The Crow King's Wife

by Melissa Myers

  With sheer frustration fueling his movements he spun to face Grim. The Shifter sat with his back pressed against a wall intent on something in his hands. His expression was relaxed though his grey eyes were narrowed with concentration. Frowning Shade paced closer in an attempt to see what was keeping the man so well occupied but the gloom of the hall and Grim’s nimble fingers obscured everything but a thin leather cord that dangled across one of his legs.

  “I don’t understand why we are waiting.” Shade snapped impatiently.

  “Six times.” Grim muttered not bothering to look up from his work.

  “I think we should just move now. If we use stealth we can get Charm and the others out without anyone noticing.” Shade continued not bothering to acknowledge Grim’s comment at all. He knew perfectly well how many times he had repeated himself without the Priest pointing it out every time he spoke.

  “We wait for the council meeting to start.” Grim said repeating the same tired words he had used every time Shade had broached the subject.

  “If we follow your plan and release all of the prisoners we will cause a riot in the city.” Shade pressed and tried to let enough of his frustration bleed into his voice that Grim might actually listen.

  “The Fionaveir should have considered that before they locked so many innocent people away. They can’t be left here to rot forever, and they will provide us with a very nice distraction for our escape.” Grim countered in a distracted voice.

  “This is a perfect example of you doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.” Shade pointed out bluntly and glared down at the Priest.

  “Yes it is.” Grim agreed without the faintest hint of remorse. He let out a sigh and finally raised his eyes to meet Shade’s furious glare. “If we tried to sneak out of here like you want Myth would have the perfect opportunity to ambush us during our escape. Without the benefit of the entire prison rioting we will be forced to cut our way through the Fionaveir. I’d much rather face Myth one on one than with an army of angry prison guards at his back, and I feel inclined to point out once again that Myth is a High Lord and you are an outlaw. Who do you think the Fionaveir guards will listen to? Especially if we have a handful of prisoners with us.”

  “The Fionaveir used to be outlaws.” Shade pointed out lamely but he could tell there was no point of pressing the conversation further. Grim’s logic was sound and he knew it. “I just don’t like the idea of causing a riot.” He muttered as he paced across the hall once more.

  “There is a very good chance you are going to wear a path if you don’t try to sit still for a bit. Calm down and trust me. This will work.” Grim said with a sigh as he shifted his position against the wall to stretch his legs. “Smoke a cigarette or something.” He suggested with a smirk.

  “I’m out.” Shade returned glumly but forced himself to stop his pacing and returned to sit across from Grim. “I’d just rather it was over with.” He admitted and ran a hand through his hopelessly tousled hair.

  “That much is obvious.” Grim observed dryly as he tossed the object he had been working on toward Shade. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lose that.” He said as Shade caught the leather cord and stared down at the black amulet attached to it.

  “What is it?” he asked as he turned it over in his hands and studied the twisting wires that wrapped around the black stone fastening it securely to the leather cord. He could see tiny runes etched in the stone, but didn’t recognize the magic enough to tell what their purpose was.

  “It’s a Bloodstone and given the fact that it is fashioned with my blood I will be in a world of misery if you lose it. You seem so paranoid about being tricked by Myth that I figured you would like a bit of reassurance. It’s the same as the bracelet I have fashioned with your blood, and it serves no other purpose than to let you know when I am nearby. The stone will be warm when I’m present. If you see me and it’s not warm kill whatever is imitating me.” Grim explained.

  “What if there is Barllen nearby that is causing the amulet to malfunction and I actually kill you rather than an imposter.” Shade asked as he tied the amulet around his neck and tucked it safely under his shirt.

  A snort of amusement burst from Grim’s lips then he noticed Shade’s dry expression and dissolved into a fit of laughter that lasted for several minutes. Shade continued to glare at him until Grim managed to get himself back under control. Still chuckling faintly Grim wiped a hand across his face and beamed a smile at Shade. “Thank you for that.” He said then shook his head at Shade as he rose to his feet. “Kill the real me.” He mumbled and shook his head again still smiling widely.

