Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) (15 page)

I’ll still attack that damn city
, Arlina decided,
simply for housing that halfbreed bitch
.
And then those damned dreams can finally stop
.

Arlina called for a servant and demanded parchment and ink. It was time to start another game with the Woodland Realm Elders, as well as remedy the issue of the known traitor.

Netira’s eyes snapped open as she felt a presence outside of her home. She heard the distinct rustling sound of parchment sliding beneath the door, and the presence disappeared once the parchment stopped halfway across the main room. Netira grew wary and went to move from her bed, only just remembering the pale, muscled arm that was draped across her waist.

The moment she moved, the figure beside her stirred and opened a tired violet eye.

“Go back to sleep, love,” she whispered, caressing Karesu’s face.

“I felt the presence as well.” Karesu groaned while stretching, the shared blanket falling to his bare waist. “What do you suppose Arlina wants with you?”

“I don’t know,” Netira replied as she grasped a blanket that had fallen to the ground during their earlier festivities and draped it across her naked, lithe body. She retrieved the parchment and tore through the crimson crossed-sai wax seal.

She felt Karesu standing behind her, and Netira moved the letter closer for him to inspect.

Netira
,

       
I require your presence in my chamber at noon-time this day. It’s been brought to my attention that we have a traitor in our midst, and I desire to consult with you on how to proceed on the matter. It is imperative that you return, for I also desire to reconcile our relationship after such dark tidings
.

Arlina Ravenwing, Mistress of Blackwen City

“Would you think less of me if I called her a lying bitch?” Netira growled.

Karesu chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, while slowly tracing her neck with his lips. “Would you think less of me if I agreed?”

“Hardly.” Netira smiled as she leaned deeper into his embrace. “Maybe in the sight of others, I would pretend to.”

“There will be a day when I will dispose of the pretenses we hold in public, Netira,” Karesu replied as he gently nipped the curve of her throat. She loved whenever he did that, for it made her body tingle with need. “And what a day it will be.”

“Indeed it will.” Netira gasped as he repeated the gesture. She had to move away, or she would never make the meeting with that damned woman. “Who do you think she suspects
now
?”

“Soleil burn me if I knew.” Karesu shrugged. He faked a sad expression. “But noon-time draws near, my love, and you should take advantage of Arlina’s good graces while you still can. Much to my dismay, mind you.”

“We’ll play again when I return.” Netira stole a kiss and winked when she pulled away. “Be careful when you leave.”

“I’ll slip out the usual way, don’t worry,” Karesu answered. He handed her the silver band carved with his special runes. “Don’t forget the charm this time either. Otherwise, I’ll have to tattoo the runes onto your skin as I did my fire rune.”

Netira’s grin widened. “Is that a promise?”

Netira stood before the doors to the Mistress’ chamber. She knew there was more to the message than Arlina had written, and it unnerved her. If Karesu noticed, she was thankful that he kept quiet about it.

Had Arlina discovered the truth about her? Netira shook her head. She couldn’t have. Netira was certain she wasn’t followed, and the scout that
had
known the truth of her heritage, she’d disposed of.

Arlina granted her entry after she knocked a handful of times. Walking inside, Netira narrowed her eyes at the sight of Latos beside the Mistress. His smug countenance bothered her, that damn bootlicker. What use was
he
of all people in discussing what Arlina desired to do to this traitor of hers?

“Ah, Netira!” Arlina greeted her as she shifted in her throne. “I am pleased to see you, and early as well!”

“I do as you will, Mistress,” Netira replied as she knelt, put off by the tone Arlina used. She was being nice.
Too
nice.

“As you should.” Arlina nodded to Latos. “You remember Latos, do you not?”

“Regrettably,” Netira answered, not caring if her tone angered the Mistress.

Latos laughed. “I can’t say I’m pleased to see you either, former Second of Blackwen City.”

Netira felt her stomach drop. “Former?”

How could that be? Avilyne’s hell, she was always so careful! Charm and all!

“Oh, Latos! You’ve gone and spoiled everything now,” Arlina huffed. “I had hoped to enjoy the suspense further…”

“Mistress, I ask an explanation for my sudden dismissal from my position,” Netira asked while trying to steady herself.

It infuriated her to stoop so low to the woman.

“Your little outing for starters!” Arlina berated her. “How dare you meddle into affairs that do not concern you! How dare you disobey me!”

“I did so only for the sake of the city, Mistress. The scouts you sent were careless and brought unnecessary attention to our kind!” Netira pleaded. “There’s only so much war we can wage and survive to tell the tale.”

“Spare the Mistress your nonsense, Netira!” Latos seethed.

“Be silent, snake,” Netira retorted, trying her damndest to still her hand.

“Both of you shut up!” Arlina yelled, which silenced them both.

