The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4 The Blessed Curse (49 page)

Neph watched her in stunned silence as Jala
gathered her wounded and prepared the spell that would return them
to Merro. He couldn’t find words to make things right between them
no matter how desperately he tried. His mind simply refused to
work, and all he could do was watch in silence as the only people
that truly mattered to him left him alone in the fallen city. His
gaze moved slowly across the corpse-littered room to the
flame-darkened walls and finally the door. It was fitting he
supposed. Delvay reflected exactly what he felt like inside: dead,
empty, and broken.

“I never once claimed to be a hero, Jala. You
are the only hero in Sanctuary. The rest of us are all damned,”
Neph whispered to the empty room as he slowly slumped against the
wall. Silently he slid down to rest heavily on the floor and pulled
his knees up against his chest.

He knew he should be moving now to release
his people from stasis and fortify the city, but that would have to
wait. His shoulders shook as the first of his tears broke and a
muffled sob escaped his throat. If he woke his people now they
would put him to the sword for weakness, and he wasn’t sure he
would even try to stop them. Death sounded better than life to him
at the moment, and the only thing that was keeping him from that
path was the knowledge that Seth was waiting below. Madren had been
right. He did have penance coming and the thought of Seth
delivering his punishments was too much for him to face in his
current frame of mind.

The Darklands

The vertigo of the transport spell made her
stomach heave and Zoelyn fought back the desire to vomit. She had
been crouched near Foster when the explosion hit and the blast had
caught her full on the side. Pain laced every part of her, but the
worst was her throbbing head. With every step Seth took, the pain
grew worse and she knew he was trying to be gentle. It was taking
everything she had just to remain conscious, but she knew enough
about healing to know sleep was her enemy right now. Head wounds
were dangerous and by the gummy feeling on her scalp and the raw
pain, she knew the gash on her scalp was a serious one.

“Do you have any idea what you have done!” a
woman screamed as Seth pushed the doors of the palace open. It
wasn’t a voice Zoelyn knew, but it was one she would remember
forever. Just the volume alone made her want to sob, but the anger
filling the words kept her silent.

“Get out of my way, Fiona. I am not in the
temper to deal with you,” Seth warned in a low voice. He shifted
Zoelyn carefully to one arm and placed his free hand on his dagger
hilt to emphasis his words.

“The Divine are not to partake of mortal
struggles and you slaughtered an entire city of Rivasans. They will
tear Finn apart for your actions, you selfish bastard!” Fiona
snarled and Zoelyn caught a glimpse of the woman as she moved
directly into Seth’s path. She was pale with dark hair and would
have been beautiful if not for the twisted expression of fury
covering her face. Fiona’s hand dropped to her sword hilt and she
shook her head slowly at Seth. “You will not simply walk away from
this, Seth. You will pay for these sins with your miserable
existence. I have watched Finn let you run wild these past few
months, but I will not let this pass. You have gone too far.” Her
voice dropped lower as her anger gave away to resolve.

“You will allow me to pass and see to the
girl before we settle things,” Seth corrected with a snarl.

“Let him pass, Fiona.” Finn’s voice silenced
them both. He hadn’t spoken loudly, but there was a power to his
voice that neither of them could ignore. “Seth, see to Zoey,” Finn
ordered as he approached. “Fiona, this will be resolved on my
terms, not yours,” he added as he stopped between the two of them.
His tanned face was creased with worry, but he smiled down at
Zoelyn despite his obvious stress. “You will be fine,” he promised
softly as he motioned once more for Seth to go.

“Finn, you can’t simply let him walk from
this. Do you realize how bad this is?” Fiona hissed as Seth pushed
past her and continued for the tower stairs.

“What is going to happen to you?” Zoelyn
whispered as the voices behind them faded. Seth had picked up his
pace and she missed Finn’s response entirely, but from Fiona’s
words she doubted it could be good.

“Nothing,” Seth assured her with a smile and
she could see the lie on his face. He wasn’t scared, but he did
seem uneasy. “Don’t forget, I saved Jala’s life with my actions as
well, and Finn can forgive a lot when Jala is involved,” he added
with a faint smile.

“I don’t want you to suffer for me,” Zoelyn
murmured with a soft shake of her head. She regretted the action at
once and a soft whimper escaped her lips as the pain
intensified.

