The Crow King's Wife (The Elder Blood Chronicles #5)(64)

He paused once more at the door way to survey the room before him. The bard was seated on the dais where Finn’s throne had once been. She wasn’t one of the spirits Seth recognized, but then that wasn’t unusual. The Darklands were filled with thousands upon thousands of souls, and the only ones he paid attention to were the ones he considered threats. Finn was across the room from her leaning over a table that was so thickly cluttered with books and scrolls that it looked ready to collapse to the floor. Chairs were pushed back in a circle around him with more books stacked haphazardly on their seats. A young man leaned against the wall beside the Lord of Death and seemed to be speaking quietly, but if Finn was paying attention to him it didn’t show. Other spirits milled in the room and Seth could feel their unease growing as he closed the doors behind him and began to stalk toward Finn. He didn’t know the spirits, but apparently they knew him and just his presence had stolen the peace from the setting.

He stopped at the edge of the table and his eyes swept across the books as he waited for Finn to notice him. Most were history books, and he could see a few maps amongst them as well. The closest to him was of Tevonale. Most of the books had yellowing pages and looked far older than anything he would have expected Finn to find interest in.

“Twenty-two.” Finn said quietly as he flipped through the pages of a book. His gaze never left the pages before him and his brow was furrowed in thought.

“Twenty-two mistakes you made when crafting your palace this way?” Seth offered with sarcasm dripping from his words. He had counted at least a hundred just on his way up the stone path.

Finn frowned and looked up at him. The lines deepened on his forehead as he shook his head slowly. “You killed twenty-two demons.” He corrected calmly.

“I didn’t keep count.” Seth admitted and his eyes scanned the books once more. “What is this Finn? What are you doing?” he asked and tried to keep the frustration from his voice. Behind them the young man was still speaking, and in the silence that followed his words Seth realized with a start he was telling a story, and a very old story at that. The land he was describing was from beyond the barrier.

Finn lifted a stack of books from one of the chairs and dropped lightly into it. His green eyes roved over the table before turning his attention back to Seth and he smiled faintly. “Taking your suggestion.” He answered with a faint shrug. “I am making this place my own, and as I changed the palace it occurred to me that people aren’t the only things that die. Places die too, and all of these books describe them. If I am Death than I will have everything that is dead. I will have fallen cities instead of barren rock plains. I will have forests and oceans and…” His voice had been gaining volume, but dwindled off at the end and his smile grew wider. His eyes locked on Seth’s and he let out a long sigh. “I will have what everyone above wants so damn badly. I’m building what they destroyed outside the Barrier.”

“By the Divine, Fiona was right. You are mad.” Seth sighed heavily and shook his head slowly. “Finn you can’t spend your power like this. I meant add a few bloody lamps and some new curtains not rebuild a world and leave yourself in a defenseless position. You have to change the palace back. This isn’t safe.”

“I can’t?” Finn asked loudly. He rose from his chair once more and waved a hand to the storyteller behind him. The young man abruptly fell silent as Finn moved around the table to stand before Seth. They were nearly equal in height and frame, Finn was slightly taller than him, but he had him on muscle. “Look Seth.” He ordered.

With a gasp Seth stepped back as Finn loosened the grip on his power and allowed it to show. The Divine radiated strength like the Barrier itself. Seth could hear cries of dismay from the spirits in the room and had to turn his gaze from the raw magic. He wouldn’t cringe as the spirits were doing, but he couldn’t look directly at Finn either.

“You have been cleansing my enemies and so have I.” Finn informed him casually. The aura of magic faded around him as the Divine once more reined his power back in. “I absorbed them. The ones I knew would never find redemption.” He explained as if he were describing the weather. “With the fighting still raging above and the energy I took from the fallen I am holding more power than I can hope to contain.”

“Finn you are supposed to judge the souls and give them penance. You can’t simply decide they can’t be redeemed and devour them.” Seth objected and to his dismay his voice cracked on the words. He knew the expression on his face was one of horror, but surely Finn could realize why. For centuries he had been considered unredeemable, and now Finn was feasting on his kind.

Laughter rose in the Divine as Finn moved back to his chair once more and settled comfortably. “Who made the laws for the Divine?” he asked quietly.

“The holy circle of Divine gathered together and formed the binding laws.” Seth answered without hesitation. Everyone knew that answer and he wasn’t sure why Finn had bothered asking the question.

“The holy circle of the Divine.” Finn repeated with a chuckle and nodded. “The holy circle that is currently outside the Barrier and can’t get to me to enforce its laws.”

Seth stared at him in disbelief and shook his head slowly. “But the Aspects Finn…” he began but Finn simply laughed.

“Are a cheap facsimile just like everything else you pointed out to me. There are only two other Divine here aside from myself, Lutheron and War. Beyond them the Aspects are nothing more than Elder Blood with a very specific focus for their magic. War won’t move against me for the same reason he wouldn’t put you in power. If he attacks me I will gather strength from the souls here. My actions today have proven I will cross that line if I have to.” Finn grinned like a child that had just mastered his letters. “You gave me the freedom I needed Seth. Thank you. I’m not restrained by their laws any longer, because I have what they don’t. I am seated on a font of strength and if they force me to use it they destroy themselves in the process. They were forming me into their tool. War set Fiona to watch me like a hawk and chastise me when I don’t do as they wish. Now she will report what I’ve done and when they question me I will explain it all. I’m not corrupt, I’m not a tool, and I finally have the freedom to control things here as I wish. I will build what I want, govern as I want, and I will be involved in the politics above just as I had planned.”