The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4 The Blessed Curse (44 page)

* * *

Wind slammed against his side as the dragon
flew passed him once more. His long grey cloak tangled around his
legs and Hemlock took a cautious step back. His eyes lingered on
Kaverax as he turned in the air for another sweep by the palace.
Nerath had been big. Wilameir was huge when she shifted. But
Kaverax made them both look like hatchlings. The idea that the
creature before him once ruled the skies in his world amazed him.
He had, of course, lived while Kaverax still ruled, but never once
had he seen the dragon in his scaled form. The few occasions he had
met the creature while it was living had been inside the Justicars
hall in Sanctuary and Kaverax had seemed no more threatening than
any other man in the building.

“What are you doing up here?” Yasny’s voice
demanded behind him and Hemlock slowly turned on his perch to smile
at her. His feet shifted on the loose tiles of the tower roof and
he paused, but his smile never faltered.

“Looking for a nice private place to talk to
you, Yasny,” Hemlock replied easily. She was crouched above him
close to the window and the expression on her face suggested that
if he didn’t slip and fall she was going to push him. “I have a
proposal for you, Yasny; just hear me out,” Hemlock pressed in his
most charming voice. He didn’t have Seth’s natural talent with
charm magic, but he did know how to tempt the Elder Blood easily
enough.

“Why would I want anything you have?” Yasny
hissed, but her expression had softened and he could see the glint
of curiosity in her eyes.

“Because Finn will never give you what I’m
offering and we both know it,” Hemlock replied with a smile.

Yasny’s eyes narrowed as she watched him, but
as he had suspected, the hint was too much for her. She wanted to
know exactly what he was talking about and it was obvious. She
stood after a long moment and waved a slender hand for him to move
closer. “Too much noise up here and I don’t like having to yell.
Come inside the tower, Hemlock,” she said as she ducked back
through the tower window.

Hemlock nodded and followed her silently into
the palace. He gazed around at the room noting the cobwebs and dust
that lined the corners then let his eyes settle on her. “I have a
problem, Yasny, and after much consideration I’ve decided that we
could help each other.”

“Do you have any idea what kind of bloody fit
Seth would throw if he knew you were in the palace?” Yasny asked,
ignoring his words completely. She shook her head at him in
annoyance and leaned against the dusty wall. “I have no idea how
soon he will be back, either, so you might want to spit out
whatever you came here for before he returns.”

“You never were the sort for flattery,”
Hemlock lied with a smile. In truth, Yasny had been one of the most
vain and arrogant women he had ever known. She had reason to be,
though. While she lived, Yasny was considered the most beautiful of
the Elder Blood women, and she had known it. “Seth is why I’m here.
You, of course, understand that Seth and I don’t get along, and,
well, it has gotten to a point that I can no longer ignore.”

Yasny chuckled coldly. “Oh, you poor thing.
And I should care about this, why?”

“You are correct, of course. After the
countless years that Seth has spent weaving his charm magic over
you, you shouldn’t care. I knew you when you lived, though, Yasny.
I know you are no one’s lap dog and he has taken advantage of you.”
Hemlock paused and smiled at her obvious anger. “Please allow me to
finish before you speak. Her lips had tightened and he could tell
she wanted to speak, but she nodded for him to continue. “Seth has
been too active in the Sunlit world recently. Finn allows him more
freedom than he does any other soul in his domain. I’m sure you
have noticed the favoritism. His activity has got to stop.”

“It won’t. Finn has given him full leave to
do whatever he must to help the girl,” Yasny broke in with
annoyance clear in her voice.

Hemlock frowned and forced a look of
confusion onto his face. He, of course, knew about Zoelyn, but this
would go easier if Yasny thought she had the upper hand. “Is that
what it is? He is helping a girl?”

Yasny smirked and nodded. “An Undrae,
actually. Her name is Zoelyn,” she informed him with a grin.

He no longer had to force the look of
confusion. According to the information he had, Zoelyn was a
siphon. There had been whispers about Undrae in Glis, of course,
but the word
Undrae
had become so bastardized there that
they used it for anything they didn’t like. A true Undrae was a
much larger problem than a siphon could ever be. “Whatever the case
is, I need him to fade away like a good little dead thing, and I
think you can help me with that. In return I, of course, would help
you. I know the name, Zoelyn, but I had no idea she was the reason
Seth was so active lately.”