“I will be fine, Zoey,” Seth promised as he
paused in front of his door.

Zoelyn had no idea how they had reached his
rooms so swiftly, but she was grateful they had. Her head was
throbbing and she was growing dizzier by the moment. Closing her
eyes, she slowed her breathing and tried to center herself as Seth
carried her into his rooms. Nausea rose in her stomach once more
and she clamped her mouth shut until the feeling passed and by the
time she finally reopened her eyes, Seth was laying her gently on
the bed. His hand brushed against her hair softly and she tried to
keep from flinching from his touch.

“It’s a bad one, but it will heal. You will
have a scar from it, though,” Seth murmured as he examined the
wound more closely. He straightened and let out a harsh breath.
“Let me gather a few things and I will get you stitched up so you
can rest.”

She watched him in silence as he left the
room and her mind returned to the last moments of the battle as she
stared up at the ceiling.

Seth’s accusations rang in her mind and she
swallowed heavily at the memory of his words. It had been Neph that
had cursed her, but from what she had overheard it hadn’t been
something that was done in malice. Zyi Delvayon, the name echoed in
her mind and something stirred deep inside her.

According to Seth, Undrae never remembered
their previous lives, but something about the name blossomed in her
mind. Déjà vu coiled around her as she focused on the thought, and
an echo of earlier pain returned to her mind. The memory was foggy
with most of the details lost in a haze, but she could remember the
pain clearly, and a distant voice promising her that everything
would be fine.

Her gaze rose once more as Seth entered the
room and she watched him approach in silence. He had a small box
tucked under his arm and the expression on his face was distracted
as he dragged the chair from the center of the room to the bedside.
His eyes met hers for a moment as he carefully set the box on the
bed beside her and flipped it open. “This is going to hurt,” he
warned her softly as he pulled a small needle and some thread from
the box.

“I’ve had worse,” Zoelyn whispered faintly
and Seth looked up at her with a glint of amusement in his
eyes.

“Have you now? That’s a story I haven’t heard
from you. I thought you were safe in Glis while Dominic cared for
you,” Seth said quietly as he threaded the needle.

“It was in Delvay and the cold was almost as
bad as the wounds. The winters in Glis were harsh, but nothing can
match the cold of the mountains in Delvay,” Zoelyn whispered and
Seth froze. “I can’t hate him for what he did to me,” she added
after a long pause.

“You shouldn’t remember anything,” Seth
whispered as his golden eyes searched her face. “Undrae never
remember who they were.”

Zoelyn ignored the words as more memories
surfaced and tears rose in her eyes. “My brother did everything he
could to save me, and nearly died in the process. I can’t hate him
no matter what magic he used to call me back. At least he loved me
enough to try, no matter how wrong it may have been.” Her words
faded as she wiped the tears from her eyes and she smiled bitterly
as she met Seth’s gaze once more. “I didn’t want you to find my
past, but now that you did, I am so grateful. It’s just as painful
as I feared it would be, but there is comfort in it too. My life
has been hard, but I was loved, and that is something I shall never
forget or cast away.”

“Zoey you shouldn’t remember any of this,”
Seth repeated and shook his head in confusion.

She snorted in amusement and ignored the
flash of pain it caused. “You said I was stronger than other Undrae
and I understand why now. I’m Delvay, Seth, and while I never
understood what my father meant in life, I do understand his words
now. The Delvay are as strong as the mountains and I have finally
found my strength. Thank you, Seth. Without you I would have been
lost forever.”

Seth stared at her for a long moment before
nodding slowly. “I’m not sure I will be able to adjust to calling
you Zyi,” he admitted quietly.

“I don’t I want you to,” Zoelyn replied
softly. “I may remember who I was, but that doesn’t mean I want to
return to that life. I think for now I’m content with being Zoey
and learning from the memories of Zyi’s mistakes.” She smiled at
him again and carefully pulled her hair back from her head wound.
“Would you mind? I remember what it is like to die now, and it’s
not something I want to repeat.”

Seth shook his head sharply as he stirred
himself from his thoughts and nodded to her quickly. “Of course,”
he whispered as he leaned forward to examine the wound again. “It
shouldn’t take long if you don’t squirm while I’m stitching,” he
informed her quietly as he wiped away the worst of the blood with a
damp cloth.

