Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) (44 page)

“What did you do to your hands?” Jack demanded when he returned to the main room with healing supplies.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I frowned at the smug look on Shadow’s face. “Enjoy this little victory of yours while you still can, Shadow.”

“I’ll enjoy my true victory soon enough, Artemis.” Shadow winked. “And if you pull that stunt again, I’ll personally drag you from your slumber to begin your weapons training session, hands or no hands.”

“I’ll pay handsomely to see such a sight.” Jack laughed. He flinched when he caught my glare. “I’m only curious if you’ll attack him the same way you did me back when Serlene taught us.”

“We’ll find out soon enough, hmm?” I muttered, as Jack rubbed a salve into my palms. I hissed when I felt the flare of stings the moment the salve touched the cuts. “Avilyne’s hell!”

“My, my,” Shadow snickered. “The healer whines as well.”

“Shut up,” I snapped.

Jack grinned. “Shadow, you must stay around more often. It’s amusing to see Artemis annoyed and being abused instead of me.”

“I don’t think it matters, Jack,” Shadow said. “She’ll find ways to abuse you nonetheless. And to her defense, you have a tendency of
asking
for such pain, as evidenced by the amount of head-slaps I have seen Talisa hand you.”

“He’s a glutton for punishment, aren’t you, Jack?” I nudged him. “More so emotionally.”

“Once again, Artemis,” Jack grumbled, “you are an evil woman.”

“Has Netira returned?” I asked, ignoring Jack’s glares.

Shadow shook his head. “She hasn’t moved from the cottage steps. She’ll come in when she’s ready to.”

“Callypso disappeared as well,” Jack sighed.

“She’s an elemental, Jack. She’ll do that.”

“Do you know where she went?” I asked.

“She went with Talisa and Lady Clarayne,” Shadow answered. “I don’t know if she was going to accompany them to the ruins of Ellewynth, but I know she left nonetheless. She’ll return before midday, I’m sure.”

“I didn’t know Talisa and Lady Clarayne left already.” I frowned. “Did you get to speak with your aunt before she left?”

Shadow ran a hand through his hair. “Naturally.”

“You’ll see her again,” I assured him.

“Perhaps.”

“Silly girl, don’t play so rough next time,” Jack said as he finished bandaging my hands. “Whoever it is that you’re killing in your dreams, tell them to send in a healer too. I need my beauty sleep, you know.”

I narrowed my gaze at him. “If you didn’t just wrap my hands, I would hit you.”

“Like I haven’t heard that before.” Jack moved far enough so that I couldn’t reach him with a kick either. “Now that I’m awake, I’ll be in the library. Disturb me
only
if it means it’s time to eat.”

He left the room before I could spit out a retort.

“Moron,” I cursed.

“You always said he was more of a nuisance when he didn’t get any rest,” he said as he rubbed the bandaged arm.

“How is it?” I pointed to it.

Shadow stopped touching the bandages. “It burns and itches, but we both know that’s a good thing. I just got used to the idea of being free from these damned things…”

“There’ll be much more of them on this journey,” I said.

“Feeling brave now?”

“I’m a mix of everything right now,” I admitted. “I know the dreams will continue too. I don’t know what frightens me more.”

“It’s all normal, Artemis,” Shadow insisted. “You encountered Arlina. She tried to kill you. Your mind is just processing everything. If you continue to overthink things…”

“I get it.” I stood up. “Do you think Jack will be cross with me if I ‘disturb’ him again?”

Shadow chuckled. “Maybe. Why do you ask?”

“There was something I wanted to ask him,” I replied. “About dragon jewels. Apparently the jewels in Mother’s sai were from the dragons.”

“I can tell you some about them,” Shadow said. “Dragon jewels have more magical properties than ordinary jewels, but I’m sure you already knew that. It is a custom for dragons to gift a set of jewels to their champions after a great battle or war has ended, but they also do so for the warriors who fought and left an impression on them. Depending on how impressed they are with the warrior, they sometimes give enough jewels to hand down for several generations. That was the case with your bloodline, or so your mother once explained.”

“So it’s as Netira said. If Mother was still alive and I lived with her, I would have had my own sai with its own set of dragon jewels,” I said. “You’ve fought in several wars with the dragons…do
you
have dragon jewels?”

“I do. It’s what I asked Talisa to retrieve for me. They are also excellent healing tools, you see. They have a way of catching the essence of their user and can restore their energy, so to speak, in their time of need,” Shadow explained. “Tamina would have commissioned for your sai to be made for your sixteenth year. I was told it’s when the women of your family always received theirs.”

“If that were true of the dragon jewels, then why didn’t they heal Mother when she was fighting Arlina?”

Shadow shrugged. “It’s not an instantaneous thing, Artemis. Dragon jewels are tricky. They require enough stored energy from their user before they can be used for the task, and it doesn’t heal you all at once. It’s exactly like a trip to the healers…you get patched up, but you’re not whole. You’re just healed enough to keep on moving. The jewels are merely an easier way to heal rather than relying on salves and bandages.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “Netira would know more about the Ravenwing bloodline, wouldn’t she?”

