Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) (35 page)

The blast woke Netira from her slumber on the prison cell floor. She could smell the blood of both the elves and full-bloods as well as the scent of fire in the air. She swore under her breath. Arlina was here, and Netira was still stuck in this damned cell.

Her time had run out.

She gripped the bars in haste and pulled. Netira cursed as she felt the wounds Arlina had dealt her open up. She’d never fully healed from the fight, and that one particular Elder made sure she barely fed during her imprisonment.

She contemplated killing this Lord Destrius more times than she imagined killing Arlina. Netira failed to see how a man so insufferable had risen to the rank of Elder; the sacred sisters had an odd sense of humor.

Once she was fully standing, Netira smelled more of the inferno from the blast she’d heard. It was strange to her that Arlina resorted to fire, though she quickly dismissed the notion, realizing fire caused more suffering than Arlina could ever hope to deal to the Woodland Realm elves herself.

Netira cursed again.

She pulled at the bars once more and felt defeated when they refused to budge. If she were at full strength, they would have moved.

“I’ve been walking a thin line since the beginning of my existence, and it grew thinner the day I became Blackwen’s Second,” Netira snapped. “And now my luck runs out while being imprisoned of all things! Aerios blow you!” She pulled at the bars and sighed in resignation. “Goddesses.”

“They don’t answer to the likes of you,
vampyra
,” a male voice snapped, drawing Netira’s attention to the entrance of the prison hall.

Vampyra
was an Elvish curse aimed toward her kind, so she knew she wasn’t dealing with Arlina or another full-blood from her city.

“Your city burns,” Netira said as she squinted her eyes to see the identity of her visitor. “And yet you’re here, keeping
me
of all people company. You might want to rethink your morals, elf.”

She felt a strong hand clamp tightly around her throat, and Netira saw that she stood face to face with Lord Destrius. Her hatred for him continued to grow.

“Your kind should have been exterminated ages ago,” Lord Destrius spat, his grip on her throat tightening. “Clarayne and Celstian are fools to believe in mercy. I told them this would happen. I told them that if we kept that stupid
vampyra
brat in our city, your Mistress would wreak havoc on us.”

“Whether…Artemis was living…in your city or not, Arlina…would have attacked Ellewynth…anyway,” Netira squeaked. She grabbed Lord Destrius’ outstretched arm and tried to break his grip. “Killing…me…will achieve…nothing.”

“Oh, but it
will
achieve something,
vampyra
.” Lord Destrius smirked. “Personal satisfaction. My city has been destroyed thanks to your Mistress. I can now go and return the favor. I won’t rest until I destroy every last bit of your precious Dark Fortress. Blackwen City has reached the end of its existence. A pity you won’t get to see it burn.”

Arrogant prick
, Netira thought as she continued to fight the Elder’s grip on her throat.

She felt the pressure prevailing over her, and she averted her eyes so that the last thing she would see before death claimed her wasn’t the intense hatred that seethed in the green eyes of Lord Destrius.

What she did see when she looked away from the Elder stunned her—Karesu was standing in the doorway. It couldn’t have been possible, of course, for Arlina had surely made him her Second and had him watch over the city in her absence.

Netira felt tears fill her eyes. When the figure of Karesu moved closer, Netira realized he wasn’t a hallucination due to the lack of oxygen; he was
here
. Lord Destrius sensed something was amiss, and he threw Netira down as he drew his sword to parry the attack Karesu dealt. When Lord Destrius saw the runes within the jewelry as well as the calligraphy-etched blade Karesu carried, he swore.

“A vampire mage,” Lord Destrius said, stunned. “There
is
such a thing.”

Karesu narrowed his gaze at him. He kept his hold on the sword hilt, pushing Lord Destrius away little by little. “Release your prisoner, Elder of Ellewynth.”

“Or what? You’ll murder me?” Lord Destrius scoffed. “You can try, but you’ll end up just like her sooner or later…a permanent corpse.”

