A Dead God's Tear (The Netherwalker Trilogy) (41 page)

Eventually he made it to the main hallway. Now, if he was a kitchen, where would he be? Mentally marking the door he exited from, he made his way toward where the entrance was, to a large set of doors he remembered passing on the way t
o his room. It seemed a logical place to start.

They were unlocked and he slipped in. Marcius was surprised that they led outside to what was something that looked like a large, rectangular outdoor garden. The night air was cool against his skin, drying th
e bit of nervous sweat he had worked up. A stone pathway circled the perimeter and a single gnarled tree stood in the center, like an old guardian frozen in time.

Moonlight saturated the area and it took several moments for his adjusting eyes to see the lo
ne figure of Selene leaned against the tree. Marcius held his breath. The elf had dressed down to a simple sleeveless green robe tied at the waist with a thin rope. Her pale skin glowed and the light seemed to emphasize every delicate curve of her body.

B
ut the thing that tugged at his heart strings the strongest was the slightest hint of tenderness in her expression. Marcius had never seen this before in the normally aggressive elf. She was beautiful and it was delicious torture to just look at her, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away.

She seemed to be deep in thought, staring up at the stars of the night sky. More importantly, she hadn
’t noticed him. Marcius’s preservation instincts kicked in and he decided that perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to stick around.

“
You’re up late.” Selene’s words sliced through the air. He jumped, feeling like a kid caught with his hand in the sweet jar.

“
How’d you know I was here?”

She grinned lightly, running a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she tore her
gaze from the sky to look at him, “Only a human could be so loud trying to be quiet.”

Marcius couldn
’t help but laugh, his nervousness ebbing away a bit at the levity, “Well, I don’t live for hundreds of years learning to be quiet like you elves do.”

“
True.” It was the way she said the word that made Marcius pause. It had a tone of lingering sadness to it, “Come, and join me. The night is clear and it is a rare treat in Selenthia to be able to see so much of the sky when the sun sets.”

He nodded and each st
ep felt like his feet were leaden and dead. “Does Selenthia normally have cloudy skies?” he asked, stopping a few respectful feet from the elf. He looked up at the stars and had to agree with Selene. It was stunning. He wondered if Jarrod, Alicia, and Faerril were looking at it too.

“
It would be wise for you to be careful exploring Selenthia at night. A dangerous Myst usually rises when the sun sets and there are things that wander the mists that mortals should never see.”

“
Myst?”

Selene scrunched her nose, “
Aye, I do not know how else to explain it other than that Selenthia is alive with magic. I just thought to warn you to be careful should you think to go wandering again.”

Marcius didn
’t know how to respond to that, so he nodded woodenly. Selenthia was just so unlike anything he had ever known. It was like he had entered another world. Of course he could tell it was alive. It practically pulsed beneath his feet. If his familiar was here, he was sure the entire area would be vibrant with power.

“
So,” he said to break the silence, “Do you often come out here?”

“
Aye, every chance I get. It serves well to clear your thoughts and reflect on things that have happened. I also love looking at the stars.”

“
Ah, yeah, I guess.” Marcius felt like being a little bold, “What’s on your mind, if I may ask?”

The elf threw him a shrewd glance and he thought perhaps he was too daring, but she leaned back, turning her eyes once more to the sky, “
Things,” she said wistfully and then gave him a more calculating look. “May I ask you a question?”

“
Yes?”

“
Will you tell me what it is like being human?”

“
What’s it like to be human?” Marcius repeated slowly, rolling the idea around, “I don’t know, really, how to explain it. I mean, can a fish tell you what it is to swim? I’m me, and that’s human. I could ask you what it is to be an elf.”

She laughed, “
I guess that question was broad.”

“
You could say that.”

“
I’m just curious, is all. I’ve not had many encounters with humans.”

“
I thought you were fighting-“

“
Many
positive
encounters with humans,” she corrected before he could finish, “You are the first human I’ve talked to that I haven’t killed.”

How was one supposed to respond to something like that? She was just so blunt with everything. He decided to overlook it
. “Well, I guess I can just tell you things from my past, growing up and things.”

He was not expecting the way her eyes lit up, and his heart thrilled at the sight, “
Would you? Truly?”

“
Well, I didn’t know you held so much interest in humans. You seemed to be pretty set in getting rid of me.”

“
No, not exactly. It’s just that I don’t trust humans. They’re too. . . unpredictable. I’ve been fighting them for a while, now. These rumors of war have been lingering for a years. If you’ve seen the things that I’ve seen, the things that humans can do, maybe you’d understand.”

“
Then why the curiosity?” Marcius responded, feeling the heat in his temples. “I mean, if you’ve decided that we’re worthless and terrible as a species, why not just continue hating us and not bothering?”