“She would be the one to ask, yes,” Shadow replied. “The most I know is that the full-bloods of Arrygn disbanded the clans long before I took my first breath. Naturally, there are those who cling to the ancient bloodlines and try to invoke the rights it once brought them.”

“Like Arlina.”

Shadow nodded. “The one right, if you wish to call it that, which Blackwen City has kept is that a woman of the Ravenwing clan must be the Mistress of the Dark Fortress. Avilyne herself created the decree, Tamina once told me.”

“And what if a woman of the Ravenwing clan wanted nothing to do with the throne?” I scowled.

“That’s a bridge you must cross someday.”

I frowned. “Willow be damned.”

“You’ll
have
to deal with it sooner or later, Artemis. You’re the only other Ravenwing woman left.” Shadow chuckled. “Did you have any other questions about the dragon jewels?”

I was grateful for the topic change. “Unfortunately, the other questions I have about them are for both Jack and Callypso.”

“I see.” Shadow stood up. “Did I help at least?”

“You always do.”

“What do you mean Clarayne won’t send for Shadow? Get that traitorous prick back here to Ellewynth to face his charges like a man!”

Talisa rubbed her brow as the sound of Lord Destrius’ voice brought on a headache. She found herself questioning why the goddesses felt this man would be a great Elder. Perhaps the goddesses were just punishing the Woodland Realm for something she just couldn’t figure out yet. Kiare never felt the need to tell her, despite Talisa being the water goddess’ vassal. Talisa then thought maybe she
didn’t
want to know the answer; it might infuriate her more.

“For goddess’ sake, Destrius!” Lord Celstian barked. “Keep your voice down! Those of our people who remain are distraught enough. We must keep a more positive outlook for the sake of the others right now.”

“Willow damn you and send you to Avilyne’s hell!” Lord Destrius snapped as he kept a hand on his bandaged head. “You
know
striking an Elder is an unforgivable act! Order a hunting party for Shadow, and pay them if they bring him back crippled. I want that smug, insubordinate little—”

The slap echoed throughout the ruins.

Lord Celstian was stunned. Talisa wasn’t sure if she should be horrified or grateful, as silence was a golden treasure when it came to Lord Destrius. The urge to laugh was there, but she knew better than to let it escape her lips. Talisa never wanted a similar treatment from the woman who dealt the blow to her fellow Elder.

“Clarayne…you struck me.” Lord Destrius held his now reddened cheek. “
You struck me!
”

“So I have,” Lady Clarayne replied, angered. “Should I choose to leave the city for a walk, would you send a hunting party after me to answer for the action of one Elder disciplining another? No, I think not, you single-minded bastard.”

If Talisa were able to cheer as a sign of victory, she would have done so right then and there.

“Clarayne—” Lord Celstian started.

“Be silent, Celstian!” Lady Clarayne snapped. “This imbecile abused his right as an Elder when he went down to the prison and tried to execute the vampire prisoner. All for his own amusement, Celstian! Destrius would have claimed that it would have been for the good of our people to eliminate another full-blood from Arrygn.”

“That’s a lie your disrespectful nephew spewed, Clarayne!” Lord Destrius spat. “You conspired with him to help free that
vampyra
, and then you ordered him to attack me! Now you helped the traitor escape. Does that please you, Clarayne? Does it please you to know that you’re responsible for the exile of your precious Shadow?”

“
Silence!
” Lord Celstian bellowed as he stepped between Lady Clarayne and Lord Destrius. “Leash your wounded ego, Destrius! I will not tolerate any more of your ridiculous outbursts!”

Talisa smiled; thank the goddesses
someone
was taking control of the situation at hand.

Lady Clarayne was about to speak, but Lord Celstian’s glare silenced her. “And as for you, Clarayne! No, I do not believe you were involved with any of the conspiracies Destrius conjured. I cannot say the same for Shadow, however, as he is not even here to defend himself. He struck an Elder and helped a prisoner escape. Shadow fought for Ellewynth and the Woodland Realm as duty commanded, but it does not change the fact that he ran. I will send out a hunting party to find him. If Shadow returns with them willingly, then I will overlook the fact that he fled the city. If not, then I have no choice but to declare him a deserter. Should any of us run into Shadow again, it will mean his death.”

Lady Clarayne’s face twisted in horror. “You cannot mean that.”

“My lord, you should think this through,” Talisa pleaded.

“My decision is final,” Lord Celstian stressed. “Forgive me, Clarayne, but it must be done.”

Lord Destrius huffed and stomped away. Lady Clarayne looked to the ground as she fell to her knees.

“My lady!” Talisa rushed to her side.

“Talisa…” Lady Clarayne shook. “Fetch whatever you have need of from the ruins and return to your cottage. Warn Shadow and the others. I fear you’ll have more than full-bloods to worry about on your journey to the Dark Fortress.”

“Shadow will not kill any of the kindred,” Talisa reassured her. “His honor will not allow it.”

“I know this…but if I know Destrius as well as I do, he
will
make sure there is an executioner among the hunting party.” Tears formed in her eyes. “I would never forgive myself if Shadow were caught unawares by this.”

went to the library and found Jack. I noted the book he had stashed under his arm:
The Winged Jewels of the Sky
. It was an old and large tome, and it certainly interested me.