The Crow King's Wife(178)

Sanctuary





The stones of the ceiling shuddered above them and Hemlock fixed his gaze firmly on the dust drifting down from the rafters. Anything was preferable to looking at the grotesque figure that was writhing on the table. The woman had been one of the most beautiful creatures Hemlock had ever seen until he had handed her over to Kali. He felt a moment’s remorse as he considered the wasted talent. She had been a skilled Assassin with a face so sweet that the men she killed died with a smile. Then he had sent her after Shade Morcaillo and turned her over to Kali afterwards.

“Excellent.” Kali murmured and Hemlock grudgingly lowered his gaze once more to watch Kali prod the woman’s distended stomach. His eyes traced over her flesh carefully avoiding her swollen face. Every inch of her was deformed now. Whatever Kali had done to her had taken perfection and turned it to ruin.

Shaking his head Hemlock turned his gaze back to the ceiling and refused to look as the woman’s scream tore through the room. Whatever Kali was doing to the creature was her business. He just wished she would hurry and finish it so they could get the hell out of this city before the High Lords tore it apart.

Another scream echoed through the room followed by the harsh wail of an infant. Clenching his jaw Hemlock gave into his morbid curiosity and glanced toward Kali as the mage carefully wrapped the squirming bloody child in a blanket.

“Take care of her.” Kali order brusquely as she stepped away from the writhing woman on the table and Hemlock let out a sigh of disgust.

“My baby.” The creature on the table mumbled through lips so swollen she could barely form the words. “Please.” Her hand stretched after Kali but her body was too distorted for her to even attempt to rise.

“Sorry Love, but that was never your baby.” Hemlock whispered gently as he pulled a dagger from his belt and crossed the short distance between them. His gaze flicked to the torn remains of the woman’s stomach. Kali had cut the child free of the womb with no regard to the woman’s life. If he left her as she was she would die slowly and painfully that fact combined with the deformities Kali’s magic had cursed the woman with killing her was a mercy. He met her eyes briefly and shook his head slowly.

“You should have known better than to trust me.” Hemlock whispered just before his dagger took her through the heart. He pulled the blade free and wiped it carelessly across her then turned on Kali. “What in the hell did you do to her?” he demanded with disgust clear in his voice.

“Infused her with the Changeling genetic. Her body reacted poorly to it and I’m afraid she didn’t have the mental aptitude to hold herself together.” Kali replied calmly never taking her eyes from the small child she was carefully wiping clean. The baby writhed in her grip making pathetic mewling sounds and from what Hemlock could see of the creature it was just as deformed as its dead mother.

“We wasted time for that to be born?” Hemlock growled in disgust. “I feel as though you wasted a very useful life on this endeavor. Nahlia was talented.” He tried to keep the anger from his voice but failed miserably. He didn’t have time for a fight with Kali right now and he knew it. The city was being torn apart above them and the opportunity to escape was rapidly dwindling.

“You don’t understand at all.” Kali murmured and waved a hand for him to move closer as she gently laid the child down on the table before her.

With an annoyed sigh Hemlock walked to her side and stared down at the sallow skinned creature. It resembled a human in shape alone and he felt his stomach clench in revulsion as he watched it. He couldn’t even call it him or her, the creature had no gender just bare smooth flesh between its legs.

“A Changeling is nothing, yet everything. This one is as close to pure blood as I can make it. Nahlia’s death was not in vain.” Kali said gently and a smile of satisfaction curved her lips as she carefully covered the child with her hands. Her pale eyes closed and her breathing slowed with focus.

The child mewled again then too Hemlock’s amazement fell silent as it mimicked Kali’s serene expression. Its pale flesh darkened to a healthy pink color with perfect rosebud lips. Dark red hair sprouted from the top of its head and Kali slowly pulled her hands back. The skin between the child’s legs was no longer smooth Hemlock realized with a start and he found it nearly impossible to believe the perfect little girl fidgeting on the table was the same creature that had been lying there when he approached.

“You have to give them their first form. You have to show them how to change and what you want them to be.” Kali explained softly as she gently wrapped the baby in the blanket once more and lifted her from the table.