The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams

by Melissa Myers

  “Symphony believes he is,” Charm replied, his eyes once again going to the goblins who were still snarling and tearing at each other.

  “No insult meant, Charm, but do you have any reason other than Symphony’s hopes?” Shade asked, his tone filled with sympathy.

  Charm nodded slowly and returned his gaze to Shade. “Remedy has value to House Avanti. I don’t think Lord Rivasa would kill him without contacting Avanti first. He was captured recently and I think Avanti will want him alive.”

  “Well then, help me get this cage loaded and we’ll see what we can do,” Shade said with a slight nod and opened the cargo hatch to the spell hawk.

  “You mean to take them with us?” Charm asked, his tone filled with shock.

  “Well I’m not going to go through the trouble of catching them all over again,” Shade replied, shaking his head. “I still need about forty more of them. To release these would be stupid,” he added and glanced toward Charm. Realizing quickly that the rogue had no intention of helping, Shade sighed and with a quick spell levitated the cage.

  “I really don’t think we should take them,” Charm objected.

  “You don’t have to catch them again if we release them, I do. So we are taking them,” Shade snapped as he maneuvered the cage into the ship. With practiced hands he chained the cage in place and stepped back off the ship, closing the hatch behind him.

  Pausing by Charm he considered his ship and then looked to the rogue. “You know Rivana has spell hawks as well. I won’t be able to just fly into the city,” he warned.

  “I know, first things first. We need to acquire more information. We don’t even know that he is truly alive beyond my suspicions,” Charm replied.

  “OK, so first stop is Kedravon. If we are going to find gossip anywhere it will be in their capital,” Shade agreed and headed for the front of the ship. Charm gave a slight nod and followed. “I know Kedravon decently well. My father was rather close friends with Lord Rivasa when it was convenient to him. I can get us close but we will have to approach the city on foot. It shouldn’t be too hard, though. The last time I was there the guard was light.”

  “They are preparing for war with Delvay. Kedravon will be brimming with soldiers,” Charm corrected mildly as they stepped into the ship.

  Shade shook his head in disagreement. “No, they will have them at Bladeview,” he said and dropped into his pilot seat.

  “Bladeview?” Charm asked.

  “Border fortress,” Shade answered, a bit distractedly, his attention focused on the controls before him.

  Nodding, Charm dropped into the passenger seat and tapped his fingers on the arm rests. “If he is alive, how difficult will it be to get him out? You seem to know the Rivasans’ lands better than I do.”

  “Virtually impossible. If he is alive, they will have him in the cells below the fortress in Kedravon. The wards there are thick, the guard is heavy, and the floor is lined with Barllen. The only prayer we really have is if they plan to publicly execute him and we can pull him from the gallows,” Shade explained.

  “They hang people in Rivana?” Charm asked in disbelief. “Hanging won’t kill the average immortal. It seems like they would have a more effective method.”

  “They hang them with chains and slow roast them in Hellfire. I’ve seen one execution in Rivana and I vomited on my father’s shoes at the sight. They eviscerated the poor bastard and then cooked him. I was seven or eight at the time and had nightmares for weeks afterward. I can still hear the screams when I think about it, and the smell,” he shuddered slightly at the memory. The smell had easily been the worst. The oily black smoke had tainted everything with its stench and hours later he had still been able to smell the dead man on his clothes.

  “What crime did he commit to earn a death like that?” Charm asked quietly.

  “He struck a guard,” Shade replied and kept his gaze fixed on the view screen. There had been more to the crime, of course. The guard in question had found too much interest in the man’s daughter. The man had defended his family and died for it. He remembered objecting to his father about the crime and he clearly remembered the look on Myth’s face. That was the first time his father had ever looked at him with disgust. He shook himself back from the memory and glanced at Charm. “I’m sure the punishment for being Fionaveir is much worse than striking a guard. I have no idea how they will kill your friend but it will be horrible.”

