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

  “He’s a close friend, that’s all,” I explained, while reaching for Jack’s arm. I gave him a sharp pinch. “Stop laughing!”

  Jack yelped. He frowned at me, and then focused on Lilith. “What of Talisa? Any news of her?”

  “Yes! She’s returned safely to her cottage. Serlene helped escort her,” Lilith answered.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. I was happy knowing they had returned safely, though I still wanted to see them despite their fatigue from the war. I looked at the streets, watching the returning soldiers embrace their loved ones, and felt a twinge of jealousy. Jack jabbed my side, forcing me to pay attention to the conversation.

  “Why don’t we head back to your house?” he suggested. “I’m sure Shadow will meet you there at some point today. And I may or may not be hungry. You know how that goes.”

  Lilith chuckled as I glared at him again. “Fine, fine.”

  “Well, I am sure I will run into the two of you again. A pleasure,”—Lilith reached over and kissed both Jack’s and my cheek in farewell— “as always.”

  I said good-byes for both Jack and myself, as he began blushing like a youngling and was unable to respond. Dragging him away, I gave him a smack to the back of the head.

  “You won’t win her over if you continue to let your nerves control you,” I scolded.

  “A lady like her will never share my love, Artemis,” Jack said with a deep sigh. “A man can dream though. Such nice dreams…”

  “I don’t want to know!” I chided. “And she does like you, idiot! You just have to work harder. Make her believe that you’re more than an acquaintance. And for goddess’ sake, do something about the blushing! It’s called control, Jack.”

  “Shut it!” Jack huffed while he folded his arms. “So tell me…you really believe you’re not in love with Shadow?”

  “I’m not,” I groaned. “And do not speak of it again. It’s nonsense!”

  “Uh-huh. This is coming from the woman who gave away a most prized ring as a ‘source of protection.’” Jack stroked his chin in mockery. “If he was merely a friend, you would have just hugged him good-bye, not given him a trinket to remind him daily of you.”

  “Keep this up and I will not feed you,” I threatened.

  “You are old enough to chase after him now, unless by some miracle he’s actually taken to someone who maybe fought alongside him,” Jack mused as we walked. “My coin’s on you, of course, should you see fit to challenge this new rival…I wonder if Shadow likes a biter?”

  I stopped walking and smacked his arm. “Are you done now or shall I have to bite you to shut you up? Believe me, it’s a bite you would not enjoy.”

  Jack quickly raised his hands in surrender and followed me home in silence.

  fter a full meal, Jack fell asleep in the main room of my home. Tucking him under a blanket, I rubbed my temples. I was curious why he didn’t make it to his home the previous night, but I knew I’d regret asking because it was very likely that the reason was ludicrous.

  Once I returned to my room, I settled onto the bed and wrapped my arms around one of the pillows. After I shut my eyes, I felt a bit more at peace than I had in years. My friends were alive, thank the goddesses; things would be far better now that they’d returned.

  So I hoped, anyway.

  I could hear more festivities taking place from the window. I felt the jealousy return; I would have enjoyed partaking in the fun had the circumstances been different. The elves hated anything with the blood of a vampire—they had their share of wars with them too. They even had a special nickname for me, the bastards: vampyra. It was a stupid insult that left plenty of scars behind; it meant “dirty soul defiler.” Even dhampirs were seen as soulless corpses, and anyone who shared our company was said to lose their soul to our dark appetite.

  Idiots.

  Shaking my head at the unpleasant memories, I moved from my bed and sat on the windowsill. The feel of the breeze was comforting. I tucked a few wayward strands of my braid behind my ears.

  “If I didn’t know any better,” a familiar voice said, “I’d say that the young woman currently sitting on the windowsill was once a youngling I left behind all those years ago.”

  I felt my heart pound against my chest as I poked my head farther out the window.

  Outside my doorstep was Shadow. It was as if time hadn’t passed. Elves are long-lived, and they age slower than any other being. I have similar traits due to the vampire half of my heritage, but sometimes it spooked me to see such truths.

  “Shadow!” I exclaimed, while suddenly remembering to breathe.

