The Crow King's Wife (The Elder Blood Chronicles #5)(125)

“You don’t understand Myth.” Shade said wearily and shook his head as he dropped the gem into his coat pocket. “If you did you would realize everything in this stone is likely true.”

“No, you don’t understand manipulation.” Grim corrected. “All it takes to get someone to do what you want is changing their perspective. Myth has made you believe you are a puppet, and you are giving up. He has taken every memory you had and tarnished it with lies to sow doubt, and it worked splendidly. The memories are still the same, but he changed the way you perceive them.”

Shade opened his mouth to object but stopped himself and actually considered what Grim was saying. It did sound like something Myth would do, but the images in the gem explained so much about his childhood when he viewed them. “I think I need to consider this more.” Shade mused quietly.

“I think you need to consider it less and get off your ass. Myth is trying to make you give up. That means the only thing we really can do at this point is push forward. You can spin this around in your mind all night long and in the end you will be jumping at every shadow and seeing conspiracy everywhere, or we can do what you came here to do and face Myth together when he finally crawls out of whatever rock he is hiding under. Your choice.” Grim said calmly as he offered Shade a hand up from the ground.

“I like it all except for the part of facing Myth. If I face Myth I’m going to die, and I really am not fond of the thought of serving Finn. He would make me clean the demon’s privy or something equally distasteful. Finn and I don’t get along well. Which makes it pretty amazing that I seem to get along perfectly with you since you claim to be the same sort of creature as Finn.” The words poured out of Shade in a tumble until he realized he was babbling and snapped his mouth shut tightly. He wasn’t sure if it was the wine or his nerves, but decided either way silence was probably his best option.

“Finn is Firym. His arrogance is the difference. He proclaims to the world how wonderful he is. I silently show the world my perfection and don’t bother to wait around for the applause. Finn requires confirmation of his talent, I don’t.” Grim explained with a smile as he lifted his coat from the railing and turned to head back inside the inn.

“Wait! Don’t you need to take us out of the Shadows?” Shade protested as he started after Grim.

“I had planned to use the shadows to investigate the prison. Would you prefer I simply stroll past the guards and pretend I am there for confessions from the prisoners?” Grim asked dryly. With a smirk he shrugged his coat back on and pulled the cowl up to emphasis his point.

“I think you might possibly be the first Priest of Fear that bothered to listen to confessions. I’m pretty certain the rest of your order would mock the prisoners for being scared little pussies.” Shade admitted with a smile.

“I doubt I could refrain from mocking them either. So the shadows are our best approach I think.” Grim returned with a wink as he headed for the stairs.

“I show fear all of the time. How come you don’t mock me?” Shade asked as he started after Grim’s quickly disappearing form.

“I do. I just keep it to myself.” Grim teased then chuckled at Shade’s snort of displeasure. “I don’t mock you because you don’t let fear master you. You always face it and thus you are above my contempt.” Grim amended with a grin.

“Good to know. Don’t run while Grim is watching. Got it.” Shade said and for the first time in four days he felt his confidence slowly creeping back in. Grim had a very valid point, Fear had never stopped him before, and he wasn’t sure why he allowed a few memories in a gem to stop him now. He knew what was right and for better or worse he would save Charm and to hell with the consequences, at least he wasn’t facing it alone. “I think confidence might be contagious. Yours seems to be rubbing off on me.” Shade observed with a smile.

“I am a Priest of Fear, Shade. Confidence is most easily attained when one is not frightened. You will always be confident around me, because I will always ensure that you have nothing to fear.” Grim replied smoothly as he pushed the door of the inn opened and began walking slowly toward the center of Sanctuary.

“One day you are going to have to tell me the story about how you became a priest. I thought only the Delvay revered the gods enough to worship them.” Shade said with a grin.

“The god sought me out and offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse.” Grim replied without even a hint of a smile on his face to suggest he was joking.

Shade stared at him in amazement for a long moment before he slowly realized Grim wasn’t teasing. “The Divine of Fear sought you out?” he repeated dumbly.

Grim nodded and smiled as he met Shade’s eyes. “And therein you have the first hint of why I am not concerned with Myth. As I said before, I am much more than a simple Shifter and it will take more than a Changeling to give me pause. Myth is old and powerful, but I am the Bloody Huntsman and I always find my prey.”





Chapter 18





Delvay





“I don’t like it. It’s too easy.” Neph declared as he tossed the carefully penned invitation down onto his table. His eyes scanned over the document again reading through the delicate script proclaiming him the rightful High Lord of Delvay and he snorted in disgust. The Empress’s signature filled the bottom corner of the parchment as well as half a dozen seals proving that it was legitimate, but it still felt wrong in his hands.