  Charm nodded his understanding but remained silent. Shade couldn’t really blame him, though. He hadn’t felt much like talking when he thought the Rivasans had Jala, either. Better a friend be dead than in the black cells under the Kedravon Fortress.

  * * *

  Shade circled the city by several miles and landed the ship carefully in a small ravine. He had counted nearly twelve spell hawks on patrol near the borders, but had managed to evade the notice of all of them. It paid to have a dull grey ship at times, it was much easier to blend in with cloud cover. He leaned back in his seat as the ship powered off and looked over at Charm. The rogue had been silent for most of the flight, no doubt worried about his friend.

  “I’m not familiar with Kedravon’s layout. I don’t suppose you have a map?” Charm said quietly.

  “I don’t, sorry. Look Charm, I can do the scouting here. There is no need for both of us to go,” Shade offered. He wasn’t sure if the rogue would take him up on the offer but he had to try. There was a good chance they would learn that Remedy was already dead and there was no sense in both of them risking their lives for news of a corpse.

  “I will not over-react if the news is bad,” Charm assured him and stood slowly.

  “That’s not what I was saying,” Shade objected and followed Charm from the ship. The dry heat hit the moment his foot touched the ground and he shook his head. It was always hot in Rivana and today it seemed positively horrible. It would be a miserable walk to Kedravon, there was no question about it. “I was saying I could fly there and be back with news by the time we walked there together,” Shade explained, his eyes roving the sky above. It was close to twilight now, the damned heat should be dying down.

  Charm seemed to consider the option and nodded slowly. “That does make more sense, but I don’t like the thought of sending you in alone.”

  Shade grinned and shrugged at his partner. “Look at it this way, if they capture me, I have value to Morcaillo so they will likely toss me into the cell next to Remedy.”

  Charm gave him a dry look. “Not reassuring and not funny,” he said quietly.

  “It should be. No one in Rivana knows I’m Changeling. If they toss me in a cell beside Remedy, I’ll be able to get us both out before morning,” Shade grinned wider and examined the sky again. “If you decide soon if we are both going, or if I’m going, that is.”

  “You go, I will wait. If you aren’t back by morning I’ll come for you,” Charm said, though by his tone he wasn’t happy about the decision at all.

  “I will be back well before morning, Charm,” Shade assured him and began to shift his form. It felt strange to actually use his gift in front of another person. For his entire life, he had been warned not to. Within moments he fluttered wings and hopped lightly away from his ship. Twisting his head around, he examined the form and cocked his head at Charm.

  “A Raven, how perfectly fitting for this land. The Aspects know there is certainly enough death here,” Charm said with a faint nod.

  Shade gave a loud caw of agreement and pushed himself into the air, his wings beating heavily as he gained altitude. Kedraven was barely three miles away by flight and a Raven wouldn’t be considered an odd sight at all. He resisted the urge to look back at his ship and found himself hoping Charm would think to camouflage it. A spell hawk in a ravine would be considered a very odd sight.

  * * *

  “We should execute him at once. He is Fionaveir,” a woman’s voice rose from the window. Shade moved cautiously toward the opening, hoping to get a look at the speaker. Spying such a
s he was doing now was tricky. While it wasn’t unusual for a bird to land on a window ledge, it was unusual for the bird to take notice of conversations. With well-honed practice, he mimicked the movements of a Raven and cocked his head just enough to give him a glimpse of the speakers. At the very least, he knew Remedy still lived. If he was lucky, they would tell him where he was.

  “Avanti has offered us a great deal for this one. Apparently there is some kind of scandal surrounding this particular ruffian,” Lord Rivasa said. He was seated in an oversized chair near the far wall. As usual, his clothing was garish and by his expression he was very pleased with the situation. His attention was focused on the woman standing across from him and he didn’t even spare a glance toward the window.