  “You’re not going to make me wait out here all day, right?” Shadow laughed.

  I jumped from the windowsill back into my room and raced through the house to open the front door. Before Shadow could say anything, I leaped and hugged him hard. He spun me around, chuckling, and eventually pulled away from the hug.

  It was an odd feeling as we both studied one another. Shadow truly hadn’t changed; his long dark blond hair was half pulled away from his face, and his skin was still the same tanned shade as when he left. I always remembered him being so tall, yet now I reached his chin.

  Giving my hands a tiny squeeze, Shadow tilted his head to the side and smiled. I returned the gesture.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” I said. “The past eight years have been miserable.”

  “So I’ve gathered through your letters. Talisa and I meant to come back much sooner,” Shadow explained, apologetic. “Dragons are…a stubborn bunch.”

  “More than elves?” I snorted. “Doubtful.”

  Shadow grinned while he continued to study me. “You know, I almost mistook you for your mother when I saw you on the windowsill. Almost. You took much after her.”

  “So I’ve heard.” I sighed. “I wish I knew her.”

  “I know,” he said. “This is…your twenty-first year?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ll have to forgive me, it’s still sinking in.”

  “I know.” I laughed, and embraced him again. “You don’t have to explain yourself.”

  Shadow sighed. “I’ve missed so much. Too much.”

  “We have plenty of time now to catch up.” I grabbed his wrist and dragged him inside. “You can start by joining me for tea!”

  “I wouldn’t have much of a choice otherwise, hmm?”

  “Nope.”

  I let go of him and went to brew peppermint leaf tea, Shadow’s favorite. I heard him clear his throat in an odd manner, and I found him standing over the chair Jack was snoring away in. Shadow raised a teasing eyebrow, and I scowled.

  “This can’t be Jack.” He spoke in a low voice.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “The man snores like a drunken human sailor,” Shadow teased.

  I sighed. “It’s normal for him to sleep over here. His life at home is terrible.”

  “Not much has changed there?” Shadow glanced at Jack and frowned. “I hoped the others would treat him with more respect as well.”

  “The elves despise him as much as they loathe me.” I scowled. “We’ve grown used to it by now.”

  Shadow moved to an empty chair and sat down. “I wish things went differently for you two.”

  I poured the tea and handed him a cup. “It’s fine. Such is life.”

  “So,”—Shadow took a sip of his tea as I took a seat beside him—“how have your studies been?”

  “Define studies,” I said with a nervous chuckle.

  “Archery lessons, for starters.”

  “Ah! That.” I took a quick sip of my own tea, and cursed the burning sensation on my tongue. “It’s…going. Going well, actually! Never better.”

  I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d stopped going to lessons after being thrown out of one at fifteen. There was an unfortunate accident that led to a fist fight—one that I won, but at the cost of serious injury to the elf who initiated it.

  The true nature of the dhampir does not like
to be, erm, provoked. At least I was able to control the monster enough to prevent worse injuries.

  Shadow raised an eyebrow. He could always tell when I was lying. “Artemis.”

  I sighed. “I stopped going after my fifteenth year. There was a…minor scuffle. Minor.”

  “How minor exactly?”

  “She got into a fight with several of our archery-mates.” Shadow and I turned to face Jack, who was now sitting up and lifting off the blanket I had tucked him into. “Welcome back, by the way.”

  “Good to be back,” Shadow answered. I flinched when his gaze sharpened. “Artemis, explain.”

  “I…I was defending myself,” I started. “I shot an elf in the leg!”

  “One of our archery-mates snuck up behind her and poked her knee with their bow as she went to shoot,” Jack elaborated. “I’m sure you can imagine the response.”

  “After that, everyone snapped at me. They called me those stupid nicknames,” I added. “I…I lost it. The dhampir—”

  “Serlene was furious, but did nothing to help Artemis…as usual,” Jack interrupted, knowing full well how I felt about my heritage. “It was probably why she volunteered to join the war so fast. The goddesses themselves knew how badly she tried to get out of teaching us both. Too bad they didn’t accept her offer until a couple years later.”

