The Crow King's Wife (53 page)

Jala sighed in exasperation and Neph looked
up at her and shook his head slowly before his eyes moved past her
to rest on Onvalla. If anything the leader of the Blights looked
more uneasy than he was, though Neph wasn’t certain if it was the
formal dress the Blight was wearing causing her discomfort or if
she truly shared his suspicions on the Empress’s invitations to
council.

“She doesn’t like it either.” Neph informed
Jala with a wave of his hand.

Shaking her head Jala glanced at Onvalla and
then looked to Madren who lounged in one of the chairs with a
pensive expression on his face. “What do you think?” Jala asked as
she brushed a curl back from her face. Her long silk skirts rustled
softly as she moved to the table and picked up the document Neph
had discarded. The High Lady ran a finger across one of the seals
and carefully folded it once more before placing it beside the rest
of the invitations she had acquired in Sanctuary.

“I think Neph is always suspicious, but I’m
not sure he is right on this account. It does seem odd that the
invitations would be given so easily, but then Empress Symphony
needs as much support as she can manage at this point.” Madren
replied calmly and gave Neph an almost apologetic look.

“Exactly how I saw it!” Jala agreed with a
smile as she turned back to Neph. “Look, many have lost faith in
Symphony and with good reason. When I walked into her chambers
demanding invitations for the High Lords she had wrongfully
neglected it was like answering a prayer for her. She needs support
and I brought it. For the love of the Aspects Neph it’s a council
meeting and nothing more.”

“And she conveniently waited until the
morning of the council to give you the invitations. That
effectively eliminates any time I would have had to consider this.
I have two choices now, accept this blindly and go to the meeting,
or ignore her and try to maintain my seat as High Lord without any
support from my peers.” Neph returned in a growl and shook his head
once more. “It’s too bloody easy.” He repeated and let out a heavy
sigh.

“Neither of us have a choice in this Lord
Delvayon.” Onvalla pointed out bluntly. Her pale blond hair had
been artfully arranged and Jala had managed to convince the Blight
to wear a silk dress, but the woman still stood as if she were
about to do battle despite her refined appearance. “We must be seen
as High Lords and if we are going to do that we must accept her
invitation and attend this council.” Onvalla said firmly.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to attend. I
merely pointed out that I didn’t like it.” Neph snapped and somehow
the silence that followed his words was even more irritating than
the invitations themselves. He glanced around the room and not for
the first time felt Shade’s absence like a blow to the gut. He had
gotten so used to Shade’s careless remarks that the lack of them
made the silence stretch painfully. “Have you heard anything from
Vaze?” he asked softly almost before he realized he was abandoning
his argument by changing the subject.

Jala nodded slightly and a frown creased her
full lips as she seemed to notice Shade’s absence as well. Her
violet eyes flicked to Neph and sighed. “Vaze has checked every
slave market on Sanctuary. He was subtle and discreet with his
search and he has concluded that Shade lied about selling them, but
we cannot determine what truly did with them.” She informed him
quietly.

“Zoelyn hasn’t believed he was guilty since
he left.” Neph admitted ruefully. Absently he ran a hand through
his hair and shook his head in frustration. “Why would he
intentionally piss us off and leave like that.”

“To protect you.” Zoelyn said softly from her
seat in the corner of the room. She was the only one in the room
that was dressed casually, and she hadn’t bothered to speak until
now. “He committed matricide in Rivana to save Grim. He knew he
would answer for his crimes. He cut ties with us so we wouldn’t
share his punishment.” She added as she curled further back into
the cushioned chair and looked away from them all.

Neph watched her for a long moment and tried
to push away the regret that was clouding his mind. He should have
paid closer attention to Zoelyn. He knew he should have listened to
the subtle hints she had tried to give him over the past week.
Instead he had pushed her away and clung to his anger and now she
was more distant than she had been since the day he had met her in
Merro.

