The Crow King's Wife(53)

He waited patiently until the doors had slammed closed behind Fiona before approaching Seth and stopped just a few feet away. Yasny had faded completely, but Seth still stood where he had drained her with a look of frustration on his face. Finn smiled faintly and waited to speak until Seth met his gaze. “That was revenge Seth. How was it?” he asked quietly.

“Not enough.” Seth muttered. With a heavy sigh he paced to the table Exodus had been seated at and dropped heavily into one of the chairs before looking back at Finn with expectation.

“It never is Seth. If that torment you served Yasny wasn’t enough, how can you possibly believe anything you do to Hemlock will repay him for all of the misery he has caused you over the years?” Finn kept his voice gentle. He knew the discussion was going to be a painful one for Seth, but it was a point that needed to be made.

“I have been thinking along those lines since our last talk.” Seth said with obvious hesitation and waved to the chair across from him. “I’ve been trying to gather the proper words for this for days, and I’m not sure I have, but we are both here so I might as well attempt it.”

Finn nodded and sat in the indicated chair. He’d been wondering at Seth’s extended silence, and it appeared he was about to get his answers without the prompting. It was entirely possible that the day might end on a good note after all. He’d had doubts this morning as he was planning on how to best deal with Yasny and bring Seth back to his side.

“My mother was a slave. She served as a whore to Avanti. He had a tendency of rewarding his men with the use of his harem, so I never knew Avanti was truly my father. It could have been half a dozen men in his service.” Seth began slowly. “When I was very young he rewarded one of his minor lords in that fashion, but the lord found interest in me rather than the women in the room. I typically served by fetching food and drinks for the girls, or changing sheets, whatever I could be told to do that I was capable of doing really. I had never been asked to serve anyone in this fashion though, and I ran and hid when the man approached me. The minor lord took offense, and in apology Lord Avanti gave me to him. My mother bid me to go, she pleaded with me to behave and serve him well. By the end of the first night I despised her for it. It never occurred to me that she was trying to save my life. All I could see was the fact that she had given me to someone who hurt me and made me feel worthless.” Seth paused and rubbed his eyes before letting out a heavy sigh. “I nurtured that hate for weeks. I directed it at everyone in the house. I hated them all and blamed them for allowing my torment. They didn’t speak up. They didn’t stop what was happening. So they were guilty. I killed them all right down to the guard dog. I punished every living soul in that house that had witnessed my humiliation.”

Finn nodded slowly and pulled a flask from his cloak pocket. He took a small sip before offering it to Seth who shook his head in response. He wasn’t really sure where Seth was going with his story, but he didn’t dare interrupt. Most of what he was being told he knew from examining the room Death had designed as penance for Seth, but this was the most he had ever heard Seth speak about his past. If he spoke now there was a chance the Assassin would fall silent, and that was the last thing he wanted. He needed Seth on his side once more. With every day that passed he became more convinced that Fiona’s loyalties were truly with War, and there was no one else in the Darklands he would consider giving even a fraction of trust to.

“They put me in the Arena for my crimes. Everyone expected I would be dead within a day given my age. When two years had passed and I still hadn’t died Avanti himself came to watch me fight. I’d earned a reputation in the pits by then for being bloodthirsty and it was very well deserved. I had to be kept separate from the other prisoners to keep me from slitting their throats for the slightest insult. I lived on hatred and blood. I think it sustained me more than the gruel they served for food. Avanti watched me for three fights before he took me once more into his service. The next fight he sent in my mother. He had her masked, but when she spoke to me I knew without a doubt who it was, and that she didn’t know the first thing about fighting. I gutted her and made sure she died slowly.” Seth paused again and met Finn’s eyes once more.

There was no sign of regret in his gaze and Finn found himself wondering if he had gotten through to the man at all in their last talk. It was possible he had misjudged Seth completely, but he didn’t think so. Too many things pointed toward Seth. There had to be a reason for that. No matter what Seth was saying Finn truly believed someone wanted the man redeemed. All of the signs were there. He just had to find a way to force Seth to accept it.