She let out a ragged breath, “
I don’t know. It’s not that simple. I mean, it was when this first started. You’re evil and bad, and we’re good and right. Good side, bad side. But the more I think about it, the more I see what fighting does and brings about, for both sides, the more I disagree with it. With it all.”

“
So you want to learn about us? Give us the benefit of the doubt?”

“
Simply said, but yes. Don’t get me wrong, Morlia will pay for their crimes, but maybe it isn’t right to judge everyone by the same standard? We are elves, the First Born. We were built to be perfect by the Gods. And yet they abandoned us to create you humans? Humanity is greedy, corrupt, weak and short-lived. Why is it that you continue to flourish while we are in decline? Next to you, we seem stagnant. Why?”

She seemed torn, and the initial anger Marcius had felt died down to a gentle simmer. What harm could it do? Marcius didn
’t know exactly where to start, so he just talked, hoping to give her something worthwhile and letting the path of his thoughts wander from topic to topic.

He told her of the first time he had met Antaigne, of the people who lived in his house, about Jared. It got easier the more he talked, and as he continued, he was mildly surprised at a sense of
peace that came over him. He didn’t feel nearly as lonely when he relived his memories of his friends and family.  Marcius was talking for himself as much as he was for Selene.

It was unreal in how attentive she was, occasionally asking him to clarify a p
oint. He was enjoying having the beautiful elf’s attention all to himself.

Hours passed before she finally raised a hand, signaling him to stop. “
Enough,” she said with a light smile as Marcius’s stomach chose this moment to announce its anger at being ignored. “I have stolen your attention long enough. There is more to this than a single night will reveal, that is obvious. We have plenty of time and I do believe we have another problem we must address. I will show you to our kitchens.”

Marcius nodded. He realized how ravenous he really was. He fell into step beside the elf, surprised at how comfortable he felt in her presence now.

“I hope you enjoy your stay in our city, Marcius. It has been a long time since someone not with the Academy wandered these grounds. Might be even longer after you leave. You don’t seem to be a bad sort. Later in the day I will show you around more.”

His heart did a little flip. She didn
’t exactly profess her unending love for him, but it was probably as good as he’d get from the normally aloof elf. Still, something bugged him. “Selene, I don’t want to press the issue, but who were those two I pointed out at the trial?”

Her face darkened, “
You are not going to forget about it?”

He shrank from her glare, but still
shook his head. “No, I feel it’s important. They made me feel uneasy. I could feel them watching me. I think I have the right to know who they were.”

“
Uneasy?” and a thoughtful look crossed her face. She didn’t say anything for a few awkward moments. Marcius began to wonder if she’d say anything at all, then she leaned against the door way, crossing her arms.  Selene’s voice was barely a whisper. “The woman is my mother. She’s of the elder caste, so I don’t see her much. The thing with her. . . is an abomination and should have been destroyed centuries ago.”

She pushed off from the doorway, pointedly refusing to meet his gaze. Something didn
’t match up though. “Wait, your mother? I thought you were of the warrior caste? Does it usually jump castes like that?”

Marcius knew he had erred as the words left his mouth. Selene whipped around, her hand lashing out like a viper that struck Marcius across the jaw, throwing him down to the ground. He curled up in pain as Selene towered over him, her face a m
ask of fury. “Human, you astound me. You come here, full of questions, stomping around like an oggron in mating season. I thought you were some wizard? Of all people, you should know that words have power and some questions are best when left unasked. Back to your room and out of my sight! Go!”

Coughing and spewing apologies, Marcius stumbled haphazardly out from the heat of her glare, desperate to orient himself, he somehow managed to find his room in a haze of half fallen tears and pained confusion.

Closing the door, he leaned against it, breathing heavily. How could he have been so dense? He completely demolished the rapport he had built up with the elf with a single question. Marcius flopped down in bed, his mind spinning. Why did she get so mad? No matter how he picked at the question, it only led to more questions. Defeated, Marcius slumped into bed; maybe the morning would bring more answers.

Sleep refused to come and he spent a long time tossing and turning.

Sometime later, an elven servant brought a tray of food to the door, and the tentative look on the young elf’s face was enough to let him know the whole house probably knew of what happened by now. Marcius couldn’t even look directly at the girl as he took the food, mumbling something that hopefully could be a thank you.

He closed the door and stared at the plate in his hand. At least this meant she didn
’t completely hate him, or was it just duty for her? He growled. Why did things have to turn out like this?

He didn
’t touch the food. Marcius found he suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore.

Chapter 24

Y
ou won’t always be able to resist me.

Erinaeus grinded his teeth, willing away the consciousness that had enveloped his own, pushing it away with practiced precision. It had been a while since his familiar had made itsel
f heard. He had begun to hope that perhaps it would be silent forever, but it was obvious that the malicious creature had been waiting for him to drop his guard.

