The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)(96)

“Do you ever feel the slightest bit of remorse when you do this sort of thing?” Yasny asked quietly. She hadn’t been in the hall when he had left his room. She must have been watching and waiting for the right moment to appear, but then the dragon really didn’t have much in the way of entertainment so he couldn’t blame her.

Seth took a deep breath and summoned a thoughtful expression to his face. Tilting his head to one side he seemed to consider her question deeply for several moments. “No, not really,” he replied cheerfully as he smiled sweetly at her and started for the stairs. He had a lot to do tonight before Zoelyn woke in the morning and he wanted to be back the moment her eyes opened.

He was making real progress with her, and now that he had her trust it was time to push her about information on her past. He had kept silent on the matter entirely until he was sure she was indebted to him and trusted him enough to speak about the matter. After her heartfelt display at the sight of his bruises, he knew he had her. His excitement was difficult to contain and it was impossible to keep the smile from his face. Once he knew who had raised her, it would be a simple matter to bargain for his own resurrection. Not as an Undrae of course, but a full resurrection with all of his memories and powers intact. Then life would truly get interesting and Hemlock would finally get what he deserved. The pain of Dashara’s loss had faded centuries ago, but the humiliation of his defeat was still a bright lance of agony that would only be healed by Hemlock’s death. He had waited an eternity for the opportunity and it was so close.

“Does the smile come from the guilt you gave the Divine or the little girl’s stupidity?” Yasny asked.

Seth glanced at her in annoyance and frowned. He hadn’t even paid attention to the fact that she had fallen into step beside him as he descended to the throne room once more. “It stems from the fact that she forgave me and that she is making progress,” he lied smoothly and shook his head at her with disgust. “Not everything has to be about the suffering of others, Yasny,” he scolded gently.

“You liar,” Yasny murmured with a trace of amusement in her voice. “Fine, keep your secrets, but don’t pretend you are better than the rest of us. I know just as well as you do that the only thing left that can make us smile is watching someone suffer more than we do.”

“Ahh. Yasny, you are so wrong there,” Seth replied with a grin as he quickened his pace down the stairs. “There is so much more that can make me smile,” he added in a sweet voice. She had stopped following him, as he knew she would. Yasny never went to the lower parts of the Palace.

Carefully he wiped the smile from his face as he neared the double doors to Finn’s throne room. It wouldn’t do for Finn to see him in good humor. That would lessen the guilt the Divine felt and give him less to work with. With a look of subdued misery carefully painted on his face he silently pushed the doors open, taking care to keep his eyes downcast. “Your son, Milord,” he announced quietly.

“Bring him here and leave, Seth. I have no desire for your company at all,” Finn replied coolly.

Seth resisted the urge to look up. That wasn’t the reaction he had been expecting, but he did his best to hide his confusion. Perhaps there was still a bit of the anger left. It might have served him better to leave the bruises on his face until after this meeting. “As you say, Milord,” Seth murmured in his most humble voice. He crossed the room quickly and placed Legacy in his father’s arms without once looking up. Head still bowed, Seth backed away from the throne and left as silently as he had entered.

He glanced over his shoulder once as the doors sealed behind him and frowned. Finn should have been apologetic, not cold. It was something he would have to work on when he returned. For now he had work to do and he was looking forward to it more than he would ever admit.

The frown faded as he wrapped his cloak tightly around himself and called on his crow form. The shadows blurred around him as he took wing toward one of the many windows, and the Darklands faded away as his magic carried him to the sunlit world.

Fading sunlight shone across the streets of Sanctuary as he settled himself on the edge of a roof. The streets were bustling below him and he watched in silence as the citizens of the city finished the last of their day’s business. Vendors were packing up their wares as customers frantically haggled for end-day bargains.

A faint hum of excitement built in his chest as he realized very soon he could be doing something just as mundane as purchasing bread for his night’s dinner. It was amazing how you never noticed little things such as that until after you no longer had them. The taste of a well prepared dinner. The smell of flowers in the spring. The feel of warm sunlight on your skin. It had all seemed trivial when he lived, and now he would kill to have those moments back.

The sound of laughter from one of the nearby taverns drew his attention and he watched in silence as two men stepped from the door and down to the street. They parted ways with a nod and Seth’s eyes followed one as he strolled down the crowded street. The half-blood was average height and build and dressed as common as anyone else on the street. He would have faded into the crowd if not for his long pale blond hair and the large dagger on his hip.

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.