Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) Read online

  “But—”

  “Artemis, I am a soldier,” Shadow interrupted. “You keep my company when you’re more than aware of what I am capable of. I’ve been killing since long before you were born. Those faces haunt me every night I close my eyes. What haunts me more are the faces of those who could have been saved. If I did not serve in the wars, those who were saved would not be here today. We do what we must, my dear. You are not lost, do you hear me? None of us would let that happen.” He wiped a tear of mine away. “No one is without a trouble. I do not keep your company merely because you are Tamina’s daughter. I do so because I enjoy it. I do not linger around hearts filled with darkness…I keep to those filled with light.”

  I pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re apologizing because…?”

  “I just am.”

  Shadow sighed. “Don’t give up. Fight the despair. You must make peace with who you are. Only then will there be control.”

  “It’s hard to when there are other things that plague my mind.”

  I felt him wince. “In truth, that is why I’m here.”

  “I’m glad you are,” I admitted. I let go of him and sat in front of the fireplace. He did the same. “We need to talk about what happened. All of it.”

  “I should have explained things a long time ago,” Shadow sighed. “I just thought you deserved—”

  “A clean slate. I know.” I cracked the first smile I’d had in days. It wasn’t a true smile, but it was enough to show Shadow that I had stopped being angry at him. “I have so many questions to ask, and I don’t know where to begin.”

  “You don’t have to ask them all tonight, Artemis.”

  “But I’m…”

  Leaving, I finished in my mind. I stopped myself from saying it aloud.

  “Leaving?” Shadow said, as if reading my mind.

  He had a knack for doing that sometimes.

  “I’m not leaving,” I corrected.

  “You’re a terrible liar,” Shadow said. “You forget that I know you. I also know that you’re going to break Netira out of prison and have her lead you to the Dark Fortress.”

  I shut my eyes. “I am.”

  “And just how do you plan on breaking her out of the Hall of the Elders?” Shadow inquired. “You failed to sneak in the last time we were there.”

  “I haven’t figured it out yet.”

  “You were going to leave without even saying so much as good-bye to Talisa or myself?” Shadow’s voice rose.

  “I was going to! Somehow, I would have!” I snapped. “This isn’t easy for me, Shadow. You don’t have someone out there who wants you dead because of a blood tie and the right to a throne. I don’t want to set foot in that damned city, and yet I have no choice! Either I let Arlina find me here and get killed, or I meet her there and…”

  Shadow frowned. “And get killed?”

  “I’m trying to delay it by leaving before she gets here.”

  “Did you see the state Netira was in when she first arrived in Ellewynth? How do you think she came to it?” Shadow said. “Netira has been fighting much longer than you have. Even if Netira helped you control the dhampir and prepare for a fight against Arlina, it still wouldn’t be enough.”

  “I have to do something, Shadow.”

  “Yes, but you also must realize that you will have to take more than one life in this journey of yours. Arlina will throw her underlings at you. They will not show you any mercy.” Shadow folded his arms when I couldn’t spit out a retort. “Forgot about that, didn’t you?”

  “I tried not to think about it.”

  Shadow shook his head. “Artemis, you do not have to be on your own.”

  “If you’re implying that you’re coming with me, I don’t want you to.”

  “It’s not your choice whether I go or not!” Shadow yelled. He rubbed his brow while trying to calm down. “I swore to your mother once that I would always watch over you. Even if I hadn’t, I would still watch over you. I’ve already told you why.”

  I was silent.

  “I’m not letting you leave without me, Artemis. I’m not letting you march into that evil city with only Netira at your side.”

  “Shadow…”

  “Willow be damned.” He chuckled to himself. “How the roles have reversed…”

  “Shadow, I can’t have you leave your home,” I pleaded. “They’ll need you to help defend the city once Arlina attacks. You are a soldier of Ellewynth. Duty demands that you stay.”

  “I’ve already made my decision,” Shadow declared. “You need me more than Ellewynth does.”

  I froze. “You’d be named a deserter. After all you’ve done for the realm…you can’t possibly want that for yourself.”

  “I’m not changing my mind.” He grinned. “I’m rather stubborn, remember?”

  “Aren’t we all?” I sighed as I gave him a small hug. “Thank you, Shadow. I know this isn’t easy for you.”

  “It never is.” He glanced at the practice sword lying close to the fireplace. “I don’t suppose you’ve been practicing during our silence, hmm?”

  I could not hide the guilt, which made him laugh. “I’m a pitiful student. We established this a long time ago.”

  “Not pitiful,” Shadow said, grasping the hilt of the practice sword. “Just lazy.”

  “Fair enough.” Shadow then smirked at me, and I grew wary. “What?”

  “Someone needs to catch up on her weapons training.” He stood up. “Come.”

  “No.” I gulped. “Right now? Seriously?”

  “Oh, I’m very serious,” Shadow said. “Even more so now, with what’s to come. I’ve found that practicing with the sword helps relieve stress, which you’re in great need of.”

  Defeated, I snatched the practice sword from him and slipped into a cloak.

  “So be it.” I frowned as I punched his arm.

  Shadow only winked as we ventured into the moonlight and headed toward his home.

