I then stopped into the kitchen to grab a bowl for water and a washcloth. Once I made it into the library, I found Shadow seated atop a table; he had such a scowl on his face.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I get the feeling you give the sour look to any who tend to your wounds,” I said, placing the supplies beside him.
“It’s not something I enjoy.”
“Then you should try harder to avoid receiving such things,” I teased. “Take off your tunic.”
“What?” he coughed.
I was amused at his horrified expression.
“Take off your tunic,” I repeated. “Do you really intend for me to just bandage your arm as is? I have to clean off the dried blood that’s all over you.”
“I can do that myself.”
“Shadow, stop acting like a youngling and just take off the tunic,” I ordered. “Soleil burn me, you’re so stubborn!”
“Just be quick about it,” Shadow begged.
He fumbled a bit, and I saw he was taking off what appeared to be a chain along with the tunic. He hid the chain quickly before I could inquire about it.
Once the tunic was off, it took a lot for me not to gasp. They say the price for one’s fame in battle is the amount of scars one receives. Shadow had many across his torso. When I moved closer to his arm, I noticed the bigger and longer scars along his back.
I hadn’t realized I was actually tracing the line of one with a finger when he let out a small laugh.
“I wouldn’t keep doing that, Artemis,” Shadow warned. “I’m rather ticklish.”
“Shadow…” I began, afraid to ask the question that popped into my mind.
“I wasn’t always a patient soldier,” he explained, reading my mind. “I was once more careless than I’d care to admit.”
“Avilyne’s hell,” I whispered as I started to wash the blood off his shoulder and arm.
“The scars on the back…they’re from a dragon,” Shadow continued, now looking at me. “Not from this recent war, but from a previous one with them long ago. It was my first war campaign, and I was determined to prove myself, just like any other soldier of Ellewynth. I accompanied a scouting party to patrol one of the dragon keeps, desperate to show that my archery skills were worthy enough to compete with the veterans. Another scout found us and reported that our encampment was ambushed. We ran as fast as we could to return and aid them.
“I was careless not to observe my surroundings, you see. While I aided the other archers to bring one of the larger dragons down, I was clawed by a much younger dragon. They call the young ones hatchlings, and they are just as dangerous as a grown dragon. If I hadn’t been moving as I was shooting, I would not be sitting here with you today. I was lucky the hatchling was too erratic in his attacks to dig his claws deeper than he already had. If I didn’t learn the lesson then, I certainly learned it in bed rest.”
“Goddesses,” I managed to say while moving the washcloth to the wound. Shadow gritted his teeth. “Apologies. I’m trying to do this without causing too much pain. The good news is that it was a clean cut.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
I started applying the salve, and he winced a bit. “Stay still, elf.”
“It’s cold.”
“I never pegged you for someone who whined so much.” I chuckled.
“I don’t,” he replied. Shadow glanced at me after a moment of silence. “It’s interesting to see you this way.”
“What way is that exactly?” I asked while reaching for the bandages.
“Authoritative,” he answered. “I like it.”
“Don’t get used to it.” I began to wrap his arm. “That side of me doesn’t come out very often.”
“That side of you has to,” Shadow urged. “Artemis, I value your naiveté, and more times than I’d like to admit, your sarcasm. Once we set out on this journey, your authoritative side needs to come out. You have to be one with the dhampir as well. There is no room for error.”
I sighed. “I know. It’s just…”
“You’re afraid. I know.” Once I finished wrapping his arm, Shadow gestured for me to sit beside him. “Fear is useful, Artemis. Once you can master it, you will turn into the fierce warrior that I know you can be.”
“Just continue adding the pressure, why don’t you?” I frowned.
“I only speak the truth.” Shadow grinned. “Now, can you pass me my tunic?”
“No.”
“You don’t really just expect me to sit here solely wearing breeches, do you?” Shadow asked, horrified.
“I doubt you would fit into any of Jack’s clothing, but I can fetch you something so you can cease to be embarrassed.” I giggled.
