The Crow King's Wife (41 page)

“Fortune be praised.” Shade whispered as
Derrick spun to face him. On a whim he let his camouflage drop as
he drove his dagger hard up into the Rivasan’s kidney. “That was
for Micah. You killed one of the few men I respected.” He hissed as
Derrick’s eyes bulged in their sockets. He had caught the Rivasan
completely off guard and with that one strike the fight was over.
The man was well versed in magic, but not in pain. Shade knew there
was no way Derrick would find focus with a dagger wound in such a
vital place. Derrick pulled back on unsteady legs and tried to back
away from him, but Shade stepped closer with relentless
determination. He held Derrick’s panicked gaze as he drove the
dagger hard into the man’s chest. The blade slid neatly between two
ribs and Derrick expression froze in agony as the tip of the blade
found the man’s heart. “And that was for his son.” Shade whispered
as the Rivasan slumped to the ground.

It took several moments before the sound of
the fighting behind him registered again in his mind. From the
moment Derrick had bumped into him until he lay dead at Shade’s
feet the rest of the world had faded away. There had been nothing
but him and his victim and then everything rushed back in with a
vengeance. A scream sounded behind him and he whirled to face the
fighting. The ground was littered with several corpses, but there
were still far too many enemies on their feet.

Shade’s eyes found Caleb within moments and
his chest tightened at the way the Arovan was staggering. Blood
soaked his armor and he could see at least two arrows protruding
from Caleb’s side. The priest was holding his own against two
swordsman, but a third was closing fast and archers were still
firing whenever they had a clear shot. Grace Morcaillo circled the
fight like a hunting cat, and by the way Caleb was trying to keep
her in his sight Shade knew his mother had already traded blows
with his friend.

“To stealth or not to stealth.” Shade
murmured as he eyed the archers. “Buggering hell, stealth.” He
muttered sourly. There was no other option at this point of the
battle. He needed to eliminate the archers quickly and quietly.
Grudgingly he summoned the camouflage once more and crept toward
the far side of the battle. Perhaps one day there would be a battle
he could fight honorably, but today was quite obviously not that
day.

The first archer died soundlessly and Shade
gave him silent thanks for it. The man’s comrades were fixated on
Caleb and neither of them seemed to notice their companion die
quietly beside them. The second was standing too close to his
fellow for Shade to kill him without being noticed.

With a frown he pulled another dagger from
his belt and studied the men carefully. There was a wall behind
them with just enough room for them to draw their bows. It would be
a tight squeeze to get behind them both and he would have to time
it perfectly. If either of them stepped back or brushed against him
all stealth was lost. The only other option for killing them both
without a fight was to stand directly before them, and he wasn’t
keen on the idea of placing himself directly in the path of their
arrows.

The one closest to him had an arrow knocked
and his bow drawn on Caleb. Shade’s mouth twitched in irritation as
he shifted his form. He was still a Blight, but a much smaller
Blight closer to Syrah’s size than a man’s. Eyeing both Archer’s
warily Shade slid along the wall under the man’s bent arm until he
was perfectly centered between the two of them. It only took a
moment for him to shift back to the proper height, but in that time
two more arrows were sent toward Caleb.
Maybe I should have
taken Hemlock up on his offer for Assassin training
. Shade
mused bitterly as he drove both of his daggers home simultaneously
in lethal blows that dropped the Archers with no more resistance
than their cries of pain and shock.

Shade wiped his daggers on his pants without
a second glance toward the dead men at his feet. He didn’t want to
see his handiwork. Twirling the daggers he slid them home at his
belt and studied the fight before him. Caleb was hard pressed by
three swordsmen though one seemed to be wounded. Not nearly as
wounded as Caleb appeared to be however. As Caleb parried a man’s
blade and dodged away from another blow Grace moved in for an
attack with deadly speed. Caleb darted aside barely missing her
claws but the effort put him too close to the third swordsman. The
Rivasan crowed with delight as his short sword sank deeply into
Caleb’s side and the priest grunted in response, but didn’t slow in
his fighting. Grace backed away from the fight once more and
circled the men.

