Unleashed Fury (BloodRunes: Book 1) (20 page)

Some time later Charles returned for the boy
who gave him a joyful hug upon his arrival. “Won't you stay for a
while and have some tea with us?” Mila implored the two.

After glancing at the round eyes and pouting
lip that the boy gave him, Charles laughed and gave in, “Alright,”
he consented, “I s’pose we could play the quidnunc a bit, but just
for a minute.”

They all settled themselves around the
fireplace, and the woodsman regaled them with stories from the
wilderness and tales he had been told in his travels. After a
while, they heard the sound of boots being banged against each
other outside the door in an effort to rid them of snow. A moment
later Gryffon entered, his cheeks rosy from the cold. Layna had
been happy to realize that Gryffon would be staying close by after
having been kicked out of Jezebel’s manor, and though he had to be
careful about his visits so as not to give away her location –
how strange to be a fugitive!
– he did come by as frequently
as he could.

He looked around at their little group, and
smiled 'hello' to everyone, going over to shake hands with Charles.
He shook snow out of his hair and removed his wet clothing, taking
care to hang them where they could drip as the snow melted off
them. He grabbed himself a cup of tea and took a seat on the floor,
cradling his cup to warm his hands.

“You didn't finish your story!” the little
boy accused the woodsman, whose latest tale had been interrupted by
Gryffon's entrance.

“Right you are.” Charles smiled down at the
boy. He took up the narration where he had left off. “So out on the
edge of the North Woods I was, lookin’ out over the Ferryn Plains.
I swear upon my dear old mother's grave, that what I saw was a
dragon god.” He saw Layna and Gryffon's looks of disbelief and he
held up a hand to them, “I ain't bein' no quipster here, it was
plain as day. It spread it great ol' wings and took to the sky. Too
far off to tell much about it, but no doubt in my mind that it was
indeed a dragon. They used to walk among us as dragons, the gods
did. There have been other strange occurrences out there as well.
Like I was telling ya in the market about the magical beasties
returning. Though it may sound like crazy talk, it would be wise to
not dismiss it out of hand. This is a strange time we live in, I
can feel it in my bones getting’ stranger as we speak.” He lifted
himself up out of the chair and bent down with a grunt to pick up
the boy. “Come along David, it's high time we got you home.”

After they had said their good-byes and
headed out the door, Gryffon turned to Mila. “Do you believe in all
these sightings?”

Mila simply shrugged saying, “There are many
things in this world that we are unaware of.” She wouldn't say any
more, no matter how they begged. Finally they gave up, and Layna
and Gryffon moved upstairs to chat in Layna's room.

“How'd court go?” Layna asked him as they
settled themselves on the pillows she had put in front of her fire.
Today had been the hearing where the court decided whether or not
Gryffon’s debt to Jezebel had been paid off.

“Not bad,” he answered. “Pretty much as
expected. I managed to keep Fly and Axe, but she got the rest of
the horses. Luckily, the Justice agreed that I had provided
adequate service in repayment for the debt, so other than the
horses and a few other minor possessions, I am now completely
untied to the devil lady.”

“That's very good news.”

“For sure. You should have heard the lies
that she spewed out though. It was almost funny. Her entire speech
is so riddled with fabrications, it's incredible. According to her,
I'm both involved in all sorts of side businesses that are making
me all this money that I should be able to give her in interest for
her 'kindness'; but then in the same breath, she calls me out as a
lazy bum that does nothing all day. Go figure.”

Layna shook her head in disbelief. “What a
horrible person.”

“I did manage to get your note to Katrina
though, and she looked well. Obviously no one has been the wiser as
to her involvement.”

“That’s good, thank you for doing that.”
Layna looked down, feeling shy. It was odd to be sitting in her
bedroom talking to him. She picked at her nails uncomfortably,
trying to find something else to say.

“Well,” he said, getting up from his chair,
“I guess I should be getting back.”

“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly, rising from
the bed to walk him out. She opened the door and held it open for
him, and he brushed against her softly as he passed. He paused and
looked back at her, and she waited in anticipation as he leaned
closer. His lips brushed briefly across hers for a moment, almost a
kiss, as he moved his head close and he whispered sensually in her
ear.

“Goodnight.”

Layna clicked the door shut behind him,
leaning her back against it as she closed her eyes in bliss. She
pressed her lips together, remembering the sensation of his lips
dancing across hers, and sighed.

She missed him already.

CHAPTER 14

Jezebel was all jitters as she sat outside
the Council room. Inside, they were discussing the candidates, and
voting on the new members. As a candidate herself, she was not
allowed to enter the discussion, but she had wanted to be present
for when the decision was made.

She had been very busy lately. Between
everything else, she had been scheming relentlessly with Devon to
do whatever they could to discredit the other Council hopefuls. She
also had spent hours poring over the book from Lord Farthen, and
was already in the process of applying the knowledge that she had
learned. She had confiscated one of the family's country manors for
her project, and even now her own little pack of hellhounds roamed
their carefully contained paddock there. The book had suggested
starting with a small animal, like a squirrel, but she had decided
to skip this stepping-stone and proceed straight to dogs. Dogs
would be much more useful. Plus, she liked the term 'hellhound'
that they were given once transformed into her own creatures. She
had rescued the lot of them from a merchant in town who kept them
tied out behind his shop all day.
Poor things had nowhere to
run, and now they have whole acres to stretch their legs
.
Not to mention a new purpose in life, much more important than
guarding that man’s store. The purpose of serving me
.

