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

“That is truly Caspian isn’t it?” Remedy demanded as she fell silent. He spoke more sharply than he intended to, but Caspian was more to him than Faramir had ever been. This entire mess was painful, but the thought that Caspian was dead too made it nearly unbearable.

“It’s Caspian.” Azashy replied softly. Her dark eyes trailed back down to her tea and she shrugged one shoulder. “He was an outlaw to most but to others he was a true hero. Seeing him so far from his path breaks my heart. The knowledge that I’m the one that brought about his fall is a guilt that crushes me whenever I dwell on it too long.” She rubbed absently at her temples and shifted in her seat before continuing. “Caspian was conditioned with his own failure. Myth used his time as High Commander of the Justicars against him and combined the memory of Fiona Veirasha’s death to lead him down his current path. Caspian is focused on cleansing the city of everything remotely wrong and he is going to an extreme that is going to get him killed. You cannot keep so many people imprisoned without repercussions. It is coming and it will be bad.” She met his eyes once more and smiled sadly. “And Sanctuary will lose another Hero and only a few will even mourn his death. Myth has taken Caspian’s shining honor and tarnished it beyond repair. No one will ever look at him with respect again, not even his own people.” Her gaze dropped once more and she slowly shook her head. “And it’s my fault. So many things are my fault and it’s a lesson I should have learned long before. What I did at Glis should have taught me to keep my mouth closed, but Myth has such charm when he chooses to use it. I didn’t even realize what I was doing, and now…” She fell silent and raised her tea cup to her lips.

“I can fix it Azashy. I am a Mind Mage. I can take the brainwashing and cleanse it from them and return them to what they were.” Remedy spoke into the silence and tried to keep the hesitation from his voice. What he suggested was risky and he was sure even Azashy knew that. In order to repair their minds he would have to guess what their true feelings on the matter had been before Myth’s tampering. There was a very good chance that he wouldn’t actually repair the damage but would simply change it to a different kind of damage. It was nearly impossible to keep personal sentiment from such work, and the odds that he would implant his own beliefs into their heads were very good.

“I could shatter this cup and glue the pieces back into place as I believe they should go, but the cup would never be the same again. There would be some cracks and chips that no matter how hard I tried I could not repair.” Azashy returned gently. “What is broken will never be properly mended. You can attempt to mend it, but there will be cracks that show and chips that are missing. Too much has been done to repair it fully and we both know that.”

“I won’t write them off.” Remedy said firmly. “There may be cracks showing but that is better than leaving something broken. They are my family.”

Azashy nodded her agreement and started to open her mouth then closed it abruptly. “He is coming. Can you stay here? Can you keep part of me back from him?” her voice was frantic and he could see the fear growing in her eyes.

“I can, but I don’t understand why. You face him daily Azashy and I’ve never seen you look this terrified of it before.” Remedy reached across the table and took one of her hands. He could see her trembling and the hand he held was icy to the touch. Her dream self was a reflection of her form in reality and he knew she was shivering beyond the dream. With a gentle nudge he sent a wave of calmness toward her. It wouldn’t do to have Myth see her trembling in cold sweats when he entered.

“When I betrayed Nicoli I destroyed a child’s life. Because of me he was raised as an orphan and far from his true home. I tried to redeem myself and I did everything I could to make his life easier in an attempt to make amends for what I had stolen from him. I told him secrets, I taught him magic, and I showed him where to find things of value. He is on his way to Rivana as we speak to avenge the death of his loved ones. If Myth learns of my Godson’s existence or what he is about I will betray the boy again. Myth thinks he is dead, Myth believes he died in Amdany and I would rather die than betray him again. I would rather die a thousand times in agony than cause him more pain, and I know what Myth is capable of.” The words poured out of her with such conviction that he couldn’t think of what to say in return. Her hand clamped tightly around his and she no longer trembled. Dark eyes locked on his and he could see the determination filling her. “Keep the part of me that knows such things here with you Remedy. Hold it tight and no matter what Myth does to try to steal my secrets do not let go of them.”

“Azashy, he threatened to cut off your fingers last time you refused him. Do you honestly expect me to sit idly by while he mutilates you?” Remedy objected. He could feel his stomach coiling at just the thought of watching Azashy tortured. There was a fragile friendship building between them, and he wasn’t the sort to sit silently by while a friend was in pain.

“My suffering is a very small price if the Bloody Huntsman succeeds today. Please Remedy. Please promise me that you will help me in this. Myth is more powerful than both of us. We can’t win against him, but others can. He won’t kill me. I’m too useful to kill. He will try to break me, but with your help I won’t be truly broken.” Azashy’s voice took on such a note of pleading that he found himself nodding slowly.