“I know how to repair leaks on a ship. That’s about the extent of my woodworking skills,” Finn said with a smirk.
“I don’t think any of us truly knows how to repair these buildings, but we can surely find skilled laborers to do it,” Wisp pointed out, her gaze flicking to Jala.
“That’s what I was counting on. I’m hoping I can hire a few supervisors from other districts and use Merro’s people for general labor,” Jala said.
“It’s worth a shot. If not we will come up with another plan,” Jail concluded.
“One last thing before we retire,” Finn said quietly and looked around the room. “Is Emily here?” he asked after a minute.
“She is. My skin has been crawling since Jala arrived in the room. It’s only that way when the Blight child is with her,” Neph answered.
“Marrow has suggested an idea to me but it needs Emily’s consent and Jala’s approval. I for one believe it is a very good idea,” Finn explained.
Frowning, Jala looked down to Marrow and then back to Finn. From the expressions she saw on the others in the room, they had no more idea what Finn was talking about than she did. “What idea?”
“He suggested that while we are sleeping, Emily and he could hunt the Blights infesting the city. He thinks they can at least thin down the numbers and possibly locate the hive,” Finn explained.
“But won’t they be horribly outnumbered?” Wisp objected, a frown creasing her delicate face.
“We won’t attack if we are outnumbered. It’s a good plan. I like it,” Emily said speaking up at last.
“I will never adjust to that,” Valor mumbled, taking a long pull off his wine. “When I was a child the saying was A good child should be seen and not heard. This whole heard and not seen is unnerving.”
Finn grinned at him and shrugged. “Try adjusting to a three-hundred-pound man-eating cat sleeping by the wall and the creepy invisible man-eating child in the same room while you are sleeping.”
“No, couldn’t do it. I’d be volunteering for couch time,” Valor said shaking his head.
“She isn’t creepy and Marrow isn’t threatening,” Jala objected with a shake of her head. “I suppose the plan is a good one but I’ll worry myself sick about them each night,” she added after a long moment.
“Then we will start tonight,” Emily announced with clear enthusiasm.
“Tonight?” Jala asked, her tone making it clear that she objected.
“Tonight, you will be safe enough with him, I suppose. You have the others here as well if he fails to protect you, and we will be back by morning, so don’t worry,” Emily replied, the excitement in her tone growing.
“I won’t fail to protect her,” Finn said, his tone defensive. Shaking his head he took another sip of his Firewater. “Brat,” he added in a quieter voice.
“That’s not going to help her realize you are a friend Finn,” Jala said with a sigh. “Fine. Tonight then, but stick close to Marrow and watch over each other, I don’t like this starting so soon but I’m too tired to fight you over it.”
We will be fine, with her guiding my senses we work quite well together, Marrow assured her and rubbed his massive head against her knee.
“If you say so,” she said wearily. Rising slowly, she stretched and looked down at Finn. “It has been a very long very horrible day, I need sleep,” she told him, barely suppressing a yawn.
“I echo your sentiments,” he agreed, rising as well. Tilting his glass back he polished off the last of his drink and took both their glasses back to the cabinet. “Good night, all,” he said and waved to the room.
“Am I meeting Sovann in the morning, or Rose?” Jala asked Neph as she headed for the door.
“Sovann. He will explain the new schedule to you tomorrow. Sleep well,” Neph replied.
“Thank you,” she replied with a yawn and waved to the room. Be careful please, I don’t want to lose either one of you, she added mentally to Emily and Marrow.
I promise to be just as careful as you are, Marrow replied back with sarcasm thick in his voice.
Chapter 15
Morcath
It seemed the more Shade tried to avoid the subject, the more the tavern gossip revolved around it. The news had arrived three days after the trial and since then the town had been buzzing about the High Lady Merrodin. No matter what bar he tried to drink in, it was all they were talking about.
Waving a hand at a passing waitress he shook his empty glass. “Can I get another here, please,” he asked, hoping his voice didn’t sound as wretched as he felt. She gave him a curt nod and headed toward the bar and Shade instantly regretted only asking for a glass rather than the entire bottle.
“The entire lord’s council agreed she is, never heard of the likes. Thought the Veirasha killed them all off,” a man’s voice came loudly from a nearby table and Shade rubbed his face in response. Two days after the first of the news had arrived, and still they had nothing better to talk about. He had no doubts it was the truth. He had known there was something special about her when he first met her.
He hadn’t spoken with Charm about it yet. He had a strong suspicion the rogue had known the entire time. So he was avoiding him completely until he sorted out if he was angry or simply depressed. Had he known when she was in his hall, things could have been so much different now. There may have never been that disaster with Cassia. He might have actually been betrothed to someone he cared about. He fought back a snort of amusement at the thought, as if his father would have ever consented to letting him choose his own match. His father or mother … By the aspects, he wished that waitress would hurry up with his drink.
“I brought you the bottle, hun, you look like you need it.” Shade looked up as the tired looking woman thumped the bottle down next to his empty glass.
“I was hoping you would be back quick. Is it that obvious that I was in dire need?” he asked, his voice only slurring a bit.