Netira forced herself off the ground as she rubbed her throat. She could still feel the remnant pressure of the Elder’s fingers along her skin, and she shuddered. Karesu’s gaze met hers, and she blinked back tears.

“I will get you out of here,” he swore.

“If Arlina finds you here…” Netira managed to say, coughing as the intake of air pained her.

“I don’t give a damn about that infernal woman. I
will
get you out of here,” Karesu declared, now looking at Lord Destrius. “Release her, and I will spare you your life. You have my word.”

“The word of a full-blood means nothing to me,” Lord Destrius said, beginning his attack. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you, mage? I thought love was a foreign concept to a vampire.”

Karesu kept his silence as he continued to clash blades with Lord Destrius. Netira gripped the bars and pulled yet again, desperate to be freed. The Elder was indeed formidable and evenly matched with her love, something Netira was not used to seeing.

Lord Destrius forced Karesu’s back against the bars, making Netira jump at the loud thump his body made. The Elder’s blade was close to Karesu’s throat; only Karesu’s sword kept the other steel away from cutting it. Karesu kneed Lord Destrius just above his groin, and he rolled away to avoid the wide trajectory of the Elder’s curved sword. He looked up at Netira and ran to the bars.

Netira felt heat emanate from the spots where Karesu laid his hands, and she backed away. The bars started to melt, but not fast enough, as Karesu rolled away once more to dodge an angry barrage of strikes from Lord Destrius. Frustrated, Netira kicked at the bars, but they still wouldn’t budge.

“There are those that would call you admirable for trying to pull off a rescue attempt, mage,” Lord Destrius said, suddenly backing off. “And there are those that would call you a fool, for you’re only prolonging the inevitable. The two of you will still meet your death out there even if you somehow manage to slip past me, which isn’t very likely. I was made an Elder of Ellewynth for my war prowess. I will
not
be bested by the likes of you.”

Both Netira and Karesu sighed.

“You’re not very original, Elder of Ellewynth.” Karesu raised his sword and adjusted his stance. “I do hope someone else is in charge of your paperwork. It’d be a shame to be the laughingstock among the elven Elders of the other realms.”

Lord Destrius growled as he charged Karesu, and the sparks from the blades continued to fly. The attacks were faster and even more calculated than before; Netira saw Karesu struggle to keep his normally smooth footing. The bars still weren’t weak enough for Netira to break through, and she felt her panic rise. She froze when she saw a successful leg sweep by Lord Destrius, and Karesu landed hard on his back.

“You disappoint me, mage,” Lord Destrius said, circling Karesu. “I expected a better fight from you. I expected to be attacked with magic. I guess the whore isn’t worth that much trouble, hmm?”

“Elf prick!” Netira snapped, feeling her dhampir nature rise. The wings from her back extended, but she was not strong enough to maintain the form; it pained her to hold it.

“A dhampir?” Lord Destrius spoke in disbelief. “You actually gave us the truth?”

“Hard to believe that a
vampyra
is capable of such a thing, huh, you bastard?” Netira hissed, her eye teeth fully elongated and her irises silver.

Karesu took advantage of the distraction by rushing after the Elder, only to fail; his waist met the tip of Lord Destrius’ sword. Netira gasped when she saw Karesu’s shirt cling to him with his blood. The Elder smirked and pushed the sword farther into him; Karesu’s cry of pain shattered Netira, and she cried out as she pulled on the bars. They barely shifted, and she knew she would never get out in time to aid him. Karesu’s violet eyes shifted to a deep red, and he cried out once more when Lord Destrius removed the sword from his body. Karesu coughed, and his chin was speckled with his own blood; Lord Destrius watched him with glee.

“How should your final death be dealt, mage?” Lord Destrius inquired. He directly kicked Karesu’s wound, and Netira looked away, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Shall I be just and give you a quick beheading? Or shall I savor the moment and throw you into the flames
which you cast upon my city?” He grabbed Netira by the throat again and forced her to look into his eyes. “What do
you
think, dhampir? Should I be merciful and spare you the sight of my final stroke? Or should I kill you now and enjoy more of his screams?”

