Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) (24 page)

Talisa frowned as she removed her signature dark blue pointed hat. She was wearing a white tunic and dark blue breeches that hid under calf-high, dark leather boots. She only wore such clothing when traveling, which piqued Shadow’s curiosity. Talisa’s lengthy black hair was surprisingly plaited into a tight bun, with a few wisps of the white streaks lying freely along the sides of her face.

“Shadow, I look forward to the day you admit to Artemis that you love her. I really do.” Talisa dramatically sighed. “Until then…”

“Why are you here when you now have an apprentice?” Shadow demanded.

“Just because things between you and Artemis have temporarily gone sour doesn’t mean you have to be a sourpuss to me!” Talisa berated him. Shadow kept silent, mostly out of irritation. “Oh fine, you stubborn fool. I was looking for you.”

“Really now.”

“I’ll overlook that bit of sarcasm, elf,” Talisa warned. She then sighed. “Things have been, ah, strange.”

“Get to the point, Talisa.” Shadow rubbed his brow. “I’m not in the mood tonight.”

“Just to let you know, I really dislike it when sourpuss Shadow is out and about,” Talisa scolded. She rolled her eyes after Shadow glared at her. “Fine, fine. I’ve…I’ve been seeing Tamina.”

Shadow focused on Azrael when he felt her shake at the mention of Tamina’s name.

“She’s been visiting us all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Talisa asked. Shadow glanced at her, and she then understood. “Willow be damned. She visited Artemis.”

“In a manner of speaking,” Shadow replied. “Artemis now knows the truth about Tamina as well as her noble bloodline.”

“
What?
”

Azrael dipped her head at the sudden scream, flicking her ears as if she were in pain.

“Apologies, Azrael,” Talisa said. Her focus returned to Shadow. “
You
were the one who made it clear that we had to keep silent on the matter around Artemis! How did this happen?”

“When push comes to shove, you push back,” Shadow answered. “For some time, Tamina has been visiting Artemis through dreams, showing her fighting a woman who we well know and thoroughly hate. She’s been seeing the very precursor to her mother’s death.”

“Goddesses…” Talisa gasped. “She really knows everything, then? Throne and all?”

“Yes.”

“Wonderful. Callypso might be right after all…”

“Callypso? Your elemental friend?”

“Yes. Tamina wanted me to send her to her gravesite,” Talisa explained. “She wanted Callypso to find and obtain her sai.”

Shadow’s eyes widened. “Another player in the game…”

Talisa shot him a confused stare. “What are you talking about? Who else is involved?”

“This game Tamina is stringing us along in,” Shadow answered. “And the other person is a dhampir named Netira. She is the former Second of Blackwen City, and now a prisoner of Ellewynth.”

“As in the same Netira who is responsible for the death of those elves?” Talisa asked.

“She’s innocent, Talisa,” Shadow stressed. “The ones who were responsible met their end by her hands. Arlina punished her with a harsh version of exile.”

“As expected from that usurper. How strange that Arlina did not know about the girl’s heritage…” Talisa mused. “What doesn’t make sense right now is why Tamina would send the dhampir to us.”

“Think about it, Talisa. You’ve just told me that Tamina sent Callypso to find her sai, which I would assume she would want to be used by Artemis. Netira may be exiled from her birthplace, but that only means that her purpose is…?” Shadow stopped, hoping Talisa would understand his point. He relaxed a bit when he watched her expression shift.

“She’s the way into the Dark Fortress.”

Shadow nodded. “I think Artemis intends to spring Netira free and have her guide the way to Blackwen City.”

“But Artemis barely knows the woman!”

“It won’t stop her.” Shadow frowned. “She needs time to think, though. All of this did come at once.”

“You can’t let her go. She’ll be killed, even with Tamina’s sai at her disposal.”

“She won’t go alone with Netira.” Shadow took a deep breath. “She may hate me at the moment, but I plan on making things right between us again.”

“So you’ll accompany her, should she make the decision to leave.”

“Yes, I will.”

“And what if Arlina comes and attacks Ellewynth? You are a soldier. You have your duties to the realm. You know what happens if you abandon them.”

Shadow mounted Azrael and stared ahead into the open forest.

“She
will
come and attack Ellewynth. And my priority will be Artemis’ safety. Ellewynth…Ellewynth will have to rely on others to defend her. If I am branded a deserter, so be it.”

“You can’t mean that.” Talisa was horrified. “I won’t let you go with her.”

“I mean every word,” Shadow said. “I already know you’ll come with us. Jack will follow along because he’s your apprentice, and Callypso will come because she’ll worry about your well-being.”

“Callypso will
not
go with us,” Talisa snapped. “She’s already treading on dangerous ground, living the way she is right now.”

“Oh, I think she’ll come along.” Shadow smiled as he saw Talisa covering her mouth after her words. “I know you, old friend. As for Callypso, the fact that she’s an elemental will not stop her from joining us.”

Talisa sighed in defeat. “When did things become so disastrous?”

Azrael snorted at her, which made Shadow laugh.

“Indeed, Azrael. Nothing ever goes the way we plan.”

“You truly are a gift, wise one.” Talisa patted Azrael’s neck. Azrael nudged Talisa as a way of saying thank you. “You’re certain of this.” Shadow nodded, and she sighed once more. “I’ll go to Artemis. I can handle a peeved dhampir, after all.”

“Best of luck to you.”

“Shadow…promise me you won’t do anything stupid tonight.”

Shadow didn’t answer as he rode off.

I sat on my windowsill, staring at the night sky. My eyes itched and puffed after crying for so long. As upset as I was with Shadow, I understood why he’d kept the secrets. If I were him, I’d probably have done the same.

