“Just open it, Artemis,” Jack said, rubbing his arms as if cold.
Moving the cloth he placed on the table, I stared at what was once hidden. I felt as if all the air escaped my lungs as I recognized the weapons from the dreams…from the nightmares of Mother and Arlina.
“Tamina’s sai,” Shadow whispered. “You’ve found them.”
“It is the weapon of your bloodline, Artemis Ravenwing,” Netira said.
“I’ve explained this to her,” Jack said.
“Netira, can you elaborate?” I asked. “It’s better to know as much as possible.”
“Full-bloods of Arrygn were once divided into clans. Blackwen City is home to a good number of descendants from these ancient bloodlines, and has been ruled by the women of the Ravenwing clan since the beginning of its existence,” Netira explained. “It was said that when a child of their respected clan came of age, they inherited their own set of the weapons their bloodline favored. The women of your line favored the sai, and that tradition was one of the few that survived throughout the ages. Had Tamina been alive, you would have had your own set rather than being forced to use hers.”
I picked up one of the sai and admired the embedded garnet and onyx in its hilt. As I rubbed them, I felt strange hints of energy transfer to me.
“What’s wrong, Artemis?” Shadow asked, noting my puzzlement.
“They…they feel strange,” I answered, while unable to take my eyes off of the gems.
“They haven’t been purified,” Callypso warned. She still kept her distance. “It seems you did not fare well either, Jack.”
“All I’ve learned is that the dragon jewels within the sai are difficult to purify,” Jack explained.
“Is that so?” Callypso replied, her sarcasm apparent.
“Goddesses, just how many more things do you know that you haven’t yet told me?” I asked him, now putting down the sai.
“I’m sorry, Artemis.” Jack sighed. “Everything has been happening so fast, you know?”
“That goes for all of us, Artemis,” Shadow added. “Everything will become clear in time.”
“Preferably before we leave!” I yelled.
“One thing at a time, Artemis.” Netira yawned while rubbing her eyes. “How secure is your cottage, Talisa?”
“Secure enough to be hidden from Arlina and her scouts,” Talisa replied. “For now.”
“Then I suggest we all get what rest we can before we continue planning for the trip,” Netira suggested. “You will take Lady Clarayne back to Ellewynth and search the houses as Artemis asked. The rest of us can prepare while we await your return. And yes, Artemis, you can use the time then to learn what the rest of us know before we depart. I’d rather you have a clear mind going into this journey instead of being angered at your friends and myself.”
“That would be appreciated.”
“While Talisa is gone, Shadow, Callypso, and I will figure out our route to Westyron. Once we get there, we can figure out the next safest route to Blackwen City,” Netira added. “Talisa, you can look over the plans once you return and have a final input as well. We wouldn’t want you to feel left out, after all.”
“I suppose I can appreciate that,” Talisa said.
“What am I supposed to do?” Jack asked. “You left me out.”
“Ah, yes. You.” Netira smiled. “Any dark-haired elf from the Woodland Realm I’ve encountered or learned of in the past has always proven to be a mage. Assuming that you, too, are an elf mage, I trust you will figure out the right books to take with you.”
“You want me to haul books with us?” Jack inquired, unimpressed.
“You will have to regardless,” Talisa said, patting his back. “Your apprenticeship will not be put on hold because of this.”
“And you love books, Jack,” I reminded him.
“I do love books,” Jack whined, “but I can be of more use than just carrying a bunch of them for research purposes!”
“I do not jest when I say that it is an important task, Jack,” Shadow said. “You would be of more use to us if you could learn to control your abilities.”
“Fine,” Jack sighed, defeated. “Fine! I’ll look for books when I wake.”
“Then it’s settled,” Netira said, yawning once more. “Let us go rest.”
Hearing the others mutter their agreement, I picked up my mother’s sai and stared at the jewels again. Jack called them dragon jewels, which meant that they were much more than simple gems. They were known to have magical properties, or so I’d heard.
Callypso grasped my shoulder, and I noted how fearful she was.
“Cally?” I asked. “Is something the matter?”
“A word of caution, Artemis,” she warned, eyeing the sai with distaste. “Use these only in desperation. I do not trust these weapons.”
“But why?”
Callypso shook her head. “I will explain in due time. Promise me that if they continue to feel…strange…to you, that you will not continue to fight with them.”
“Um, I promise.”
Callypso frowned. “You will understand what I mean soon enough, youngling.”
id you not sleep well, my darling?”
Karesu looked at the woman who shared his violet eyes and shook his head. The woman walked beside him and pulled him into a hug.
“The spirits again?” she asked.
Karesu nodded as he pulled away from her. He stared at her long silver hair, and he then noted the amount of jewelry she wore; each piece was engraved with strange runes.
“Grandmother,” Karesu began, fumbling with his hands, “they keep asking me to help them. I want it to stop.”
“Karesu, you are gifted,” she said, running her long fingers through Karesu’s hair. “It is in our bloodline. You are directly descended from one of the ancient clans of the full-bloods. We are the seers. We are the healers. We are the vessels that magic can flow through to maintain balance in the world.”
