The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)

“I drugged him, Finn. Well, I also stabbed him of course, but it was a non-lethal wound and I have no regrets about it. He earned it when he annoyed me,” Seth explained calmly. “I brought the girl for you Finn,” he added as he glanced back at Zoelyn.

“You know I was joking when I said the temples needed to start the virgin sacrifices again, right?” Finn asked cautiously, his gaze flicking between her and Seth. “She is kind of young, too, Seth. I mean it’s been a while and all, but I’m not into child molesting. Sorry.”

Seth sighed heavily and rubbed his face. Moving past Finn he carefully placed Legacy on the throne and shook his head. “Your son could sleep through anything. There has been yelling and screaming and jostling and he is still snoring.” Seth shook his head and straightened once more as he walked over to stand at Finn’s side and draped an arm loosely across his shoulders. His attention returned to Zoelyn and he pointed a finger at her. “I didn’t bring her here for you to fuck, Finn. Look at her closely with the eyes of a god rather than the eyes of a lecherous mortal.”

“I preferred life as a lecherous mortal,” Finn grumbled.

“So did I, but we must let go of our past and serve the present,” Seth replied in a consoling voice.

“Why can’t I see her soul? I don’t sense any of my power attached to her at all, and from the looks of her, I really should. She looks ready to die at any moment in her current condition.” Finn sounded puzzled and Zoeln tried to shrink back farther against the wall to escape his stare.

“She is Undrae Finn,” Seth explained as he dropped his arm from Finn’s shoulder and stood straight once more. “She looks starved and terrified, but she doesn’t look like a monster to me,” Finn observed with a glance to Seth.

Seth sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. “Monster is not the true definition of the word Undrae. Originally the word meant her kind,” Seth informed him as he pointed casually toward Zoelyn once more. “In the beginning, the proper word was Uindraely named in honor of the mage that created her kind. They are also called Broken ones or leeches.” Seth paused and watched Finn closely for any sign of comprehension.

“Still lost, keep going,” Finn prompted and waved his hand for Seth to continue.

Seth nodded with a smirk. “There is a spell among the forbidden magic that can raise the dead. With a sacrifice of equal value you can return life to the fallen. Uindraely Merrodin discovered long before the Barrier that if you intentionally use a sacrifice that is not equal, you can create a Broken one,” Seth paused and motioned toward Zoelyn. “The creature that returns from the grave is not whole or truly alive. She exists on the borders of both, Finn. An Undrae does not remember its former life as she would if the spell worked properly. They are not the person they were before the grave. They siphon life as well as magic in a desperate attempt to make themselves whole. Uindraely Merrodin grew infamous in her practice of raising them in armies. Uindraely has been dead for hundreds of years, however, and yet here is one of her creations.” Seth paused again looking at Finn meaningfully.

“I’m trying to picture her as a threat, Seth, I really am, but the way she is cuddling the wall is killing my imagination for that,” Finn said dryly as he continued to watch Zoelyn.

“They are as they are taught Finn. This Undrae was formed of a young girl on both sides of that spell. The sacrifice as well as the fallen would have been innocent of nature. Imagine another raised in this method, though. Imagine one that was created with a darker purpose. This one is harmless, I will agree with you on that, but someone is creating them and it is stealing from you when they do. It’s possible that this girl was a test, a practice if you will. The next one raised could be much more dangerous,” Seth explained calmly.

“So how do we find her creator?” Finn asked after a long moment. “I can’t sense anything about her so I can’t trace it through magic,” he added thoughtfully and glanced at Seth.

“I will help this one if you will allow it. Perhaps when I have her in fit condition again her creator will come forward. If not I may be able to gather clues from her that will answer our questions. All I need is time and I will find the one that needs to be punished,” Seth answered with a smile.

“Do it then, but do it on the same rotation as Legacy. Jala is extremely pissed right now and I really don’t want to push her further. You can gather the girl or help her or whatever you need to do when you bring me Legacy,” Finn ordered and turned back for his throne. He paused beside Vaze’s motionless body and his shoulders slumped. “And, Seth, take Vaze back home and maybe, just maybe, Jala won’t realize you stabbed her Uncle. If she does, I am going to relay every prayer I get from her directly to you, and I’m using the term prayer lightly. They really aren’t prayers, Seth, not even close,” he added with a shake of his head.

Seth nodded quickly and moved forward to pick Vaze up by the belt once more. “I will return for the girl in a bit,” he announced with a nod.

Finn glanced back at him and smirked. “You are so lucky I dismiss Fiona on the nights that Legacy is here. She would be bitching for days over this and I would have you running the most tedious disgusting assignments I could think of as punishment for having to listen to her.” “If only you would dismiss her permanently,” Seth sighed as he disappeared from the room with Vaze.

Finn chuckled and his gaze returned to Zoelyn. She had been watching them both in utter silence afraid to make even the slightest sound.