“Just a tad, hun. No worries though. You wouldn’t be in a bar if you didn’t need a drink.” She smiled faintly at her quip and sauntered off in the direction of another table.
“True enough,” Shade muttered and poured himself another glass.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m so sick of hearing about Merrodin.” A smooth drawl came from behind him. He tried to turn to see who was speaking but swayed dangerously in his chair at the attempt. Feminine laughter filled the space behind him as the speaker moved to the empty chair beside him. “A full bottle. Surely you have enough to share.” She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. A beautiful smile, in fact, on a beautiful face. Shade focused himself, a task that was getting more difficult by the glass, and tried to remember if he had seen her in the town before. Long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders and framed the creamy pale face. Her dark eyes were fixed on him with what seemed almost a predatory light. “Did you lose your tongue?” she asked, with another smile playing across her beautiful full lips.
“I, uhh … Well, no,” Shade muttered and had to fight the impulse to smack himself in the forehead at his stammering. The first beautiful woman he had seen in days, and he was tongue-tied. “If you would like a drink, you are welcome to it,” he offered, sliding the bottle closer to her. “I can get another glass from the waitress,” he added, realizing belatedly the only glass available was the one he was grasping.
“No need,” she replied and took a long pull directly from the bottle. Shade watched quietly and tried to force himself to think of something intelligent to say rather than simply stare at her long slender neck and extremely low cut bodice.
“So you are new in town then,” he began, forcing his eyes back up to her face. To his embarrassment she was smiling at him with a knowing look in her eyes.
Setting the bottle back down gently, she rested her elbows on the table and leaned closer. “I am. Just came in on a ship this morning,” she replied, her voice nearly a purr to his ears.
“Well welcome to Morcath, then,” he offered with only
a bit of bitterness in the words.
“You look like you are having a miserable night. Whoever she is, she isn’t worth it,” the woman replied with what could have been sympathy. “I am, though,” she added with a smile that was definitely predatory. Even he couldn’t mistake that expression.
“How did you know it was a woman?” he asked with a disgusted sigh.
“That isn’t the right question at all, but I’ll answer it anyway. As sweet as you are on the eye it has to be a woman and only a woman can make a man drink like you are drinking,” she explained.
“I could have just found out I’ve contracted a lethal disease,” he offered with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head faintly with an amused smile. “You are obviously Elder Blood and the Elder Blood don’t get sick or catch diseases,” she countered.
“Well, there is that, so what was the correct question to ask?” he asked, swirling his drink in his hand. The conversation had him distracted enough that he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to complete his mission of getting blisteringly drunk.
Can you prove you are worth it? would have been a good one. Would you like another drink? would have worked. But the one I was looking for was Do you have a room here? Want to try again?” she replied in a teasing voice.
Shade eyed her for a long moment and took another sip of his drink. In Sanctuary, a woman would have never spoken to him like this. Of course, in Sanctuary, all the women knew who he was. There was a certain appeal in this anonymity that he couldn’t deny, and it wasn’t as if he had a reputation to protect anymore. “Would you like to prove it while enjoying another drink in your room?” he asked with what he hoped was a charming smile.
A wide smile spread across her mouth again and she slowly nodded. “Very much so,” she purred and stood slowly with catlike grace.
“Well, I’ve never been one to deny a lady,” Shade said and stood, grabbing the bottle as he did. “Lead off,” he said motioning toward the stairs with his free hand.
“That is good to hear. I do hate to be denied,” she said as she walked toward the stairs.
Shade fell in behind her and tried to keep his gaze from lingering on the skin tight leather pants she was wearing. He felt a moment’s panic as he began to climb the stairs and quickly silenced the inner voice that was screaming at him to go back to his ship alone. He was sick to death of listening to that inner voice. So far, it had gotten him nowhere. “So are you going to tell me your name?” he asked as they reached the hall above.
“Are you going to tell me yours?” she asked, glancing back at him.
“Do you want the real one?” he countered, taking another pull from the bottle.
“Do you?” she returned and pushed a door open.
“OK, we seem to be at a standoff then. Names are not important,” he relented, and followed her into the dimly lit room.
“For right now, they aren’t,” she agreed and took the bottle from his hand. Tilting it back, she took a long pull and crossed the room to the small table. “Close the door, would you?”
Nodding, Shade pushed the door shut and glanced around the room, not really sure what exactly he should do first. “I feel I should warn you I’ve uh, never … Well I haven’t …” His voice trailed off as she sat the bottle down solidly on the table and turned back to him, her fingers rising to the laces of her bodice. “So, no small talk. Got it,” he muttered, his gaze locked on her every move.
She smiled at him and raised an eyebrow as she let the garment drop to the floor. Raising one hand, she crooked a finger at Shade, motioning him forward and he found himself in motion before the thought fully registered. “Don’t worry about it being your first time. I’ll show you exactly what to do,” she promised in a low throaty voice.