  “You know I did drop you to the stones in Delvay.” Shade reminded him and struggled to keep the petulant tone from his voice.

  “Yes you did.” Grim agreed in a placating voice and smiled indulgently down at Shade as if he were a child. “And it will never ever happen again.” He added with a wink.

  “I’m not a complete bitch!” Shade protested as he rose to his feet as well.

  “I know you aren’t.” Grim agreed pleasantly as he began to walk slowly toward the end of the hall.

  “I wasn’t done arguing that point.” Shade called after him.

  “I know you weren’t.” Grim returned in amusement.

  “You really are an ass you know.” Shade muttered grumpily as he stared after Grim and tried to figure out what exactly the man was doing without having to ask him.

  “Yes I am.” Grim agreed as he paused beside one of the cell doors and glanced back at Shade. “The council meeting has started.” He said as the Shadows faded abruptly away and the hall around them erupted into the loud rumble of thousands of disgruntled prisoners. Without any warning whatsoever Grim had dumped them both back into the world without any regard to stealth.

  “Shit!” Shade snarled as the shouts of guards echoed down the hall toward him. A loud crack tore through the air drawing Shade’s attention back to Grim as the priest calmly tore the iron door from the first cell. Turning casually Grim threw the massive piece of metal toward the rapidly approaching guards barely missing Shade as he ducked to the side and flattened himself against the wall. Another crack sounded as the second door was ripped from its frame and Shade scrambled down the hall toward Grim before the priest had a chance to throw it.

  “You could have warned me what you were doing!” Shade snarled as he slid to a stop beside Grim.

  “We’ve discussed the plan six times. I thought you had it down by now.” Grim returned dryly as he hurled the second door. The shouts of more guards were echoing from further inside the prison and Shade knew they were working on limited time.

  “I’m going to get Charm.” Shade announced as the priest moved toward the next cell door.

  “Good you do know the plan then.” Grim replied with a faint chuckle as his hands locked around the iron bars. “Stand back please I don’t want any of you to get hurt by metal shards.” He warned the prisoners as they pressed themselves closer to the door in their eagerness to escape.

  “Bastard.” Shade muttered as he turned away leaving the common prisoners in Grim’s capable hands. He had two doors between him and Charm and at least six cells to open. He sincerely doubted it would be as simple as tearing the doors free. The doors restraining the Elder Blood prisoners would be layered with magic and using Grim’s method of tearing them off the hinges would likely result in an explosion of wards that would level part of the prison.

  “Black Bastard.” Grim corrected pleasantly from behind him and Shade had to smile in response.

  “Black Bastard.” Shade repeated as he pushed open the first door and silently prayed any patrolling guards would run into Grim first. He would need all of his attention to disable to the magical wards and didn’t want the distraction of a fight to interfere with his rescue.

  He had seen the pale blur of Charm while exploring the prison, and even through the shadow wrapped form he could tell the man was in bad shape. If there was going to be a fight it was go
ing to be entirely on his shoulders, Charm would be no help in his current condition.

  The sound of fighting erupted from the halls behind him as Shade slid through the second door and moved swiftly toward the back wall that held Charm’s cell. Glancing around the room he assured himself that it was empty of everyone but the prisoners and felt a moment’s relief. It wasn’t that he feared fighting. It was that he feared who he would be forced to fight. He knew many of the Fionaveir from his time amongst them, and no matter the situation he didn’t look forward to having to face a friend in combat.

  “Shade!” A familiar voice burst out from the first cell along the wall and Shade froze in his tracks and whirled in surprise as Lex pressed himself against the door. “Shade what the hell are you doing down here?” Lex demanded.

  Blinking stupidly Shade stared at Lex and tried to make sense of why he was in a cell. Lex was the Empress’s brother, and the idea that Symphony would have her own brother locked away was ridiculous. Lex had served as bodyguard for Shade for years and he knew the man didn’t have a traitorous bone in his body. “Rescuing people.” Shade answered lamely.

