The Crow King's Wife (50 page)

“Why you are avoiding me for one.” Seth said
calmly as he leaned back against a tree. His gold eyes met hers and
held her gaze with such intensity that she couldn’t look away. “I
know you don’t truly want to avoid me. Your dream told me that
much.” He added softly and she felt a faint blush creep onto her
cheeks at the memory.

“I can’t control my dreams any more than I
can control my heart, but I can force myself to use logic despite
them. You used me Seth. You entranced me in an attempt to escape
the Darklands.” Zoelyn tried to keep her voice neutral, but her
misery bled through despite her best effort. “I trusted you.” She
added in a hoarse voice.

“And I have been guarding you since the
moment you left the Darklands. I appeared in Rivana when Hemlock
came for you. What more do I need to do to earn forgiveness Zoey?”
Seth returned with a hint of desperation though it was obvious that
he was trying to keep his voice calm.

“How do I know that you showed up to save me
and not simply for the chance to kill Hemlock? I know how much you
hate him, and how much you would give to have vengeance on him.
Isn’t that the reason you used me in the first place?” Zoelyn shot
back and shook her head at him. “I can’t trust anything you do
now.”

“Then give me a test to prove myself.” Seth
demanded as he took a step closer to her. “Name something I can do
to win your trust back. I won’t let this go Zoey. I will stalk you
unmercifully until you realize I am sincere.” He looked ready to
say more but paused and glanced toward the path with narrowed eyes.
“Damn it.” He snarled and took a hesitant step back from her. His
hand fumbled in his cloak and she thought he was drawing his dagger
but his produced a leather bag instead. Still staring down the path
he pushed the bag toward her quickly. “Take these. You will need
them and I won’t have time to explain why.” He hissed as Grim’s
form appeared on the path.

“
Mendotha drevna
Sethian Avanti.” Grim
growled the words as his hand cut through the night air in a
violent slashing motion toward the demon. With a snarl of
frustration Seth vanished from the forest leaving Zoelyn gaping in
disbelief at where he had been standing.

“What did you do?” Zoelyn demanded as she
whirled on Grim.

“I could ask you the same.” Grim snapped as
he stalked closer to her. “I’ve lost three days to sleep and when I
do wake up it’s with the taste of your fear as thick as bile in my
mouth.”

Zoelyn blanched and took a hasty step back as
she shook her head. “What did you do to Seth?” She clarified
weakly.

“I banished him back to where he belongs.”
Grim explained in a voice that was far too calm for the expression
lighting his face. “I thought perhaps I would give you the truth
that he seems inclined to keep hidden before you partake of his
gift.” He added as he motioned toward the leather bag in his hand.
“Or do you already know what that is and you simply don’t
care?”

“They are mage stones.” Zoelyn said without
hesitation and tugged the bag open so Grim could look inside. “For
some reason the ones Seth makes are more powerful than the ones
Neph can give me. I suppose because he is older than Neph.”

A look of relief flickered in Grim’s eyes and
he nodded slowly. “So you don’t know then.” He observed in a calmer
voice and most of the anger seemed to drain from his face. “It
isn’t the fact that he is more powerful than Neph, Zoey. Those
aren’t true mage stones. Those stones contain life force. Someone
died for every stone in that bag. Given that the entire world is at
war right now I’m sure it’s fairly easy for Seth to gather those
stones, but what happens in times of peace?”

Zoelyn stared down at the bag in revulsion
and slowly sank to the ground as she contemplated how many lives
she held in the tiny leather bag. At least a dozen people had died
to provide the bounty she held, possibly more, and despite what
Grim was saying there was still a voice inside her screaming for
her to absorb one immediately.

“The older you get the more you will
require.” Grim continued with a sigh as he sat down facing her and
crossed his legs under him. “It is the nature of the Undrae and the
reason they were never allowed to exist long. Part of me hoped you
would die in Rivana, and as terrible as that sounds, I would have
mourned the loss of a dear friend but it would have saved us both
from facing the inevitable.”

