The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams (5 page)

“OK, then,” he whispered and pulled a gold
coin from his pocket. “Let’s see if your god really listens, Jala,”
He spoke out of habit. He knew better, but going from living in
Sanctuary to being utterly alone in a city filled with hostile
creatures was a harsh change. Right now he needed to hear another
voice, even if it was his own. “Crowns, I go to the Fortress;
phoenix, I go to the noble’s.” He mouthed the words more than spoke
them, not letting a hint of noise carry on the wind. Flipping his
hand quickly he let the coin rise a few inches and caught it
flipping it back onto his other hand. He held it in place on the
back of his hand, not wanting to know the results. Swallowing
deeply, he slowly slid his hand back and stared down at the
revealed crown. Well, either Charm is heading toward the fortress
or Fortune wants me dead, he decided and slipped the coin back into
his pocket.

He gazed in the direction the stone told him
Charm was and then to the Fortress. If he moved quickly he could
get there first. Leaning over the edge slightly he checked the
street below and then stood slowly. It was empty for now. His eyes
roved over the rooftops taking in low ledges and overhangings and
mentally forming a map. With another quick nod he began moving,
faster than before but not too fast to watch for danger. Thanks to
his many excursions in Sanctuary as the commoner rogue, Chris, this
was child’s play. The rooftops were relatively close together,
making travel easy for now. As he grew closer to the fortress he
would have to travel on the streets below, but for now he was
fairly safe.

* * *

Charm was closing on the fortress quickly by
the time Shade arrived. Shade kept one hand wrapped around the
stone in his pocket and kept his senses on the rogue’s movements.
He hadn’t crossed over the wall yet. He wanted to catch Charm on
this side of it if he could. The rogue’s path shifted again and
Shade once again changed his hiding location to intercept. This was
the fourth time he had moved now and he was beginning to wonder if
Charm was being chased. The rogue was moving much faster than he
had expected him to and the changing path suggested he was trying
to lose pursuers. His hand dropped reflexively to his side,
ensuring his dagger was still there. While not as effective as a
sword it was a cruel piece of steel. Besides, roof work and
sneaking with a sword took more effort than it was generally worth.
If you had stealth on your side, a dagger was more than enough to
kill the average man. Of course these were Blights, not average
men.

The path changed again and Shade moved
quickly. Charm was close now. If he hesitated at all, the rogue
would be over the wall before he could stop him. A flicker in a
shadow ahead of him urged him to more speed. He was nearly to the
rogue when a weight hit him heavy in the side, dropping him to one
knee. Pain lanced through his ribs and he felt the gush of warm
blood.

“Run, Charm, I’ll handle this one,” a girl’s
voice hissed as pain tore through him again. Teeth sank deep into
his shoulder and he tried to pull free.

“Wait, Charm, Lutheron sent me,” Shade gasped
as he twisted, trying to get the child off of him. He tried to
stand and his throbbing knee protested. The child’s claws tore
through him again and fresh pain blossomed. He couldn’t see where
she was. He could feel the agony she inflicted and knew by the
weight she wasn’t large, but he couldn’t actually see her. It was
like fighting a ghost, a ghost with very sharp claws and teeth. He
wasn’t sure if the rogue had heard him but he didn’t dare yell.
Already he was terrified the scent of his blood would draw more
Blights. Twisting once again, he managed to pull away from the
tearing ball of fury that was trying her best to kill him.

“Please, if you are protecting him, I’m here
to help him,” he whispered quickly, hoping the Blight would listen.
He couldn’t fathom why a Blight would be helping Charm but didn’t
have the time to ponder it just now.

“Emily wait, look at his arm. He is
Fionaveir.” The voice was male and sounded exhausted.

Shade remained tense expecting another attack
and didn’t dare turn his gaze to find Charm. He was sure the words
had been the rogue’s but he wasn’t sure the child would listen.

“He is Blight,” the girl hissed as if that
were reason enough for him to die.

