The Crow King's Wife (3 page)

“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 reserved 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 over 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?”

“Jealousy?” Lutheron demanded in an
incredulous tone. By the expression on his face Finn knew his words
had struck home.

“They say in Sanctuary that we were nearly
equals. I would imagine that would get under your skin a bit.” Finn
pressed with an arrogant smile on his face. He was skilled enough
at taunting that he knew Lutheron would fall into the trap he had
set. If life in Sanctuary and his time in the arena had taught him
anything, it was how to talk shit. An angry opponent never fought
well, unless they were Firym or Delvay of course, and Lutheron was
neither.

“There is no comparison between the two of us
boy.” Lutheron snarled. His posture had stiffened and one hand had
dropped to his sword.

“Exactly what I said when I heard the gossip,
but the people of Sanctuary still insist that had you been just a
bit faster you could have been my equal. I thought it was rubbish
personally and I’m glad to hear you agree.” Finn finished with a
wider smile. People with arrogance were so easy to bait, and
Lutheron was his equal in that regard at least. With luck he could
finish this fiasco with a quick duel against Lutheron and the
matter would be resolved. That was of course under the theory that
the Divine had trial by combat as the Elder Blood did. Finn’s smile
faded a bit and he glanced back at Fiona.
I really should have
asked her about that point before I started down this path
he
realized belatedly.

“Do you think this is just a game boy?”
Lutheron snarled as he started down the stairs toward Finn. “Do you
think this is like your days in the Arena and those assembled as
simply your crowd to amuse?” he continued speaking his voice
dropping in low tones as he took each stair with a methodical pace.
“Do you not realize the very real danger you have created for your
fellow Divine and Aspects with your careless actions?” Lutheron
shook his head in disgust and his gaze trailed over the crowd. “My
brothers and sisters did not gather to listen to your flippancy.
They gathered to determine your fate boy, and with every word you
bring yourself closer to death.”

“Well there is some irony considering my
current role in life.” Finn responded dryly and snorted with
amusement. “It’s pretty obvious you are the one that wants me dead
Lutheron.” Finn began as he stepped to the ledge of the sand pit.
“So why don’t we settle this between the two of us? If you win I’m
dead and you are apparently happy. If I win you shut the hell up
and spend your free time sticking your nose up someone else’s ass.”
Finn finished as he dropped lightly down to the sand landing with a
cat-like grace. He flipped his cigarette to the side as he locked
his gaze fully on Lutheron. More murmurs had broken out through the
crowd, but this time they were filled with confusion and amazement
rather than anger.

“Wait!” A new voice called from the crowd
before Lutheron had a chance to respond. The crowd shifted as the
man moved forward quickly. He was dressed in dark leather with a
heavy cloak covering most of his face, and Finn couldn’t remember
seeing him in the crowd until now. More muttering rose as the man
weaved his way through benches and dropped lightly to the sand
beside Finn.