“And that would be?” Zoelyn pressed numbly.
She could guess what he was going to say, but she wanted to hear
him actual voice it.

“The moment when you can no longer control
your curse and you are a danger to everyone around you. I doubt
Seth will be able to kill enough to sustain you once the world is
at peace.” Grim answered in a voice that seemed far too rational
for what he was saying.

“How do you know that moment will come?”
Zoelyn asked in a shaking voice.

“By watching how you already struggle to
contain your powers.” Grim replied quietly.

“So you would rather just kill me now then?
Is that why you banished Seth so it would be easier? ” Zoelyn
demanded.

“I banished Seth because he is a demon and
has no place in this world. It seemed the more rational action than
the one my sword was hoping for. Ryvenken has several grievances
against Seth and would have greatly preferred that I end his
existence. I chose the more merciful course instead.” Grim
explained with a weary sigh before shaking his head at her. “And no
Zoey I am not here to kill you. I’m here to warn you of what you
will become. For now you have yourself under control and as long as
you can maintain that control I am content to allow you to live in
honor of the friendship between us no matter how strained it is at
this point.”

“How noble of you.” she muttered sourly as
she turned her away from him to gaze into the darkened forest. She
didn’t want him to see the revulsion on her face, or the hunger in
her eyes.

“I am scarcely ever what would be considered
noble and we both know that.” Grim corrected her calmly as he rose
to his feet. “I am leaving Delvay tonight Zoey. You have cost me
too much time already and for both our sakes I will pray I’m not
too late already. I came here to warn you and nothing more. As long
as you are in control we are at peace, but the moment I see you
slip I will put you down. It is the only mercy I can offer and
death at my hands will be far gentler than what others would do to
one of your kind.”

“If you try to kill me Seth will stop you.”
Zoelyn snapped though she couldn’t say why she spoke the words.
Grim wasn’t trying to threaten her. He was warning her to never let
her guard slip and she knew he was offering a kindness in his own
way. He could have just as easily kept his silence and waited for
her to grow careless without bothering to speak with her at
all.

“And when Seth appears before me next
Ryvenken will greet him personally.” Grim returned with a sad
smile. “If I thought for a moment that Neph intentionally created
you as you are I would kill him tonight, but I think it was an
unfortunate mistake in his desperation to bring his sister back. I
am trying to respect the love that he must feel for you to go to
such drastic measures, but it is difficult for me knowing you will
suffer for his sins. I will pray for you Zoey and I hope you can
maintain control of yourself for years to come, but consider what I
have said tonight and ask yourself how many should be forced to
give up their lives so that you can continue to exist. For now it
is the slaying of foes, but once the world is at peace it will be
murder. How long can you live with that knowledge and truly be
happy?”

Zoelyn watched in silence as Grim turned back
toward the city then stared numbly down at the pile of death in her
lap. Each stone represented someone Seth had killed to sate her and
despite that knowledge she couldn’t keep herself from pulling a
stone from the bag and clenching it tightly in her hand. Warmth
flooded through her as ecstasy and disgust warred in her mind. She
knew deep in her heart she couldn’t live with the knowledge of
murder for long, but she couldn’t resist the temptation the stones
held either. Anything to silence the ever present hunger was a
blessing, and for now at least she had enough stones to sate her
curse if she conserved them. Perhaps given enough time she could
find another way to sate the hunger, but for now she chose to
simply consider Seth’s gift as the spoils of war.

Sanctuary

The air around him hummed with the familiar
voices and smells of his city, yet Shade couldn’t bring himself to
bother with any of it. The faint yells of vendors hawking their
wares drifted up to his perch on the second floor balcony of what
had once been the
Copper Penny Inn
, but they were so far
from his thoughts that he couldn’t even focus on what they were
selling.

His eyes were locked on the black gem lying
on the rough wooden floor before him and he couldn’t pull his gaze
away. It was barely bigger than a hen’s egg with bright shining
faucets covering its entire surface and looked so perfectly
harmless. Another man might confuse it as something valuable, which
Shade himself had in fact done the morning he had awoken to find it
resting on the table beside him. Then he had examined it and
realized what it was, a memory stone.

