The Crow King's Wife (33 page)

“And why should you bother? It is a lost city
from beyond the Barrier does it really have a place in the
Darklands?” Exodus asked. Concern had crept back into her face and
voice.

“I could give you the same answer I gave
Fiona.” Finn began with a grin. “I could say it’s dead therefore
its mine, but I said that mostly to make her question my sanity so
she would run to her true master in panic. War has done a good job
of spreading his concerns for my well-being and here you are.” He
waved a hand toward her lightly and his grin broke into a full
smile as the glint of concern on her face blossomed further. “I
will give you the truth though.” He added before she could speak.
With a sigh he propped one of his legs before him and rested his
arm against it. “Evagale is dead, but it could be revived, just as
easily as the souls of my domain can be returned to the world
above. Every piece of land I alter is a monument to what we can
accomplish. The souls are sent to me for redemption and I am
showing them what is worth being redeemed for. I am showing them
what can be done if they can set aside their wars and their
differences. I altered my own house for that reason. It is not the
protective fortress that will keep me safe now, but it is one of
the reasons for my redemption. That is a replica of the house I was
born in. That is the house that my mother and father lived in for
decades and raised their family in. That was my Mother’s prison and
sanctuary. Every time I walk through my door I remember why she was
trapped there, and it gives me the strength to try to achieve the
impossible.”

“And what exactly do you define as the
impossible?” Exodus asked cautiously.

“A world where Evagale can exist again and
thrive and no one is forced to live in fear.” Finn began softly and
he rose slowly to his feet. He motioned toward the trees and then
looked up at her with determination lighting his eyes. He knew he
was on delicate ground here. He had to gain her support and if he
chose his words poorly she would think him just as mad as Fiona
did. “The city had no standing military. It had no guards or walls,
and the only thing that could be considered defense was the forest
that surrounded it on three sides. Yet it stood for close to four
hundred years in complete and utter peace. I want to take away
their desire to fight Exodus. I want to eliminate their desire to
escape what they see as a prison. All I have to do is force them to
realize the Barrier is protection as much as restraint. If I can
build Evagale in the Darklands it can be built in the Sunlit world.
All I have to do is remind them of what they could have, and how
little the cost would be.”

“Something like that would never last in
Sanctuary.” Exodus replied with a shake of her head and a wistful
smile. “It sounds beautiful Finn, and it makes a good story, but
something like that could never exist in our world.”

“Why?” Finn demanded with a raised eyebrow.
He didn’t raise his voice, but she looked stunned regardless.

“Well they would never build a city without
defenses for one. No matter how hard you try you will never get
them to stop their fighting the city would have to be protected.”
Exodus explained with obvious frustration for what she must see as
stupidity.

“For an Aspect you have a remarkable lack of
faith.” Finn mused. “Evagale will be built Exodus, and we are the
ones that are going to build it.” He informed her calmly and smiled
once more as her expression shifted to bewilderment. “Not you and I
personally, but the Divine.” He amended with amusement clear in his
voice. “Close your eyes and picture a city with no walls and no
guards that is dedicated to the Aspects, knowledge, and the arts.
Imagine a city that holds a library at its heart rather than a
government building and citizens that exist amongst each other with
no quarrels, poverty, or crime.”

“It’s a beautiful image of idealistic
nonsense that can never stand.” Exodus replied the moment he fell
silent. She hadn’t bothered to close her eyes and he could tell by
the expression on her face that he was very close to losing any
chance he had at her support.

He fixed his eyes on her and held her pinned
with his gaze as he calmly produced a stoppered vial from his cloak
and held it flat in the palm of his hand before him. “Do you know
what the term blooded means, Exodus?”

“In Nerathane it means those half-bloods that
have been gifted with pure Dragons blood to grant them more power.
I’m not sure if that is what you are referring to though.” Her
words were hesitant, but the annoyance had cleared from her
features and she was listening to him once more.

