Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) (6 page)

“What sort of disturbance?”

“According to the Elders, there has been an odd string of deaths and attacks within the Woodland Realm. The range has now extended near her cottage.”

I shuddered at the thought. “Any suspects?”

Shadow’s face darkened. “Full-bloods.”

I nearly dropped my wine.

Full-bloods. One half of my heritage. Most of them were red-haired with matching color eyes, and if they did not have it at birth, their eyes would turn scarlet the moment their bloodlust set in. They cannot survive in the sunlight; I never had the problem due to my human half. I heard tales from Jack that full-bloods could turn others into one of them…they needed to be human, however. He probably told me why that was, but I could not recall the rest of that memory. I did have a habit of tuning him out when he was in what I usually referred to as his “scholar mode.” I should have paid better attention.

Avilyne’s hell…what were they doing here?

“I pray it’s not the case,” Shadow continued as he sipped his wine and ate more from of his plate. “I don’t intend to be sent out to fight for a long time, either. I earned my time to be home.”

“What if the full-bloods
are
behind it?” I asked. “What then?”

“Then the regiment will most likely be dispatched again to defend the realm, depending on how dire the situation is.”

He barely flinched as I pounded the table with my fist.

“Unbelievable!” I snapped. “Will there not be any moment of peace?”

“There will always be a war, Artemis,” Shadow said, his tone sad. “It’s only a matter of who the opponent is, and when and where the battles will take place.”

“If I could, I’d fight with you,” I said. “I’m sick of sitting around.”

“You’ve skipped out on weapons training for far too long, my dear,” Shadow pointed out. “Unless you choose to accept your dhampir nature,
you would only be hindering the regiment. There’s only so much protection Talisa and I could give you.”

“Ask me if I care.”

Shadow rubbed his chin, and a wolfish grin formed. “Do you truly wish to learn how to fight?”

“Of course I do!” I reiterated. “I refuse to be helpless, Shadow.”

“It can be arranged, you know.”

“Oh? You know of a good enough teacher who won’t hate me at first glance?”

“Oh yes. I know of one who will even put your old teachers to shame.”

“And just who would that be, pray tell?”

Shadow folded his arms and beamed. “Me, of course.”

After our long dinner I said my farewell to Shadow and returned to the discreet path. I should have kept my mouth shut about my desire of learning to fight again. While it was true that Shadow could put my old teachers to shame when it came to any sort of weapons training, it was also true that I’d rather have Serlene as my teacher again before letting him near me with a sword or bow. There was a reason he was feared in battle.

I should have felt grateful, but shame overpowered it. He wouldn’t approve of my lackadaisical method of fighting.

Not one bit.

I saw my home and felt calm again. It was short-lived, as I heard something stumble through the bushes. I raised my guard, and I tip-toed around the bushes to find the source of the noise. Once I grew close, I raised my hand for a striking motion and stopped when I recognized the body falling face first to the ground inches away from my feet.

I groaned, as I was staring at the drunken body of dear old Jack, who looked far worse than he had this morning.

“Jack…Oh, Jack…” I sighed while nudging him with the tip of my foot. “Have we had another long night at the tavern?”

Jack struggled to move himself. Raising his head, he cast a stupid grin from his dirt-clod-covered face.

“Ar-Artemish!” he cried, trying with great effort to stand. “Howwonderful…t-to shee you out here inthish loferly night.”

“Avilyne’s hell.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm to hoist him to his feet. “Unbelievable.”

“I…I thought youwent to dinnerat Shadow’sh houshe.” Jack let out a belch, making me wrinkle my nose at the acrid smell. “Howish your…yourlofe anywaysh?”

I swallowed the urge to smack him and begged the goddesses for patience. Grabbing his arm once more, I wrenched him inside the house and cast off my cloak. Jack fell onto the cushioned chair in the main room and started giggling.

I hated the person he was when he was drunk.

