“Zoelyn, she is Jala’s ward,” Vaze said in explanation. He lifted his mug to his lips and took a quick swallow as he motioned toward the stranger. “This is Sovaesh. He serves Jala, though you won’t see much of him around here. He is either working or at home. He doesn’t haunt Jala’s house like the rest of them do.”
“I’m sorry I intruded. I didn’t realize anyone was in here,” Zoelyn said as she backed toward the door. Sovaesh was still watching her with the same look of mild interest. He raised an eyebrow at her retreat and shrugged as he turned back to his meal.
“We are scarcely in a private place, Zoelyn. It isn’t intruding to put your plate where it belongs. It is good manners,” Vaze said with a faint chuckle as he nodded farewell to her.
“Have you ever noticed how many intimidating men Jala surrounds herself with?” Zoelyn whispered to the Blight as she hurried down the long hall toward the garden door. The door slammed open as she approached and she quickly flattened herself against the wall as Neph stormed past.
“Good luck on your lessons with her. If she is as vague with you as she is with me you won’t learn a fucking thing,” Neph called over his shoulder as he stormed toward the stairs.
“Too many,” the Blight answered at last with a hint of amusement in his soft voice.
Nodding slowly in agreement Zoelyn stepped out into the warm sunlight and pulled the heavy door closed behind her. Jala was standing near the garden pool with her back to the house. Zoelyn paused just behind her and glanced back toward the house. She didn’t know if Jala even realized she was there, and she wasn’t entirely sure she should announce herself after seeing Neph’s mood.
“When I was a child, all I wanted was to be special enough to mean something to someone.” Jala’s voice was so soft that Zoelyn still wasn’t sure she was talking to her. For all she knew the High lady was talking to herself. “Now that I am, I look back and wonder how I was ever so foolish,” Jala finished in a louder voice and slowly turned to face Zoelyn. “If anyone ever offers you a small house and a quiet life, take it, Zoey.”
“Considering my curse, I sincerely doubt I will ever get that offer, Jala,” Zoelyn responded with a faint smile. It seemed strange to be on a first name basis with someone of Jala’s station, but she had learned quickly how well Jala liked the title Milady.
“We are going to fix that, remember?” Jala sighed and motioned toward the garden. “We are going to run a test today. I want to see if there is a limit to your draining. I suggest we start with the roses. I have the most of those.”
“Jala, I will destroy your entire garden,” Zoelyn said with a quick shake of her head as she folded her arms across her stomach tightly.
“Then, I suppose I will restore it. I need to understand your condition to help repair it, Zoelyn, and I can’t use magic to learn about it so that leaves trial and error. It will be a lengthy process, but I don’t see that we have many options and frankly I need the distraction,” Jala said and motioned once again toward the roses. “Start with the red ones. I can’t stand the color red.”
* * *
In Arovan she had lived so near the forests of Glis that only portions of the sky had ever been visible through the trees. In Merro, however, the sky was endless. A cool breeze washed over her and Zoelyn closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the peace and solitude of the night. The rest of the household had retired hours ago and she wasn’t even sure the Blight had remained with her. Her eyes opened again and she leaned back on her arms to stare up at the stars.
It was a brief distraction from the devastation around her. Jala’s gardens had been beautiful and now they were in ruins. Not a single flower or tree remained and still her curse had been voracious. When the last tree had withered, Jala finally admitted defeat. Zoelyn was more than willing to admit defeat with the first plant, but Jala insisted. She doubted the High Lady had even noticed how each tiny death had been a wound to her. She hated killing, even when it was just a plant. To know that just the touch of her flesh destroyed beauty and killed, was punishment enough. To actually use that power and willingly destroy something, was appalling to her.
With a weary sigh, Zoelyn rose to her feet, her gaze traveling through the garden. Every wilted leaf whispered Undrae as she followed the cobbled path back to the house. If Blackwolf could see this place he would go for her throat, and she wasn’t sure she would even bother stopping him.
She pulled her boots off once she was through the door. Jala had assured her the house had not been built with magic, but this was the first time she had actually tested that statement. Nervously, she watched the boards for any sign that she was damaging anything and slowly made her way for the stairs as silently as she could. It would have been impossible, in the boots, to move through the house without waking everyone.
The hall above was as silent and dark as the downstairs had been. Zoelyn glanced toward Jala and Valor’s door as she passed and quickly made her way farther down the hall. A faint scuffle from the next door gave her pause and she lingered outside the door listening closely. It was silent for a long moment and then the noise was repeated, a faint scuffle of little feet. Slowly, Zoelyn lowered her heavy boots to the floor and pushed Legacy’s door open just far enough to look inside. The boy was usually sound asleep by this time. Legacy looked up at her with wide violet eyes from a perch near his bed. A tiny wooden knight was clutched in one hand, and by the scattering of other toys on the floor he had been playing for a while. He waved at her with his free hand and offered a smile before returning to his play.
Smiling faintly, Zoelyn slid inside the room and closed the door as quietly as she could behind her. “You are supposed to be asleep now.
Do you know how late it is?” she whispered to him. Honestly, she was amazed the child wasn’t red-eyed and wobbling. It was close to midnight by her best guess.