“I am fine wearing the one I came in for now,” Shadow insisted, while failing to retrieve his tunic from me.
“That thing is covered in blood and is beyond saving!” I argued. “I have to dispose of it.”
“Artemis, please just give it to me,” Shadow pleaded.
“Absolutely not,” I said as I wrenched the tunic from his grasp. I got up from the table and quickly felt Shadow grab me from behind. “Have you lost your mind, Shadow?”
“Just leave the tunic behind and I swear I will let you dispose of it once you return with a replacement.” Shadow bargained.
I stopped struggling and remembered the chain he had tried to hide earlier. “What’s on the chain?”
I felt him freeze. “Chain?”
“You were trying your very best to discreetly remove a chain while you were taking off the tunic,” I explained. “Why is that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Artemis.” Shadow muttered. “Give me the tunic, and I will free you. I’ll let you find a replacement, and I will wear it without complaint.”
“I’m not sure if I want to anymore. This is far too amusing.” I grinned. “What’s on this chain of yours?”
“Avilyne’s hell, woman!” Shadow yelled. “Take the compromise!”
“Just what are you hiding?”
Shadow was about to say something, until the door of the library opened; in walked Jack and a woman shorter than him, with short blond ringlets and light blue eyes. She was wearing a flowy brown dress and was barefoot.
The looks on their faces matched our own.
“Perhaps we should have knocked, hmm?” Jack said, as that stupid smile of his reached from one pointed ear to the other.
Shadow immediately released me, and I gave in and handed over the bloodstained tunic. I folded my arms while shaking my head in disbelief.
“I’d be careful if I were you, Jack.” I glared.
“I’ve heard that one before.” Jack frowned. “Welcome back, Shadow. Looks like Artemis took care of you well enough.”
“She has indeed,” Shadow said, ignoring the snickers from Jack.
I looked closer at the girl who accompanied Jack. There was something about her that seemed familiar. It was when she smiled that I suddenly had the memory of a young woman who played with me in Talisa’s garden when I was a child. She looked much different then, but the smile…they were one and the same. The more I watched her, the more I recognized the energy vibes she exuded.
“Cally?” I said, taking a step closer to her. “Callypso, is that you?”
“It has been many a long years, Artemis,” she greeted me while nodding “You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman.”
Jack’s jaw dropped. “Wait a minute…you two know each other?”
“Yes. And I know Shadow as well, though not as well as either of you,” Callypso admitted.
“We knew of one another through Talisa’s tales beforehand,” Shadow elaborated.
“How do you know Artemis?” Jack asked, dumbfounded. “You never told me you actually met her!”
“She was a child, Jack,” Callypso explained. “It was when Artemis still lived here.”
“Cally watched over me for a few years before she had to leave.” I hugged Callypso and then
pulled back to study her. “But you looked so different then!”
“It’s the beauty of being an elemental, youngling.” Callypso shrugged. “Shifting our appearances has been one of the many ways we’ve managed to survive this long.”
“Oh goddesses…” Jack buried his face in his hands. “Soleil burn me.”
Shadow walked up beside him and gave a loud clap to his back. “Why don’t you wake Talisa, Jack?”
Jack glared after the grin Shadow flashed him. “I hate you right now.”
“I know,” Shadow replied as he messed up Jack’s hair. “And get me a fresh tunic too, please? Before Artemis tries to rip this one off of me again?”
“I don’t know, Shadow…” Jack began, as he started to walk away, “somehow I think you would enjoy that.”
Jack slammed the door before Shadow could catch him.
“I will murder him,” I heard Shadow mumble.
“What was that about?” Callypso asked, confused.
“Nothing,” Shadow answered, returning to his seat atop the desk. “In the meantime, why don’t you tell us how you’ve been, Callypso?”