“It’s not something we can afford to consider
right now no matter how much it distresses us. We have a council
meeting to attend in less than two hours and we need to have our
minds set fully upon that. Neph have you chosen an entourage to
accompany you?” Jala’s voice broke through the silence once more
and he took her advice and pushed the guilty thoughts from his mind
before shaking his head in answer.

“I’m going alone. I have no way to transport
Zoelyn on such short notice and she has informed me that she would
prefer to stay in Delvay and train. My Aunt will watch over the
city while I’m away, and aside from those two I can’t think of
anyone in my city that is suited to the task.” Neph explained with
a trace of disgust in his voice. Even the Blight had brought chosen
people to accompany her to the meeting, but when he considered his
own people he couldn’t think of a single one that wouldn’t either
embarrass him or start a war.

“I plan to watch the council on scry while I
train.” Zoelyn offered quietly and shrugged as the attention of the
room turned to her. “While I won’t be there in person I will know
what is going on. If I feel Neph needs advice later I will be
informed and able to offer an educated opinion.” She clarified but
didn’t return the smile Neph offered in response to her words.

“That sounds reasonable.” Jala agreed
hesitantly before turning her attention back to Neph. “Are you
certain you won’t at least take a guard or two?” she asked with a
slight frown.

“I don’t need guards and you know it.” Neph
snapped as he rose from his chair and straightened the stiff jacket
he wore. He missed his worn leather armor almost as much as he
missed Shade’s pointless banter and the lack of them both was
making him more irritable than he cared to admit. Zoelyn’s
disapproval wasn’t helping his mood either he realized glumly as he
noticed her sullen glare in his direction. “We might as well get
this farce over with. Where is Valor?” he asked with grumble of
annoyance.

“I wish you were in a better frame of mind
for diplomacy.” Jala sighed then motioned to the door. “He is with
Legacy exploring your city. My son seems fascinated with your lack
of sky. He can’t seem to grasp the concept that your city is built
in a cave and just keeps staring up at the ceiling and pointing.”
She explained with a faint smile.

“Neph is rarely ever in a good frame of mind
for diplomacy. He knows the concept of the skill and has been
trained to understand it, but overall he seems to view it as a
pointless waste of his time.” Madren observed as he rose from the
table. Gracefully he crossed to the door and pulled it open for the
two women with a slight bow.

“Thank you Madren.” Jala intoned sweetly
before stepping into the shadowed hall with Onvalla on her
heels.

Madren gave Neph a questioning look as he
straightened but Neph shook his head and motioned for him to go on.
“Give me a moment to speak with Zoey. I’ll be there by the time you
track down, Valor.”

“As you will. Good day to you Lady Zoelyn.”
Madren returned with another slight bow in Zoelyn’s direction
before disappearing out the door to trail after Jala.

Neph waited for the door to close and
listened to the footsteps receding down his hallway. Satisfied that
they were all past the point of hearing his words he turned to
Zoelyn. “Something about today feels wrong.” He began quietly.
“Watch the scry closely and if things seem to be falling apart seal
the city or flee. Use your best judgment to determine what is best
for the city. I will leave instructions with Kay to follow you
orders.”

“What about you?” Zoelyn asked in a concerned
voice, and for the first time in days her expression toward him
softened.

“I will be with Jala and the rest so I should
be fine. I am not sure about leaving Delvay though. It’s possible
that the Rivasans will use my absence to attack.” Neph explained
with a frown and wondered for the hundredth time that morning if
being officially acknowledged as the High Lord of Delvay was worth
putting his city at risk.

“I think the Rivasans are feeling a bit
cautious right now. They lost an entire city to two men after all.
They have to wonder what sort of power we are holding right now.”
Zoelyn pointed out calmly as she slowly unfolded herself and rose
from her chair. Silently she crossed the room and stopped just in
front of him to look him over with a critical eye. She clucked her
tongue in mild disapproval and straightened his jacket a bit. “Be
careful, Neph. I’ve had a lot of my mind this week, and I know I’ve
been distant, but don’t think for a second that I don’t care about
you. Do what you have to do today and I will watch over the city
until you return. Just make sure you return.” Her finger jabbed him
in the chest firmly with her last words.