  “She didn’t volunteer to fight, she was called into duty by then,” I corrected. “And to go back to the incident, you just stood there leaving me outnumbered! What a friend you are!”

  Jack shrugged. “I know better than to get into a fight with dhampirs, friend or not…control or not.”

  Shadow rubbed his brow, and I knew the last comment sunk in. He kept silent on the matter…for now. “Did you win at least?”

  Jack and I stared at him, amazed at the question. Jack cackled while he went to get his own cup of tea.

  “Oh, she did, all right. One little bite shut the bastard up,” Jack explained. “It was an impressive leap too…for a female.”

  Shadow looked at me, and I felt the guilt return. He surprised me by bursting into laughter.

  My jaw dropped.

  “If you had lost I would have been very disappointed,” he explained, while trying to regain his composure.

  “Shadow!” I exclaimed, horrified at the response. “I went into dhampir mode and bit an elf! And shot another one!”

  “Accidents happen in the world of archery,” Shadow said. “And I know you, my dear. You bit in self-defense, not in hunger. Don’t be so quick to judge the dhampir’s nature.”

  “I told you he wouldn’t be upset with you,” Jack teased. “Was Artemis always such a worrywart?”

  “Indeed.” Shadow nodded. “Besides, the fault lies more with Serlene. If she were a true instructor, the incident wouldn’t have occurred in the first place.”

  “Again, that’s what I said,” Jack said.

  “Oh, shut up,” I snapped.

  “Speaking of faults, I unfortunately have one of my own,” Shadow said, taking another sip of tea. “I owe you a ring, my dear.”

  I froze in my seat. “What happened to it?”

  Shadow frowned, his free hand slowly balling into a fist. “I put your ring on a chain and hid it beneath my armor. There were a few close calls before, but in the last year, luck was not on my side. I…” Shadow put down his teacup. “During one of the raids, I was in close combat with one of the wizards and we fell to the ground. The chain fell out of my armor, and his sword narrowly missed my neck. The chain broke, and I never had a chance to reclaim it. I searched endlessly for the ring after the raid was over—”

  “Stop, stop,” I interrupted, now reaching for his wrist. “It’s all right.”

  “I know how much the ring meant to you, Artemis.” Shadow shook his head. “I’ll repay you, I promise.”

  “The ring was given as a source of protection, and it did its task. You’ve returned safely.”

  Deep down inside, I was heartbroken about the loss of it. Shadow didn’t need to know that, however; his life was far more important than a piece of metal and jewel.

  After a moment of silence, Jack cleared his throat and returned to his tea. “How come you, Talisa, and Serlene made it back to Ellewynth before the rest of the regiment?”

  “We were part of the Elders’ escort. The war with the dragons technically ended three nights ago; we were present during the final negotiations with the Woodland Realm Elders and the dragon hierarchy of Fieros Mountains,” Shadow explained. “A new dragon queen was appointed, and she declared a peace treaty with us soon after.”

  “What caused the stupid war to occur in the first place?” I asked.

  “Internal disputes that eventually dragged us into it,” Shadow replied. “There were separate factions among the dragons of Fieros Mountains. The previous dragon queen’s mind was warped by a group of turncoat wizards and dragons. Once we helped the former queen reach a ‘peaceful end,’ we helped the new queen take the throne. Now everyone can be happy.” He tapped his fingers along the arm of the chair. “They better be.”

  “Just like that?” I asked. “How long do you think before the separate factions could strike again?”

  “I worry about that as well, but I pray to the goddesses it won’t be for many years to come. We destroyed a large number of the factions that started all this. The rest were exiled.”

  Jack loudly sighed. “If only I were so fortunate to be in the company of dragons…all the magic I could learn…”

  Shadow blinked at Jack, and I hid my face within my hand in embarrassment.

  “He has a particular affinity for magic,” I explained, while trying to ignore the childlike gleam in Jack’s eyes. “He’s banned from the libraries for loitering in the magic sections. Personally, I think it’s just because he skipped out on most of his weapons training to do so…”

  “Is he terrible in weapons training?” Shadow asked, intrigued.