“Of course. There is much that needs to be told,” Callypso said, as she and I joined Shadow at the table.
rlina grudgingly feasted on some of the elf corpses the others brought her while she waited for the rest of her scouting party to return to their encampment. Arlina was both ecstatic and furious—ecstatic because she had finally burned down the city she’d wanted to destroy for as long as she’d existed, and furious because in the end, Artemis escaped her.
Willow damn Talisa and Shadow’s mare! She was so close to killing the filthy mixed-blood brat! That dhampir even dared to fight back! The effort was pitiful, of course, but it still infuriated Arlina. She was going to rip out Artemis’ heart with her bare hands. She was going to stomp on the organ while watching the life fade from the girl’s eyes.
Soleil burn them all! Arlina would not let Artemis escape her again. She would not stop until she was the last Ravenwing woman left in Arrygn.
And how could the Elders have kept Netira alive for so long? The mere thought of it disgusted Arlina, and she flung one of the corpses outside of her tent to relieve some of the anger.
“People are so useless these days,” Arlina grumbled. “It’s heartbreaking.”
“Mistress!” a full-blood called as she entered the tent.
Arlina blinked at the girl. “Did I give you permission to enter my tent?”
“N-No, my Mistress!” The girl fell to her knees. “B-Bu-But I bring good news! We have found Latos!”
“Oh. He survived after all.”
Arlina found she truly didn’t care about the scout. Maybe she should…after all, he had proved to be of some use to her. “Where is he now?”
“He is being tended to,” the girl reported, careful to look straight at the ground.
Arlina walked over to the girl and took her chin in hand. She made the girl look into her gray eyes, and she smiled.
“Good work,” she praised.
Before the girl could give her thanks, Arlina grabbed the girl’s neck and snapped it. Arlina watched the body crumple to the ground and sighed. “Someone get in here and clean up this mess! Now!”
Several full-bloods burst into her tent and began to remove the corpses. Arlina walked out and ignored the wounded soldiers of her camp. They could take care of themselves; they still had the ability to walk, therefore they could hunt on their own.
Arlina stopped in front of a tent with two guards and smirked. “How is our prisoner?”
“He won’t last until the sunrise, Mistress,” the first guard reported.
“Did you acquire what I asked of you?”
The other guard pulled out a small violet pouch from his jacket. “As you ordered, Mistress.”
“Good.” She took the pouch. Opening it, she found a glass vial filled with a viscous, milky liquid. “If you hear any screams…carry on.”
“Yes, Mistress,” both guards replied as they stepped aside for her to enter.
Once inside, she found herself admiring the work of her lackeys. Strung up by his wrists in the center of the tent was the mage, Karesu. His body was limp against the tree trunk the full-bloods had snatched from the forest, and Arlina wrinkled her nose at the smell of ash.
Halfway to him, she thought twice about moving any closer. When she realized he was genuinely unconscious, she frowned. Whoever it was who dealt such wounds to the man had deprived her of some entertainment.
I can’t understand why there are those who hate me enough to spoil such fun.
Annoyed, Arlina smacked Karesu hard across the face. She became cheerful when he awoke.
“Good. You haven’t found the pathways to Avilyne just yet.”
“I’d rather be in the presence of the goddess of death than in yours,” Karesu said, his violet eyes now locked with Arlina’s gray ones.
“Spare me,” Arlina groaned. “We both know I’m not going to let you die, Karesu. You’re far too valuable for me to dispose of.”
“Even if you treat me,” Karesu began, “I would not aid you. I want no part in your twisted world any longer.”
“Well, suck it up, because you have no other choice,” Arlina said. She suddenly smiled. “No pun intended.”
Karesu coughed, and flecks of blood spotted his lips and chin. Despite her earlier gorge, Arlina felt her bloodlust rise once more. She shook away the feeling by dangling the pouch inches from Karesu’s face.
“You intend to feed me the cordial,” Karesu stated.
“Yes.” Arlina was disappointed when she couldn’t detect any trace of fear in his voice. “I know you won’t die or encounter the side effects. You are a mage after all…and a stubborn prick to boot.”