“I won’t move a muscle. I promise,” Zoelyn
murmured as she closed her eyes once more. Her mind returned to the
faint echoes of her former life and she pushed all of her focus
toward the memories to block out the pain. In time, she might even
remember why she had died in Delvay. For now, all she could
remember about it was betrayal, but she wasn’t sure who had
betrayed her.

* * *

The sound of the door opening brought Zoelyn
from her rest. She blinked the sleep from her eyes quickly and
struggled up from the blankets to gaze at the doorway, hoping to
see Seth. Her eyes found Yasny instead and she forced a smile on
her face despite the disappointment. It wasn’t that Yasny’s company
was bad. It was the simple fact that she had barely seen Seth in
the past few days. If it hadn’t been for the dragon’s visits, she
would have gone mad from worry.

“No, it’s just me. Sorry to disappoint you,”
Yasny said with a smile as she closed the door behind her and moved
closer to the bed.

“I’m never disappointed to see you, Yasny.
It’s just I haven’t seen him all day. Is he OK?” Zoelyn replied
softly as Yasny settled on the bed beside her. She knew Seth was
still facing punishment for saving her in Delvay, though he
wouldn’t tell her exactly what his punishment was.

“He is fine, as far as I know,” Yasny assured
her. Gently the dragon pulled her bandages back and leaned closer
to examine the wound on her head. “I think you will be able to take
that bandage off today. You heal fast, girl,” she announced with a
smile.

“I’m glad to hear that. It itches horribly,”
Zoelyn muttered as she stretched and shifted to a more comfortable
position. “I’m sick of being in bed,” she added with a sigh. She
wasn’t sure exactly how long she had been confined to the room, but
she was more than ready to get up. With luck, she might even be
able to find Seth and put her worries about him to rest for a
while.

“I don’t know. You still seem pale,” Yasny
said doubtfully.

“I haven’t had any magic. Of course I look
pale,” Zoelyn laughed and motioned toward the dresser. “Seth
usually leaves a bag of stones over there for me, but I haven’t
been able to get up to reach them. Would you mind bringing them
over?”

Yasny glanced back at the dresser and rose
silently. After several long minutes of fumbling on the dresser she
glanced back at Zoelyn and shook her head softly. “I don’t see a
bag here and I don’t follow what you mean about stones or how that
would make you pale,” she said with confusion clear in her
voice.

“Mage stones. My hair and eyes take on the
color of the magic I absorb. Seth usually gives me mostly Shadow
magic. He says the black hair makes it impossible for others to
know what power I have at my disposal,” Zoelyn explained with a
frown. It wasn’t like Seth to forget something as important as the
stones.

“Well that is simple enough. I can craft
stones for you if you need the energy. I’m afraid I can’t do shadow
magic, but I can fashion others,” Yasny replied with a smile and
moved back to the bed once more. “I think it would do you good to
get out of bed for a while and if a bit of magic is all it takes
I’m happy to help,” she murmured as she began crafting stones and
dropping them in front of Zoelyn.

“Thank you, Yasny. I’m lucky to have you to
help,” Zoelyn grinned and picked up the first stone eyeing the deep
red color. She had never absorbed much in the way of fire magic.
Jala generally crafted stones of pure arcane magic, and Seth’s
stones were always dark in color.

Yasny gazed up at her hesitation and smiled
widely. “I know it isn’t dark like you are used to, but fire is the
easiest for me. Besides you will make a stunning redhead and what
man doesn’t love a girl with red hair?” Her tone held a note of
teasing to it and Zoelyn blushed in response. No matter how hard
she had tried to hide her affection for Seth, Yasny had seen
through it easily on her first visit.

“He doesn’t see me that way,” Zoelyn muttered
as she absorbed the first stone and savored the rush of power
through her weakened body.

“Then we need to open his eyes,” Yasny
announced with a playful grin. “And I am just the one to help you
with that,” she added with a wink and rose from the bed as Zoelyn
lifted the next stone. “Let’s see if Seth left you any other
clothing in here aside from the leather armor. Something a bit more
feminine would work nicely.”