The Crow King's Wife(78)

“You are treading in dangerous water.” Seth warned once more but there wasn’t much conviction in his words. What Finn was describing was tempting, and he couldn’t deny his interest.

“It is.” Finn agreed and locked his gaze on Seth once more. “Will you help me keep the sharks at bay until I’m finished?”

He was moving before he realized what he was doing. The stone beneath him was cold as he settled to one knee before Finn. “How may I serve you? My loyalty is yours to command.” The words flowed easily from his lips and Seth felt his pulse quicken as he spoke. It was the honest truth he realized with amazement. For the first time in his life he was swearing his loyalty and actually meaning it.

“Clear some books from a chair and join me. Listen to the stories I’m being told and tell me if my bard is misspoken. You have actually seen what he describes. For now that will be enough.” Finn picked up a book from the table and then glanced up at Seth once more. “Perhaps you will tell me your plans for Zoey as well, and then of course there is also the matter of Jala and speaking to the Empress for me, but that can wait until later.”

Seth cleared the books silently and glanced up at the bard leaning against the wall. “Take a break from your stories of history and tell the Lord of Death one that is more recent. The Crow King’s wife if you know it.”

The young man nodded slowly and glanced to Finn for permission before clearing his throat hesitantly. “I do know it.” He said cautiously.

The look on his face was one of dread and Seth nearly laughed at the sight of it. He could imagine how anyone would fear telling him this particular story. It certainly wasn’t one that shone him in a good light, but it was typical of all of the rumors and legends about the Crow King. Some of the stories were well founded, this one was not, but it was one of the most widely known story involving him.

“Tell it as they tell it in Glis. I won’t find offense. Don’t change the story to flatter me.” Seth pressed and the bard stiffened further.

“Is there a reason you are tormenting my storyteller?” Finn asked with amusement.

“You wanted to know my plans for Zoelyn.” Seth reminded him. “He is about to tell you.”

The spirit visibly flinched at his words, but cleared his throat once more and squared his shoulders. “In the southern hills near the river lands just past the Bramblewood a village once stood. It was a dwelling of people so closely knit that neighbors were as brothers and every pain or joy felt by one was felt by all. Amongst these folks was a girl by the name of Karalea. She was the pride of her village for more than just her beauty. It was her gentle nature and kindness that folk spoke of when they described her. She was a hunter’s daughter and so she knew the land as no other did. She was not the sort to laze about while others worked and often she was out gathering and foraging the wilds to help maintain not just her family, but her village as well. She would be out from dawn until dusk on her wanderings and so it was that one day as she was foraging she came across a crow that was wounded. To her eyes it was a poor creature that was suffering and so by her gentle nature she sought to ease its pain. Any other who encountered this creature might have believed the simplest mercy would be death for the bird was gravely wounded with a cut that scored from its breast to far past its wing. Death was not the answer for one as kind as Karalea though and so she carried the creature back home with her and cleansed the wound with clean water before binding it with strips of cloth from one of the few dresses she owned.” The bard paused and his gaze flicked to Seth once more. There was a faint glint of accusation there and for a moment Seth wondered if the storyteller actually believed the tale he was spinning.

“Continue.” Finn prompted. The book he had picked up was lying forgotten in his lap and he was watching the bard with interest. He glanced at Seth and raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard this tale. I had no idea you spent your spare time luring peasant girls into pampering you.”

Seth snorted with amusement and waved a hand at the bard. “You heard your master. Continue.” He ordered quietly.

The bard took another deep breath and bowed his head slightly to Finn before his rich voice rose once more. “For days she cared for the creature and often carried it with her on her wanderings never realizing what she truly held. To her the crow was a creature of the forest, an innocent animal that had been wounded cruelly, but in truth it was far more than a crow. It was in fact the Crow King himself that Karalea devoted so much kindness to and had she simply killed the creature when it was weakened the world would have been a brighter place, and perhaps that small village would still stand today. That was not her nature however and over time the creature healed until it once again had the strength for flight. Her heart lifted to see it survive such a grievous wound and with a loving hand she released it back into the wild. For days all was peaceful and her life returned to normal. Then in the still of night the first dream came to her and in her sleep she saw truly what she had saved. The Crow King himself spoke to her and tried to lure her to him with sweet words, but Karalea refused his charm. She was no fool and she knew the danger of the Crow King. He was a creature of hell with the blackest of souls and no matter how sweetly he spoke she knew it was lies. For many nights he plagued her dreams with temptations until the folk of the village began to see the haunted look in her eyes. They begged her to tell them her troubles, but she was not the sort to burden others with her pain and so she kept her silence until the tempting dreams turned to nightmares. As his sweet words shifted to threats she went first to her mother and told her all. In ignorance her mother bade her be silent and hold strong. She didn’t want her daughter to suffer, but she was foolish enough to believe the Crow King could only haunt dreams and that he had no strength over the pure of heart.”