It took an effort of will to rip his eyes
from the fight, but Shade forced himself to acknowledge the other
threats. There were at least eight more swordsmen, and all of their
attention seemed to be focused on the fight. They were waiting for
an opportunity to draw the Black Bastard’s blood, but they were too
well trained to throw themselves into the fight. Too many men in
one battle were a hindrance and they knew it. Shade wasn’t sure if
any of them had even noticed Derrick’s fall. If they had they
weren’t showing any signs of remorse or rage over their fallen
lord. If they hadn’t noticed, he still had an edge. They wouldn’t
know he was here.

His gaze moved back to the fight as Grace
moved in once more and landed a savage blow across Caleb’s back.
Teeth gritted in frustration Shade made his choice. He needed to
stop Grace and he knew he couldn’t drop a fellow Changeling with
stealth alone, especially not with as much as Grace was moving. His
mother never held her position for more than a breath.

“Grace Morcaillo step away from this fight!”
Shade’s voice rang through the open street as he slid once more
into his true form. There was no point in keeping the Blight form
any longer if he didn’t need stealth. The fight waned for a breath
then regained its tempo as the Rivasan’s took advantage of Caleb’s
shock. Shade cringed inwardly at the expression of fury that lit
Caleb’s features at his words. If he had been following Caleb’s
plan he would have been safely away with Syrah by now, and Caleb
would be dying faster.

Two of the idle Rivasan’s closed on him and
Shade summoned claws in response. A sword would give him more
range, but the venom he could summon to his claws would drop a man
with one scratch. The downside to that plan was that the venom
wasn’t a Changeling trait; it was something he had borrowed from
various creatures on Sanctuary. A concoction of his own devising
that was difficult to summon and part of his concentration would be
lost on maintaining it. He used the last spare moments before the
swordsmen were closed on him to enhance his speed and
regeneration.

“Derrick is dead Grace! You have no reason to
continue to follow his orders!” Shade yelled once more as the first
of the swordsmen sprinted forward for the first attack.

The Guard underestimated his speed and Shade
spun easily away from the blow still managing to land a blow across
the man’s cheek as he passed. The guard’s sword fell from his hand
the moment the venom touched his skin and the second swordsman
slowed to a cautious approach as his comrade fell. Foam began to
speckle the fallen man’s lips and his legs kicked feebly against
the cobbles.

“I don’t want to kill you. You should
probably run.” Shade advised him in a low voice, but he could tell
the man wouldn’t listen and several more of the Rivasans were
turning their attention his way. “Stop fighting now Grace!” Shade
called loudly and tried desperately to add warning to his tone. If
he could just get her out of the fight things would be much
simpler.

“Your father sends his regards Christian.”
Grace returned casually in a voice that wasn’t quite loud enough to
be considered a yell, but carried easily to his ears.

A cold chill rose along his spine as Shade
realized what Myth had done. Somehow his father knew he would be
here. Somehow he had known what they had planned, and so he had
sent Grace. He almost missed the second guard’s attack as certainty
washed over him; Grace wouldn’t leave the fight. He would have to
face her or watch Caleb die. Almost mechanically he raised his arm
and pushed the Rivasan’s attack aside. Still numb he drove his
claws through the guard’s leather armor and deep into his side. A
second man fell then a third before the rest seemed to lose their
interest in attacking him. Dazedly Shade turned toward Grace in
time to watch Caleb drop another guard to the blood covered street.
Caleb was barely standing and Shade silently wondered if he would
even recover from his wounds if they managed to escape dying at the
Rivasan’s hands.

“Last chance Grace. Don’t make me choose
here. You won’t like the choice I make.” Shade called as he began
to advance slowly. The remaining Rivasans backed away from him with
expressions of uncertainty clear on their faces. He could see their
eyes moving from the still convulsing forms of their fellow guards
and then back to him. “Just run and think of an excuse later. No
one will survive here to speak of cowardice to your superiors.”
Shade said bitterly. A faint smile creased his lips as one of the
younger guards dropped his sword and bolted for the fortress.
At
least someone here today has common sense
he decided
sourly.

