The Crow King's Wife (The Elder Blood Chronicles #5)(149)

“Who are you?” Caleb demanded in a hoarse voice.

She stared back at him but knew her throat was too tight to even attempt speaking. Silently she shook her head before leaning back against the wall of the ship as the sobs rose in her chest once more.

“Who are you?” Caleb repeated louder with anger clear in his voice. He lunged toward her and grabbed her wrist then froze as if he had been struck. His pale grey eyes widened as he stared down at a thin leather strip on his wrist and then slowly looked back to her. His mouth parted slightly and the sudden desperation in his eyes made her mouth go dry. Scrambling he moved closer to her and placed a hand on either side of her face forcing her to meet his eyes. “Do you know me?” Caleb asked with so much emphasis on the word know that she could only stare at him in confusion. “Just nod you don’t have to talk yet, but answer me please. Do you know me?” There was a pleading note to his voice that she couldn’t ignore.

“Caleb Faulklin.” She replied in a broken whisper and the desperation in his eyes turned to grief as he slowly lowered his hands from her face and fell back against the wall opposite her. She stared at him and for a time her grief was lost in her confusion. Shaking her head slowly she brushed a strand of hair from her face then froze as she noticed Caleb’s gaze locked on her hand. Frowning she slowly lowered her hand to stare down at the slightly crooked little finger on her hand. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to remember how she had broken the finger. It had been crushed and hadn’t healed right, she remembered that much.

She glanced up to see Caleb staring down at the leather bracelet once more with a pensive look on his face. He sat in silence for a long moment then slowly rose to his feet. His face was blank of all expression as he leaned over and firmly took her wrist. Still silent he led her toward the back of the ship and knelt beside a nearly naked man who was so battered she didn’t see how he could possibly be alive. Her gaze dropped to her wrist where Caleb still held her. His grip wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t gentle either. She doubted she could twist free from him even on her best day, and between the numbness of her mind and the throbbing in her head today certainly wasn’t her best day.

“Charm. Wake up.” Caleb said gently as he shook the battered man. The man groaned and rolled to his side revealing horribly mangled wings that drooped pathetically from his back.

“Charm I need you to wake up. We need to go and you are the only one that has the magic to get us out of here.” Caleb said more urgently as he shook the man once again with more force.

Groggily Charm rose to a sitting position and looked blankly around the ship in confusion. “We lived?” he mumbled, the words barely coherent.

“You and I did. Shade didn’t.” Caleb replied hoarsely and she saw Charm’s face crumple in response to Caleb’s words. “I need you to put the ship in a storage gem and take us to Delvay, now.”

“Who is she?” Charm struggled to form the words despite his missing tongue as he gazed up at her then looked to Caleb in confusion. “What about the city?” he mumbled. Struggling he rose to his feet and peered into the front of the ship. His eyes filled with tears as his gaze found Shade and he turned back to Caleb still waiting for his answers.

“The city can burn for all I care. It is in the hands of the High Lords now. We already paid our dues for Sanctuary and the price was too high.” Caleb returned in a cool voice.

“And her?” Charm said as he motioned a hand toward her.

Caleb’s grip tightened fractionally on her wrist and his eyes narrowed as he regarded his comrade. “She is my concern and nothing you need to worry about. I need to get to Delvay now and you are the only one that can take me. If you do so I will make you my concern as well and if anyone tries to stick you back in a cell for being what you are I will gut them.” Caleb’s voice was calm and rational, but the glint in his eyes was quite the opposite.

Nodding slowly Charm glanced around the ship once more then motioned them outside.

“Delvay?” she mumbled as Caleb tugged her wrist gently and led her from the ship.

“You will be fine I promise. I will devote every ounce of my power to keeping you safe.” Caleb said softly and his words struck a faint note in the back of her mind.

Frowning she tried to remember where she had heard the phrase before but the memory eluded her. Nodding slowly she followed meekly behind him and stared up at the city. The battle had begun and she could see the light of fire dancing across the rooftops. “I don’t think I have anywhere else to go.” She mumbled then stared down at Caleb’s hand on her wrist once more. “Or anyone else to go with.” She added softly.





Epilogue





Sanctuary





The stones of the ceiling shuddered above them and Hemlock fixed his gaze firmly on the dust drifting down from the rafters. Anything was preferable to looking at the grotesque figure that was writhing on the table. The woman had been one of the most beautiful creatures Hemlock had ever seen until he had handed her over to Kali. He felt a moment’s remorse as he considered the wasted talent. She had been a skilled Assassin with a face so sweet that the men she killed died with a smile. Then he had sent her after Shade Morcaillo and turned her over to Kali afterwards.

“Excellent.” Kali murmured and Hemlock grudgingly lowered his gaze once more to watch Kali prod the woman’s distended stomach. His eyes traced over her flesh carefully avoiding her swollen face. Every inch of her was deformed now. Whatever Kali had done to her had taken perfection and turned it to ruin.