The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)(74)
Seth lifted the boy’s corpse more to keep the still kicking legs from alerting the man, and waited in utter silence as the second hunter approached. He wanted to test the man to see if he would notice the faint scuffs and droplets of blood on the cobbles. Most wouldn’t have noticed, but the old man did. With a genuine smile, Seth pushed the body from the shadows and watched the old man slide back with more grace than anyone his apparent age should have possessed as the changelin’s corpse hit the cobbles before him. A knife was gripped lightly in the man’s hand, ready to be thrown at any moment. His dark eyes scanned the alley, searching frantically for any movement, but there was no fear there, only anticipation.
“Glad to see I didn’t waste my time with you,” Seth murmured in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
“Master,” the man gasped as his form shifted almost immediately to his true shape. It was a risky endeavor, considering where they were. Sovaesh was an exile here and if he was spotted it would mean his death. If the Firym could manage to catch him, of course. Sovaesh glanced down at the body, then back into the ally, before glancing behind him toward the busier streets. “This is the last place I expected to see you and I have to admit I’m rather confused. Did you have a grievance with this man?” Sovaesh asked quietly as he lifted the body effortlessly and moved into the alley once more.
“I needed life energy and I needed to speak with you. It seemed easier to kill two birds with one stone,” Seth explained with a smirk as he leaned back against the wall. It never ceased to amaze him how much Sovaesh and Finn resembled each other. Perhaps that was why he was willing to tolerate so much from Finn, even if the boy’s ignorance made his life more difficult.
“What do you need of me, Master?” Sovaesh asked as he dropped the boy to the ground and gazed up at Seth with searching eyes.
“It has been several centuries since I taught you, Sovaesh. I think you can quit calling me master now,” Seth said with faint shake of his head. It was difficult not to smile, both from Sovaesh’s words as well as his actions. Seth had been forced to train others while he served Avanti, but Sovaesh was the only one he had ever trained by choice, and he had never regretted doing so. Sovaesh was clever and noticed details that others would overlook. He was perfect for his role in life and every time Seth watched him work, he was proud.
“When I know for a certainty that I am superior to you in the arts and there is nothing more that you could ever teach me, I will cease. I think I will be calling you Master for a very long time,” Sovaesh replied softly and bowed his head with respect.
“Fair enough,” Seth chuckled. “How is Davahni?” he asked in a softer tone. It, of course, wasn’t what he was here to speak of, but he always asked about her first. The only contact he had with his daughter was through Sovaesh. She had been an infant when he died, and by the time he had enough strength to leave the Darklands he was cursed with the life of a Demon and Davahni was fully grown. Too much time had passed to consider approaching her then, and even if he had, what could he have possibly said. I’m sorry I let your mother die. I just wanted you to know that I love you, but better not trust me since I am Death’s lackey now.
So he had waited, and opportunity had eventually presented itself in the form of Sovaesh. The young Firym had wanted Davahni, and Seth had wanted her to be safe. The easiest way to attain both of their goals was to train the boy. It made Sovaesh useful to Avanti while giving Davahni a shield. The fact that Seth had arranged for Sovaesh to meet Davahni and used a bit of charm magic to ensure the Firym was interested in her was entirely irrelevant. The Changeling blood had been too useful to ignore, and it made Sovaesh the perfect protector. A Changeling could escape from the Avanti slave chains. No one else could.
“Davahni is better than she has ever been I think. Merro agrees with her and the fact that Donrey is dead has relieved much of her stress. Despite everything I did to keep her away from him, he still terrified her. I suppose I never noticed how much he scared her until after I killed him. It wasn’t until he was dead that I finally got to see her truly happy,” Sovaesh answered after a long moment. By the crease of his eyes above the mask Seth could tell he was frowning.
“She held that fear from before the time she met you, Sovaesh. Donrey never laid a finger on her while she was in your care. Of that I’m certain,” Seth said quietly.
“I should have killed him sooner,” Sovaesh sighed. “But at least it’s done now. I’m sure you didn’t come all the way to Firym to discuss this, though. You look as though you are in a hurry, too. So what is it that you need?”
Seth smiled again. He hadn’t shown any signs of impatience that he was aware of, but Sovaesh noticed every detail. “I didn’t, and I am. As always, you are correct. I need to know what you know of Zoelyn, Jala’s ward. Where did she come from? How long has she been with Jala?”
Sovaesh’s frown deepened for a moment and he shook his head slowly. “I’ve only met her once, so I don’t know much of her. She has been with Jala for two weeks or so that I know of. Jala brought her back from Arovan, though I think the girl might have actually been from Glis. From what I understand, Elijah was keeping her as a ward in his keep and Jala thought she would have better luck helping the girl in Merro. When Zoelyn spoke to me she seemed to have a Glis accent to her voice so at the very least she is from one of the border villages.”