“Then get it over with,” Karesu snapped.
“Uh, uh, uh!” Arlina wagged a finger. “Not so fast! I have some spare time before the sunrise, and I want some information.”
Karesu rolled his eyes. “You’ll find that you are wasting your time. Torture me all you wish, Arlina.”
“Oh, I plan to.” Arlina stood close to Karesu’s body and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. “To think, I had such high hopes for you to become my Second. Avilyne’s hell, you were bedding the half-breed!” Karesu glared at her, and she laughed. “Does that anger you, my calling your precious love a halfbreed? It’s the truth, mage. What was so exotic about her, anyways? Did you have something against a full-blood woman? Are we too pure for your liking?”
Karesu cursed once Arlina moved his face away and traced the outline of his neck with her lips. Her fangs were elongated, and Arlina chuckled when she felt Karesu trying to wrench away from her.
“I’m sure you enjoyed this when you had Netira wrapped around you, doing what I am now,” Arlina whispered into his ear before nicking the lobe with a fang.
“Believe me when I say that I will enjoy watching you die, whether it be by my hand or someone else’s,” Karesu threatened. “Each…slow…moment of life that slips from you.”
“So you say.”
He hissed when she bit into his neck. His blood tasted so sweet; she wanted more. “How long have you been sleeping with your precious dhampir wench, mage? How long have you helped her hide from me?”
“Does it anger you, Arlina?” Karesu smirked. “Does it anger you to know that you were bested by your own subordinates of all people?”
Arlina bit into his neck once more, only harsher this time. Snatching his face in her hands, she glared at the violet eyes that showed nothing but hatred toward her.
“I could have given you everything, Karesu,” Arlina growled. “Everything. Why betray me?”
“Blackwen City has lived with your taint for far too long,” Karesu replied. “It’s time someone wiped it away.”
“Shut up.” Arlina smacked him, and Karesu laughed at her. “I said shut up!”
“What’s the matter, Mistress?” Karesu asked. “Is that fear I
sense?”
“Silence!” Arlina cried as she gripped his neck.
It would have been so easy and simple to choke the life from him, but she knew she couldn’t. She needed the bastard alive for now. “That’s better.”
“Aerios blow you. Kill me now,” Karesu said in between breaths. “Why do you hesitate?”
“Haven’t you been listening? You’re far too valuable to be disposed of,” Arlina replied, releasing him. “For now, at least.”
The look on Karesu’s face brought a strange joy to Blackwen’s Mistress; it was realization mixed with fear and loathing.
“You plan to use me as leverage,” Karesu said after a moment of silence. “You intend to lure Netira here. And since Shadow was with her, you intend for him to follow. If they come, then you’re certain the one you desire most will too…you want Artemis to come to you.”
Arlina yawned. This was getting boring.
“Perhaps.” Arlina removed the stopper from the cordial. “Perhaps not.”
“You hope that offering a trade to Netira will make it even easier to obtain Artemis. You could kill me now and still make the offer, but you enjoy torture so you’ll stay your hand. You always did like killing one’s loved one in front of others,” Karesu continued. “Netira won’t do it. My life isn’t as valuable as the other remaining Ravenwing woman in Arrygn.”
“Oh, shut up.”
She pinned Karesu against the tree trunk and forced the cordial in between his lips. Once she removed the glass vial, Arlina held a firm hand over his mouth. She moved it only when she knew Karesu had swallowed the milky liquid.
Once he fell unconscious, after the brief moment of his body violently shaking, Arlina inspected the vial and noticed she had given him nearly half of it.
“Well, this will prove to be interesting,” Arlina said as she pocketed the vial.
Netira rubbed her chest, feeling odd sensations of pain. Karesu was suffering; she knew that much.
She couldn’t believe he had sacrificed himself so that she and Shadow could flee. Netira punched the ground; Karesu should have been here with her. He would have been treated, he would have gained some rest, and the two could have run away by now, just like they once dreamed of.
Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) Page 26