Legacy smiled at her again and set the knight aside as he shifted to sit cross-legged on the floor. “Being quiet,” he offered with a shrug of one tiny shoulder.
Zoelyn grinned at him and nodded her agreement. “You were being very quiet. I almost didn’t notice you were awake. If you don’t sleep now, though, you will fall asleep at breakfast tomorrow and land face down in your oatmeal,” she informed him gently.
“Eew,” Legacy responded, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Momma never gives me oatmeal,” he added with a quick shake of his head.
Chuckling quietly, Zoelyn shook her head at him. “You are so smart for your age, Legacy. I shudder to think of trying to outwit you later,” Her gaze traveled around the room and settled on a small bookshelf. Moving forward slowly she tilted her head quickly scanning over the titles. “How about a story?” she asked, glancing back at him. His expression lightened at once and he nodded quickly. She knew how well he loved stories from listening to Jala nightly. She also knew they always put him to sleep before the end. She doubted the poor kid knew how a single one of his books ended. “Crawl into bed then and tell me which one you want to hear.”
“A knight story,” Legacy responded quickly as he picked his wooden knight up once more and crawled into his bed. Within a breath he was tucked under his blankets with only his small face showing as he watched her select a book from the shelf.
Carefully, she scooted the majority of the toys from beside the bed and sat down close enough that he could hear her clearly if she spoke quietly, but not close enough that he could reach her. The idea of Legacy accidently touching her was almost enough to keep her from going near the child. In all honesty, though, he was the single person in the house that she felt comfortable around. Legacy wasn’t a typical child. He was quiet and thoughtful, with more intelligence than most adults she had met. He was always smiling and she never felt out of place around him. There was no judgment in his eyes, simply acceptance and kindness. It wasn’t that the others in the house were judgmental or cruel, well, aside from Neph. It was that they were all intimidating in their various ways. Legacy wasn’t.
Legacy s
hifted in the bed and propped his head up on the pillow, more to peer over her shoulder to look at the cover of the book. Smiling, she held it up so he could see the picture. With a grin, he snuggled farther down into his blankets with his toy clutched close to his chest.
“You are going to regret choosing to sleep with that if you roll on it tonight,” Zoelyn informed him with a grin as she opened the book and began to read in a soft voice. She heard him toss and turn a few times behind her, but by the time she had read five pages into the story, it was silent behind her. Closing the book partway, she glanced behind her to find him sound asleep.
Smiling, she leaned back against the end of the bed and opened the book once more. The artwork inside was beautiful and she skipped through the pages admiring each of the carefully inked illustrations. She couldn’t remember if she had ever owned books such as this as a child. All memories before Dominic were lost in a fog.
A scratch at the window drew her attention from the pages and she froze, listening carefully. There were no trees near Legacy’s room, so it hadn’t been a branch against the glass. The noise came again and the window creaked open slowly. Breath held, Zoelyn stared hard into the inky darkness, desperately trying to locate the intruder. A ruffle of feathers sounded and she stared in confusion as a crow hopped off the window ledge and into the room. It settled on the floor quietly and stretched its wings as its form slowly shifted to a man. Hearth-stories flooded her mind as she realized who she was seeing. The black feathered cloak was unmistakable. It was what he wrapped around the children before he carried them off to the Darklands. Zoelyn swallowed heavily as she tried to rationalize what she was seeing. He wasn’t supposed to be real. He was a figure from the stories to frighten the children of Glis into behaving. Slowly she stood on legs that didn’t want to support her and straightened her back as she turned to face the Crow King.
He had been distracted with closing the window, but at the sound of her movement he turned and stared at her with curiosity. His gold eyes trailed across her and then to the door. With a sigh, he smiled and raised a slender dark eyebrow at her in question.
“You can’t have him,” Zoelyn whispered, the words tight in her throat.
“Really?” he asked in amusement. “I think that I can,” he added as he took a step closer to the bed. He moved with a predator’s grace and in utter silence.
“You claim children that sin and Legacy is innocent. You can’t have him,” Zoelyn said in a louder voice as she quickly unbuckled her glove. The realization of why Jala was wary of crows hit her full force and the memory of the High lady’s sadness banished her fear. She could do this. With one touch she could destroy the creature haunting Jala. She could drain him and save Legacy. All she had to do was touch him and the curse would do the rest.
The Crow King watched her pull the glove free and his head cocked to one side. With slow measured steps he moved from the child’s bed toward her. “Are you going to stop me then?” he asked in a low voice that would have been seductive coming from any lips but his.
Swallowing heavily, Zoelyn nodded and held her ground. He stopped just inches from her, so close she could feel his breath. “Just go away and leave him alone. I don’t want to hurt you,” Zoelyn gasped, as her fear came creeping back in. She could smell the blood on his armor and the intensity of his gold eyes made her want to bolt for the door. She wouldn’t abandon Legacy, though. She couldn’t.
“How sweet of you. I’m afraid I can’t do that, though,” he purred as he smiled down at her. His breath smelled of mint and spices, far more pleasant than she had expected from a creature of nightmares.
