The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(129)

“Jala left the child with two of her comrades while she tended to Goswin. During her absence the Nightblades were sent to retrieve the child. I beat them to it,” Seth answered with a grin.

“Why?” Fiona demanded, her voice thick with suspicion as she watched the rogue.

“To gain favor, obviously, Fiona. Why else would I do it?” Seth replied with a snort of amusement.

“To save the child, perhaps?” Fiona offered dryly.

“Silence Fiona,” Finn snapped as he slowly looked up from his son. He regarded Seth for a long moment and nodded slowly. “You have gained favor, but I wonder what you are planning now.”

“I’m planning to allow you to spend time with your son before I continue my journey to his mother and return him safely to her,” Seth explained easily as he leaned back against a pillar. “Time passes differently here, Milord. You could spend half a day with your child and none would be any the wiser. His name, I believe, is Legacy Sovaesh Merrodin. Quite a long name for such a small boy but I’m sure he will grow into it.”

“Small boy?” Finn chuckled as he unwrapped the child fully from the blanket and balanced him carefully on his knee. “He seems rather large to me for his age. Should he be this big at two weeks old Fiona?”

Fiona blinked at him several times and made a faint sputtering sound. “How in the bloody hell should I know how large it should be,” she asked, sounding as if he had insulted her.

“Well I thought you…” Finn began but let his voice trail off as he noticed her expression growing even more indignant.

“He is large for his age, Milord. I believe Jala’s magic is still at work upon him. At his age he should be half that size,” Seth broke in smoothly.

“You know about children?” Finn asked in disbelief, his gaze returning to Seth.

“He should. He is here because of one,” Fiona said with a smirk and for the first time since he had met the man he saw all humor drain from the Assassin’s face.

“I’m not here because of the child, Fiona,” Seth said softly in a voice that seemed far more dangerous than any battle cry Finn had ever heard. He raised a hand and rubbed at his face then looked back to Finn. “I had a child once. If you have questions, Milord, better to direct them to me than to the harpy.”

Finn nodded slowly, his eyes watching the Assassin. “What happened?” he asked after a long moment.

“Someone used the child against me just as they would have done to your wife, Milord. To love something is to present weapons to your enemies. They will use the love to kill you,” Seth explained with a shrug and pushed off the pillar. “I will be back for the child this evening, Milord. Enjoy your time with him.” With a flick of his wrist he tossed a bag down at the base of the throne and pointed at it. “Your clothing and a flask of goats milk should the child become hungry. It’s a decent substitute for commoner children, but for your son it will do little more than fill his stomach. He is pureblood. He requires more to sustain him,” With a final nod, the Assassin turned and strode from the room without a single glance back.

Finn watched him go in silence and looked to Fiona as the doors closed behind him. “Why did you goad him?” he asked quietly.

“Because I knew it would make him leave. It’s a sore spot for him,” Fiona explained calmly and looked down at the child with a faint hint of disapproval in her eyes. “You have no time for this, Finn. You have to let go of that life and this isn’t helping at all. This is not your son any longer.”

“I think it’s time we set a few things straight, Fiona.” Finn spoke quietly, a faint smile playing across his lips as he watched his son tracing the intricate details of the chair arm with his pudgy little fingers. Slowly, Finn looked up and the smile faded from his lips as he locked eyes with his mentor. “First, this will always be my son,” he said softly. “Second, I will never let go of my former life. I will always try to protect those I care for in the Sunlit world.”

Fiona started to interrupt him, but he raised his voice and continued, his eyes still holding hers. “Third, you work for me, Fiona and I don’t care what you believe the rules are. I make the rules now. I am Death. You are dead. Do you see the difference? I will do this job, but I will do it the way I see fit. You have taught me and for that I put up with your complaints, but I will not be your puppet. Are we clear?”

“You are forbidden to use your power to alter the Sunlit world directly. The most you may do is spare a life. I didn’t make those rules, Finn. They are part of the Immortal pact. If you break that pact you jeopardize all of the Divine as well as the Aspects. Do you think they will allow that? They will kill you Finn,” Fiona leaned down closer until their noses nearly touched as she spoke and slowly shook her head at him. “You solved everything in life by fighting, Finn, but this isn’t something you can fight. If you break the pact, you die. It is as simple as that.”