“You saved my Daddy’s life.” A tiny voice answered from somewhere behind him
Turning slowly Shade gazed down at the little girl and nodded dumbly. “Yes I did.” Shade agreed quietly. “If she didn’t kill him when she threw him through the wall.” He added bitterly.
“He lives…barely.” Syrah informed him in a voice that seemed far too practical for such a small child. She brushed a strand of her dark blue hair back from her face and gazed toward his ship with wide grey eyes. “Will that be able to fly now? She says we shouldn’t stay here much longer. It’s dangerous here and others will be coming.”
Shade followed her eyes to the blood streaked ship. One of the wings was nearly torn off and the hull was badly dented. Slowly he shook his head and swallowed heavily. “Not like it is now, but I can fix it enough to manage quickly enough.” All I have to do is bring myself to go near my mother’s body. He added silently.
Syrah nodded once at him and then gazed upward at the empty air beside her and nodded once more. “Fix it then, and I will do what I can for Daddy. Hurry though, it cost Momma a lot of strength to finish those guards and it is already hard for her to stay here. She needs to go, Ryven needs her.” Syrah’s voice was barely over a whisper and filled with a sadness that mirrored the ache in his own chest.
Shade nodded slowly once more and realized the remaining guards were crumpled on the ground. He snorted in contempt for himself and shook his head slowly. That should have been the first thing he looked for once Grace had fallen. He should have looked for further danger rather than mourning the death of an enemy. “Tell your Mother thank you please. I’m not really sure how spirits work or if she can hear me when I speak to her, but I’m sure I owe her my life for killing the guards.” At some point in his life he was sure he would have scoffed at a child claiming the spirit of her mother was near her, or at the very least he would have pitied the child for her fancies. Now however it didn’t seem the slightest bit odd. He had seen too much in the past few months to dismiss anything as a possibility.
Movement behind the child caught his attention before he could turn to his ship and Shade stared in shock as Caleb staggered to his feet with his sword still clutched firmly in his hand. The Shifter swayed for a moment and his head lolled to one side. The shadows around the sword thickened for a breath and both Syrah and Shade continued to stare in silence as the sword began to fold back on itself as if melting. Caleb’s form shifted back down to his human shape the moment the Shadowsteel touched his skin. Pain flickered briefly across his slack face and the muscles in his arm convulsed as the Shadowsteel slithered up his arm and began to meld into his skin. His head lolled forward on his shoulders and then snapped back as his spine went rigid.
“What in the bloody hell…” Shade murmured as he stared in sick fascination.
“A bargain kept.” Caleb answered quietly though the voice was not his own. It was a deeper voice that rang hollowly with every word. His head came forward once more and piercing black eyes settled on Shade. He sighed heavily and looked mildly disgusted. “You however I did not count on.” He continued as he stepped carefully from the rubble brushing the dust from his armor as he walked. He rolled his shoulders and a faint smile creased his lips as he stared hungrily around the remains of Prendington. The smile faded as his eyes found Shade once more and he sighed again. “I owe you.” He spoke the words in what almost seemed an accusation then took another slower breath and forced the smile back onto his face. “The Dragon Fire would have destroyed his body before I could claim it, and thus you are owed by me as much as I may dislike it. So what will it be Morcaillo? What boon would you ask of me? Riches? Magic? Knowledge?” Caleb’s black gaze swiveled slowly to the remains of Shade’s ship and his forced smile became a genuine one. “The secret of Shadowsteel perhaps? If your ship were made of Shadowsteel repairing it would require no more than a thought from you.”
“Ryvenken?” Shade asked hesitantly. He thought he understood what was going on, but had to be certain. Caleb had said the sword was sentient, but none of the stories he had ever heard had mentioned weapons that were able to possess their wielder so completely.
The black eyes settled on him once more and annoyance flashed across Caleb’s handsome face. “That was the arrangement. I wasn’t far from claiming this one anyway, and he wanted Kevala’drin so badly. Name your boon Morcaillo. I would be done with this place and onto more pleasant diversions.
“It’s a life boon. You said the body would have been destroyed so this is more than just riches or one secret to repay what I have done.” Shade replied softly.
The annoyance returned to his face and he waved impatiently with one hand. “Fine then, name it, I hardly care how greedy you are. I cannot leave here in your debt.”
“I want my friend back. Time has no meaning to you. Give us back Caleb for now and bide your time at living for a better era. You don’t want to be part of this world right now anyway. It is tearing itself apart.” Shade said calmly.
“Are you mad? I offer you treasure, magical knowledge, bloody Shadowsteel and you ask me for this?” Ryvenken demanded furiously.
“I don’t ask it. I demand it. You owe me a life and I want his back. Return his body to him and bide your time.” Shade informed him in the same calm tone.