The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4 The Blessed Curse (29 page)

“
He wants Dashara to believe I betrayed
her,” Seth whispered hoarsely.

“
I think it’s more along the lines of
wanting her to believe you were betraying her all along. He wants
her to die knowing you never loved her at all,” Hemlock corrected
in an amused voice. “After all, how could anyone watch someone they
love die without even making a sound?” Hemlock mused as he moved
toward the door. “Follow along like a good little servant, Seth.
From what I understand, you used to be the perfect dog for Avanti
before Dashara spread her legs for you. Must have been damned good
sex for you to turn your back on Avanti for this little rebellion.
Too bad you fucked up, eh? I mean, just think of how many people
died because of you. Not only will your wife die, everyone that
followed her will die, too. By the time this night is over, your
entire rebellion will be an unpleasant memory.”

Seth followed behind in utter silence. He was
certain the game had begun the moment they started walking toward
the house, and he wasn’t about to let harm come to Dominic over
Hemlock’s taunting. He had served House Avanti his entire life.
There was nothing Hemlock could say that would make him break.
Every painful word that could be spoken was already ground into his
soul by the Avanti. The true test of his will would come when he
faced Dashara. It would take everything he had to remain silent
when she looked at him as a traitor.

The house was silent as they entered. Seth’s
eyes scanned the small kitchen and the dining room as Hemlock
continued on. Everything was neat and tidy as it always was.
Dashara hated clutter and kept the house nearly spotless. His
throat tightened as Hemlock paused in front of the bedroom door.
The Assassin turned back to look at him with a wide smile showing
through the shadows of his cloak.

“
Better let me take a quick peek, first. I
have to make sure they are ready for you and Dashara is decent. I
think a few of the guards took a turn with her. No doubt they
wanted to see if it was really worth a rebellion,” Hemlock
whispered as he pushed the door open just far enough to glance
inside. “All clear. Let’s get this over with, shall we,” he
suggested as he pushed the door fully open.

Their bedroom had always seemed large to him
before. Seth had lived his entire life as a servant and his
quarters had never been as lavish as the home he shared with
Dashara. Tonight, however, the room seemed small and cramped.
Guards lined the walls while Donrey Avanti himself stood in the
center of the room, looming like Death over his eldest daughter.
Dashara’s eyes flashed to him and Seth watched with despair as hope
lit her battered features. She was tied to a chair in the center of
the room. Her beautiful red-gold hair was matted with blood and by
the bruises and cuts on her beautiful face, she had endured several
beatings before he arrived.

“
Sorry for the delay, High Lord. Seth and
I had a few things to discuss. I think we have everything sorted
out between us now, though. He understands exactly what his payment
will be for this,” Hemlock said as he bowed his head to
Donrey.

“
Payment?” Dashara asked, her sweet voice
trembling with the word. Her hope turned to question as she watched
him and Seth knew she was waiting for him to speak. If he did,
though, Dominic would suffer. It took everything he had to hold his
words back, but he had no choice. Both Dashara and he had willingly
accepted their fates when they turned on House Avanti. Their
children had not. His son and daughter were innocent and no matter
how much it hurt, he would not let them suffer for their parents’
sins, even if it meant letting Dashara die believing he had never
cared at all. His throat tightened at the thought but he kept his
face carefully neutral. For all he knew, Hemlock would take a frown
as a reason to harm his son. The Assassin had specified quite
clearly “no movement,” so he wouldn’t even move his lips.

