Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) (51 page)

etira heard the scouts take the bait. She was disturbed, however, when she heard one fewer pair of footsteps follow her. One of them could have stayed behind; one of them could have realized she wasn’t the only one around.

Netira prayed Artemis had more sense than that idiot elf mage friend of hers. She thought of how Karesu could help Jack grow into his gift properly, but she was sad the moment his image appeared in her mind.

Soon
, she swore, as she continued to lead the hunting party away from the path.
Just keep fighting, my love
.

The camp was in sight, and Shadow was sitting alone by the fire. He stood up when he saw Jack and me, and he tried to wave us off. Sensing there was a reason behind the strange action, I pulled back Jack; he almost took me with him in a tumble.

“What gives, woman?” Jack snapped.

“Shadow was trying to tell us to stop, you idiot!” I yelled as I tried to regain my footing. “It’s not my fault that you didn’t see him.”

“What in Avilyne’s hell is going on?” Shadow asked as he drew closer to us.

“You first,” I replied as I tried to catch my breath.

“You two would not want to be victims of Talisa’s trap,” Shadow explained. “Your turn.”

“It’s the hunting party Lord Celstian sent out,” I huffed. “Netira’s trying to lead them away.”

Shadow’s visage darkened. “They won’t all have followed her.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Shadow quickly grabbed the bow that was lying by the fire and notched an arrow. He aimed the bow directly at me; my eyes widened.

“Shadow, what are you doing?” Jack cried.

“Artemis, get down!” Shadow ordered. I ducked and heard the arrow loose. “Jack, get her!”

I felt Jack grab me, and we nearly ran over Talisa and Callypso as they stormed out of the tent.

“What’s going on?” Callypso demanded.

“They found us,” Jack answered.

Talisa went back inside the tent, and reemerged with a sheathed sword. “Shadow will be needing this.”

“What about the rest of us?” Jack asked.

“This is Shadow’s battle,” Talisa explained. “We will not interfere.”

“You all should leave,” Shadow suggested while notching another arrow. He looked to the treetops and spoke louder. “And you should stop hiding! I have no desire to hurt you.”

“How do you know I share the sentiment?” a male voice responded.

There was a loud thud, and an elf scout now stood behind Shadow. Shadow turned around and parried an attack by the scout with the blade end of his bow.

“I thought Lord Celstian wanted me returned alive.” Shadow shoved off the scout. “I’ve done you no wrong.”

“I do not serve Lord Celstian,” the scout spat as he removed his hood.

The scout was as tall as Shadow and had similar dark blond hair, but the eyes differed; the scout had deep blue eyes, and there was a long scar over the left one. I didn’t recognize him, but judging from the scowl that came from Talisa as well as Shadow, they both knew him on a personal level.

“Aellyas.” Shadow frowned. “Still Destrius’ pet, I see.”

“
Lord
Destrius, deserter!” Aellyas snapped. “He didn’t appreciate that sneak attack of yours.”

Shadow snorted. “There was nothing sneaky about it.”

“It was dishonorable!”

“Don’t make me laugh at your sense of honor.” Shadow rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to try to reason with you, Aellyas. If you’re here, then that means you were given a particular task. I’m sure I know what that is.”

“And what’s that?” Aellyas asked with a smirk.

“To kill me before the rest of the scouts find you here. You’ll try to convince them that I took the coward’s way out—suicide,” Shadow explained. “Destrius is a fool if he believes I would do something so pathetic.”

“
Lord
Destrius!” Aellyas snapped as he raised his sword. He rushed toward Shadow. Talisa threw Shadow’s sword to him, and he caught the hilt in one hand as he dropped his bow with the other. He continued to dodge the scout’s slashes as he unsheathed his sword.

I was amazed at the blade; engraved within the steel was a style of glyphs I’d never seen before, and it seemed to have a faint green glow. I noticed Callypso staring at the sword as well, though more in recognition than awe.

“Cally?” I asked.

“Yes?” Her gaze was still on Shadow’s sword.

“Are you all right?”

Callypso flashed a small smile my way. “Yes, yes I am. I’m just…intrigued.”

“Care to share?” Talisa joined in the conversation.

“It’s nothing.”

Jack spoke up. “Who is this Aellyas?”

“Lord Destrius’ dog,” Talisa replied, disinterested. “And a capable assassin, I hate to say. Had he kept to the darkness of the forest, Aellyas might have been successful in his mission.”

“But this is Shadow we’re talking about.” Jack frowned. “The man’s a one-of-a-kind warrior.”

“Yes,” Talisa sighed, “but even Shadow can be caught off guard when the timing is right.”

“Not for nothing, but why aren’t we taking Shadow’s advice about running away?” Jack asked.

“Once found by elven scouts, there is no escape,” Talisa explained. “Yes, they are here for Shadow, not us. However…”

“What is it, Talisa?” I asked.

She sighed. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

Aellyas was now out of his cloak, since Shadow had cut off the clasp by the elf’s throat. The two continued to circle one another in the hopes that one would tire faster than the other. Aellyas had the advantage, as Shadow’s wounds from Ellewynth weren’t healed yet, but with the way Shadow fought, it looked as if he hadn’t been injured at all.

