The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)(66)

“If I leave the city now, my guild is in more danger than it will likely survive. If the Fionaveir discover where the NightBlades reside they won’t rest until they have destroyed everything I have,” Hemlock objected calmly.

“Well, I’d say place someone you trust in charge, but we all know you don’t trust anyone,” Kali said dryly and sighed heavily. “Send someone else to Merro, then. If Jala is involved with your visions there will be answers there. Someone needs to gather them unless you can manage to summon a vision that isn’t filled with riddles.”

“I’ll see what arrangements I can make,” Hemlock offered with obvious reluctance. He hated leaving the city. Sanctuary was his home and his security. It wasn’t that he feared the lands outside; it was the simple fact that he didn’t hold power there. Still Kali had a valid point. He had visited Jala not too long ago, but it had been a short visit in the early hours of the morning and he hadn’t bothered to gather information while he was there. That was before his Time magic started failing him, though Things had changed now. For the first time since he could remember, he had to do things the hard way. With a weary sigh, he stood and nodded to Kali. “I’m not sure how long I will be out of the city, but I will contact you when I return. I think I will have to leave the Guild to fend for itself for a time. This is too important to leave in someone else’s hands. I’d rather see the NightBlades fall than the Barrier.”

“Glad we see eye to eye on the matter.” Kali grinned at him, looking far too pleased with herself. There were times when he w anted to slap her, given her temper, though he generally just walked away. Which was exactly what he intended to do now. “Nighty night, Hemmy. Let me know the moment you return,” Kali added cheerfully as he crossed to the portal stone.

“Of course, Kali,” Hemlock replied with his own forced smile. Someone in the city would have a very bad night, now. He needed to vent his irritation on someone other than Kali. Kali was too useful to kill, and that was the only thing that had kept his blade from her throat for a very long time. He was a survivor to the core, and he knew he needed Kali to survive. He would do whatever he had to, even if it was allying with a nutty bitch, to save a world he despised. The irony of the situation brought a smile to his face and his irritation with the night eased a little. Hemlock, the savior. He nearly laughed at the thought. Charm would choke on his own vomit if he ever learned the truth of it all.





Chapter 10





The Darklands





Seth sat down wearily at the table and stared at the unconscious girl on his bed. She was little more than skin stretched over bones. It was a state of starvation that was far past anything he’d seen other Undrae able to control. Typically the creatures siphoned from anything that got near them when they were hungry, yet somehow Zoelyn had managed to limit her power to touch alone. It was remarkable, really. In her current state, she shouldn’t have had the willpower to resist draining.

He knew he could get her in good condition before she woke, but it would require regaining some of his own power, first. That was the part he was dreading. It would be simple if Finn would simply grant him a soul as Death had done so often. One single spirit and he would be spared the torment of regaining his power the other way, but Finn didn’t seem to understand, and he wasn’t allowed to ask.

Frustration welled in his chest and Seth rose abruptly from the chair. His eyes lingered on the room for a long moment before he forced himself to accept the truth. If he wanted power, he had to serve penance. He had motivation for it now, though. There was an Undrae in existence. That meant someone knew the only spell to bring a soul back that Death had no way of stopping. With the proper sacrifice, he could live again, and there was nothing Finn could do to stop it. All he had to do was figure out who created the girl. With a deep sigh, Seth gave Zoelyn a final glance and headed out of the room toward his own personal hell.

Everyone who sinned had penance to serve in the Darklands. That was simply how it was. His, however, was different from most. Death had fine-tuned his penance to excruciating levels and then forced it to be his choice. He didn’t have to face the pain he was walking to, unless he wanted power. He could ignore it for years, but then, he wouldn’t have the strength to travel to the sunlit world, or to hold his status among the creatures of the Darklands, for that matter. Death had created the room as one option, the other had been to do as she wished and she would reward him with souls. Now she was dead, though, and Finn was clueless, so his only choice was the room.

Seth rubbed his face and stared hard at the door before him. Ravens had been carved into the black wood with such detail that they seemed ready to take flight. A knot coiled in his stomach as he pressed his palm against the door. A pale glow illuminated the seams for a breath and the door slowly swung open. The interior was black as pitch, and not even his eyes could pierce the shadows inside. He entered without hesitation, though. He knew nothing was waiting inside for him. The only other creature in the Darklands that could open this room was Death itself, and Finn had not yet learned that this room existed.

He could feel the magic of the room coil around him as soon as the door closed behind him. It pulled at him like a neglected child demanding his attention. With a low growl, Seth pushed it back, and tried to organize his thoughts. The magic in this room held every moment of his life that had led him to where he was now. As Death had explained it, the more he suffered, the more strength he regained. He typically spent days in this room when he served penance, slowly building his power back with the short memories that were least painful to remember. He didn’t have time for that now, though, so he really only had one option: Dashara. The knot in his stomach grew tighter as he focused his mind on her. The room began to fade around him as the room’s magic seized his focus. Walls fell way, leaving trees and green fields around him as the magic fully immersed him in a pain he never thought he would face again.