“I can’t think of a single other place on
Sanctuary that would tolerate my presence for more than a day. I’ll
return to Delvay don’t worry on that account.” Neph assured her
with a smile. On impulse he pulled her to him in a light embrace.
She stiffened in his arms and he released her quickly trying to
convince himself that it was her concern with her curse that made
her pull back and not her anger at his treatment of Shade.

“Be careful, Neph.” Zoelyn repeated quietly
as she stepped further from him and retreated back to her
chair.

“See that you do the same.” Neph replied a
bit more stiffly than he had intended then turned for the door. He
wasn’t in the frame of mind to fix things between them and he knew
it, besides he had a thousand other things to focus on at the
present. There would be time after the council to repair the damage
between him and Zoelyn, and once the council was over he would be
able to focus his full attention on her without distractions.

* * *

Zoelyn watched the door close and waited
patiently for the tell-tale hum of magic in the room. Within
moments of Neph’s departure she felt the first flicker of Divine
power and turned her gaze to regard her mother. Her brow creased
slightly as she realized Cora was alone. She had expected Fortune
to be with her and his absence disturbed her.

“Just me today I’m afraid.” Cora announced in
way of greeting then held up a small bag as she crossed to the
table. “But I have brought plenty of puzzles to keep you
entertained in the absence of the others.” She added with a bright
smile.

“Oh joy.” Zoelyn replied dismally and rose
from her chair once more. “Why isn’t Fortune here?” she asked and
tried to keep the disappointment from her words. She didn’t want
her mother to think she didn’t appreciate both of their company,
but Fortune had a way of lightening her mood no matter how
depressed she was. She had been looking forward to passing the day
with the both of them in Neph’s absence.

“Other matters to attend today.” Cora replied
too casually as she upended the bag and began sorting through the
various trinkets that clattered noisily across the polished
tabletop.

“Here try this one first. You should enjoy
it.” Cora offered as she pushed a tiny metal box toward Zoelyn.

Absently Zoelyn picked up the box and turned
it slowly over in her gloved hands barely focusing on the hundreds
of tiny runes that covered its surface. Even without removing her
gloves she could feel the magic rippling off of the tiny thing. Her
eyes moved back to Cora and she watched in silence as her mother
sorted through the puzzles and lined them up before her. Fortune
had designed the items with different weaves of magic in an attempt
to help her learn how to siphon off individual spells without
destroying every weave on an item. He believed that if she could
master his puzzles she could awaken the heroes, though she herself
had her doubts.

There was a vast difference in draining magic
from a toy and draining it from living creatures. Had it been a
simple commoner they wanted her to wake she would have been
hesitant, but they expected her to use her abilities on legendary
warriors that had been in stasis for well over a thousand years. If
she failed and harmed one of them there was no replacing what she
destroyed. Neph believed the heroes would be the salvation of
Delvay, and if he was correct that meant the entire weight of her
homeland was resting on her ability to control her curse.

“You have that look on your face again.” Cora
said gently and Zoelyn could hear the smile in her mother’s
voice.

Glancing up Zoelyn found the woman watching
her and felt her own expression soften in response. “What look
would that be?” she asked in amusement.

“The
I no wanna
face.” Cora clarified
with a grin. Reaching across the table she took Zoelyn’s hand and
gave it a soft squeeze. “You can do this love. I know this is a lot
of weight to put on your shoulders, but you are Delvay to the core.
You may not care for shedding blood but that doesn’t mean you
aren’t a fighter. Have faith in yourself.” Her voice was so
encouraging that Zoelyn felt her shoulders relax in response.

Leaning back in her seat she turned the box
absently in her hands and eyed the long line of puzzles before her.
“He usually only sends three a day.” Zoelyn observed quietly. There
were at least ten on the table and the bag by her mother looked as
though it might have more inside.

“He wanted you to have plenty of practice to
keep you entertained while your brother is away.” Cora returned,
but her smile seemed a bit forced and Zoelyn could hear an edge to
her voice that hadn’t been there before.