Blood, Honor and Dreams (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #2)

“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.

“The entire fucking city knows Finn is dueling. Since he killed Kithkanon, it has become fashionable to watch him kill people,” Neph growled and paced back a few more steps. “We are going to try something a bit rougher on you. Check your shields and make sure they are good,” he ordered and flexed his hands limbering the fingers.

Obediently she checked her spell shields and nodded, once she was satisfied they were still up and holding well. “What do you have in mind?” she asked, already guessing she wouldn’t like the answer.

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