Part 43 (1/2)

'I know, Mother!' Elionbel hissed, gripping her hand an squeezing it tight. 'And one daylight he will pay dearly for it.

'But worse than that,' continued Martbel, 'his seed is growing inside me; it is tearing and gnawing at me, feeding o me. Oh, what am I to do?'

Elionbel stared at the hood of the malice, her head pounding with hatred, her eyes glittering with rage. Slowl'

her hand sought amongst the secret folds of her skirt an found the cold bra.s.s handle of a dagger that she had kept we hidden. 'I will kill him,' she muttered, closing her fingen around the hilt.

'No, No!' cried Martbel, taking Elionbel's hand away frog the dagger. 'Keep the blade a secret and use it to kill the Nightmare's seed the moment it is born. It must not survey and grow for I fear it will have uncontrollable power am

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spread a terrible shadow across Elundium. Promise me that you will kill it. Promise me!'

'I will kill it. I promise!' Elionbel replied, taking her mother back into her arms and rocking her gently backwards and forwards. 'I will destroy the Nightmare's b.a.s.t.a.r.d before it takes its first breath.'

Krulshards pulled the hood of the malice down over his face and laughed, gloating in the darkness. He had heard every word and whisper through the life thread, and now sat wondering at the power he had created through raping the Marcherwoman, searching amongst all the Nightbeasts and Nightshades he had ever sp.a.w.ned for a parallel, but there was none. Nothing he had hatched in the darkness could have carried his seed out into Elundium. Nothing he had made before was both light and dark. Bending his finger he summoned Kerzolde to him and pulled him into the malice, wrapping it tightly around them both.

'The Marcherwoman, Martbel, carries my seed. What does that mean? How will she sp.a.w.n it?' he asked.

Kerzolde thought for a moment, a cruel leer splitting his hideous face. 'She will give birth to a child, Master. It is the way the people of Elundium sp.a.w.n. It will be a part of both of you, but since you are the Lord of Darkness she will carry the

strength and power of your image in her belly.'

'My image!' he whispered. 'That would think as I do and

hold all I hold as beautiful. That would spread my darkness throughout Elundium!'

'Yes, Master. It is already a part of you. It is your seed!'

Krulshards laughed, suddenly realizing a part of the power that he had created. Gripping Kerzolde in tight fingers he hissed, 'Guard my seed, and keep sharp eyes on the other woman. She has a blade hidden in the folds of her skirt. Let her keep the blade and give her no warning that we know that she wishes to kill my seed.'

'Master, she is a great danger. Let me kill her now!'

'No!' hissed the Nightmare. 'She is payment against

Thanehand and she must hang in the City of Night. s.n.a.t.c.h my seed the moment it is born and kill the Marcherwoman, Martbel. She has pledged to kill my seed and will be a greater danger.'

'Master,' Kerzolde answered, 'the newborn Lord of Night will need its mother's milk for nourishment. It is the custom for the people of Elundium for they are weak born and helpless and need time to grow strong.'

Krulshards laughed, 'Nightbeasts are hatched and battleready before the new sun rises. Even Nightshards are only a few daylights in the making, but take the newborn seed from the Marcherwoman and keep it safe. Let her feed it until it is strong enough to stand alone, bind her if necessary, then you must kill her!'

'It will mean many daylights of careful watching.'

'Then watch carefully, Captainbeast!' Krulshards snarled, 'and let not the Elionbel near my seed. Its life is your life, its death will be your despair.'

Kerzolde bent and licked once at the Nightmare's toes, then slipped out of the malice into the gathering darkness.

Elionbel sat huddled beside her mother, unable to sleep. The cuts on her knees wept and oozed from the daylight's hard climbing through the desolate landscape and yet they were nothing but scratches against what Martbel had told her. How was she to kill the monster when every movement was watched by the broken-clawed Nightbeast? Below where they had stopped, a dark stretch of water reflected the star-brigh'