I rushed to the washroom and unhinged one of the wooden boards from the floor; every elven house in the Woodland Realm had a series of wells beneath it. I filled the washtub with the bucket I kept in the room and grabbed a few washcloths. Casting them to the floor, I went back to the main room for Jack. He grinned as soon as he saw me, but scowled once I gripped his shoulder. In his current state, he couldn’t feel the pain a normal person would; I had to grip just hard enough to remind him that he could.

While I led him to the washroom, Jack started whining.

“Artemish…easheup won’t you?” he begged. “I’m vefy much…vefy much…”

“Just shut up,” I snapped.

“That’shnot necesshary atall, Artemish!” Jack answered, his legs buckling as we walked.

I ignored the rest of his drunken speech as I flung him into the tub. Jack’s head snapped to the surface, and he spat Elvish curses at me.

“Shut up before I drown you, idiot!” I threatened, now grabbing his arms and shoving him under the water another time.

“Shtopit!” Jack yelled, while trying to fight me off. “I haf much lefttolif for, damn you!”

Shoving him under the water again, I grabbed him by his loose, soaked hair and forced him to look at me once I pulled him back up.

“Listen to me, you stupid, ungrateful elf,” I growled. “You
have
to stop this. I won’t always be around to help you, so either you let this be your last night of stupidity or you find someone else to care for your life. I don’t give a damn how bad your aunt is to you; be a man! Move out! Take better care of yourself, damn you!”

Jack blinked, and I saw his eyes well up with tears. I sighed as I let him go and allowed him to rest his head on my now soaked shoulder. Loud sobs pounded my eardrums.

“I-I-I’m shoshorry, Artemish,” he whispered through his sobs.

“I know.” I rubbed his head. “I know, Jack.”

Grabbing the washcloths, I wrapped them around Jack as I helped him out of the tub. Leading him to the spare bedroom, I handed him a set of robes he left for whenever he slept over, took the wet clothes from him as he finished changing, and hung them by the window to dry. I tucked him into the bed, and he passed out soon after.

Satisfied that he was still breathing, I made my way to my own room and changed into my nightgown. Releasing my hair from both braid and ribbon, I slid into bed and rubbed my temples. I prayed to the goddesses for a deep sleep to alleviate the headache I now had.

“It can only get more interesting from here on out…” I groaned, shifting beneath the blankets before letting sleep take me.

was running in an unfamiliar part of the woods—far from the borders of Ellewynth, but recognizable enough to be the Woodland Realm. I was clutching a heavy bundled blanket close to my chest; I kept fighting away tears, but without much success. My back ached, and I smelled something both sweet and metallic; blood lingered in the air
.

I heard others move in the distance. I was being chased. The scent of blood grew stronger with each stride I took, and I was horrified once I realized the blood was my own. I forced myself to stop running after feeling my chest grow so heavy. I held the bundle in one arm and rubbed my back with the other
.

I cursed when I felt blood soak into my tunic sleeve
.

The bundle shifted violently as soon as my bloodied arm clasped it; it growled
.

“Please be patient, my love,” I pleaded. “We’re almost to safety.”

I was stunned to hear that the voice was not my own; it was softer and…older. What in Avilyne’s hell what was going on?

I shifted a part of the blanket, and I looked at a tiny face that seemed oddly familiar. Small hazel eyes brightened the moment they fixated on me; wisps of light brown hair curled atop the pale-skinned head of what I finally realized was an infant
.

I tried moving closer to the baby, until I felt a searing pain in my right shoulder, causing me to scream
.

I shot up from bed, my hand instantly grabbing my right shoulder. There was no pain, no sensation of blood loss. My nightgown clung to my body in warm sweat, and I sighed in relief, realizing it was only a dream.

Lying back down, I saw it was still night. The moonlight poured through the open window and onto my blankets. The face of the infant wouldn’t escape my mind, even when I shut my eyes.

Nerves flared once the realization set in—
I
was the infant. There was no other explanation for it. It also meant that because the infant was indeed me, the person I embodied in the dream was my mother.

She
was the one hurt;
she
was the one running while trying to protect me.

“Tamina…” I whispered as I curled beneath the blankets, bringing my knees to my chest. “Mother…help me understand. Help me understand it all.”