  Jack confined himself to his study and stared at the sai. The very feel of the weapons made his skin crawl.

  How was Artemis supposed to safely wield them if they couldn’t be purified? What would happen to her once she had them? He feared that even when informed of the malevolent aura of the weapons, Artemis would still choose to fight with them.

  She was female after all. All women are stubborn.

  He picked one of them up and grew confused as he glanced at the embedded onyx and garnet within the hilt. As far as he knew, jewels were supposed to shine, sparkle, or whatever else others would say about them. The jewels in the hilt were dull. When Jack rubbed them with a damp cloth, they were unchanged.

  Tapping his temples, Jack refused to admit defeat. There was a reason the jewels were like that, and he was going to find out why…even if it took him all night.

  “If Talisa were here, she’d be giving you a head-slap and berating you for missing something so obvious,” Jack grumbled, while running his hand through his long, messy dark brown hair. “Think!”

  Jack tapped each jewel hard with a fingertip, and he sighed when there was no response. He wracked his brain over and over again and realized he just wasn’t going to figure it out. Feeling frustrated, he flung the sai in his hand across the room. His eyes widened when he saw the jewels flash within seconds of it landing in the wall.

  “What the…?” He walked across the study to retrieve the weapon. The jewels in the hilt were still dull, but there was something different this time around; they now had a minimal shine to them. It was a subtle difference from before, and Jack knew that throwing it triggered something within the jewels.

  Once he pulled the sai from the wall, he wondered what Talisa would do to him should she discover the hole. He shuddered at the possibilities.

  I only threw it, Jack thought, as he stared at the sai in his grasp. “How did that…?”

  It was done in anger, elf mage.

  Jack froze when he heard the soft female vo
ice in response to his question. He’d heard that voice before; it was the voice of the woman he’d seen murdered in the vision at the Grove of Kiare’s Mirror.

  Jack turned around and fell hard to the ground, shocked. There was a tall woman standing before him, colored with the palette of death itself. Her deep violet eyes showed amusement as they studied him. Her long brown hair spilled over her bare shoulders and arms; the woman wore only a billowing, sleeveless, black dress with a train extending far from her bare feet.

  Jack knew he was in the presence of Artemis’ mother, Tamina.

  “You-you’re Tamina,” Jack managed to say as he tried hard to stand back up. “Willow be damned. Artemis really does look like you.”

  Of course she does. Daughters tend to be the mirror image of their mothers, Tamina said, gliding to the table where the other sai rested.

  Jack gulped when he saw her hand passing through both the sai and the table, and he noted her look of annoyance.

  “Why are you here?” Jack asked, trying to be cautious of his tone.

  Tamina smiled at him, and he flinched, as it was the same one Artemis would flash on occasion.

  I felt my weapons being used. I was merely curious as to who was doing so. You have an interesting energy, elf mage…very interesting energy.

  “How can you tell that?” Jack finally got to his feet. He made sure to keep his distance from her. “My energy, that is.”

  Talisa has been in Ellewynth for some time now, has she not?

  “Yes…”

  So you’re not overworked then. Tamina huffed, while folding her arms. How is it possible that my daughter is best friends with an imbecile?

  “I resent that,” Jack grumbled. “I’m doing what any other person would do when they don’t understand something, and that’s asking a question. You’re the rude one who won’t even answer me.”

  You have a feisty spirit. Good. Tamina walked over to the open door of the study and gestured for Jack to follow. You want to understand the mystery of the jewels within my sai? Then be a good boy and follow.

  Jack found himself following Tamina to Talisa’s library, and she spun around with a grin. He couldn’t decide whether to feel afraid or annoyed.

  “So…what am I looking for in here?”

  Have you learned anything about dragons yet, elf mage?

  “Nothing more than I’d already read about,” Jack frowned.

  He hoped she would get to the point soon.

  Such a promising prospect you are, Jack. You should really be more inquisitive.

  “What in Avilyne’s hell do the dragons have to do with your sai?”

  They were the first to introduce jewels to Arrygn and embed them into weapons for their champions. I suggest you pay closer attention to all the histories of the dragons within Arrygn. You’ll find your answers there.

  Tamina glided past him, but Jack couldn’t let the specter leave without getting more answers.

  “You’re the reason Callypso couldn’t purify the sai.”

  Tamina stopped and shifted her head ever so slightly, indicating that he had her attention.

  Jack felt himself gulp involuntarily and knew there was no backing away now.

  “You’ve been a lingering spirit for a little over twenty years. They’re your link to the living world, are they not? If they are purified, you’ll disappear.”

  Foolish boy, Tamina walked closer to him. Jack shuddered as he felt a chill along his neck. While it is true that I am the reason the elemental couldn’t purify the sai, it is not true that I would disappear should they be purified.

  “Then why won’t you let Callypso purify them?” Jack asked, while doing his best not to be intimidated by the spirit.

  That is none of your concern.

  “And what of Artemis?” Jack felt his anger rise. He’d grown up with Artemis and knew her sorrow for her deceased mother. “Your sai could put her in more danger than that sadistic sister of yours. Don’t you care enough about her that you’d help rather than endanger her further?”