It still hurt, nonetheless.

And Netira…there was something about her that piqued my curiosity. I’d never met another dhampir before, and I was intrigued, despite her being from Blackwen City. She hid her heritage too, but after meeting her, she did not seem to share the struggles I had.

Avilyne’s hell, the Dark Fortress. I hated that half my blood traced back to that place, not to mention that I had legitimate ties to its throne. I didn’t want it, but it did not matter. Arlina was coming to Ellewynth, and she would most likely burn the place down after killing me. There was no way I could fight her, not with the low level of skill I possessed. If I could free Netira and leave Ellewynth, I could prolong my encounter with my aunt. I could learn how to fight from Netira during our journey, even if it was just a matter of defending myself from Arlina.

I had to try.

Before I could free Netira, I would have to speak to Shadow. It would only be fair to our friendship for me to say my farewells to him. Once I left Ellewynth, I wouldn’t ever see him or the others again. The thought pained me, but it would be the right thing to do.

No one should have to suffer anymore because of who I was.

“Artemis?” I heard a female voice call from below. I saw Talisa standing in front of my door.

“Talisa?” I said, confused at her presence. “What are you doing here in Ellewynth? Where’s Jack?”

“I wouldn’t worry about him,” she answered. She beckoned for me to move. “Why don’t you come down and join me for a moonlight stroll?”

“I mean no offense, but I would prefer not to leave my home tonight.”

Talisa crossed her arms. “Let’s try this again. Why don’t you come down and join me for a moonlight stroll?”

I noted the tone she used, which meant she was here for important matters rather than a casual visit. I nodded.

I didn’t bother to change out of my nightgown, and I especially ignored the need to bind my hair. I took a cloak from my trunk and wrapped it around my shoulders. Once I stepped outside, Talisa flashed me a satisfied smile and linked my arm with hers.

“I’ve heard you and Shadow are not speaking. Or should I say,
you’re
not speaking to him,” she began, while leading the stroll.

I groaned. “Temporarily. I’ve…I’ve learned a lot of things tonight.”

“Yes, I know,” Talisa said. “I take part of the blame for keeping the truth from you about your mother, Arlina, and your noble bloodline. Shadow and I thought it would be better to give you a clean slate, so to speak. Don’t be too hard on him.”

“I understand,” I answered. “But these are the truths I needed to know.”

“Would anything have changed?” Talisa asked. “Sometimes a lie can do some good, Artemis. You would have loathed yourself more than usual if you learned the truth of who you were while you were still a child.”

I changed the subject. “Talisa, why are you in Ellewynth? Shouldn’t you be at your cottage instructing Jack?”

“Normally, yes.” Talisa snorted. “I had some matters to discuss with Shadow. Once I found him, I learned of your events in the Hall of the Elders. I thought perhaps you’d like to talk.”

“There’s nothing left to talk about.” I frowned. “Netira needs to be freed, and I must go to Blackwen City.”

“You plan on fighting Arlina then? You can barely fight as is.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“Are you so eager to throw your life away, Artemis?”

“No,” I snapped. I took a deep breath as we continued our walk. “I think it’s time things are done on
my
terms. Not Arlina’s, not Shadow’s, and certainly not my mother’s.”

“Shadow mentioned you’ve been seeing Tamina through dreams.”

“Dreams, visions, call them what you will.” I glanced at Talisa, who continued to watch me with concern. “I now understand that she’s been trying to tell me that her own sister murdered her and that Arlina is coming after me. Escaping Ellewynth and journeying to Blackwen City will give me enough time to prepare for her.”

Talisa groaned. “If only it were so simple.”

“You think there’s more?”

“I
know
there’s more.” Talisa frowned. “I’m sure you think so too. I know you’re a stubborn one, but you can’t be that dense!”

“That’s awfully comforting, Talisa.”

“I call it as I see it, dear one, and you’ve known it since you were a child.” Talisa stopped and took my face in her hands. I could now see the tears in her eyes. “Don’t go to Blackwen City. Trust Shadow and me to protect you here, as we always have. Please, dear one. You’ve always feared your dhampir heritage, especially because you believed it would make you kill people. You will be killing people willingly if you go on this journey.”

I grasped her hands and brought them down. I didn’t let go of them, and I looked right into her eyes with tears of my own. She was right about the killing part…it was going to take some time for me to accept that.

“I’m sorry, Talisa. I love you both, but this is something I need to do. Arlina will come for me. I want to make sure that when she does find me, I can put up a fight and end it all.”

“You’ll leave us and put your trust in some dhampir you barely know?” I could hear the pain in her voice, and it was breaking my heart.

“Yes,” I said after a moment of silence.

Talisa was in disbelief. “I won’t let you do it. Shadow won’t let you do it.”

“I’m going to Blackwen City whether you like it or not, Talisa,” I stressed. “The only other option left is for you to join me, and it’s not an option I’d prefer.”

“And whether I go with you or not is something
you
have no control over, Artemis,” Talisa snapped. “And what about Shadow? Don’t you care enough about him to maybe change your mind and let him help?”

I sighed and turned away.

“I do care about him…but Shadow has done enough for me already.”

aresu walkes into the morning light, squinting at the view of the forest ahead. He did not wear the rune cloaks the scouts and soldiers donned; he was simply adorned with a black tunic with billowing sleeves and black breeches. He twisted the silver band that rested on his middle finger while feeling the curved engraved runes along his fingertips. With the charm, he welcomed the sunlight. Netira had helped him gain an appreciation for the daylight hours since its creation.