The Crow King's Wife (The Elder Blood Chronicles #5)(117)
Chapter 16
Delvay
Moonlight covered the city in a blanket of silvery white that made everything beyond her window seem pristine. With a heavy sigh Zoelyn crossed her arms on the sill and rested her chin lightly on them. She wanted to be outside herself, but knew better than attempt to leave the city now. After everything that had happened in the last week Neph would think she was running away and in all honesty that didn’t sound like a bad plan to her at the present.
“I am a god’s bastard.” She whispered to herself and even now hours after Fortune had explained everything it still seemed unreal. Cora had tried to convince her that she was the salvation of Delvay and that becoming Undrae had been a blessing rather than a curse. A blessed curse as Fortune put it. Supposedly she could use her powers to reawaken lost heroes of Delvay, and even Neph had seemed to believe the rubbish.
Closing her eyes she tried to fight back the hunger and wondered if any of them realized how difficult it was to control her ‘blessed curse’. If just one of them knew how hard she had to fight to keep from draining everything around her then maybe they would realize how stupid their plan was.
There was no way she could manage something as delicate as draining certain weaves of magic right now. She was too ravenous, and she didn’t even know why. The only thing that had changed about her feeding habits was who created the mage stones. When she had used the stones created by Seth her curse had faded to a point that she could almost forget it existed. The stones Neph created did nothing but stem her cravings for a breath and her body was failing as well though she had taken pains to hide it. If anyone could see how her ribs were jutting or how the armor Seth had crafted for her hung from her wasting frame they might understand, but she was too ashamed to let them see that. The fleeting gift of humanity that Seth had granted her was fading, and in another few weeks she would be a monster again in appetite as well as appearance.
A soft scuff from the hall drew her from her musings and Zoelyn glanced toward the door with dread. Neph had retired hours ago, and aside from Grim and Syrah the house was empty. The only explanation for the sound was that Grim had awoken and Syrah had come to tell her. With a sigh Zoelyn walked slowly toward the door. In her current frame of mind she couldn’t think of a single thing she dreaded more than speaking with Grim. Explaining what had happened with Shade was going to be painful for them both, and she still hadn’t determined how to lie to him about it. In truth she didn’t want to lie to Grim. The secret Shade had given her was like a suffocating cloud and she knew if she could just share the burden with someone else the guilt might fade a bit, but Shade had practically begged her to keep silent, and so she had no choice but to lie for now at least.
Silently she pulled the door open and her eyes settled on the tiny form standing in the shadows of the hall. Apparently Syrah had decided she was asleep and had been leaving when the door opened. “Is he awake then?” Zoelyn asked as she stepped into the hall and started toward the girl. Her steps slowed as she grew closer and the shadows faded enough for her to actually see the girl. This child’s hair was blond, not dark like Syrah’s. “Are you lost?” Zoelyn asked hesitantly and silently prayed this actually was a Delvay child that had wandered into the wrong house, even though in her heart she knew it wasn’t.
The child turned slowly to face her and its movements were too fluid for a living creature. She wasn’t moving her feet to turn Zoelyn realized with growing alarm. The child wasn’t even touching the floor. Swallowing hard Zoelyn stared at the too pale flesh and bright blue eyes and felt a cold chill wash over her entire body.
“You can’t ignore him.” The girl’s rasping voice echoed through the hall as she took a step toward Zoelyn. The smell of rot filled the hall and Zoelyn staggered back in revulsion. “There are wards against demons lining your walls. How wrong of you after all he has done for you. You can’t keep me out though, and I won’t let you ignore him.” The child pressed as she continued to approach.
“I didn’t place any wards. I don’t even know what wards you are talking about.” Zoelyn stammered as she took another step back toward her room. She knew this part of the story, and she knew the child would attack. She had to get back inside her room before the child reached her. She knew her curse wouldn’t drain the dead, Seth had taught her that much on her first trip into the Darklands. “Please tell him to stop this, please. I don’t want to live this story.” Zoelyn begged as she bumped against the wooden frame of her bedroom door and fumbled at the door handle behind her without taking her eyes from the dead child.
“There is only one way to stop this and you know it. This is an old story. How far will you let it progress before you face the inevitable. You cannot ignore the Crow King.” The child hissed as the door gave behind her.
Zoelyn stumbled backward into the room and barely managed to close the door before the child reached her. The wood rattled against the child’s assault and Zoelyn took a hasty step back and swallowed heavily. She could feel fear building inside her and threatening to overwhelm her reason. Stumbling back further she caught hold of a chair and braced herself as she forced her breathing back to normal and tried to rein her emotions in. Her eyes were locked on the door and she couldn’t seem to pull her gaze from the rattling wooden frame. How long could something as simple as a wooden door hold the dead at bay? She had locked it when it closed, but how could a lock stop a spirit?