I flinched when Aellyas cut into the very arm Shadow had injured.

“Wounded, were we?” Aellyas taunted as he brought the tip of his sword toward him and pulled off a piece of ripped bandage with his fingertips. “It’s true that even
you
can bleed.”

Shadow grimaced, but kept his stance. “Anyone can bleed.”

“I’ll admit it would be a shame to kill you.” Aellyas sighed. “Lord Destrius wanted to do so himself, you know.”

“He never failed to remind me,” Shadow replied. “He knew I was one of the first who believed the goddesses chose poorly in appointing him as an Elder.”

Aellyas snarled as he lunged after Shadow, and sparks flew from their blades as they continued to parry one another’s blows.

“They’re evenly matched, given Shadow’s condition,” Callypso commented. “This could go on all night.”

“Shadow won’t last for long,” Talisa explained. “He’s more tired than he lets on.”

Talisa was right, and Shadow favored the uninjured arm more than the other as he fought. He was forced to keep backing away, but then he smiled suddenly. Aellyas was confused, but it did not stop his barrage of swings.

“What are you smiling about, deserter?” Aellyas demanded.

Shadow dropped his sword. “I enjoy the image of you cursing night and day about how terrible the pain you’re about to receive feels.”

Aellyas hadn’t realized he had backed Shadow to the edge of our camp, the same one where Shadow earlier stopped Jack and me from reaching. Shadow threw Aellyas down and I flinched at the sound of a loud pop. Talisa grinned as smoke rose from the ground.

Once the smoke cleared, we saw the scout. Aellyas’ skin was instantly covered with thick, rosy boils. It was worse on his face and neck.

I gaped as the scout screeched. Jack took one look at Talisa and moved a few steps away from her.

“Goddesses, Talisa!” Callypso gasped. “I thought they were only supposed to feel as if they were plagued, not actually
given
one!”

“I may have taken a few more precautions given the new set of enemies we face,” Talisa said, feigning innocence. “It’s not the worst of my tricks, mind you. The boils will only last for a few nights. What comes afterward, however, will be far more unpleasant.”

“And you’re standing by your statement of that not being the worst of your bag of tricks?” I asked, horrified. She nodded, her grin wide.

“Avilyne’s hell!” Jack cried. “You could have done that to me while I stayed in the cottage!”

“Yes, my dear apprentice, I could have,” Talisa replied, her tone sweet. She patted Jack’s cheek playfully as she would a child. “We hadn’t yet reached the stage where I would teach you how to build an immunity to such things.”

Jack spewed a string of Elvish curses while rubbing his skin as if he too had the boils. Aellyas’ cries of pain intensified as we watched him roll around on the ground. Shadow stood up and held onto his bleeding arm, unaffected by Talisa’s herbal trap.

“How is Shadow unharmed?” Callypso inquired.

“Shadow built an immunity to my herbs almost a century ago,” Talisa explained. “He was my first test subject. Do you have any idea how many straps and restraints he destroyed during those tests? Kiare be praised that I had a merchant who didn’t overcharge me for them.”

“Why in Avilyne’s hell would he do such a thing?” Jack asked, still keeping away from the witch.

Jack yelped when Talisa smacked the back of his head, despite the distance between them. “Because you never know what warfare you’ll come
across in battle. It was better that it was he who built the immunity with me, since we fought alongside one another more times than I can count. I didn’t trust anyone else by my side when I fought with my plants.”

“Curse you, Kiare’s crone!” Aellyas screeched. He scratched his face to the point where blood and viscous yellow pus seeped out. “Traitors, all of you!”

“How original of him.” I frowned. “I suppose traitor is better than
vampyra
.”

“I don’t even know him.” Callypso blinked.

Shadow forced Aellyas to stop his writhing as he moved a foot onto his chest, pinning the scout to the ground.

“I will not harm any of the scouts that come after me,” Shadow began, “but if Destrius sends more like you with them, then I will have no choice but to defend myself…even if it results in the death of an elf. I know you’ll survive this, so go deliver my message to your master.”

“There will be no need of that.”

Everyone’s attention transferred to four other cloaked figures, and my thoughts shifted to Netira. Jack glanced at me, and I knew he was thinking the same question I was—where was she?

The one who spoke sounded familiar. When the figure removed the hood of its cloak, I froze at the sight of my former archery instructor, Serlene.

Her blue eyes were as frigid now as they were years ago, and her blond hair was tightly pulled back into a plaited bun. I could feel the seething hatred within that single look she flashed my way.

“So it’s true,” Serlene said, her gaze still on me. “You deserted us for the
vampyra
.”

Aellyas yelped as Shadow’s foot pushed harder on his chest.

“Be careful with your words, Serlene.”

“Don’t presume to give me orders, Shadow,” Serlene snapped. “Those days are long over.”

“One of your own tried to kill me.”

“So I see.”

Serlene surveyed the ground and took a large step.

Talisa frowned when Serlene safely moved past the dangerous herb barrier.

“I hoped she wouldn’t have noticed,” Talisa mumbled.

Serlene stood beside Shadow and watched Aellyas. “I wasn’t aware he was under orders from Lord Destrius. We will deal with him accordingly.”