“
Don’t sound so confused, girl. Of course,
Seth was involved. How else would we have found you so easily?
Thanks to him, we now know every traitor in Avanti,” Uindraely’s
voice rose from the shadows near the back wall and Seth shifted his
gaze to watch her. He hadn’t expected to see her here, but then he
should have. Uindraely Merrodin had a habit of being involved in
everything unpleasant. She smiled sweetly as she noticed his
attention and raised the bundle in her arms. “Your daughter is
simply beautiful, Seth. May I congratulate you on such delightful
children?” Her dark eyes flashed and Seth had to fight to keep his
hands from clenching. Uindraely was a heartless bitch and the
thought of her even touching his daughter drove his fury higher.
Davahni was barely four months old, yet she showed such
intelligence in her dark eyes that Seth had no doubt she knew
something horrible was going on. Like his son, though, he was sure
the infant didn’t understand exactly how horrible it was. Uindraely
raised a hand to brush back her dark hair and sat down on the edge
of the table making a show of cooing over his child. “It’s too bad
your mommy is such a fool, little darling. This is just not a
memory any child should have,” Uindraely murmured in a childish v
oice as she bumped a finger lightly under the infant’s chin. “You
wanna say bye bye to mommy?” she asked in the same exaggerated
voice as she pulled the child’s hand free of the blanket and bobbed
it up and down in a mocking wave. “Bye bye, Dashara,” she grinned
and turned her attention back to Seth. Her grin widened into a full
smile as she winked at him. “Once she is dead, you are all mine,
Seth,” she purred.

“
We haven’t discussed that fully, yet.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, Uindraely,” Donrey Avanti cut in
sharply as he eyed Seth with obvious anger. “Seth turned on me, but
he has served me for so long that he is almost like family. Some
betrayals can be forgiven.” He paused and glared down at his
daughter. “Others can’t,” he added softly as he drew a dagger from
his belt and examined the razor sharp blade. “Seth did not turn his
back on me alone. He was guided from my side by this little bitch.
I don’t believe for a moment that Seth wanted to save the world.
Seth is a creature of hatred, not a savior.”

“
I doubt it was his love of people that
led him to betrayal. I doubt it was Dashara either. Most likely it
was simply his hatred for you,”

Uindraely mused softly.

Dashara’s eyes met his again and Seth shifted
his gaze toward Dominic and then Davahni hoping she would realize
he was indicating the children rather than their captors. He saw
the recognition in her eyes and she smiled at him sadly and nodded
almost imperceptibly.

“
You can kill me, but you can’t kill what
I stand for. There will always be someone to take my place. As long
as you walk the path you are on, someone will always rise up
against you.” The room fell silent as Dashara spoke and even
Uindraely’s smile faded. “I love you, Seth, and I know you love me
too. They can take everything else, but they can’t take that. I
don’t need to hear the words. I can see it in your eyes,” Dashara
whispered.

“
How sweet,” Donrey hissed as the back of
his hand slammed into Dashara’s face nearly knocking her from the
chair. “No one else will rise against me, you stupid little bitch.
When they see what happened to you, they will cower back into the
shadows. No one has the strength of Avanti and no one cares about
slaves. You threw everything away for worthless wastes of flesh.”
His hand slammed into her, punctuating every word until tears began
to stream from her eyes. A faint whimper bubbled through her broken
lips and Seth’s heart screamed for him to help her. Dashara had
never been strong physically. Pain was a weakness for her and he
had always tried hard to shield her from harm. He swallowed heavily
and struggled to maintain his iron control. His children depended
on it.

“
Avanti will fall and you will pay for
your sins.” Dashara managed the words barely coherent through her
battered mouth and sobs. “No life is worthless,” she gasped as her
father grabbed her by the face roughly.

“
Yours is, Dashara,” Donrey informed her
as he lifted the dagger up high enough for her to see. He held her
jaw firmly, preventing her from looking away as he lowered the tip
to rest just below her eye. “I am going to kill you so slowly that
simply the stories of your death will spread nightmares. Anyone who
ever shared sentiments with you will cringe at the sound of your
name. When I am done tonight, the name Dashara will be a curse,” he
promised as the blade slowly punctured her pale ivory skin. Bright
blood welled and coursed down her battered cheek as he slowly
pulled the knife down her face, skinning the top layer of flesh.
“Bring me the salt, Uindraely,” Donrey ordered in a low voice as
Dashara screamed in agony.

A faint whimper rose from Dominic and Hemlock
shook his head in disapproval. “We talked about this, boy. Do you
really want me to cut your sister for your noise?” The sound
abruptly faded, though Dominic’s bottom lip still trembled.