“How about neither, you bastard?”

Netira knew the voice, as did Lord Destrius.

Before the Elder could turn to face the newcomer, there was a loud thud on the back of the Elder’s head. Netira could feel air returning to her body once more, and she coughed as the air pained her throat. As Lord Destrius’ body slumped, Netira met the angry and annoyed stare of the famous Shadow of Ellewynth. He too was covered in splotches of blood, and his green eyes averted to Karesu’s slumped form. Netira grew frightened, as she felt Shadow would kill the man.

Shadow bade Netira to move back, and he kicked at the burned bars of her prison cell. After a few series of stomps, the bars fell. Netira rushed to Karesu’s side and propped his body against her chest. She held his head in her arms and kissed him. Even with the pain, Karesu returned the kiss as passionately as he normally would.

“Karesu, you dangerous fool,” she said as she broke away, her hands now moving to his wound.

“I thought that was why you chose me.” Karesu moved his head to fit in the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent. He placed a soft kiss beneath her chin. “You kissed me in front of someone. Does this mean…?”

“Yes, yes it does.”

“You must be the vampire mage that managed to kidnap Talisa and still lived to tell the tale,” Shadow interrupted, while extending a hand to Karesu.

Karesu eyed his hand warily, but took it. “And you are Shadow of Ellewynth, one of the most feared elves in existence.”

“Guilty.” Shadow grinned as he helped pull Karesu to his feet.

Netira held the other side of Karesu and was relieved that Shadow wasn’t going to kill him.

“You attacked an Elder.” Karesu motioned toward the incapacitated Lord Destrius. “
Your
Elder, and from behind no less. How honorable of you, Shadow.”

Shadow frowned. “There’s nothing honorable about that prick.”

“I feel we could be good friends, elf.” Netira smiled, as she shared the same sentiment. “I am saddened he did not meet death, however.”

“His time will come,” Shadow reassured her as he led them to the stairway. “The more important thing right now is getting you both out of here. I will take you to Talisa’s cottage.”

“It is appreciated, but unnecessary.” Karesu winced. “Netira and I must get as far from your realm as we can, as quickly as possible. Arlina must not know this happened.”

“I’m aware of that, mage,” Shadow sympathized, “but you are both in
my
hands now. You do not have the strength to fight me off, let alone argue with me.”

Netira felt her heart begin to break; she was a pawn in a game created by her old mentor, and she still had to aid Artemis Ravenwing. Karesu had no knowledge of this, and she knew he would not take it well once he did. He might want to run away and start anew, but she had to keep up the fight to save their home.

“I fear
we
may not be good friends, Shadow of Ellewynth,” Karesu said, angered. “Netira and I have a need to disappear. We can fend for ourselves.”

“Karesu, we must go to Talisa’s cottage,” Netira interjected, trying to ease the rising tension between the men. “There is something I must tell you, but only after you get treated and gain some rest.”

“Netira—”

“My love, listen to me!” Netira begged. Karesu’s eyes were back to violet, and they were filled with sadness as they focused on her. “We
will
have the chance to live together as we often dreamed of, and it
will
be in Blackwen City. But it must wait just a little while longer. There is something of great importance that I must do, and I will not carry it out until I know that you are well and safe. You would do the same if it was me in your shoes, and don’t you dare attempt to deny it.”

Karesu’s sigh of resignation told her that she had won the argument, and Shadow chuckled.

“Now that that’s settled, shall we focus on getting the both of you out of here?” Shadow suggested. “We’ve already lost a lot of time. Arlina could be in the hall.”

“What?” Karesu and Netira snapped in unison.

“Talisa warned me about that possibility. I was lucky to have missed her when I came in, but we may not be so lucky now. Now do you understand my urgency?” Shadow explained.

“Avilyne’s hell…” Karesu swore.