“How would you help me?” Yasny demanded. He
could tell she was growing tired of the game, but he still had
enough of her curiosity to keep her talking.

“I could help you live again, Yasny. As far
as I’m concerned you have served your penance here and I don’t
think Finn is going to give you the chance that I am willing to. If
he does send you on, it will be into the life stream where you will
forget everything. I, however, will bring you back as you are now
with all of your memories and powers.” Hemlock spoke softly, as if
he was afraid the words would carry beyond their small room. He had
her now and he knew it. No creature in the Darklands would
sacrifice the chance to live again. It was the guaranteed way to
achieve exactly what he wanted.

“How?” Yasny whispered. There was a hunger in
her eyes that couldn’t be faked. For the chance to live again, she
would do whatever he asked.

“Kali,” Hemlock said with a shrug. “She can
create a body for you that would be a perfect duplicate of what you
had in life, or she could make you different in appearance if you
prefer to remain unknown. Then it would be as simple as my taking
your soul from here. Once we have performed the spells in the
Sunlit world to bond your soul with your new body, there is nothing
Finn can do about it. Unless, of course, Seth still has his full
freedom. Finn could send the Crow King to retrieve you, I suppose…”
He let the words trail off and remained silent as she considered
his offer.

“I won’t attempt to destroy Seth. He is more
powerful than I am here,” Yasny said with obvious hesitation. It
wasn’t easy for a creature such as Yasny to admit something was
more powerful.

“I wouldn’t ask you to. It is no secret that
Seth is often in Merro and it is also widely known that Zoelyn is
Jala’s ward and that Jala thinks highly of her. So, if what you say
is true about Seth helping the girl, it should be an easy matter to
resolve. We separate him from the girl and he no longer has a
purpose in the world above.” Hemlock paused and tapped his chin as
he seemed to consider the matter. It wouldn’t do if he appeared to
have this all planned out. Yasny would grow suspicious.

“The girl adores him and he is so
disgustingly sweet when dealing with her that I can’t blame her.
Seth can be so charming when he wants to be,” Yasny grumbled and
there was a hint of jealousy in her tone.

“Ahh, but you and I both know the real Seth.
So all you have to do is show her a glimpse of what he really is.
If she could see the evil he hides behind his smiles, she would
run. Who wouldn’t run from that?” Hemlock said softly.

Yasny frowned and her expression grew
thoughtful. “If he has any idea I’m involved, he will be furious,”
she mused. Her lips pursed as she considered the matter and she
nodded slowly. “I believe I know how to go about this, but it will
take time. The girl is here now, but I need time to cozy up to her
before I act. I have to hold a fraction of her trust for this to
work. It shouldn’t be hard, though. She is rather naïve.”

“Excellent, Yasny. That gives me time to make
preparations with Kali.” Hemlock smiled at her and bowed his head.
“I will leave this matter to you, then. Just please don’t take too
long to act. Seth has already killed one of my trusted men and I
don’t want to lose more to his petty vengeance.”

“How do I know you will keep your word and
return me to life once I have done what you asked?” Yasny snapped
before he could move an inch.

Hemlock smiled and bowed his head to her once
more. “Of course. It’s only natural that you would want reassurance
after dealing with

Seth for so long. I am a man that keeps his
word, but I won’t expect you to act on that alone. I brought a
contract with me, of course, in the event that we did reach an
agreement,” he always carried contracts. They were the simplest way
to get an Elder Blood’s trust quickly, and for some reason the
simple piece of paper could build more trust than any words he
could utter. Straightening he pulled the scroll from his cloak and
unrolled it slowly against the wall. He motioned to her with a
gloved hand to move closer and stepped back so she could read the
print. It was hard to keep from smiling like a child as he watched
her scan the words. She would sign and she would do everything he
asked.