Arlina cast her now red eyes on Netira. “For so many years, Netira, I have trusted you and your counsel. I chose you as my Second because you were ruthless in your rise in power, but loyal enough to stay your hand per my desire. Never did I imagine that you would disobey me as gravely as you have.” Arlina grasped a sai from her boot, and Netira knew what was coming. “Aerios blow you,
half-breed
.”

Arlina leaped after Netira, and Netira barely managed to block the sai with the sword she drew from the sheath along the curve of her hip. Ignoring Latos’ curses, Netira shoved off Arlina, but then found her sword hooked in the curved prongs of the sai. Arlina removed the sword from Netira’s grasp with a swing and dashed after her again.

Willow be damned
, Netira cursed.
I have no choice now. The pretenses are over
.

Dodging the swings of both sai, Netira removed the silver ring charm and flung off her coat. Fully stretched from her back were two large, black, bat-like wings. Her now silver irises watched as Arlina’s face contorted with disgust.

“
Abomination
,” Arlina spat, resuming her barrage of attacks.

Netira jumped back as she spread her wings and then flew above Arlina. She landed next to her sword and met resistance—Latos. He wouldn’t release his foot from on top of the blade, no matter how hard she pulled on the hilt. Dhampirs were supposed to be stronger than full-bloods, yes, but Netira was in a disadvantage—she had not fed this day. She cursed.

“Forget about me?” he taunted, as the irises of his eyes shifted to red.

“Now how could I forget about you?” Netira grinned as she released her sword hilt and grabbed his neck. “No doubt it was you who discovered
the truth and reported it to Arlina. Bottom-feeders like you never last long around here. There were others before you who scrambled to the Mistress and met their own vicious ends when their usefulness ran out. Ask Vashti about it sometime, should I send her to Avilyne’s hell with you.”

“Until then, dhampir bitch,” Latos grumbled, while struggling beneath her grip, “you should worry about your own miserable life.”

A loud blast echoed within the chamber, and Netira released Latos as she howled.

She backed away while grasping her now bloodied waist. The bullet shot from Arlina’s infamous flintlock pistol had missed her vital points, but it still caused an agonizing pain Netira had never felt before.

When she fell to the ground, she heard Arlina cackle.

“The few bad things about this toy are the occasional misfires and how the shot tends to stray a bit from its intended path,” Arlina said, strolling to Netira. “Even so, I’m fortunate for such things. I had no intention of killing you. That would be too easy.”

Netira retched up her own blood, and then tried to staunch the bleeding from her waist. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“Because,”—Arlina kicked Netira’s waist—”I have plans for you, traitor.”

“Plans that involve you traveling,” Latos added, while licking his lips at the sight of Netira’s blood along the chamber floor. “You see, there are others who would prefer to punish you themselves.”

Enduring another blow to the waist, Netira tightly shut her eyes. She refused to ask the question that lingered in her mind.

“Before I tell you of your fate, dear Netira, there is something I’m just
dying
to know,” Arlina mocked as she grasped Netira by her hair and dragged her onto her knees. “Who helped you all this time? Who masked your true nature from me?!”

Netira flashed Arlina a thin-lipped grin. “You’re better off killing me than thinking I will tell you.”

“It wouldn’t be wise to further upset me,” Arlina hissed.

“Learn to be disappointed.”

Latos kicked Netira before Arlina could retaliate, and she scowled at herself for whimpering. The pain was unbearable, and she would sooner face Avilyne in hell than continue listening to the two snarling above her.

“Latos, prepare yourself and a few others for travel. I have already sent a letter to Netira’s future hosts,” Arlina instructed, returning to her throne.

Netira felt herself viciously hoisted from the ground, and she was dragged toward the chamber doors. Before their exit, Netira heard Arlina speak. “Enjoy your time in Ellewynth. And when you arrive, be sure to inform my niece that I’ll be seeing her soon.”

Netira was too shocked to throw an insult at Arlina. She knew the destination of her exile well enough—Ellewynth was the grand elven city of the Woodland Realm. She was going to be blamed for the death of those poor elves, the ones those scouts had brutalized.

And…did Arlina say “niece”?

Tamina’s baby survived
, Netira thought before succumbing to unconsciousness.
There truly is another Ravenwing woman in Arrygn…Kiare be praised
.

The dreams of Mother were more frequent after that first one. The worst of them was where I watched her battle with a woman who looked like she could have been a blood relative.

She had cold gray eyes that chilled me each time I saw them. I couldn’t hear a word they said, let alone the clashing of the odd weapons they wielded. Each time the dream ended, however, I could hear a loud bang that sent me screaming as I awoke.

Shadow noticed my lack of sleep during our weapons training. He kept asking if I was all right and tried to have me talk about my troubles in the hopes I would sleep better. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that my own mother was the one haunting my dreams and that there was another woman who now did the same.

On the times I started to gather enough courage to tell him the truth about the dreams, something or someone got in the way. Perhaps it wasn’t time to learn the truth about my mother’s death just yet.