“So are you,” Shade pointed out, hoping to
get her to speak again. If he could determine where the voice was
coming from he would have a better chance of dodging the next
attack. Taking a quick tally of his wounds, he realized he would
need to dodge the next attack. His ribs were scored deeply and
bleeding freely. His shoulder was a ragged mess and he wasn’t sure
if his right arm would hold for combat. That wasn’t good. Shade was
right handed. He pushed down weight on his leg, testing the wounded
knee, Not good. Dodging would be slow. He would be better off
ducking than trying to move quickly.

“Why did Lutheron send you?” Charm’s voice
broke through his mental inventory and Shade looked up to find the
rogue standing barely two feet away. He was dirty and his clothing
was tattered but he seemed unharmed. Dark circles hung heavy under
his clear grey eyes but they were filled with intelligence none the
less. Charm was obviously one of those rare individuals that could
stay awake for days without losing their sanity. Most didn’t fare
so well using magic to stay awake, it tended to cause minds to
fray. “I know you, despite the claws and talons you still resemble
your true self, Christian Morcaillo.” There was disgust in the
rogue’s voice when he spoke the name, “Morcaillo,” and Shade
couldn’t blame him for it.

“I was Christian Morcaillo. I go by just
Shade now,” he whispered back, pressing his hand against his side
trying to stem the blood. The wound was healing quickly. Thankfully
the Blights had good regeneration. “Lutheron sent me to get you out
and take you home,” he said at last, his eyes still roving the area
trying to figure out where the demonic little child hid.

Charm snorted with amusement, looking at his
ragged state. Shade felt himself flush under the scrutiny. He had
just told Charm he was here to rescue him shortly after the rogue
had seen a child maul him. He didn’t blame the man for doubting
him. “And just how exactly do you plan to do that, Shade?” Charm
asked, the amusement still present in his voice.

“I have my spell hawk stored in a gem. All we
need to do is get to a place big enough to bring it out and then we
are as good as free. One of the gardens in the noble district
should work,” Shade explained and he watched the amusement flicker
out of the rogue’s eyes replaced by hope.

“This way, come on Emily,” Charm said quickly
and glanced over Shade’s wounds one last time before turning on his
heels. He moved with speed and grace through the shadows and
several times Shade lost him in the alleys. A small hand would tug
on him when he hesitated and he had to restrain the urge to pull
away from it. He could feel the talons there and he knew well how
sharp they were.

They reached the gardens without incident and
Shade wasted no time breaking the gem open. He stared at his ship
for a long moment as it appeared. He loved his ship like he had
never loved anything else, but at this particular moment it was the
most beautiful thing he had ever seen. “Thank you for the help,
Emily, good luck,” Shade whispered as he opened the door to the
ship and motioned Charm in.

“Don’t bid her good bye, she is coming with
us,” Charm said as he stepped into the ship.

“What?” Shade spoke louder than he had
intended and flinched at the sound of his own voice.

“I wouldn’t be alive still if she hadn’t
warned me of the other Blights. She is coming with us. I won’t
leave her here. She isn’t like them,” Charm motioned again. “Come
on Emily.”

“I’m already inside,” The child’s voice
called back to him and Shade glanced into his ship nervously. He
hadn’t felt anything pass him and he was standing right by the
door. The only presence he had noticed was Charm’s.

“She has to drop the camouflage,” Shade said,
his voice firm. “I won’t fly without knowing where she is.”

“Fine, get in the ship and close the doors
before more show up,” Charm agreed irritably.

Finding no reason to argue with that logic,
Shade stepped into the ship and sealed it closed. He turned back
from the door to find a naked child that looked perhaps eight,
watching him. She was filthy with dirt and gore and her dark brown
hair was tangled beyond salvation. If her hair had ever been
brushed in her life, it didn’t show. “She is naked,” Shade said
lamely stating the obvious.

“Yes she is, but you wanted her visible so
she is. Now get us out of here and explain to me why Lutheron sent
you,” Charm replied, the irritation still present.

Moving cautiously past the child, Shade let
the Blight form fade returning to his own familiar body. With a
sigh of relief he dropped into the pilot’s seat and placed his
hands on the controls. The panel flickered to life and he began
raising the ship quickly. The draw of magic might attract the
Blights in the city. He had no desire to have them swarming over
his baby like ants. The ship hummed softly and responded to his
touch gracefully. He heard the Blight child hiss behind him and
successfully managed to not flinch. The pain in his shoulder was
fading now but the memory of the wounds was still very fresh. It
would have been embarrassing to die to a child but she was
formidable.

