled to stare at the Arovan with wide eyes.

  “I said nothing about you going, Caleb.” Onvalla hissed her eyes narrowing as she stared past Shade.

  “You lost a husband you ran away from Onvalla. I lost two men that were closer than brothers, my sister, my wife, and my children. You think you want revenge and I think you have no idea what revenge truly is. You may want the Rivasan that killed Micah dead, but I want every last one of the flame hearted bastards dead. I want their country in ruins as mine is. I want them screaming in pools of blood before me, Onvalla. I want Kevala’drin and you will only be able to stop me from delivering it for so long. I will have their blood.” Caleb’s voice was filled with passion as he spoke and he moved closer to the Blight with every word. By the time he fell silent he was bare inches from her and staring down with the expression of a fanatic on his face.

  “I didn’t run from him because I didn’t love him Caleb. Don’t make my pain sound less than yours. I ran because I had to. I was pregnant Caleb, I had no choice. I couldn’t let him discover I was a Blight, especially not with you in his house. Do you remember how many dinners I sat through listening to you brag about slaughtering my people. Do you have any idea how many nights I watched you return drenched in blood that I knew wasn’t your own? How could I admit to what I was knowing Micah’s hatred and knowing you would kill me for simply existing?” Onvalla’s voice rose as well and to Shades astonishment there were tears forming in her eyes.

  “I don’t hate you for being a Blight. I hate you for being a liar, Onvalla. Had you not lied to him in the beginning matters would be different between us. Maybe you should have shown him honesty and you wouldn’t have had to run!” Caleb snarled back as his anger sprang to life once more. “Micah gave you everything he was and you gave him lies and ran when he needed you. You knew he couldn’t follow you. Sebastian’s life depended on him staying, and so he sent me to follow you, and now everything I had is gone because of it. You are as guilty of Micah’s death as the Rivasans are. If not for you I would have saved them all!”

  “You arrogant bastard do you really believe you could have stopped an entire Rivasan army?” Onvalla growled back with equal venom.

  “I believe I could have talked my sister from fighting as well as Micah. I believe I could have led them all from the city before the Rivasans even closed to fighting distance, and if you think about it clearly you will realize I could have as well. They all listened to me and no one knows that area better than I do. Had it come to fighting though you know I would have made the difference that spared Micah. Had I been there he would be alive.” Caleb replied coldly.

  Shade glanced between the two of them and a faint smile rose on his lips as he fully digested everything that had been said. It wasn’t that the topic was a pleasant one at all, but he finally saw his chance, finally he had enough knowledge of the situation to negotiate. Jala you tricky bitch, did you know what you were doing or is this just more of the luck that seems to favor you? Carefully he wiped the smile from his face and cleared his throat. “Lady Onvalla. Where is your child now?” Shade broke in loudly and his words seemed to stun them both to silence. To his amusement they both turned to look at him with matching expressions of disbelief as if they couldn’t believe he had the audacity to interrupt them.

  “Dead.” Onvalla said quietly and brushed a stray tear from her cheek. “He learned of his father when he scanned my mind and thought me a coward for running. He left for Arovan as soon as he was old enough to travel to join his father in the fighting. I haven’t seen him since. I’ve sent Granger to search for him, but there has been no sign. He is dead, and I don’t even know who killed him, the Rivasans, or his father.” Her voice was monotone as she spoke and there was no trace of anger left on her face, only grief. She turned away from them both and paced slowly back to the window.

  “All the more reason for you to allow me to accompany Shade, it’s just another reason to kill them, Onvalla.” Caleb growled.

  “And what would stop you from returning to Arovan and leading your people back here once Rivasan has suffered your wrath Caleb?” Onvalla demanded in a weary voice.

  “I said Kevala’drin Onvalla don’t pretend like you don’t know the word. You know full well what it means. Aside from that however my promise to Micah would keep me from leading them back here. Even if he didn’t know what you truly were his order was to guard you and protect you from harm. I swore I would and I keep my word no matter if it means protecting a lying bitch that I’d love to kill myself.” Caleb replied coldly.

  Shade sighed and cleared his throat once more. “Lady Onvalla I don’t think your son is dead.” He broke in again and it was hard to keep the smile from his face when they both turned to look at him with the exact same expression of disbelief.

  “What?” Onvalla gasped her eyes widening as she stared at him searching for any sign of deceit.

  “I believe I’ve seen him very recently.” Shade paused and frowned. “Well not exactly seen him per say, but you know what I mean. I believe I know where he is, and if I’m right he is safe and unharmed.”

  “Where?” Onvalla demanded.

  “Say Caleb can join me for this l
ittle mission and I’ll be happy to answer that.” Shade returned calmly.

  “Liar. You have no idea where my son is you are simply trying to trick me.” Onvalla snarled.

  “Too right. I’m trying to trick you into allowing me to take an obvious psychopath with me on a mission I have absolutely no desire to go on so I can win your trust enough that you will actually listen to me when I tell you I’m trying to save your bloody people’s lives.” Shade said dryly and shook his head at her slowly. “Really Onvalla if I was trying to trick you why wouldn’t I simply say I would trade you the information in return for my release and forget all thoughts of the suicide mission you want to send me on? It’s different when Jala sends me on this sort of mission. She is a friend and you would be amazed the lengths I will go to for friends, but you and I are hardly on the suicide mission part of our relationship. When you ask it’s just insulting.”

  “Once you leave here I have no guarantee you will return even if you say you are going on the mission. If I allow you to take Caleb it’s almost assured you won’t return. I’m better off keeping him as hostage. You seem to have grown fond of each other in your captivity. ” Onvalla argued and Shade nodded once in agreement.

  “So send one of your people with us for assurance. Send Granger, he seems capable enough.” Shade offered.

  “So you can have Granger killed once you are back with your own people?” Onvalla snarled and shook her head at him with anger growing in her eyes once more.

  “Then send twenty of your bloody people with us. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Shade snapped in frustration. “The point I’m trying to make is if you agree to my one request. I kill the damn Rivasan for you, and I will tell you where to find your son. All I ask is that you allow Caleb to help me, because I quite obviously can’t do it alone in the current state I’m in.” Shade pushed his crippled leg forward to emphasis the point and stared hard at her. “It’s the only way you will get anything you want. I will sit here prisoner and wait for Arovan to destroy you before I leave here without Caleb. He saved my life as you well know, and I won’t leave him to rot here.”