The Crow King's Wife (The Elder Blood Chronicles #5)

“Charm I need you to wake up. We need to go and you are the only one that has the magic to get us out of here.” Caleb said more urgently as he shook the man once again with more force.

Groggily Charm rose to a sitting position and looked blankly around the ship in confusion. “We lived?” he mumbled, the words barely coherent.

“You and I did. Shade didn’t.” Caleb replied hoarsely and she saw Charm’s face crumple in response to Caleb’s words. “I need you to put the ship in a storage gem and take us to Delvay, now.”

“Who is she?” Charm struggled to form the words despite his missing tongue as he gazed up at her then looked to Caleb in confusion. “What about the city?” he mumbled. Struggling he rose to his feet and peered into the front of the ship. His eyes filled with tears as his gaze found Shade and he turned back to Caleb still waiting for his answers.

“The city can burn for all I care. It is in the hands of the High Lords now. We already paid our dues for Sanctuary and the price was too high.” Caleb returned in a cool voice.

“And her?” Charm said as he motioned a hand toward her.

Caleb’s grip tightened fractionally on her wrist and his eyes narrowed as he regarded his comrade. “She is my concern and nothing you need to worry about. I need to get to Delvay now and you are the only one that can take me. If you do so I will make you my concern as well and if anyone tries to stick you back in a cell for being what you are I will gut them.” Caleb’s voice was calm and rational, but the glint in his eyes was quite the opposite.

Nodding slowly Charm glanced around the ship once more then motioned them outside.

“Delvay?” she mumbled as Caleb tugged her wrist gently and led her from the ship.

“You will be fine I promise. I will devote every ounce of my power to keeping you safe.” Caleb said softly and his words struck a faint note in the back of her mind.

Frowning she tried to remember where she had heard the phrase before but the memory eluded her. Nodding slowly she followed meekly behind him and stared up at the city. The battle had begun and she could see the light of fire dancing across the rooftops. “I don’t think I have anywhere else to go.” She mumbled then stared down at Caleb’s hand on her wrist once more. “Or anyone else to go with.” She added softly.





Epilogue





Sanctuary





The stones of the ceiling shuddered above them and Hemlock fixed his gaze firmly on the dust drifting down from the rafters. Anything was preferable to looking at the grotesque figure that was writhing on the table. The woman had been one of the most beautiful creatures Hemlock had ever seen until he had handed her over to Kali. He felt a moment’s remorse as he considered the wasted talent. She had been a skilled Assassin with a face so sweet that the men she killed died with a smile. Then he had sent her after Shade Morcaillo and turned her over to Kali afterwards.

“Excellent.” Kali murmured and Hemlock grudgingly lowered his gaze once more to watch Kali prod the woman’s distended stomach. His eyes traced over her flesh carefully avoiding her swollen face. Every inch of her was deformed now. Whatever Kali had done to her had taken perfection and turned it to ruin.

Shaking his head Hemlock turned his gaze back to the ceiling and refused to look as the woman’s scream tore through the room. Whatever Kali was doing to the creature was her business. He just wished she would hurry and finish it so they could get the hell out of this city before the High Lords tore it apart.

Another scream echoed through the room followed by the harsh wail of an infant. Clenching his jaw Hemlock gave into his morbid curiosity and glanced toward Kali as the mage carefully wrapped the squirming bloody child in a blanket.

“Take care of her.” Kali order brusquely as she stepped away from the writhing woman on the table and Hemlock let out a sigh of disgust.

“My baby.” The creature on the table mumbled through lips so swollen she could barely form the words. “Please.” Her hand stretched after Kali but her body was too distorted for her to even attempt to rise.

“Sorry Love, but that was never your baby.” Hemlock whispered gently as he pulled a dagger from his belt and crossed the short distance between them. His gaze flicked to the torn remains of the woman’s stomach. Kali had cut the child free of the womb with no regard to the woman’s life. If he left her as she was she would die slowly and painfully that fact combined with the deformities Kali’s magic had cursed the woman with killing her was a mercy. He met her eyes briefly and shook his head slowly.

“You should have known better than to trust me.” Hemlock whispered just before his dagger took her through the heart. He pulled the blade free and wiped it carelessly across her then turned on Kali. “What in the hell did you do to her?” he demanded with disgust clear in his voice.

“Infused her with the Changeling genetic. Her body reacted poorly to it and I’m afraid she didn’t have the mental aptitude to hold herself together.” Kali replied calmly never taking her eyes from the small child she was carefully wiping clean. The baby writhed in her grip making pathetic mewling sounds and from what Hemlock could see of the creature it was just as deformed as its dead mother.

“We wasted time for that to be born?” Hemlock growled in disgust. “I feel as though you wasted a very useful life on this endeavor. Nahlia was talented.” He tried to keep the anger from his voice but failed miserably. He didn’t have time for a fight with Kali right now and he knew it. The city was being torn apart above them and the opportunity to escape was rapidly dwindling.

“You don’t understand at all.” Kali murmured and waved a hand for him to move closer as she gently laid the child down on the table before her.