She had been delighted by the volumes of
information that the book had contained, and was even more
convinced now that she would indeed become all-powerful. Just in
this one little book there was more knowledge about magic than all
of her teachers combined had been able to teach her. It spelled out
what incantations and what tools to use in order to best cause pain
as you drew out your runes upon the beasts to bend them to your
will. The more pain you caused, the more blood-magic flowed from
them into you.

She greatly enjoyed working with the
hellhounds. Their runes needed to be retraced regularly to ensure
their continued loyalty to her, and it was a pleasure when one
showed disobedience and she had to correct it. It was pure
enjoyment having that kind of power flowing into her. The book also
described other spells that Jezebel was dying to know more about,
but frustratingly it only mentioned that they were possible, not
how they were done. Many of them involved potential improvements
that could be made to your creations, like adding poison in their
fangs.
Who would dare cross me with a pack of poisoned hounds at
my beck and call? None of my suggestions on the Council would be
countered then.
Perhaps she would have to arrange another
meeting with that Farthen fellow to try and persuade him to part
with more of the valuable documents.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, a
servant came to fetch her. The decision was about to be announced,
and therefore she could enter the room to hear the results. She
slipped inside and looked for her father; his expression would tell
her what she needed to know. He gave her a quick smile and a nod
hello, and was looking very smug. Since he had switched his stance
and decided to back her claim after finding out about her other
supporters, his happiness could only mean that she had gained a
seat. She exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding
and gave a bright smile to everyone in the room, taking care to
make eye contact with any that looked her way. The current Council
members were being handed a piece of paper, and the speaker stood
to announce the names of those who would be taking their places.
Her smile widened as her impression was confirmed when they read
her name as one of the members.

“For those of you who were just voted to
replace us as Council members,” said the speaker, “please remain to
get your instructions on how to proceed. Everyone else, thank you
all for coming and sharing your input. We shall be sending out
invitations to the seating ceremony very shortly.” He rapped on the
table dismissively and people slowly started filing out. Jezebel
sat impatiently, watching as hopefuls left with forlorn looks. Lord
Carlon and Lord Farthen both met her eyes to give her waves hello
and quick congratulatory smiles.

Her father made his way past her and patted
her on the back. “Excellent work Jezebel, we were successful. Now
we will have many more opportunities for further advancement.”

Jezebel found it hard not to scowl at him for
assuming that he was involved in any way, either in her being
elected, or that she would let him benefit from her new stature.
Now that she had put her foot in the door to the royal treasuries
as it was, there was no reason to go back to his measly fortune.
She was moving up in the world and had every intention of leaving
him in her dust.

Once the room had cleared out, except for the
former Council members and the new, the speaker once again
addressed them. “First of all, I would like to congratulate each of
you for earning these positions. Remember, you are now the advisors
to the King and have the utmost responsibility to uphold what is
best for King and kingdom. That said, each of you will be given a
suite here at the palace where, as my partners and I concur, you
end up spending many of your waking hours and many sleepless nights
as well. We recommend that you outfit it with everything you may
need in case of extended stays. Staffing will be provided by the
palace, so unless you have specific servants that you would prefer
to bring, you may leave your manor staff in place. If you do have a
special request, please talk to Elise, who is the palace overseer.”
Elise gave them each a bow in turn, and then proceeded to pass out
packets to each, which the speaker explained. “These contain the
information you will need in your transition to full Council
members. In short order we shall hold the official seating ceremony
where you will be presented with the keys to these suites. As we
have been aware of this change, most of us have already emptied out
our suites, so although you can't officially move in until the
ceremony, you are able to start sending things over immediately.
Just please check with the current occupant before doing so.” He
gave them all a smile. “Lastly, we recommend you all make an effort
to get to know one another if you don't already, as you will be
working with each other quite closely and it will be imperative for
you to work as a cohesive whole. Again, congratulations, and you
will receive your invitations as guests of honor to the seating
ceremony presently.”

The rest of the former Council rose as one
and exited out the back door of the room. Jezebel looked around the
room at the other new members. Surprisingly, none of the former
Council members had been reelected. Given the generous stipend that
they were given for their service and abrupt changeover, she
wouldn’t doubt it if they hadn’t tried overly hard to do so.
Therefore, there were six new Councilors including herself, and
only one other that she recognized by face. She knew of them all by
reputation, of course, having made it her business to know what was
going on in an election she was so closely a part of. They were
each from separate regions of the country so as to provide a fair
representation of the country as a whole. She did not envy the ones
who would have to make the long treks back and forth from their
home manors to their palace suites, but she supposed that they had
known what was to be expected of them.
Besides, who wouldn't
give up what they had for a chance to be on the Council?
She
was now one of the six people who were directly below the King, and
would soon be privy to the innermost workings of the government.
Her elation was threatening to bubble over, and she cheerfully
invited the other Council members to her humble home so that they
could all get to know one another. Each one in turn accepted the
invitation, and soon they found themselves sitting comfortably in
Jezebel's library where she entertained them with her ideas for the
improvements that needed to be made.

*

“The new Council has been elected, Master,
and she is on it,” reported Jonathan, kneeling before Master.

“Thank you, Jonathan,” the man acknowledged.
“Any other news?”

Jonathan hesitated, debating how best to
relate his information. “I have found several of the symbols that
you asked me to watch for,” he explained slowly, “all of which on
those I have been tracking.”

Master sat up straighter in his chair.
“Several?”

“Yes, Master, two higher nobles – one from
the country and another from Avonmora. And,” he paused again, “as
we already knew, Jezebel.”

His master sat back slowly, resting his
elbows on the arms of his chair and holding his hands out in front
of him with just his fingertips touching. “Were any of them of
notable talent?”