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

“Who are you and what the bloody hell are you doing in my barn,” Seth growled back as he raised his dagger before him and tilted the blade toward the open door. The light caught the polished metal and for a moment it served as a mirror into the barn. He caught a glimpse of a figure moving to the left of the doorway and readied himself to attack.

“You might want to reconsider throwing that dagger. You might accidently hit Dominic here. You don’t want to do that, do you, Seth?”

The voice paused and took on a sweeter note. “Tell your daddy not to hurt you, Dominic. That would be wrong, wouldn’t it?”

“Daddy, please don’t.” Dominic’s childish voice was louder than the stranger’s, with a note of pleading in it that sent shards of pain through Seth’s chest.

“Where is mommy, Dominic?” Seth called carefully, trying to keep the desperation from his words.

“Dashara is inside waiting for you, Seth. We just have to settle a few things first,” the man replied calmly. “Toss that dagger on the ground and step around the wall. I have a game for you Seth. I know you must love games. You would have to after all of the time you have spent playing hide and go seek with High Lord Avanti.”

“Who are you?” Seth demanded as he obeyed the man’s order and tossed the dagger to the grass. It hardly mattered; he had plenty more to use. He never carried just one weapon.

“I’m wounded, Seth. Do you really not know who I am?” Mockery laced the man’s every word and Seth prayed there would be a way to land a dagger without risking Dominic.

Muscles tensed, he pushed off the wall and stepped inside the barn quickly. The man stood just inside, leaning against Crow’s stall with one leg balanced on the wall. Dominic sat on his upraised leg while the stranger’s arm supported him and held him firmly in place. He couldn’t tell much about the man beyond his basic build. The long gray cloak he wore covered every detail that Seth could have used to identify him.

“I have no idea who you are, but it was a remarkably bad idea to use my son against me,” Seth replied in a low voice that would have sent most running. Everyone on Sanctuary knew him, and most had known of him before Sanctuary even existed. This man had to either be a complete fool or a clueless pup to prod him in his own home.

“Tsk, Tsk. You of all people should know me. We are the topic of enough gossip you know. Everyone is always speculating which of us is better…” The man’s voice trailed off and Seth could feel pleasure radiating from him. “Time to give them all the answer, Seth. Let’s decide here and now who is the better Assassin, you or me.”

“Hemlock,” Seth breathed as panic welled in his chest. It wasn’t that he was scared of the man in a fight, it was the fear of what the man had already had time to do. Dashara could be dead already.

“Good, now that you have that figured out, we can move on to the important things,” Hemlock began. “How did you find me?” Seth demanded before Hemlock had a chance to continue his torment.

“You went on a rescue mission today and it was a complete success. Did it seem just a bit too easy, Seth?” Hemlock asked in a mocking voice. “It should have. I gave very strict orders to allow you free reign while I located your horse. Funny thing, the bastard must have recognized my scent when you got here. Maybe he was feeling guilty and that’s why he ran,” Hemlock mused.

“What?” Seth asked in utter confusion. Hemlock was right the mission had been far too simple and it had been eating at him for most of the ride home.

Hemlock sighed dramatically and tilted his head upward as if beseeching the gods for patience. “I could have had you today, Seth. I was right there the entire time. That wasn’t the deal, though. The High Lord wanted Dashara and your bastards as well. So I had to make this a family affair.” Hemlock paused and shrugged one shoulder as if in a halfhearted apology. “See, you have been a royal pain in the ass for House Avanti, but the real trouble maker is Dashara. He wants her dead and he wants you to suffer. Yet, he has tried for four years to make that happen and keeps failing. So he hired me, and here we are.” Hemlock raised one hand and waved it lightly between the two of them. “You fucked up, Seth. You always ride the same horse, and it’s a rather nice one at that, very easy to find. Every peasant for three hundred miles knows the Crow King’s horse, and there aren’t many Veir bred mounts in Avanti. I think Crow may be the only one, and he is a smart one, just like everyone says the Veir horses are. He remembered the way home perfectly. All it took was a quick mind scan to solve the mystery of where you hide. So, thanks to your horse, and thank you as well, Seth. Without your favoritism, I wouldn’t have found you nearly this easily.”

Seth swallowed hard and bit back the sharp words he wanted to use. “Is Dashara dead?” he asked in the calmest voice he could manage. Hemlock laughed and pushed off the wall as he lifted Dominic into his arms and cradled the child against him. Seth’s eyes flicked to his son’s face and the look of terror that he wore. The child was only four and Seth doubted he even knew what was going on. He wanted to offer him reassurances, but he had never lied to his son before, and he wouldn’t start now.

“You know, I never guessed you to be a family man, Seth. This should be fun,” Hemlock said with a chuckle. He bounced Dominic against his hip and smiled down at the boy. “Your Daddy is in an awful lot of trouble, young man. Let this all be a lesson to you for the future. Violence begets violence.”

“Is Dashara dead?” Seth demanded, his words cracking through the empty stable with enough force to make Dominic jump.

“Tsk, Tsk, Seth. You scared him.” Hemlock shook his head in disapproval and then laughed again. “Dashara is still very much alive. She is waiting for you, in fact. Of course I need to explain the rules to you. Dominic already knows them. See how quiet he is being and so well behaved.”