“I tried to warn you,” Zoelyn whispered as she flattened her bare hand against his chest and closed her eyes. For the first time in her life she willed her curse to work swiftly, and for the first time in her life it didn’t work at all. She could feel the warmth of his flesh through his armor, and yet she wasn’t draining him. She felt nothing through the contact aside from the solid muscle of his body. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared up at him in complete confusion.
“What now, little Undrae?” he asked softly, his head tilting to the side once more. His smile returned and it seemed far colder than it had before.
Quickly, Zoelyn pulled her hand back and stepped away from him until her back pressed against the wall. He advanced with each of her steps and flattened a hand against the wall on either side of her face. Leaning closer, he raised an eyebrow once more. “Weren’t you going to stop me?” he asked in amusement.
“Honestly, Seth, do you have nothing better to do than terrify young girls?” Jala’s voice cut through the room like a knife and the Crow King pushed off the wall with a smile on his face.
“If you would stop using them as guard dogs for your son, I would stop tormenting them,” Seth replied in a voice that was far more friendly than any he had used with her. Silently, he moved away from her, once more pausing beside Legacy’s bed.
Zoelyn slowly turned to look at Jala in utter confusion and willed her heart back to its normal pace. “You know him?” she gasped, once she was sure she could speak again.
Jala nodded and stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Pulling her night robe tighter around her, she nodded once more and looked at Seth. “He is a friend, and I knew he was coming for Legacy,” she explained softly. “He was supposed to be awake and alone,” Seth pointed out in a conversational tone.
“He was the last time I checked on him,” Jala countered.
“I didn’t understand. I’m sorry,” Zoelyn began, still wretchedly confused.
“As it turns out, this works out well,” Seth cut in with a smile before Jala could respond. “What?” Jala frowned, her expression growing confused as well.
Seth gently picked the sleeping child up and advanced on Zoelyn once more. “I didn’t know about the girl. Now I do, and I’m taking her with me as well,” he answered as his hand wrapped around her wrist tightly and yanked her closer to him. “Goodnight, Jala.”
Zoelyn tried to pull back from his grasp but it was like a vice on her arm. “Settle down, little Undrae,” he whispered in the same low voice that made her heart race. Vertigo washed over her as the shadows darkened around them. In a panic she realized her curse was not absorbing his magic either. Transport spells had never worked on her before, and now when she desperately wanted them to fail they were working.
“Seth, no!” Jala’s voice echoed through the shadows. She had been just a few feet away moments before, but now her voice sounded a thousand miles away. Fear welled in Zoelyn’s chest and she tugged against his grasp again.
The air around them darkened further and Seth pulled her closer. “Stay close, little Undrae. There are things in the Darklands much more frightening than me.”
Chapter 7
Merro
Neph settled against the wall, his gaze on Legacy’s bedroom door. The draw of magic had caught his attention, and then Jala’s entrance had prodded his curiosity past ignoring. He waited in silence until the bedroom door opened once more and Jala stepped into the hall looking almost frantic. Her pale hand was over her mouth and it took several moments for her to even notice him. Eyes widening, she looked from him to the room behind her, reminding him of a startled hare in every movement.
“This requires an explanation,” Neph said simply, his gaze moving to the empty room behind her.
“Neph,” Jala murmured and her shoulders slumped. Swallowing heavily, she pulled her son’s door closed and leaned back against it. “You want my secrets, then?” she asked after a long silence.
“As close as we are, I wouldn’t have thought there would be many. It appears I’m wrong, though. I won’t pry them all out of you, but I want to know why the herald of Death just took your son without a fight from you,” Neph replied stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Are you going to trade me secrets? I’d love to know what War was talking about something in your vaults.” Jala crossed her arms i
n a mirror of his own and he could see the stubborn glint in her eyes.
“Fine, but not in the hallway. Let’s go to my room,” Neph shot back and waved a hand back down the hall. “The temple,” Jala suggested.
“My room,” Neph insisted and narrowed his eyes. “I may revere the gods, but that doesn’t mean I trust that they are on my side. The Divine watch over all, and I’ve never been anyone’s favorite.”
“Fine. Your room,” Jala relented and followed him quietly down the hall.
Neph waited for her to step inside and closed the door. With a flick of his hand, he activated the protection wards on the room and crossed to his chair. With a sigh, he dropped into the cushions and propped his feet up on the small table while watching her. She still had a frantic look to her eyes, but seemed to be calming a bit. “Why did Seth take your son?”
Jala swallowed heavily and gazed around the room. Her eyes settled on a half-full bottle of wine and she crossed to it in silence. Raising it to her lips she took a long pull and gasped as she lowered it. “It’s a long story in truth, but I will try to condense it,” she began slowly as she walked back to his bed and sat down on the foot with the bottle dangling from her hand. Eyes downcast, she turned the bottle and stared at the label for a long moment before speaking again. “When Jexon killed me, I didn’t expect to come back. Death despised me and I knew once I was in the Darklands I was finished. Within moments of arriving there, however, Seth appeared and took me directly to his master.” She paused and took another drink, swishing the bottle as she lowered it. “It was Finn sitting on the throne.”
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4 The Blessed Curse Page 17