He wasn’t sure who had left it for him, but
he knew the memories inside too well to cast it aside. His entire
life rested inside the harmless looking stone with bitter truths
hidden in every faucet. Every failure and every success he had ever
experienced in his life was resting on the floor before him with
painstaking details on how he had been used or tricked into playing
puppet for his family. No matter what choice he had made with his
life it all boiled down to one simple fact. Myth had been
manipulating him and he had been too blind and stupid to see it
until someone hand delivered the proof to him in the form of a
gem.

He had come to Sanctuary with every intention
of rescuing Charm and facing Myth, but his ambitions had faded the
moment he had touched the gem. It had been delivered to him on the
first day and now four days later he still hadn’t bothered to
search the prison for Charm. There were three reasons for his
hesitation, but he couldn’t say for sure which was motivating his
procrastination the most. The first reason was the realization that
Charm was bait for him. The second was the simple fact that after
viewing the gem he honestly didn’t think he could get inside the
prison and out again without Myth catching him. The third and final
reason was the last faucet of the gem. It hadn’t contained a
memory, only a message for him.
Wait until the council to move.
It is the only chance you have to succeed. Myth will be occupied
that night
. He knew the message itself might be a trap, but
combined with the other two reasons he found himself ignoring the
potential danger and biding his time in a rotting Inn.

So he sat listlessly with a bottle of cheap
wine, half a dozen cigarettes, and enough memories to haunt him for
weeks waiting for either his chance to move, or Myth to find him,
whichever happened first.

He pushed idly at the gem and took another
swig from his bottle. It was bitter stuff, but it was cheap, and
spending large coins drew attention that he didn’t need. With a
sigh Shade dropped the bottle carelessly down beside him and drew
one of his remaining cigarettes from his case. A fresh noise drew
his attention as he lit the cigarette and took a long drag. Cocking
his head toward the inn door Shade heightened his hearing and
listened carefully as the thud of boots grew louder. Someone was
climbing the stairs toward him. He calmly pushed away the impulse
to jump to his feet and settled back against the railing instead.
The footsteps grew closer as he folded his knees before him and
picked his bottle up once more.

If it was Myth there was no real point to
attempting to fight. He knew that much from what he had seen in the
gem. If it wasn’t Myth and simply someone searching for a place to
rest it was probably best if he didn’t greet them with a drawn
dagger.

The door of the balcony shifted slightly and
Shade watched in bitter amusement as the dark clad figure of a
Priest of Fear stepped from the shadows of the inn. He wore the
traditional ankle length black coat with tiny silver skulls
embroidered down the sleeves and spiked pauldrons that covered his
shoulders. His features were all but obscured by the deep cowl that
was pulled low over his face, but even so Shade recognized Grim
easily, though he wasn’t fool enough to believe it was truly Grim.
He had never seen Grim bother with such formal dress aside from the
Marshall’s uniform he had worn to Merro, and Shade was fairly
certain that had been for Valor’s benefit.

“I guessed you would choose to be Jala for
this. You must have been paying closer attention to me than I
thought.” Shade drawled as he smiled widely up at the priest. He
still didn’t bother with standing. There was no point to it as far
as he could see.

The priest silently pushed back his coat with
a gloved hand to display the hilt of a Shadowsteel sword at his
belt, then shifted slightly so the the coat fell back into place as
he pushed back his cowl to reveal his face. His expression was
carefully neutral, but Shade could see emotion boiling in the pale
grey depths of Grim’s eyes.

“So it really is you. I doubt even Myth could
mimic Shadowsteel for a disguise. I’d love to know how you found
me. I’d hate to think condemned buildings are considered my typical
haunts.” Shade said casually before lifting his bottle for another
swig of the dreadful wine. He let out a sigh as he dropped the
nearly empty bottle to the floor once more and smiled bitterly at
Grim in what he hoped was a perfect example of callousness. “So did
they send you to kill me or drag me back to Delvay?” he asked
coldly.