“The Dragons borrowed the technique from the
Divine beyond the Barrier. I read on it during my research.
Originally it was a gift reserved for the most honored of their
servants. What I propose is something a bit more drastic.” He let
the vial roll back and forth on the palm of his hand as she
considered what he was saying. He could tell she was confused, but
she also looked intrigued. “This is a vial of my blood Exodus. It
is the purest silver of the Divine. If I gave you this vial and you
drank it you would become more of what you are attempting to be. In
brutal honest truth you and I both know that an Aspect is nothing
more than an Elder Blood that has very specialized focus for the
channeling of their power. What I’m offering you is a taste of true
Divinity.” She was leaning forward now with eyes fixed on the vial
in her hand, and despite her obvious attempts to keep the hunger
from her face he could see it clearly. “It has a price Exodus.” He
warned her softly.

“This city you want?” she asked cautiously
then dropped down from her perch to stand before him. She was small
with a slight build that made her seem little more than a child,
but he could see the muscles tensed beneath her silk clothes. His
fingers closed on the vial and he smiled at her knowingly. She was
small, but she was extremely quick, and he wasn’t fool enough to
leave something as precious as his own blood unguarded mere feet
from the Mistress of Thieves. Her lips pursed at his closed hand
and she gave him a withering look. “I wasn’t going to snatch it
from you.” She snapped.

“Of course not.” Finn agreed amiably.

“The cost?” Exodus prompted with a raised
eyebrow. She still looked mildly irritated, but the expression was
fading quickly. She knew her own talents well enough and couldn’t
begrudge him taking precautions.

“If you drink it you will be bonded to me in
a fashion. It won’t make you a mindless slave by any means, but
your feelings toward me will be kinder. The price of Divinity is
loyalty to me Exodus.” Finn answered with a faint smile.

“Bloody hell.” Exodus muttered her eyes
widening as she stared at him. He could see by the look on her face
that she saw the entire picture he was painting. “I’m not the only
one you are going to make this offer to am I?” she asked
quietly.

“You are the first of many.” Finn agreed in a
somewhat smug tone. He knew he had her. The offer of true power was
too much for her to resist. It would be too much for the others to
resist as well. “Evagale will be built Exodus, and our servants
will dwell there in peace without fear of retribution, because
everyone will know that true Divine have returned. The phrase
The wrath of the gods
is about to gain meaning again.” He
paused to ensure she was hanging on his every word then continued
in a confident voice. “When the High Lords meet for their council
we will be there as well. Sanctuary is our home and I have no
intention of sitting on the sidelines while they tear it apart.
They say that by our laws the Divine may not participate in
political affairs, and yet I see Lutheron do it every day. So I
have determined that if he can, I can, and that our laws are
outdated. It’s time to reach a new agreement between the Divine and
the Elder Blood.”

Her eyes flashed once and she shook her head
at him. “You are doing this for Jala aren’t you? I thought when you
first spoke that you were doing this for the Aspects and then you
mention their council.” There was a note of jealousy in her voice
that left him silent for a long moment and her anger seemed to grow
in that space.

He pulled himself from his shock and shook
his head slowly. “I’m doing this for me, Exodus.” He murmured. His
hand moved to the tattoo on his wrist and his fingers absently
traced the marriage lines imprinted on his flesh. “I have to feel
as though the gain was worth the price I paid. Some might say that
Divinity was well worth the cost of my mortal life, but I don’t
agree. I’m doing this so that I can sleep at night knowing it was
all worth it. The Aspects are a joke to the Elder Blood as it
stands now, and if I can change that and give them a voice then I
will be able to actually see some good that I have done.”

Exodus watched him for a long moment and then
regarded the trees surrounding them with renewed interest.
“Evagale.” She said softly as if pondering the name then looked
back to him with interest filling her dark blue eyes. “Where would
it be if we built it?” she asked cautiously.

A smile pulled at his lips once more but he
kept his expression subdued. She might see a smile as gloating, and
that was the last thing he wanted. She was serious now and he
needed to be as well. “In its own place like Sanctuary. I don’t
want it to be claimed by any one land. I want it to belong to
everyone and yet no one. I won’t give the High Lords power there
such as they have in Sanctuary, and yet I won’t ban them from the
city either.”