He watched her tap the silver owl-shaped pendant that rested on her chest. It was the animal that represented their shared bloodline, much like the raven that the bloodline of the Mistress revered.
“I don’t want this,” Karesu argued. “I just want them to go away.”
His grandmother chuckled. “When I was your age, my darling, I did not want this gift either.” She stood up, and pointed to the colorful vials that lined the shelves, as well as the charms that lay across the wooden tables of her apothecary. “There is a beauty to helping others, dead or alive. To be a mage means to help keep the balance once someone tips it and causes disarray.”
“Then why don’t you help the Mistress and serve Blackwen City in City Tower?” Karesu asked, even though he already knew the answer.
“Because it is not my destiny, child,” his grandmother replied. She faced the door of the store, and they both watched other full-bloods pass by. “My place is here, in this shop. It seems the spirits have taken a particular liking to you, Karesu. I can show you how to keep them at bay. They will still be around, mind you, but they will not be so invasive. Perhaps it will be best…lingering spirits can be troublesome.”
“Lingering spirits?”
“They are those who refuse to walk the pathways to Avilyne to be judged,” she explained. “They are malevolent beings who want revenge. If we mages are not careful, they can possess us and commit unspeakable acts.”
Karesu sucked in a breath. “I do not want that.”
“I know, my darling. To keep them away, however, you must accept your heritage. You must accept that you are a mage. Your gift means nothing if you ignore it.”
Karesu blinked at his grandmother and thought of her words. She believed deeply in the ideal of “destiny,” and she never ceased to remind him that he had a great one…but it would be so only if he would take the steps necessary to reach it.
He frowned. Would it really be so terrible to accept a part of him that would always be there? Would it be awful to be just like the wom
an who loved and cared for him so?
“Karesu?” She was worried about his silence. “Forgive me if I am pushing this. I know you have the makings to be a great mage of Arrygn, and I would hate to see my only grandson deny his path. If you do not want it, I swear to leave you be from now on. I’ll make your charm myself.”
Karesu gave a small smile. “They say everything happens for a reason, right, Grandmother?”
“Indeed they do.”
“Then…then what can I do to keep the spirits at bay?”
“You’re certain you wish to do this yourself?”
Karesu nodded. “It would be a shame to waste such a willing teacher.”
His grandmother laughed and hugged him. “Yes, it would.”
She bade him to follow her to the back of the store, and she pointed to the jewelry she wore, the ones with the strange runes. “I will show you how to make charms. Once you can master their creation, I can then teach you the art of runes and how to manipulate them into silver so that you can ward off anything you so wish.”
“Why do I feel as if there’s a catch, Grandmother?” Karesu asked, wary.
“Nothing slips past you, hmm?” His grandmother chuckled. “It is true. There is always a catch when working with magic and obtaining a balance. There is always a price that must be paid, dear one. Nothing can be cast or created without a consequence. The same can be said for life in general. Remember this.”
Karesu nodded as he watched her open a rickety old wooden door. He peered inside and was amazed to see the walls covered with yellowed parchment, each containing what seemed to be hundreds of differing runes. He could smell the sharp, metallic scent of silver, and he could feel the heat of the fire that came from the cauldron that burned in a corner of the room. Karesu realized this was his grandmother’s study; no one was ever allowed inside.
He felt honored.
“Perhaps your future study will be more glorious than my own, but for now, this will have to do.” She gestured for him to sit on the only bench in the room.
“Grandmother…” Karesu began, as he watched the liquid silver in the cauldron bubble. “What exactly is the price to create the charm I want?”
“That is not up to me to tell you,” she answered, the fire reflecting into her calm violet eyes. “Only you can know the answer to that. Once you create, cast, and work with the magic within you, the answer will come.”
Karesu gulped. “Can my life be considered a price?”
His grandmother folded her arms, hesitant to answer. “Indeed it can. If such a price were asked, Karesu, I pray that it be for good reason. Never allow such a price to be collected if not for the greatest cause of all.”
Karesu felt the fear rise within him. What if the charm to ward off the spirits required him to give up his life, or part of it?
He wasn’t ready for that.
“Look into the cauldron, Karesu. Grab the tongs that are there beside it. Embrace the heat from the element you love most.”
Karesu did as he was instructed, and looked to her for more direction.
“What do you feel?”
“I feel…”
What did he feel? He looked at the tongs and stuck them into the liquefied silver. He began to stir, confused. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re not listening hard enough, my darling.” His grandmother laughed, moving a few wayward silver strands from her face. “Close your eyes if you must, but always listen to the voice within you.”
Karesu shut his eyes and tried to listen to this “voice” his grandmother mentioned. He got frustrated when he was met with continued silence, and he forced his eyes open.
His grandmother was amused at his anger.
“Nothing is instantaneous, my darling,” she said. “Impatience is the curse of youth.”
“Why can’t I hear anything?” Karesu asked as he continued to stir with the tongs.
“Another curse of youth.” His grandmother sighed as she rubbed her brow. “Child, you must maintain a calm demeanor about you when you work. There is no need to rush anything. You’ll only be given sloppy creations in return if you do. Now that would be some cause for frustration!”