  “We dare not risk keeping a Fionaveir alive here. What if more come? We cannot afford the disruption now. Too many wheels are already in motion,” the woman said, frustration filling her voice. She paced as she spoke, her head bent as if in thought. Shade watched patiently, waiting for her to turn to face the window or at least give him a decent view of her profile. From this vantage all he could make out was the dark color of her dress and long pale hair. The voice was not a familiar one, but then he didn’t know most of the noble courts by voice alone. If he could get a decent look at her he could determine how legitimate this conversation was. There was a possibility she was no one of significance and so the High Lord wouldn’t bother sharing further information with her. If that was the case, then he needed to find others speaking of Remedy. That in itself wouldn’t be difficult. The city was likely awash in conversation about the captured Fionaveir. The trick was finding someone talking that was important enough to know facts instead of gossip.

  “We won’t be keeping him long,” Lord Rivasa assured the woman.

  “Then we will be executing him soon?” she asked, turning fully to face the High Lord. She was tall and blond with features that screamed Elder Blood. She was also a complete stranger to Shade’s eyes. He stored the image away carefully in his mind. By the way she was speaking to Lord Rivasa and by the way she held herself, she had to be someone. Perhaps Charm would know who.

  Lord Rivasa shook his head slowly and seemed to be growing bored with the conversation. His eyes were locked on the woman’s tight laced gown. “No, the Avanti will be arriving tomorrow to retrieve him,” he said casually, his voice distracted. “Surely there are other things that would entertain you better than talk of a prisoner,” he offered in what Shade was sure was meant to be an enticing voice.

  Carefully Shade maneuvered back from the window in the slow hopping gate of a bird. He couldn’t take flight directly in front of them. Even Lord Rivasa would notice a Raven flying at night.

  * * *

  Charm paced back and forth by the ship, his eyes flicking from Shade to the distant glow of Kedravon. “Are you sure it was legitimate?” he asked for the third time.

  “I don’t know who she was but yes I believe it was legitimate,” Shade replied patiently for the third time.

  “How in the bloody hell are we going to get him out of there with Rivana and Avanti guards? Do you think it would be easier to get him from the Avanti lands?” he paused in his pacing and turned to stare at Shade.

  Shade shook his head slowly. “No, we want him before he gets to Avanti,” he began and chewed on his lip as he thought it through. “They won’t use magic to transport him. There is too much risk that someone might steal him that way. They will use spell hawks. From the way Rivasa talked, Avanti wants him badly. Can you explain that for me, please Charm? Why exactly does Avanti want a particular Fionaveir so badly?”

  “Remedy is a bastard of House Avanti. I’m not sure exactly who his mother was beyond relation to Lord Avanti, but I know she ran off with a soldier from Han’shy. The Avanti hunted them down and killed the soldier in the process. Lutheron managed to save the woman by happenstance and helped her escape,” Charm explained.

  “Lutheron?” Shade asked with a raised eyebrow and snorted in amusement. “He really didn’t strike me as the damsel in distress sort.”

  “It was more like opportunity to kill Avanti, but he did save the woman in the process,” Charm said and his gaze returned to the city. “I’ve known Remedy since he was a babe at his mother’s breast, Shade. I will not leave him in there.” His voice was firm, as was the look in his pale blue eyes.

  “Do you think you can get on the Avanti transport without being noticed?” Shade asked as he dropped cross-legged to the ground. Leaning back on one arm, he lit a cigarette and stared up at his partner.

  Charm considered the question and nodded slowly. “It’s not the getting on it that would be rough, it’s the getting back off that will be difficult. Remedy will be wounded and I doubt I will have opportunity to heal him, so he should be considered incapacitated and not factored into planning,” Charm frowned and shook his head. “Loading a prisoner will draw a crowd. There is no way I can get him off the ship and away from his guards with a crowd present.”

  Shade grinned up at him and took a long drag from his cigarette. “We aren’t going to remove him on the ground Charm. All you have to do is get on the transport and find him. We will remove him enroute.”