  The forces that are in play are bigger than you could ever imagine, elf mage. I know you’ll accompany my daughter when the time comes. Do her and the rest of your companions a favor and stick to the more important matter at hand, which is making yourself useful. Read about the dragons and their jewels. You’ll understand the sai better once you do, and you’ll be able to help Artemis do so as well.

  Jack watched Tamina walk away again, and he felt his face heat up.

  “You’re no concerned mother!” Jack spat. “You’re only a pathetic form of energy taking up the world’s space, driven solely by revenge. Stay away from Artemis, specter! If she were to learn that you would even go as far as sacrificing her for your own agenda, she wouldn’t think twice about abandoning the cause to avenge you.”

  The smirk Tamina flashed at him made Jack’s insides churn. How was this the same woman Shadow and Talisa revered?

  I’d choose my words more carefully in the future, Jack, Tamina warned. Someday you’ll have to pay for them.

  Tamina disappeared before his eyes. Jack nervously ran his hands through his hair again. He should have known better than to let his anger speak for him.

  “Damn specter…” Jack muttered, now annoyed rather than angry. “Let’s see if you were really trying to help me or not.”

  Jack wandered around the library shelves, keeping an eye out for any books that specifically mentioned the history of Arrygn’s dragons. Jack paced around, but stopped short when one book’s spine caught his glance: The Winged Jewels of the Sky.

  Snatching the book from the shelf, Jack settled himself on the floor and leafed through the pages. He stopped once he found a chapter about dragon jewels and started to read:

  The first noted war the dragons of Arrygn had was with the walking dead, or what are now commonly referred to as vampires. More specifically, they warred with the “full-bloods” of what is now Blackwen City, as well as other vampiric territories (several of which no longer exist). The vampires wanted to snatch the territories the dragons had seized during their own campaigns.

  While the victory rested with the dragons, they were impressed with a female warrior of the Ravenwing clan, the bloodline in control of Blackwen’s throne. The Queen of the Fire Dragons herself ordered that she be gifted with her own jewels, so that they could be melded with the precious weapons of the Ravenwing, the sai. The warrior’s bloodline was bestowed enough jewels to gift many future generations so that they too could have jeweled sai.

  Jack nearly choked.

  The name of Ravenwing had returned again. He had not realized that bloodline stemmed from Blackwen City alone. Willow be damned, it was the only bloodline to rule the city’s throne! Artemis was a noblewoman!

  He wondered how he was going to explain all of this to Artemis on top of seeing her mother’s murder in Kiare’s Mirror and then seeing the specter in person.

  After a gulp, he continued on:

  Since then, it has become customary for dragons of each realm to bestow jewels or jeweled weapons not only to their champions at the conclusion of war, but to the opposing warriors who impressed them. The jewels themselves are known to be useful in battle, as they are capable of containing the wielder’s essence within them and of healing the warrior whenever necessary (dragons originally created jewels to be used as a healing tool). If the wielder is to pass from this world, their essence might still be contained within the jewels of their weapons. They must not be passed to another for use without purification. Unspeakable horrors can occur if the weapon isn’t purified.

  Dragon jewels are dangerous if not handled properly. They must be handled with the utmost care.

  “Yes, I’m well aware of that, thank you!” Jack snapped. “Soleil burn me! Artemis is from a noble bloodline that just so happens to have dragon jewels embedded in their weapons.”

  Getting up, he slipped the book under his arm and pondered.

  “The jewels of Tamina’s sai reacted wh
en I threw them in anger.” Jack paced the library. “It is obvious her essence is still within the jewels. But why react to anger?”

  After pacing some more, Jack stopped and groaned. He put down The Winged Jewels of the Sky, and gave himself a slap to the back of the head.

  “Moron!” he yelled. “Tamina is a lingering spirit! She has changed, and that means the essence within the jewels has done so as well! She’s an angry spirit! Of course the sai would respond to another’s anger.”

  Snatching the book again, he made his way to his study and grabbed a cloak.

  “I need to find Callypso. Maybe this can help in the damned sai’s purification,” Jack said, finding himself feeling happier at the mention of the elemental’s name.

  Talisa yawned as she walked into the study of Lady Clarayne. She sighed while rubbing her gray eyes. Talisa had been staying in the guest chambers of the Hall of the Elders since the night she spoke to both Shadow and Artemis. To her dismay, she was still clothed in her blue silk nightgown; her escort didn’t give her the chance to change into something more appropriate.

  She was, however, able to grab her pointed blue hat. While her hair was gathered in a messy braid, the hat could help cover the mess at the crown of her head.

  Talisa yawned once more and watched Lady Clarayne turn to face her. Talisa couldn’t help but feel pity for the woman; it appeared she hadn’t slept much either.

  “Forgive me for waking you at this unspeakable hour, Talisa,” Lady Clarayne began. “I assure you, I wouldn’t have done so without good reason.”

  Talisa inclined her head as her greeting and chuckled. “It matters not the time, my lady. What do you require of me?”

  “I need you to lower the veils,” Lady Clarayne ordered.

  That request woke Talisa.

  “You believe Arlina will attack Ellewynth.”