The boy turned and gazed hard at his father
and Seth wanted to vomit at the expression of betrayal on his son’s
face. The child’s words were written so clearly in that look that
he didn’t need to hear Dominic’s voice. “Why aren’t you saving
Mommy?” Seth had always been a hero in his son’s eyes. Dominic had
considered him invincible in every fight and knew he would always
protect them, until now. Hemlock’s game had destroyed more than
Dashara’s rebellion, and from the smile on the man’s lips, he knew
it.

“
Violence begets violence, Dominic. Your
daddy has been a very violent man. He has killed ten people for
every drop of your mother’s blood that is spilling, and I promise
there will be a lot of blood spilled. Just think of how many
families your daddy destroyed just like this.” Hemlock spoke in a
gentle voice, but his attention was focused on Seth as he spoke
with just the barest gleam of his eyes visible through the hood of
his cloak. “What do you think of that Dominic? It’s OK to talk
since I asked you a question. I won’t hurt anyone if you
answer.”

“
I hate you,” Dominic whimpered, his small
voice barely audible over his mother’s screams. Seth swallowed
heavily but showed no reaction to the words beyond that. He wasn’t
sure if the boy was speaking to him or Hemlock, but it still cut to
the bone. No matter how many years passed, he didn’t think Dominic
would ever understand why he hadn’t drawn his swords. He might have
won against Hemlock, but not Uindraely and Donrey as well. There
was simply too much power in the room to gamble. The odds were too
far against him, and failure meant losing everything. He would
never forgive himself for Dashara’s death, but at least his
children would survive. Another scream of agony tore through the
room and Uindraely giggled in amusement. Seth let his gaze rise to
her and then to Dashara. “I will kill everyone in this room before
I rest,” he promised himself silently. He couldn’t kill them now,
but he would see them die eventually.

Hours seemed to pass as Donrey slowly peeled
the flesh from his daughter and salted the wounds, adding agony to
her already unbearable pain. By the time she finally faded to
unconsciousness her voice was raw from screaming. Seth stared
silently at what remained of her, trying not to picture how her
eyes locked on him once the pain had broken her mind. Her screams
had turned to pleas for help and then finally curses before she had
fallen silent at last. His gaze slowly lowered, tracing a path down
the carved chair to the pool of blood beneath her.

“
Kill the boy and take the girl back to my
house. I’m afraid the boy already has too much of his mother’s
taint, but we might be able to salvage the infant,” Donrey ordered
as he stood back and surveyed his work.

“
According to the rules I set for Seth, if
he behaved well his children lived,” Hemlock said quietly as he
watched one of the guards take Davihni from Uindraely.

“
I don’t give a fuck about your games.
Kill the boy,” Donrey snapped. He was paying more attention to the
jeweled dagger he held than he was either of his grandchildren.
Carefully, he wiped more of the blood from the blade and glanced up
at Hemlock.

Hemlock nodded once and shrugged. “Sorry,
kid,” he murmured as he drew his dagger from his belt.

Seth moved with every ounce of speed that had
earned him his deadly reputation. His sword was in his hand and
swinging at Hemlock’s neck before the Assassin had so much as moved
Dominic in his arms. With a curse, Hemlock dropped the boy and drew
both of his blades. Seth slid gracefully to his knees and caught
his son with one arm before the child could crash to the hardwood
floor.

“
I’m sorry,” Seth whispered as he kissed
his son’s head softly and summoned magic. Within a breath the boy
was gone from the room and Seth was on his feet once more, blades
flashing as he parried Hemlock’s attacks with ease.

“
Where did you send him?” Donrey demanded,
but Seth didn’t even spare him a glance. He would die here and he
knew it. He could already feel magic pulsing off Uindraely. It
wouldn’t be long before Merro’s most formidable mage unleashed her
spells on him. Dominic was safe, though, in the care of the only
person aside from Dashara that he had ever trusted. Rose would know
him on sight; she had helped during his birth. The healer would
keep him safe in Sanctuary and be his shield against Avanti. The
only thing that mattered now was taking some of these bastards with
him when he went. With a snarl, Seth picked up the pace and smiled
as Hemlock staggered back under the assault. It was clear by the
muffled curses that Hemlock no longer wanted a fair fight.