  He glanced at Charm’s cell then detoured to Lex’s cell instead. The Fionaveir seemed to be whole, and Shade knew he was a good fighter. It seemed prudent to release Lex first and trust him to watch his back while he opened the rest of the doors, though Shade wasn’t entirely certain that Lex would fight the guards if they did arrive. Lex was a loyalist to his order and even though they had locked him away he might still be sympathetic toward their cause.

  “Good to hear, I can’t say I object to the thought of rescue. I’ve been down here for weeks.” Lex beamed a smile at him and shook his head in amazement. “How did you know to look down here?”

  “A big ugly obnoxiously arrogant bird told me.” Shade replied dryly as he bent to examine the lock on the cell door. “Whoever designed the lock on this cell door was a complete and utter son of a bitch.” Shade concluded after a moment’s examination and straightened to look at Lex once more. “This is going to take me a few minutes. I have talent, but not quite this much talent. I will have to muddle my way thought this and pray Fortune is feeling generous with me.”

  “No time for that!” Grim snapped as he stormed through the door. Not bothering to slow he pulled his coat off and tossed it to the floor before pushing Shade gently back. “We have to go now.” He announced firmly as he glanced through the cell door. “This is Charm?” he asked as he centered himself in front of the door.

  “Wait! No Grim don’t do that. Big magic and I am too pretty to die!” Shade yelped as he lunged forward and seized Grim’s arm before he could break the cell door.

  “No shit, really?” Grim replied dryly. “The gate at Delvay had quite a bit of magic too. I’ll be fine.” He added with a hint of exasperation in his voice. “This is Charm?” he repeated.

  “No. I am not Charm.” Lex said with venom lacing his words.

  Startled Shade loosened his grip on Grim’s arm and stared at Lex in confusion. As far as he knew there was no bad blood between Charm and any of the Fionaveir, but Lex’s voice spoke of pure hatred. “This is Lex, also a friend of mine.” Shade replied hesitantly.

  “Charm is a Guardian. Leave him to rot he deserves it. He helped lock everyone away here to begin with.” Lex hissed and his gold eyes moved to the door of Charm’s cell with absolute loathing written clearly on his face.

  “Ok Puppy this is how it is. We came here to rescue Charm. You can be a happy accident that we rescue as well, but if you are going to cause problems when we free the one we actually came here for I will use you as a projectile against the next batch of guards I see coming toward me. I don’t have time to deal with your shit we have to go now.” Grim snarled before Shade could so much as open his mouth to defend Charm.

  “Puppy?” Lex growled in response.

  “That’s what you call little annoying things that snuffle and growl when they don’t have the ability to truly fight. Which you don’t.” Grim explained as he thumped the cell door separating them to emphasis his point. “Are you going to play good bitch and leave Charm alone or am I going to leave you here to rot? The clock is ticking and my patience is already gone.”

  “Why are you in such a hurry Grim?” Shade asked cautiously. His gaze moved back to the door Grim had entered as he tried not to contemplate what it would take to make the Bloody Huntsman nervous.

  “The guards that were fighting at the end of the hall broke off the fight and let the prisoners go. I barely caught the end of the orders they received through all the noise, but from what I understood the bloody city is about to be attacked and the Fionaveir can’t waste the manpower on escaping prisoners. I don’t know what is attacking, but if we are going to rescue your friends it would be best to finish while everyone in the city is distracted.” Grim explained quickly then motioned for Lex to step back. His grey eyes traced over the wards on the cell door as he braced his feet. “Step back Shade.” He warned as he wrapped his fingers firmly around the iron bars. Spidery black runes darkened the skin on his forearms as his well-honed muscles began to tense with effort.

  Taking several steps back Shade watched in fascination as the wards on the door crackled with bright light and faded into the ink black runes that seemed to be writhing just under Grim’s skin. He could see the Priest’s pain in his clenched jaw but Grim didn’t make a sound as he calmly tore the door from the hinges as easily as he had the others. Casting it aside Grim headed for the cell containing Charm without a moment’s pause.

