The room fell silent for several breaths and Shade wished fervently that he could see the look on either of their faces. His body wouldn’t respond though and he knew it without even trying, he was simply too weak. He wanted to know if Onvalla was truly considering what Caleb had said, but most of all he wanted to know if Caleb had truly meant his words. Shade had spent his entire life being judged by the name Morcaillo, and now finally when he was a breath from dying someone was judging him by his own merits, and comparing him with a hero. Micah Arovan had been a good man; no one could deny that, not even his enemies. To be considered his equal in anything was more compliment than Shade had ever received from anyone aside from Jala.
“Tell me what you need to save his wretched life and I’ll have my people gather it. I promise you though Caleb, if this is a trick you will both suffer for it and I will see you dead for wasting my time.” Onvalla spoke the words grudgingly with suspicion lacing every word.
“Doing the right thing is never a waste of time. You were Micah’s wife, Onvalla. I would have thought you would have learned that. If the rest of Sanctuary would just learn that lesson we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in right now.” Caleb sighed.
“Jala’s road.” Shade whispered as he allowed his eye to close once more with a faint smile on his lips. He had only met Caleb once before and yet the knight had saved his life. There was hope for Sanctuary yet. If they could find more people like Caleb Faulklin Jala would have all of the support she needed to finish her quest.
*
“I doubt you will ever walk without a limp again, and I think running is completely out of the question.” Caleb observed as he leaned back from examining the scars on Shade’s leg. The knight had a gaunt look to him from his time in captivity, but still appeared to be in fighting shape. His clothes were tattered and his hair was tangled and matted with filth, but despite it all he still had the bearing of nobility about him. Most would have given up by now, but Shade saw no signs of surrender in Caleb’s dark eyes.
“It is what it is.” Shade murmured, but couldn’t bring himself to look down at the leg. He knew it was mangled just by the tightness of what remained of his muscles. He didn’t actually need to see it to confirm that fact. “A leg I can live without. The eye I will sorely miss, but my life is what counts and I owe you for that. Thank you Caleb.”
“I have no doubts you would have done the same.” Caleb replied casually as he stood and paced away from the small pallet he had fashioned for Shade. The thick chain around his ankle rattled across the straw covered floor as he moved and Caleb sighed as he reached the end of the tether.
Onvalla had allowed Caleb room to move so that he could tend to Shade, but she hadn’t trusted him enough to leave him unshackled. She hadn’t bothered chaining Shade. It had been clear that she hadn’t thought he would live through the night, yet three days had passed and he still clung to life though he was too weak to stand.
“Do you think she will talk to me?” Shade asked quietly. By the expression on Caleb’s face the man needed the distraction conversation would offer.
Caleb sighed and the troubled expression on his face faded. He shrugged at Shade and shook his head slowly. “If she were the woman I knew before I would say yes without hesitation. Onvalla was different with Micah and you couldn’t have asked for a sweeter girl. She isn’t though so I can’t say for certain. The Onvalla I’ve seen here is harder and less predictable. I think volatile might actually be the word I want.”
“Volatile. That doesn’t bode well for peace negotiations.” Shade sighed. It had been three weeks since he had left Merro on his mission by his best guess, and he had spent nearly a week in Merro before he had even left. That gave him perhaps two more days maybe three at most before Jala released the borders and allowed Arovan and Glis to attack. He didn’t have time for volatile. He had to act soon or it was all for nothing, and he would be damned if he lost a leg and an eye for nothing. “I have to talk to her Caleb. I’m running out of time for this.” Shade let his desperation show in his voice in hopes that the knight would realize how serious it was.
“Before what?” Caleb asked quietly. His pale eyes had settled on Shade once more and he had a pensive look about him.
“Before the High Lady Merrodin allows Arovan and Glis to wipe the Blights out of existence. She gave me thirty days to do this, and I botched the entire mission with my stupidity. In my arrogance I believed I could reason with the Blights if I could just find them. When they found me I realized my mistake very quickly.” Shade explained in a quieter voice.
“Things must have changed a great deal more than I realized if Lady Merrodin is determining what Arovan or Glis can do.” Caleb mused and nodded his head slowly. “Rest for now Shade and I’ll see what I can do to arrange a meeting. You will need full strength to deal with Onvalla so sleep as much as you can.”
“When you talk to them will you ask if they ate my goblin please? I don’t want to ask Onvalla directly when I see her, but I would really like to know the answer to that.” Shade added hesitantly.
“Your goblin?” Caleb asked with a raised eyebrow. By the concern on the knight’s face Shade could tell he was about to check him for a fever again.
“My goblin.” Shade repeated with a nod and smiled faintly at the knight’s bewildered expression. “It’s not like the rest of its kind Caleb. I suppose it’s from the same sort of broken mold I am. I’m not like a Morcaillo either, so it was easier for me to give the goblin a chance. I know what it’s like to be different.”
Caleb nodded slowly and a faint smile creased his lips. “A goblin then. Yes I will ask if I get the chance. Don’t hold your breath for it to be safe and sound though. They ate my horse the day I arrived. Meat is scarce here and it’s a wonder we haven’t been added to the menu yet.”
“Pray for the best and expect the worst. That is the motto for life I think.” Shade murmured as he settled into the pallet once more. Caleb was right he would need all of his strength to speak with Onvalla. Just the short conversation with Caleb had worn him out. He had expected to recover faster than he was, but it seemed even Changelings had limits on what they could endure and he was well past his own. By rights he should have died and it still amazed him that he hadn’t. Fate apparently wasn’t done toying with him yet.
Chapter 1
The Darklands