One day you will slip and you will be mine.

“Away with you,” he growled, reaching up and squeezing his temples. “There is no power you have over me.”

The voice, an echoing cavern in the wizard
’s mind, laughed.
I hold all the power. It was our bargain. A little piece of you in exchange for your familiar back, yes? How long, little pet, before the corruption takes you? How long before it spreads from your eye?

He stopped his traitorous hand midway to his face. “
Quiet!” Erinaeus hissed, “I am your master, and you are my familiar. Obey your contract!”

Was it worth it? To r
egain the ability of magic? You are rotting, dissolving and you will soon be mine. It is inevitable.

“
Not if I can help it.”

The creature laughed again.
I know of your plan
and it will fail. There is naught you can do. We are connected and soon we shall be one.

The wizard was about to respond when a tentative knock came from the door. With great effort, he smothered the foreign consciousness within his mind, using his own considerable will to subvert i
t, quiet it. He noted with silent concern that it was getting harder each time to do so.

“
What is it?” he replied, quickly opening up a tome as the person walked in. It was one of his messengers, clothing still dusty from traveling.

“
Sire, I think you should see this report from our contacts in Harcourt.”

Erinaeus exhaled, looking up from the tome he was pretending to study. “
You do realize where the drop off is for reports, correct?”

The messenger gulped visibly as Erinaeus
’s eye flared an angry reddish hue, but remarkably, the man stood his ground. “Aye, sire, but I felt this important enough to bring to your attention immediately.”

Erinaeus made a pointed show of slowly closing the large tome, taking a delectable sense of pleasure in seeing the man squirm
. Finally, he held out his hand, his every movement indicating strained patience. It felt good to make someone squirm after the disconcerting conversation with his familiar.

But Erinaeus also knew that there was a delicate balance to maintain when dealing
with underlings. Too much freedom and they’d start to plot behind your back, too little and it fell to you make every little decision.

He unfurled the scroll and began to read. “
Huge explosion in Lowtown. . . mages. . . rogue assassin.” Murmuring lightly to himself as his eyes scanned the paper, his excitement grew.

The report confirmed a few things and it opened up the possibilities of so much more. It was like the edges of a puzzle coming together to form a painting that grew clearer with every word.

“Sire?” the messenger inquired, jolting Erinaeus to the present.

“
Good job,” he said quickly, reaching into a pocket within his robe and pulling out a small bag that tinkled as he tossed it to the man. “You were wise to bring this to my attention. If you see anything else, come to me immediately.”

“
Yes, sire!”

Erinaeus grabbed his traveling cloak and strode out the door, pausing a moment. “
But, if you bother me with anything of less importance, I’ll roast you where you stand. Never forget that.”

He didn
’t wait for a response, striding down the passageways of his hideout with a destination in mind. He had so much to do and every passing minute the opportunity would slip farther from his hands. There was an assassin he had to find, among some other things that had to be set into action.

There was a loose end to tie up.

❧
　❧　❧

“Wake up. It’s already late in the morning and still you lie here.”

Marcius rubbed his eyes, the stern figure of Lorisen coming into focus. The elf wore a strangely neutral expression,
his arms crossed as he loomed over Marcius.

“
Good morning to you too,” Marcius mumbled, swinging out of bed. At some point he must have dozed off, but it wasn’t anything close to a restful sleep. He ached all over.

“
We have much to do this morning. Get dressed and meet me outside the training grounds within the hour.”

And so it was a half-hour later when a hastily scrubbed Marcius was waiting outside with the general sense of uneasiness that one acquires when they
’re not really sure if they’re in trouble or not.

“
Good to see that, out of everything, you’re at least punctual,” the elf said as he arrived, tossing something to Marcius’s feet. A wooden training sword.

“
You can’t honestly expect me to fight you?” Marcius said, bending down to pick up the wooden sword. He found, though he wasn’t an expert, it felt well balanced and it fit comfortably in his hand.

“
I expect you to try,” Lorisen said grimly, no trace of his former friendliness on his face.

Marcius was still trying to work around why the elf had suc
h a drastic change from his previous jovial demeanor when Lorisen struck, coming in so fast that Marcius barely had time to even flinch. The sword stung his wrist sharply, causing Marcius to drop his own weapon in pain and surprise, before coming in to slap hard against his ribs. Marcius gritted his teeth; the last blow would no doubt leave a nasty bruise.

“
At least give me a warning before attacking,” Marcius said, his hand clutched to his side as he glared at the elf.

“
Your enemy won’t stop and wait for you to get ready. Pick up your sword.”

Marcius wasn
’t nearly as surprised when the elf attacked this time¸ but his flimsy attempt at defense was quickly overwhelmed and once again he was nursing another hard hit to the side.