Grace moved in again with the speed of a
serpent and Caleb reeled off balance toward one of the guards as
her claws raked viciously across his back. With a grunt of surprise
Caleb twisted at the last moment putting his shoulder into the
guard and barely managed to avoid being impaled on the man’s sword.
His form flickered like a guttering candle then blurred into a form
that towered over the guards facing him.

Shade paused in surprise and stared at Caleb
in awe. He had never actually seen a Shifter in full combat form.
Most Shifters were not strong enough in their magic to attain the
form, and the few that were kept the secret very well hidden. At
full height Caleb stood close to ten feet, and there was nothing
awkward about the blending of man and wolf. Shade had heard the
combat forms were grotesque things, but nothing could be further
from the truth in Caleb’s case. His long slender muzzle was curled
into a snarl and his ears were pinned giving him the sort of
fierceness that would have most enemies dropping their swords and
running.

The Rivasan’s before him back stepped their
sword points drooping toward the ground as Caleb took a menacing
step toward them. His white tipped fur stirred briefly in the
evening breeze without a trace of the blood that had been coating
his armor. A snarl rose in his throat as the powerful muscles in
his back rippled as the slender black sword he held slowly began to
shift as well. The thin graceful blade seemed to gather shadows as
it balanced itself to match its master’s new form.

“How lovely a bigger target.” Grace mused
cheerfully. Her own form shifted slightly as she adjusted her
muscles for more speed and then she was charging Caleb again in a
blur of movement.

Caleb met her first two blows easily, but the
third slipped by him and a rough snarl rose from his throat as
fresh blood darkened the fur on his arm. His jaws snapped shut just
inches from Grace’s face as her claws tore vicious gouges into his
stomach. The Changeling bent nearly double under a swipe from
Caleb’s claws and the Shifter barely managed to dance back away
from her counter attack that would have hamstrung him.

“She is too damn fast for him.” Shade
muttered. He needed to help, but he wasn’t sure how to without
getting in Caleb’s way. Gritting his teeth in frustration he
circled them frantically searching for an opening.

Caleb took several more blows and staggered
visibly under the assault but managed to land a solid blow on Grace
that sent her sliding across the rough cobbles on her back. Shade
moved the instant she hit the ground and brought both hands down
for a slash across her chest as she rose. It wasn’t a lethal blow
with claws alone, but the venom should drop even her and the chest
was a difficult target to miss. He braced himself for the impact of
his claws in flesh, but Grace’s body seemed to curl inward on
itself and he staggered forward off balance.
No one can be that
damn fast
. The thought hit him at the same moment his mother
did. The air in his lungs exploded outward at the force of her blow
and he struggled to stay on his feet.

A dark form blurred past him and Shade barely
managed a glimpse of Caleb slamming into Grace before fresh pain
tore through him. Waves of agony nearly blinded him as he gazed
stupidly down at the sword point sticking through his stomach. He
blinked once as the blade withdrew and managed a staggering turn to
stare incredulously at the guard who had backstabbed him.

“You son of a bitch, I gave you the option to
run.” Shade hissed. His stomach felt like white fire, but he could
already feel his regeneration taking effect and healing the
wound.

The guard hastily back stepped and looked
ready to bolt but Shade shook his head grimly in response. “I don’t
think so.” He snarled as he closed on the man. Behind him he could
still hear the battle raging, but the sword through his gut had
been a gentle reminder that if the guards weren’t going to run,
they needed to die. He had lost the focus for his venom with the
sword blow and at the moment it seemed too much work to summon it
back. That meant the man would have to suffer a messy death, but
perhaps it would give him something to contemplate in the
Darklands. Such as why you never stab an Elder Blood in the back
unless it is a killing blow.

Shade was barely a step from the guard when
the ground behind him trembled followed by a crash that sounded as
if one of the buildings was being ripped apart. The guard forgotten
Shade whirled and stared in mute horror at the dragon barely eight
feet from him and the collapsed wall of the shop he had left Syrah
on top of. The dust from the fallen stone was still settling, but
even through the thick cloud Shade could make out the battered form
of Caleb crumpled in the rubble. Still intent on her quarry the
dragon stalked forward several feet then drew her head back to
inhale.