  “Far worse than I, if you can believe it,” I answered. “I can at least wield a sword, even if I’m still a bit of a novice. His magical abilities are the opposite; he’s very good.”

  “Interesting…” Shadow mused. It was as if he knew something I did not. Before I could inquire further, Shadow finished his tea and went to refill his cup. “Jack, have you ever thought of becoming a mage apprentice?”

  Jack snapped out of his daydreaming and shook his head. “I-I wish.”

  “If you’re as talented as Artemis makes you seem, you should seek a teacher,” Shadow suggested. “Surely you’ve thought of it?”

  “Not with the history we have concerning elves and magic,” Jack said, frowning. “I’m sure whatever instructors exist would rather teach Artemis before even considering me, and she doesn’t even have an ounce of magic in her blood. You get the point.”

  “What about Talisa?” I asked. “Can’t she take an apprentice?”

  “No!” Jack slammed down his tea. “I’ve heard the horror stories about her and her past apprentices! All the abuse she put them through…Willow damn me to Avilyne’s hell before I agree to such a thing!”

  Shadow burst out laughing as I grew confused.

  “Shadow, what is he talking about?”

  “Talisa rarely takes on an apprentice. It’s uh, something she does her best to avoid,” he explained. “However, I think I’ll say a few words to her. It would be well worth the pain, Jack. She is a well-renowned witch even outside the Woodland Realm. She is one of the best in all of Arrygn, especially because she was endowed with a touch of Kiare’s power.”

  “Yes, if I want to live in a new kind of hell!” Jack snapped. He took a deep breath. “It’s true that I long to learn all that she knows…the cost however, I’m not willing to pay. At least I know what abuse to expect when I’m with the aunt.”

  “I’ll try to make her reach a compromise. If she agrees, you’re on your own after that.” Shadow chuckled.

  Jack glared at him. I tried to smile reassuringly.

&nb
sp; “It’ll be fine, Jack,” I insisted, while trying to believe the words myself.

  I couldn’t imagine Talisa being as horrifying and strict as Jack and Shadow made her seem, but I suppose ignorance was bliss.

  Shadow stood up and stretched. “I have to tend to a few errands before the day’s end, sadly. Perhaps we could catch up more during dinner, Artemis? My home?”

  “I’d like that,” I agreed. I took the teacup from him, and Jack handed me his as well. “What? You’re leaving too?”

  “Yes. I have to make sure my home isn’t as much of a wreck as I was this morning,” he said. “Shadow? Would you mind if I walked a bit with you?”

  “Not at all.” Shadow hugged me good-bye and moved aside for Jack to leave first. “Until tonight then.”

  “Until tonight,” I repeated, seeing them off.

  Shadow and Jack made their way through the celebrating crowd of Ellewynth, and the moment they were finally alone, Jack nervously cleared his throat. Shadow blinked at him, confused.

  “So there was a reason you wished to accompany me after all,” Shadow stated.

  Jack nodded. “Are you really going to speak to Talisa about me?”

  “Yes. I think it would be to your benefit to learn from the best,” Shadow explained. “You fear rejection from her?”

  “Believe it or not, I do.” Jack sighed. “I’ve always loved magic. I’ve a gift for it, and I can’t understand why. Elves aren’t normally beings of magical capacity. I mean, I’ve heard about the elf mages, but I know for a fact that I am not one of them. I’m not.”

  Shadow looked straight ahead in his efforts to avoid eye contact with Jack. He first met him before he left for the war, and Shadow remembered the gossip about the young elf. He had his own suspicions, of course. If Jack was really an elf mage, it was better for Talisa to break the news to him. The elf mages of the past were known to be volatile, whether they wished to be or not.

  “Everything happens for a reason, even if we do not understand it at first,” Shadow said, breaking the momentary silence. “But I trust that’s not all you wish to speak of.”

  “I know Artemis wrote to you all these years. Did she…” Jack paused a moment. “Did she speak about her blackouts?”