“
Again.”

Each time Marcius picke
d up his sword, Lorisen attacked, always repeating the same warning every time Marcius lost. Eventually the agitated apprentice threw his training sword to the ground. “Alright, that’s enough. What’s the purpose of this? I’m no match for you and you know it.”

Lorisen said nothing, calmly waiting with his training sword held in front of him. Marcius winced, but picked up his sword again. It was becoming obvious to him that this was retribution for last night. Marcius decided he
’d keep fighting if that was the case. He did nothing wrong that deserved to be punished like this. How was he supposed to know that his question would affect the elf like it did?

But his resolve didn
’t matter. The disparity between the two was too much. It was obvious he didn’t stand a chance, but he refused to stop, despite the pain, regardless of the humiliation. He wasn’t going to give the elf the satisfaction of seeing him quit. Marcius wasn’t sure where he got the willpower, but he found himself returning his weapon to the ready position after every strike. Time became a blur for him, nothing but an endless series of attacks and gradually numbing body parts.

Eventually he stumbled from a blow and his legs just couldn
’t deliver, buckling under him. Breathing heavily, he struggled to his feet, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Lorisen shook his head. “Be still, Marcius. You have proven your heart.”

Marcius wasn
’t one to argue, sitting down gratefully as what little energy that was left in his body seemed to drift away. He was even more surprised when the elf offered him a drink from the water skin he carried. He accepted greedily, gulping down as much as he could. The elf said nothing and for a few minutes they passed time in silent company with the gentle rustling of leaves and sway of pollen dancing in front of them.

His eyelids felt heavy and his vision started to fade when Lorisen broke the tranquility. “
I am sorry.”

“
For?”

“
Taking out my anger on you.”

Marcius sat up so he could look at the elf. “
I’m guessing you heard what happened last night?”

“
Aye, and it has been a long time since I have spent time with a human. Unlike the Mistress, I have ventured out in my youthful days and interacted with the other races. But I often forget that manners differ between us.”

“
Do you know why she got so mad at me?”

The elf grinned darkly, “
Indeed, but it is not my place to tell the secrets of another. But I will ask that you not judge her harshly for her actions. She has her reasons and it is not our way to ask such direct questions. Battle-Mistress Selene is young and has not dealt much with your kind. Give her time, she’ll come around, and if she wants you to know, she will tell you.”

“
You really care about her, don’t you?”

The look in Lorisen
’s eye was bright. “Aye. Everyone within these walls, all of Caste Liarne, reveres her.”

“
Why?” Marcius discovered he was hungry to know anything more about the mysterious elven woman.

“
She has done much to bring this house to prominence, gaining recognition and honor for us amongst the warrior caste. She is a good leader, a peerless warrior, but unwise to the ways of the world and even moreso the intricacies of people.”

“
Well, I think you could have showed your displeasure in a less painful way.”

“
I ask for forgiveness. Unlike her, I should have known better and held in my anger. You are a guest, and this wasn’t the way I should have treated you. I let anger take control.”

Marcius couldn
’t remain mad at the elf. Instead, he surprised both himself and the elf by clapping Lorisen on the back, mimicking the elf’s previous sentiments. “All is forgiven. Don’t worry about it. I just want to go the Academy and get this all behind me.”

“
We haven’t been the best hosts, have we?”

Marcius leaned back, watching the clouds pass by overhead. “
Well, I went from being a prisoner, to getting punched in the face, and then beaten up with a wooden sword. Overall it wasn’t too bad for my first Selenthian experience.”

There was an empty silence from the elf and Marcius looked over, fearful that maybe he once again crossed the line. Lorisen wore a weird look on his face, and then suddenly burst into laughter. “
Yes, that is what I miss most,” the elf said, smiling. “Humans are so true in everything they do. There is a beauty in simplicity.”

“
Lorisen. Why did you bring him out here?” Both Marcius and Lorisen looked up in surprise. Selene stood over them, not looking happy in the slightest.

The elf was
quick to jump to his feet, turning his fist over and slapping it to his chest in the gesture of respect. “My apologies, Battle Mistress. You told me to watch him as you ran your errands. I thought it best to let him get a breath of fresh air and exercise.”

The expression on Selene
’s face gave an impression of acute doubt, but she didn’t press. “Marcius, come with me. We are going to the market so that we may get you a change of clothing and whatever else you may need.”

He did his best to not let the pain s
how on his face as he stood up, but couldn’t help wobbling anyway. Selene still said nothing beyond a single raised eyebrow, which was somehow worse.

As they started to leave, Lorisen reached out with a hand, briefly touching Marcius
’s arm to draw his attention. There was a moment of silent understanding between the two of them as their gazes met.

“
Thank you,” it said.

❧　❧　❧