Once Seth was out of the picture, killing
Zoelyn would be a simple matter, and then he could know a fraction
of peace. She had to be the fog that was disrupting his visions of
the future. The fact that she was truly an Undrae just enforced
that belief in his mind. Once she was dead, the images of the
Veyetta returning would fade from his dreams and he would no longer
have to fear his own death. He felt himself relax as Yasny smiled
and he quickly signed his name to the contract.

“You have no idea how I appreciate your help,
Yasny. I assure you that when you return to life again, I will do
everything I can to assure you have a place of power in the Sunlit
world,” Hemlock murmured as he rolled the contract once more.

“Give me two weeks by your time, and I should
be ready to act here. Make sure I have a body waiting, Hemlock. I
don’t want to be trapped here with Seth after I do this. He will
not be pleasant, and he is not stupid. It will only be a matter of
time before he knows I helped you.” Yasny spoke quietly and her
gaze flicked to the door. “You should go. He will be back before
the girl wakes and that won’t be long.”

“Thank you, Yasny. I will have the body
waiting. I promise.” Hemlock bowed to her and stepped back through
the window. “I don’t want him to sense my magic and make your job
more difficult,” he whispered as Yasny watched him go. He took
several steps away from the window and gazed off into the
Darklands. “Ahh, Seth you will never change. It’s always a girl
with you,” he murmured as he began the spell to return him to his
home.

* * *

Zoelyn sat up slowly in her bed and gazed
around the room. Blinking, she wiped the last of the sleep from her
eyes and slipped from the quilts. At first, the room had seemed so
out of place. It was too feminine to belong to Seth, but after the
countless nights she had spent in the Darklands it was more like
home to her than her room in Merro.

Jala had given her a beautiful room with wide
windows overlooking the gardens and more space than she would ever
use, but the room Seth had given her was different. It was smaller
with a cozy feel to it that reminded her of Dominic’s house. The
bed and the dresser were both carved with delicate patterns of
flowers and the blue and white quilts were worn and soft. The room
in Merro was perfect and pristine, but the room Seth had given her
was filled with love and warmth.

Her eyes lingered on the chair in the center
of the room and she frowned. It didn’t matter how many times she
moved it over by the table it was always in the center of the room
when she woke. It was the only thing that annoyed her about the
room. With a yawn she stretched and pushed the chair over by the
table once more. Her eyes lingered on the floor where it had been.
The wood was stained badly in the center of the room and every time
she noticed it, she made a mental note to clean it, but then the
day would unfold and she would be so distracted with Seth’s lessons
that she forgot entirely. With a sigh, she once again made a mental
note to clean the stain, and turned toward the door to find Seth.
She could usually hear him moving about when she awoke. It was
strange for the rooms beyond to be so silent.

Eyes still on the door, she dressed as
quickly and quietly as she could before creeping into the next
room. The entry hall was dark aside from a faint flicker of
lamplight shining beneath the door from the hall sconces. She
paused in the doorway, giving her eyes a moment to adjust, and then
scanned the room. A dark shape was barely visible by the far
wall.

“I didn’t expect you to wake so early.”
Seth’s voice was barely a whisper in the darkness and she almost
jumped at the sound of it. She had never actually seen him sleep
and until he spoke she had thought the dark form was simply
something he had discarded by the wall.

“I thought you had your own rooms to sleep
in. Why are you in here?” Zoelyn mumbled as she moved closer to
where he rested.

He inhaled deeply as he sat up and stretched
and she paused once more. Every time she had seen Seth he was
wearing his black armor and feathered cloak. She had never caught
him resting before, though, and he was bare to the waist. With a
yawn, Seth rose from his pallet and shrugged at her.

“Even when you aren’t here, I don’t sleep in
that room, so don’t feel bad about it,” he said in the same low
voice and rubbed his face. “I didn’t mean to wake you, Seth. You
can go back to sleep,” Zoelyn began hesitantly but Seth cut her off
with a dismissive wave.

“I don’t like sleep any more than I like that
room, so don’t worry about that either,” he explained with a grin.
“To sleep is to dream and it’s been quite some time since I had a
dream that was worth remembering.” His eyes lingered on her for a
moment and he shook his head as if clearing an unpleasant thought.
“Breakfast or training? How would you prefer to start the day?” he
asked in a more cheerful voice.