He felt his grandmother rub his back, and he shut his eyes once more. Karesu tried to listen, and was startled when he heard an unfamiliar voice.
Blood.
Karesu jumped, and he splashed some of the silver onto the walls and floor.
“F-Forgive me, Grandmother!” Karesu cried, horrified.
His grandmother guffawed. “Oh child, we all jumped when we first heard the voice of the one collecting the price.”
“But who was that?”
“No one can say for sure, my darling.” His grandmother tapped her chin in contemplation. “Some have said it is the goddesses themselves, speaking as one entity. Others say it is the evil seduction of temptation, but those mages in particular are nothing but superstitious fools.”
Karesu regained his calm as he listened to his grandmother go off on a tangent. He looked back to the tongs, and then to his finger.
“What did the voice ask for, Karesu?”
Karesu moved his forefinger to his now elongated fangs and felt the skin give way as he pricked it. He held it over the cauldron, and they both watched as a few drops of his blood fell and swirled within the silver. His grandmother sighed as Karesu frowned.
“Do you have anything I can use to mold the silver in?”
“Of course,” his grandmother answered. “Is there anything in particular that calls to you?”
“I just need a mold that I can cut into,” Karesu explained.
“Then I shall return in a moment.”
She stepped out and returned moments later with a mold she normally used to create her own charms and jewelry. She handed him a thin blade. Karesu knew she watched closely as he sliced an odd shape within the mold. Karesu took the tongs and let the drops of silver slide into the cut mold. He repeated the process until the form he’d cut was filled.
“Now it just has to cool,” he said, satisfied.
“I’ll admit I have my own moments of impatience,” his grandmother said, holding a hand over the mold. Karesu shivered when he felt a chill emanate from her palm.
“But now you have to pay a price for that!” Karesu frowned.
“Not a big one, I promise.” She winked. “Now take out your creation. I want to see what it is.”
Karesu pulled out a now hardened silver piece that was shaped into a cross. There was a curved point at the tip, and he ignored the wince of his grandmother when he forced it into the soft part of his right ear.
“I’ll find out soon enough if this works,” he said as he flicked the cross. He flinched at the small sensation of pain from the now pierced earlobe.
“If not, I’ll just have to be content in calling you a pirate.” His grandmother smiled. “An earring. How interesting!”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Not at all, my darling.”
Netira awoke and felt a sharp pain in the soft part of her right ear. She rubbed it with her fingers. She pulled them away and was relieved when she didn’t spot any blood. She was confused, though, as to why she felt such a pain.
She glanced around the main room and was satisfied she hadn’t woken up any of the others. Taking care to maintain stealth, she took one of the cloaks that was left on the floor and stepped outside.
Netira sat on the steps and looked at the sky, which was only slightly lighter than when she first arrived at the cottage. Rubbing her fingers along her ear once more, the image of Karesu’s cross earring came to mind.
“You’re suffering,” she murmured. “I would give anything to be there so that I could free you from it.” Netira tightened the cloak around her while resting her head atop her knees. “I pray to the sacred sisters that they spare you from the worst of it until we get there.”
I was back in Ellewynth, as if Arlina hadn’t attacked at all.
&nbs
p; I was walking the path to Shadow’s house, and I found it strange that there wasn’t anyone around—it was so empty.
My footsteps were heavier than usual; when I looked down, I saw the jeweled hilts of Mother’s sai sticking out from my boots. I did not remember how they got there, and I pulled them out. I gasped the moment I saw them covered in blood.
As I dropped them, I tried to wipe my bloodstained hands on my cloak. More blood appeared the more I tried to rid myself of it.
“Their lives are yours.”
I froze when I heard her. I saw Mother standing with folded, bare, pale arms; her violet eyes were cold, and she wore a black dress with an unusually long trail of cloth. I reached out to her, but she pulled back; Mother had a look of disgust on her face.
“You weren’t supposed to run away. You were supposed to keep on fighting her,” she said as she picked up the sai. “You could have ended Arlina’s madness.”
“I’m not strong enough,” I answered. “Not yet. And…and the elves…”
“Dead. All dead!” She threw the sai at my feet. “All because of you. All because you are repulsed at your dhampir heritage. You could have saved them!”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen!” I cried. “I didn’t leave the city in time! The dhampir would have made things worse…I have no control over it!”
“Excuses!” She walked up and slapped me hard. “Unforgivable. You’re no daughter of mine. You’re no true Ravenwing woman.”
I felt my bloodied hands clench into fists as I glared at her.
“You dare say that when one of the reasons I’m going to Blackwen City is to avenge you?”
I grabbed a sai and threw it. It missed her, and it made a loud thud as it impaled the tree trunk behind her.
Mother’s reaction was only a grin. “Good. You’re releasing your true anger. It’s a powerful tool, Artemis. Remember that when you face an opponent, Arlina especially.”
She walked away before I could respond. When I looked back at my hands, they were clean of the blood. I found myself walking back to the tree where the sai was. When I pulled it out, the tree trunk began to bleed.
“What in the world?” I dropped the sai. I could not stop the blood flow, not even with both hands.
Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) Page 28