The Crow King's Wife (The Elder Blood Chronicles #5)(139)

Not bothering to slow or to glance back Shade continued toward his quarry with a determination he had never felt before. He couldn’t pull his eyes from Faramir despite the tread of heavy boots closing behind him. At any moment he knew Grim would catch him and pull him back and try to force him to flee, but that was an argument that Grim couldn’t win. Shade would not for love nor friendship turn away from this. Faramir would be punished no matter what the cost.

“Has to be right now eh?” Grim asked calmly as he fell into step beside him. “Right at this exact bloody moment, with dragons closing from the north and Spell Hawks coming in hard from the west.” He added with wry amusement rather than the anger Shade had expected.

Glancing to the west Shade raised an eyebrow at the tiny dots of black against the blue sky then turned his attention back to Faramir without slowing his steps. “Hadn’t noticed the other Spell Hawks to the west actually.” He admitted. He was so close behind them now he could smell Symphony’s perfume wafting back on the breeze.

Bitter memories rose in his mind of Faramir’s guidance over Symphony and Shade felt the rage inside him bubbling over, demanding release. He should have stopped her then, before he fled Sanctuary. He should have called Faramir out before she had a chance to destroy Charm and corrupt Symphony. He had fled instead, and now two of his friends had suffered because of it.

“Mm and it shall be devastating.” Grim crooned softly. “I can practically taste your anger it is so thick about you.” He mused with what sounded like satisfaction in his voice.

Ignoring him Shade quickened his steps and was nearly upon the two women and their guards before any of them noticed him approaching. A young Fionaveir Shade didn’t recognize stepped in front of Symphony with his hand going to the hilt of his sword, but Shade didn’t even acknowledge the action. His eyes were for Faramir alone. As easy as another might breathe Shade honed his reflexes and increased his speed pushing his agility far past normal means.

“Bitch!” The single word tore from Shade with the force of years of repressed emotion fueling it. Symphony staggered back to cringe behind her guards wide eyed and obviously too stunned for speech, but Shade didn’t even spare her a second glance. Lunging forward he brought his arm around for a bone shattering punch to Faramir’s jaw and summoned a spell that would detonate the moment his blow hit her. The Fionaveir woman reeled back and a squeal of alarm broke from her lips then turned to laughter as she caught Shade’s fist before it could connect and squeezed savagely.

Shade’s knees buckled as the bones of his fingers shattered under Faramir’s grip and gasped in silent agony when his own spell rebounded on him sending waves of jarring pain through his entire body. Stunned he strained to remain conscious as he tried to focus on what was happening. He could still hear Faramir’s laughter but the rest of the area around them was as silent as death. It took Shade a long moment to realize that Grim wasn’t coming to his rescue. Grim couldn’t come to his rescue Shade realized as the world around him came into full focus. The Priest was frozen in mid step as was every other figure around him aside from Faramir herself. Even the leaves of the trees above them were unmoving without so much as a breeze stirring them.

The pressure on his hand increased and Shade’s eyes snapped back to Faramir as her form slowly dissolved into one that he knew all too well and Shade’s throat went as dry as sand as he stared upward into the blue eyes of his father. His anger faded as swiftly as it had come and for a breath he was a child again looking upward into eyes filled with disgust. He bit his tongue just as he was about to babble apologies and forced himself to remain silent.

“Now that I have your attention.” Myth said calmly as he tightened his grip once more sending waves of agony through Shade’s arm as the bones of his hand crumbled to shards. It took every ounce of will he had to keep from screaming but he couldn’t contain the ragged groan that tore from his lips as Myth whispered a spell sending pulses of lightning through his mangled fingers. His entire arm went numb and Shade collapsed at Myth’s feet gasping from the waves of magic wracking his body.

Sighing heavily Myth stepped back and regarded his son with distaste. “Really? That was it? Had I known you were going to provide such little entertainment I wouldn’t have bothered stopping time for this.” He said with disappointment clear in his voice. Giving Shade a bored glance he rolled his eyes before stepping nimbly around him to head straight toward Grim’s stasis held form.

“Stay away from him!” Shade tried to yell the words, but the electricity coursing through his muscles made speaking nearly impossible and the words were barely coherent through his clenched teeth.

“Him?” Myth enquired innocently as he stepped closer to Grim and stared up at the Priest’s face. “Pretty, I can see why you chose him.” Myth observed calmly then paced a small circle around Grim as if inspecting a horse at a fair. “Too pretty actually, he is far beyond what a Shifter should be.” Myth added thoughtfully and glanced back at Shade with a raised eyebrow.

“Do not touch him.” Shade growled as he struggled to his feet. The shock of seeing Myth was wearing off and his anger was returning brighter than ever. Teeth still clenched he forced his broken fingers wide to keep his regeneration from healing his hand into a disfigured claw and nearly fainted from the renewed agony. All but the little finger of his hand straightened and he didn’t spare a thought for the twisted little finger. The bones of the joint had been crushed and he didn’t have time to spare for it now. He would have to break it again later to straighten it. There was no help for it at the present.