“How will you keep the rival priests from
fighting amongst each other?” Exodus continued. The caution was
fading from her voice replaced by simple curiosity.

“With laws.” Finn answered simply and slowly
lowered himself to the ground once more. The moment for concern was
past. Exodus was as good as his and he didn’t need to stress over
the matter any further.

“How will you enforce the laws if you have no
guards?” Exodus pressed. She glanced quickly at the moss covered
rocks he was seated on before sitting down to face him with both of
her legs crossed in a childlike pose.

“If I were to say to you. Exodus your priests
are thieves and I understand their natures, but I cannot allow
crime in Evagale. If your followers steal in this particular city I
will ban your temples and remove your seat on the council with the
Elder Blood. If you cannot control your priests I cannot put faith
in your leadership and therefore your presence there is a waste.
What would you do?” Finn kept his voice mild but he could still see
her stiffen at his words.

“My followers will obey my will.” Exodus said
defensively but he could see the understanding in her eyes as she
nodded her agreement with his logic. “As will the followers of the
other Aspects.” She conceded with a faint smile and a nod.

“Everyone will be too afraid of missing
something important to let their flock stray.” Finn agreed with a
slight nod.

“But what about those who visit the city? How
will you keep them in order? Our priests might follow from
reverence, but not everyone will.” Exodus asked after a long moment
of contemplation. She was leaning back on her arms now and looked
perfectly relaxed despite where she was. Not many could manage to
look so at ease while speaking with the Lord of Death in hell Finn
realized with amusement.

“If it is more than our priests can handle,
then we handle it ourselves. Which would you suppose a visitor to
the city would find more unnerving, an angry city guard or an
infuriated god? It will only take one or two instances before word
spreads about the city and its laws.” Finn returned without pause.
He wasn’t sure if she were truly as curious as she seemed or if she
wanted to know how much thought he had placed toward his goals.
Either way he doubted she could ask anything that he wouldn’t have
an answer for. He had spent days in contemplation over this. The
changes to the Darklands had been more spontaneous, but they were
the spark that had ignited his new plans. With every change he made
to his domain he considered what changes he could make in the rest
of the world, and the plan had slowly grown.

Exodus fell silent with his words. Her blue
eyes were filled with thought as she traced a slender finger back
and forth across a rock. “War won’t like this.” She muttered and
glanced up at him to see his reaction.

“Neither will Lutheron.” Finn agreed and
shrugged one shoulder. “They can feel free to discuss the issue
with me at length, but they won’t stop me.” He assured her
firmly.

Her chin lifted slightly and a faint smile
touched her lips as she held her hand out toward him. “You won’t
face them alone Lord Death. Give me the vial. You have my
loyalty.”

Finn smiled at her and bowed his head to her
in respect. “Thank you Exodus.” He replied gently. “There is one
thing I ask and I hope you don’t find offense, but it’s a matter I
won’t budge on.” She nodded for him to continue and he glanced down
at the vial in his hand as he spoke. “I’d like you to drink it now
and give me back the vial. I don’t intend to use more than one vial
in this process. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but there are
some amongst the Aspects that I don’t trust, and the fewer vials
with traces of my blood inside them the better I feel about my
continued good health.”

“Wisely planned and no offense taken.
Considering some of the magic that can be worked with blood I can’t
say that I blame you.” Exodus agreed with a grin.

Finn nodded and felt his stomach clench as he
handed the vial over to her. There was a possibility that she would
simply vanish with the prize, but he didn’t’ think so. He didn’t
exactly trust Exodus, but he thought he had judged her character
well enough to know what she would do.

With nimble fingers she opened the vial and
tilted it to her lips. Her face contorted slightly as his blood
filled her mouth, but she didn’t hesitate in swallowing. Her eyes
closed as she lowered the vial and her breathing quickened as faint
traces of sweat broke across her pale face. The vial tumbled from
her fingers to land in the moss beside her and she leaned forward
to brace herself on the ground.