  “How?” Charm asked, his gaze dropping once more to Shade.

  Shade exhaled the smoke into little rings and smiled again. “I’m still working that part out. Don’t worry, though, I’ll have it figured out by morning. I have no doubts the ship will be warded against teleportation spells so you will need to be in the city when the ship arrives. Keep a mental link with me so I know when to move.”

  Charm’s eyes narrowed and a frown grew on his face. “I’m going to call you insane from this plan aren’t I?” he asked, his voice cautious.

  “Most likely, but then you generally do, so there is no big surprise. Better get to walking Charm,” Shade replied lazily. He knew his plan was possible. There were just a few minor details that he would need to know before he could determine how possible it was, such as how many would be flying escort for the transport. Charm didn’t need to worry about that now though. It was clear the rogue was already worried enough.

  He waited until the rogue was out of sight and rose, slowly stretching. Dropping the cigarette butt on the ground in front of him he crushed it with his boot and examined the spell hawk with a considering look. There were advantages to having built The Shade himself. He knew her secrets and he knew what she was capable of. He walked over to the ship and ran a hand lovingly along one of the wings.

  “Time to get some fangs milady,” he murmured and pulled a lower panel from the wing revealing brackets that had never seen use. He hadn’t actually considered ever using this feature of his ship when he built her. With a final glance to assure himself Charm was indeed well on his way to Kedravon, Shade moved into the ship. Sighing heavily, he moved two panels from the floor and pulled a heavy metal crate from beneath it. The hinges squeaked in protest as he opened it and admired the contents. The long barrels gleamed faintly in the ship’s light. Reaching down he lifted one of the weapons out for inspection. He hadn’t even glanced at the guns since the day he had loaded them into his ship. It was strictly forbidden by all lands for a civilian ship to mount weapons. But it was strictly forbidden to fly without a locator as well. With a grim smile he replaced the gun and shut the case again.

  It was only fair that he have these weapons on his ship. He had, after all, helped his father perfect the method of making them. The premise behind them was so simple he was amazed that no one else had thought to implement it. Simple runes lined the inner barrel, trapping air and gradually increasing the pressure. When activated, the air released, shooting whatever ammunition one had on hand, flying at terrifying speed toward the chosen target. Overall it was easily countered with wards of protection, if one used normal ammunition that is. Shade however had no intention of using mundane ammunitions.

  He stood quickly, his decision made. Within moments, he had his tool box and the weapons case
outside. If he worked quickly he could have all the weapons mounted and functioning by morning, and he had a feeling he would need all of them. A moment’s hesitation gave him pause as he considered the implications of weapons on his ship. Once he took her into battle, The Shade would be branded as much as he himself was. Strange that the thought of dying as an outlaw didn’t faze him nearly as much as the thought of his ship being destroyed. He let loose a long sigh and shook his head. He didn’t have time for this if Remedy was going to be rescued.

  Chapter 19

  Sanctuary

  Jala barely dodged as the fire grazed past her shields. She had failed the counter spell entirely and hadn’t had time to deflect it. A loud concussive boom resounded off the wall behind her as the full force of the Flame bolt struck it. She heard Neph mutter a curse and prepared herself for the ranting that would follow. With a heavy sigh she moved back into position and shifted back into a ready stance.

  “Could you explain where your mind is wandering to, today?” Neph snapped as he glowered at her. A glower on Neph’s handsome face was as intimidating as Finn with drawn swords. The combination of his tall muscular frame and his black leathers already granted him enough menace without the dark expression. He shook his head in disgust and ran a hand through his tousled blond hair. While in others that action usually signified frustration, in Neph it signified his temper was extremely frayed.

  “Did you know Finn is dueling?” she asked, guessing that would satisfy him and he wouldn’t press her further. In truth it was a combination of many things - Finn dueling, Finn’s association with Hemlock, and her concern for Emily. She hadn’t heard from the Blight all afternoon and even Marrow didn’t know where the child was.