  Shade shook his head in silent amazement before turning to Lex. “I don’t expect you to fight the Fionaveir, but are you in good enough shape to keep up with us while we get you out of the prison?” Lex had always been in peak physical shape for as long as Shade had known him. He had never been the sort of narcissist that Grim and Finn were, but Lex had been in prime fighting shape, now however his body was pale and the muscle tone he had once possessed seemed wasted.

  “I will keep up.” Lex replied firmly and Shade could see the emotions warring in his old friend’s eyes. He could imagine the sort of betrayal Lex must be feeling knowing that the people he considered family were the ones that had brought him to the sorry state he was in.

  “Good then. I don’t think Charm will be able to so I will be supporting him. If you are willing to help Grim clear a path I would be grateful, but I won’t ask it of you. That’s your choice to make and not a favor a friend should ask.” Shade said with a quick nod as the crack of another broken cell door echoed through the room.

  “Do you want the woman too, Shade?” Grim called back to him and Shade turned in confusion.

  “What woman?” Shade asked pausing in his steps to Charm’s cell.

  “It’s Ingrid. She tried to get Charm out of here a few weeks ago and was caught before she could even examine the door properly. Faramir has been torturing her in attempts to get information from Charm. Are you sure she is even still alive? She didn’t look like much the last time they shoved her back in her cell.” Lex explained with disgust dripping from every word.

  “She is living. Her hand moved. If we take her she will need a healer as soon as possible, and she will have to be carried.” Grim explained with obvious hesitation as he looked back at Shade and sighed. “Of course we are taking her. Why did I bother asking?” He muttered the moment he saw the expression on Shade’s face. Once again the Priest set his shoulders and wrapped his slender fingers around the cell door without bothering to wait for Shade’s response.

  “I’ll take care of her.” Shade promised. He understood Grim’s hesitation perfectly. It wasn’t that he truly wanted to leave Ingrid behind, Grim simply saw her as an inconvenience they couldn’t afford. He knew Shade would be helping Charm along, and Lex was too weak to carry anyone, which meant as far as Grim could see it he would have to carry Ingrid and still somehow manage to defend them if they ran into trouble.

  “Going to carry two people up all those stairs th
en?” Grim asked as he tossed the third door aside and gazed down at the crumpled figure on the floor. “Bloody hell. Carry one and a half people that is. There isn’t much left of her.” He amended in a sickened voice.

  Grimacing at the description Shade nodded once as he stepped calmly into Charm’s cell. He had expected the rogue to come out the moment the way was clear, but there had been no sign of movement. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer shadows inside the cell, but he froze the moment he did. Every surface of the walls was covered in dark script. On the first wall the writing flowed as if a scribe had begun to pen a book on the stone, but as the writing progressed it became shakier and by the time Shade’s eyes reached the broken figure huddled near the wall the words resembled the scratching hand of a child new to his letters.

  Shade’s throat tightened painfully as he stared down at the rogue. The man wore little more than a filthy loin cloth and every inch of skin Shade could see was burnt, bruised, or scarred. His long blond hair had been shorn off to rough stubble, but it was the broken wings that caught Shade’s horrified eyes and held them. He had only seen Charm’s wings once before and they had been magnificent, like the angels from his childhood stories. Whoever had tortured Charm had taken the time to pull every feather from the wings and the bones themselves looked broken. Not broken, poorly mended. Shade corrected himself silently. He could tell the bones had been broken at one time, but they were healed now and painful to even look at. Someone had taken measures to ensure that they healed badly and by the way they jutted from Charm’s back Shade doubted there was any position that was comfortable for him to sit in.

  “Charm?” Shade ventured quietly and wasn’t surprised in the least by the lack of response in the rogue’s vacant eyes. Nodding absently Shade approached him slowly and knelt. “Charm, it’s Shade. I’ve come to get you out of this place.” He said gently as he wrapped an arm carefully around the rogue’s waist and raised him to his feet taking care to not disturb the broken remains of his mutilated wings.