Charm dropped down in the seat next to him
and leaned back with obvious appreciation. “I need sleep
desperately, but I need answers first. Why did Lutheron send you
here?”

“Because I could become a Blight. He and
Caspian thought it would be the only way I could get in. They
didn’t think the Blights would attack their own kind unless
provoked and I had no intention of provoking any of them,” Shade
explained. He glanced over to Charm and found the rogue swaying
slightly in the seat. “Caspian said to tell you that you are my
mentor now. He said we would do well together.”

Charm’s eyes flashed back open and he
regarded Shade with a mixture of emotions. To Shade’s relief there
was only a bit of displeasure present. “Well, if we are to work
together, help me with my first task,” Charm said slowly, his eyes
locked on Shade. “Tell me what to do with Emily. I owe her my life
but I can’t take her to the Fionahold. She looks too much like her
mother and the Fionaveir would resent her for the woman’s death.
Not to mention she is a Blight. They would likely lock her up and
analyze her to find weaknesses.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he studied the
child for a moment and then looked to Charm. “She helped you and
guarded you?” he asked cautiously.

“From the moment she saw me,” Charm replied
smoothly.

“Do you think she would guard another
person?” Shade asked.

“I suppose it depends on the person,” Charm
said cautiously. “What are you thinking of?”

“I know someone in Sanctuary we can send her
to. If she would be willing to guard her as fiercely as she was
guarding you, it would benefit them both,” Shade said hesitantly.
“If she stays camouflaged or hides her talons, she could pass as
normal there.”

“Who?” Charm asked, his voice bordering on
demand.

“Jala. I doubt you know her. She is
open-minded, though and she has a good heart. If I write a letter
for Emily to give her, Jala will give her a chance,” Shade
explained.

A smile broke across the rogue’s face and he
nodded slowly. “I hadn’t even thought of that, but you are right.
Jala will give her a chance,” He nodded again to Shade with
approval. “Perhaps we can work well together.”

“You know Jala?” Shade asked a bit
incredulous.

“I guarded her when she first arrived in
Sanctuary. I was her shadow,” Charm explained. Leaning out of his
chair, he looked back to Emily. “All you will have to tell her is
you want to be a lighter shade of grey,” He told the child who
looked at him with obvious confusion.

Shade smirked and nodded once. “That will do
it. Just show yourself to Jala. Don’t show yourself to her husband.
He is an asshole and he won’t listen,” Shade added. He could well
imagine how Finn Sovaesh would react to a Blight, be it child or
not.

“Husband?” Charm gasped he stared at Shade
with widened eyes. “What husband? Who did she marry?” He asked in
disbelief.

“Finn Sovaesh. About two weeks ago,” Shade
explained, somehow managing to keep the bitterness from his voice.
While there was no reason she should have left the city with him,
not after he had abandoned her in Rivana, to have her marry Finn
was salt in the wounds.

“You will have to catch me up to speed after
I’ve slept. Apparently I’ve missed a good deal,” Charm said quietly
and Shade couldn’t tell if it was shock or displeasure in his
voice.

“Before you go to sleep can I ask a
question?” Shade said quickly, noting how the rogue’s eyes were
already closing.

“Go for it,” Charm said quietly as he shifted
his position, seeking a more comfortable way to rest.

“It’s an abrupt change of topic I know, but
I’m wondering if you noticed the same as I did while you were in
the city or if I was mistaken.” He paused and watched the rogue’s
eyes flicker back open. He hadn’t been sure Charm was still
awake.

“Ask, I’m tired,” Charm urged.

“On a basic level did the Blights seem to
react like goblins to you? I thought I noticed a lot of similar
behavior. We had issues with the goblins in Morcath a few years
back and I got to know them better than I ever would have wanted
to. When they were afraid, they found the deepest darkest hole to
crawl in. They lived in hives there, communities of several dozen.
They would fight among themselves but never anything serious, just
scrapping. From what I saw of the Blights they seemed to act the
same way on a basic level.” He watched Charm for a reaction as he
finished and the rogue seemed to be in contemplation.