The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4)(116)

Seth took wing behind him, flying slowly until the man turned into a narrow street. Landing silently, Seth returned to his human form and stared at the young man’s back. He couldn’t decide exactly how he wanted to kill the boy. He could use stealth and the half-blood wouldn’t even know what had killed him, or he could speak and watch as terror washed over him. With a smile he settled on the latter. He knew the boy would recognize him as easily as Seth had spotted him tonight. He had viewed him through Wisp’s eyes the day he had gathered Zoelyn and Legacy. It was doubtful that the half-blood knew he had been spotted at that meeting, and seeing Seth now was bound to be a shock. It had only been a sliver of spirit within Wisp, but it had been enough for Seth to notice, and it had been a simple matter to track him by it. He might have let the boy live for simply spying, but he was spying for Hemlock, and for that he had to die.

With a smile, Seth cleared his throat and the boy slowed to look over his shoulder. The Half-blood froze as his eyes found Seth, with an expression of pure shock on his pale face. “I bet you didn’t think anyone spotted you in Merro,” Seth began softly as he moved forward with slow purposeful steps. “You may not have realized who I was at the time, though,” he continued calmly and smiled at the boy. “Do you know me now, Ander?” he asked, tilting his head to the side as he watched the boy.

“The Crow King,” Ander gasped as his hands dropped to his daggers and he back-stepped quickly.

“Good,” Seth murmured with a nod of approval. “Then you know exactly how much shit you are in right now. No one spies on me, especially not Hemlock’s lap dog.” His voice grew as cold as ice and his expression hardened.

“I didn’t even know you were going to be there! I was there to watch Jala. It was a mistake,” Ander stammered as he clumsily drew his daggers. The boy’s fear was crippling him as Seth had guessed it would. Even the best warrior could be unmanned by fear, and this boy was no exception. It was doubtful that Ander would manage to land a single blow before he died.

“You are right, Ander. It was a very big mistake,” Seth agreed. His hands dropped to his dagger and he smiled again. “I have a message for your master, Ander.”

“Whatever you want to tell him, I will relay the message.” Hope rose in the boy’s eyes as Seth’s words sank into his fear sodden mind. Licking his lips nervously he took another step away from Seth and let out a harsh breath. “What do you want me to tell him?” he asked after a long silence between them.

Seth remained silent for another long moment letting the hope build in the boy. The fool actually thought he was going to live. “You haven’t been an Assassin long have you boy?” Seth asked. Confusion flickered in the boy’s eyes and he opened his mouth to answer, but Seth continued before he could utter a word. “I don’t need you to relay words to your Master. When he finds your body he will get the message clearly. You are going to be my calling card, Ander, and Hemlock will understand exactly what I want him to know without a single word being spoken.”





Chapter 16





Merro





The sound of the door opening drew Neph’s attention from the map he had been studying. His eyes narrowed as he recognized Foster and Noble. Both were commanders in Valor’s knights and both were highly irritating company in his opinion. By the expression on Noble’s face and the way Foster was pushing him forward, Neph guessed they were going to be even more irritating today.

“Tell him,” Foster commanded with an expression of carefully controlled anger written on his tanned face. Foster was typically as immaculate as Valor in his appearance, but today his short golden hair was tousled and his clothing looked scuffed and dirty. Judging by his appearance, getting Noble into the room hadn’t been an easy thing to do.

“No, don’t tell me. Wait and tell Valor when he gets back,” Neph snapped before either of them could speak again. He turned his attention back to the map hoping both men would recognize the dismissal and not trouble him with further conversation. He was rather curious about Foster’s disheveled appearance, but not curious enough to deal with the headache that would likely accompany the explanation. “With all due respect, Sir, this is too important to wait,” Foster said in a louder voice.

“Then tell Sovann. I am a guest in Merro, not a Lord here,” Neph grumbled without bothering to look up. “You are better suited to this than Sovann, Lord Delvay,” Foster pressed.