“And I have a feeling I’ll happily do whatever you say,” Shade murmured as she began to unlace his pants. He watched her in fascination, still not quite believing he was doing this. Gripping him by his unbuckled belt she spun him back against the table with more force than he would have thought her capable of, and dropped to her knees in front of him. Puzzled for a moment, Shade watched her with confusion and then shook his head slightly. “Your mouth. Are you sure you want to use your …” His voice trailed off as she ignored his objections. “Never mind what I said, you obviously know what you are doing. Please continue,” he said weakly and hastily braced himself against the table. The inner voice was, for once, deathly silent.
* * *
Mind fogged and sweat soaked, Shade looked up at her in eternal gratitude. “I have no idea why I waited so long to do that,” he muttered, his words thick. His entire body hummed with pleasure and his eyes were heavy. “Give me a minute to rest and I’m more than willing to make up for lost time, though,” he said with a weak grin. With a contented sigh, he let his eyes close.
He drifted in complete bliss for a long moment before quick movement from her sent his inner voice screaming. His eyes flashed open in time to see her arm plunging downward, the faint glint of metal in her hand. “Damn, lady I warned you it was my first time!” he gasped as he caught the hand just before the dagger grazed his ribs. “What the hell?” he demanded, locking his gaze with hers.
“It’s nothing personal,” she assured him and brought her knee up hard between his legs. On reflex his body tried to curl against the pain and she used his moment of shock to wrench her hand free. With an icy expression locked on her beautiful face, she brought her hand sweeping down again this time aimed at his throat. Frantically he raised a hand to intercept as best he could and felt sharp pain as the dagger stabbed through his palm.
“Oh, I don’t like you right now,” he hissed and brought his free hand around to knock her off of him.
Snarling, she sank her teeth into his arm as she tried to wrench the dagger out of his other hand. Her leg twisted again, trying to strike once more and he twisted away from it at the last moment. With a muffled curse, he cast the first spell that came to mind and stared down in shock at the small stone resting on his stomach. Breathing raggedly, he looked away from the storage stone to his mangled hand and then back to the stone. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was safe to use that spell on living creatures but he hadn’t exactly been focused on her well-being when he cast it.
“That’s it. I’m done with Immortal women,” he gasped and watched his wounded hand slowly healing. Shaking his head, he tried to get his breathing back under control as he stood. While it hadn’t registered in his mind at the time of the fight, the coloring of the dagger was firmly in his mind now. It had been black with sigils down the blade and a shining stone in the hilt, exactly the same as the Nightblades carried. He couldn’t think of anyone that would be dumb enough to impersonate a Nightblade, which meant he needed to get out of town as soon as possible.
With a muffled curse, he pulled his clothes on as quick as possible and dropped the stone into his jacket pocket. He needed to get to the smith’s shop in a hurry and get what parts the man had finished. It was doubtful that he had finished it all, but some was better than none. Fortunately, Charm had been staying on the spell hawk since they had arrived, so there would be no trouble locating his partner. With a final glance around the room, he grabbed what remained of his bottle and headed down the stairs, taking them two at a time.
* * *
“Shade, what the hell are you doing?” Charm demanded in a sleepy voice as he stepped down from the ship.
“Getting us ready to go tonight,” Shade replied and continued pounding the lead supports into place along the nose of the ship.
“Why?” Charm asked, sounding somewhat bewildered.
“Couldn’t sleep. Figured, what the hell, I might as well work on the ship in a near blind panic for a while,” Shade replied with sarcasm dripping from his words. Standing, he fished the stone out of his pocket and tossed it to Charm. “Happy Name day. Enjoy, but don’t open it anywhere near me.”
“What is it?” Charm asked, staring down at the storage s
tone with suspicion.
“A very angry naked woman armed with a sharp knife,” Shade replied as he lifted the first of the Barllen strips and began to attach it to the lead supports.
“This is going to require more explanation,” Charm said dryly and examined the stone closer. “You do realize this spell isn’t intended to be used on living creatures, right?” he asked, looking back to Shade with disapproval.
Shade paused, stood straight again, and wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm. “Well, Charm, her knee was lodged in my balls and her dagger was through my hand so I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly or sparing much consideration for her well-being,” he explained.
“What did you do to her to piss her off that much?” Charm demanded.
Shade stared at him blankly for a moment and then returned to setting the Barllen. “I don’t think I even want to dignify that with a response, but I probably should. I think all I simply had to do was exist. She was a Nightblade. Apparently the wrong people know I’m here so we need to go as soon as possible. You can either stand there and insult me and this can take half the night, or you can help and we can get out of here before her friends show up. Your choice.”
“Someone in the town sold you out,” Charm concluded and moved to help.
Shade paused and looked across at Charm, locking gazes with the older rogue. “Charm, if someone in this town sold me out why did it take seven days for a Nightblade to show up?” he asked quietly.
“How else would they have found you?” Charm asked quietly. “Could they trace the ship? I thought you removed all location devices from it.”
“I did remove all location devices,” Shade muttered and shook his head at Charm. “You’ve been making reports to the Fionaveir rather steadily. Did you happen to tell them which town exactly we were in?” he asked.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams Page 24