The Crow King's Wife (The Elder Blood Chronicles #5)(57)

“I can’t let this pass. I hope you realize that.” Grim said at last. He seemed completely unaware of her interest in the crow and she felt a small relief at that. If he had managed to work through who she truly was taking the sight of a crow and deducing that Seth was the Crow king wouldn’t be a difficult matter for him.

“You can’t let what pass?” Zoelyn asked in confusion. She wasn’t sure if he meant her existence, but she couldn’t think of much else he could be talking about. Grim was Glis born and Arovan raised, he knew all of the legends and he had a druid’s hatred for anything that threatened life…like an Undrae.

“Neph. Your creation. The magic is forbidden for a reason.” Grim explained in a quiet voice and his words were stilted as if he was still forming the thoughts behind them. “I may have to kill him.” He added in almost an afterthought.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to kill me?” Zoelyn asked and there was an edge to her voice that drew his attention instantly.

His expression shifted and he looked almost shocked at her words. “Kill you?” he stammered incredulously and shook his head sharply at her as he pushed off the tree. “Do you even realize what I’m angry about?” he asked in the same tone. He took two steps toward her and locked his eyes on her. “Zoey he stole your life from you. He ripped you from the life stream and forced this unnatural existence on you. If not for him you would have been reborn. He is the one that cursed you and left you to suffer alone.” His voice rose with his words and she could see the full measure of his anger now. Had he been another man, blood would have already spilled, but Grim wasn’t rash. He only delivered punishment where he believed it was due, and at the present it was her brother’s blood he was craving.

“I would have been reborn, possibly in Glis or maybe in Arovan.” Zoelyn agreed quietly. “Both of which are ravaged by war and most of the folk there are dead. I might have been spared death and kept as a breeder in Eldagar when the Blight’s took the city.” She continued in a sharper voice. “Or I might have been born in Rivana and learned to wield a sword rather than my mind. Just think along those lines and maybe you will see why I don’t hate Neph. He raised me out of love not malice.”

“Everything has a purpose and every twist of fate has a reason. What may seem like a catastrophe today will be a blessing tomorrow.” Shade’s light voice broke through the tension in the air like water dousing a fire.

It was clear by the expression on Grim’s face that he hadn’t heard Shade approaching either. Shade smiled at them both then to her dismay he bowed his head in greeting to the crow. Zoelyn glanced quickly at Grim and watched as the Arovan’s eyes narrowed.

“Foster says we will find Dray working at Archery. He also says that Jala will be there as well. Apparently Lady Merrodin went seeking him at first light.” Shade sighed and chewed on his lip for a moment as he considered Grim’s dark expression and then looked to Zoelyn’s pale face. He rubbed his jaw and stared at them both for a long moment. “Why is it that I seem to be the only one that realizes we have too many enemies already?” he spoke the question softly as if addressing himself rather than either of them. His blue eyes dropped to Grim once more and he shook his head slowly. “No one can punish Neph more than he is already punishing himself I’m sure. We don’t have the strength or the time to fight amongst ourselves. Let it go Caleb.” His words were spoken gently, but each syllable was laced with command.

Zoelyn braced herself for Grim’s tirade. She expected him to put Shade in his place either verbally or physically if it came to that, but to her surprise he did neither. Shade was already walking away from them, and the look on Grim’s face was one of acceptance. She had never seen him take an order from anyone but Micah Arovan and the shock of it left her standing in stunned silence.

With a grudging nod Grim pushed off the tree and glanced to Zoelyn. His eyes rose to rest on the crow for a moment and then he looked back to her with anger still showing on his face. “You were right. I don’t approve, but then who am I to say anything about a demon courting an Undrae. It could be perfectly natural for your kind I suppose.”

The words cut deep, but she did her best to keep the hurt from her face. He had as much called her a monster. Grim, her friend, one of the few that had never judged her by the curse was walking away from her with a look of distaste on his face that burned deeper than any insult that had ever been thrown at her. Her chest tightened and she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. With a slow breath she forced them back and bowed her head. He hadn’t insulted her, she realized dimly. He had spoken the truth. She knew how he detested liars, and that was likely why he had phrased it so harshly. He thought she was a liar and he was angry. It wasn’t that he hated her for what she was. Once she explained that she had only just found out what she was Undrae everything would be right between them again. She seized on that thought and steadied her breath as she lifted her eyes and followed silently after the two men. They were a good distance ahead of her, but that suited her fine. It would give her more time to compose herself.

Even before she had closed the distance she could hear Jala’s raised voice. Dray stood back several feet from everyone and had a pensive look on his face. Shade was rubbing his neck and staring up at the sky with an expression of complete exasperation. It was Grim that Jala was addressing in anger Zoelyn realized as she drew closer. The two of them were facing each other in what was apparently a heated debate. Both wore stubbornness plainly and neither looked ready to back down.