The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey (31 page)

“
I don’t understand why bones cause you so
much pain
,” the voice spoke again. She shuddered and tried to
determine how to answer. If she spoke out loud, they would both
think her mad, and if she answered in her mind she wasn’t sure the
voice could hear her.
“I can hear you,
” the voice assured
her.

“
What are you?”
She asked it
mentally.

“
Sense me as I sense you
,” it replied.
“
I have waited long for you, and there is no food here. Nothing
but bones.”

She tried to focus on it as it spoke in her
mind and to her surprise she did sense something. She wasn’t sure
what. She knew that it was nearby, though her eyes showed her
nothing. She stood slowly on shaking legs and began to move toward
whatever it was she sensed. Finn stood as well, but she motioned
for him to wait and he remained behind.

“
Why do the bones cause you pain?”
the
voice asked again.

“
Because they are the remains of those I
loved
,” she answered still moving toward the presence. She saw
shadows coalescing into a solid form before her and had to steel
herself to move forward. A shape slowly rose from the ground. It
was huge, as big as a small pony. Cat-like in basic build, but with
a longer muzzle; more like that of a wolf. A thick ruff of long
black fur ringed its neck and traced a path down its spine with
shorter grey fur covered its body. The creature fixed its yellow
gaze upon her and seemed to be regarding her with the same
curiosity. A long thin tail ending in a thick tuft of black fur,
waved lazily behind the creature. She couldn’t believe such a large
creature had been lying so close to where they had been, and not
even Finn had seen it.

“
It is in my nature not to be seen when I
do not wish to be,”
the creature spoke again in her mind. The
mental speech no longer seemed so strange to her.

“Jala, that is a Bendazzi, step away from
it,” Sovann called in a near-panicked voice behind her. She heard
the sharp rasp of swords being drawn.

“No wait!” she called back, knowing any
moment Finn would be rushing in to kill the beast. She had read
about Bendazzis in the Beastiary at the school. Bendazzis were
considered to be the top predator in all of the lands. They had
magic resistance that made them nearly impossible to kill with a
spell, and stealth that made hunting them a dangerous proposition.
It was said they could shift their color to suit their
environment.

“Why did you want me to come here?” Jala
asked it in a whisper.

“
You called to me first. I sought your
home in your dream, and this is what you showed me so I came,”
the creature explained.

“I didn’t call you,” she objected, her voice
still hushed.

“
You did, and I answered
,” the
Bendazzi insisted.

She remembered Sovann’s words then, and she
stared at the creature in shock. “You are my Familiar?” She asked
in disbelief. Familiars were supposed to be a reflection of your
inner self from what Sovann had told her. What did it say about her
that her Familiar was a creature with a reputation as dark as his
coat.

The Bendazzi sat, his long slender ears came
forward, and he cocked his head to one side.
“Look into my mind
and judge me on what you see, not what they say,”
he urged.

She focused and tried to do as he suggested.
Memories waited for her there on the surface. She saw fierce
protectiveness over what he considered his territory, cunning, and
intelligence beyond what she had ever thought an animal could
possess
. He guided her through his journey to Merro, and she
witnessed tenacity and determination beyond what she had ever seen
in any animal. He had swum the Black Sea to reach this place, a
feat she could barely fathom. Lastly, she saw the loyalty that held
him here for so long, despite the lack of game and shelter. He had
waited weeks for her. She could see the gauntness of his body now,
and the ribs that showed through his fur.

“How are you my mirror?” she asked in wonder.
She could sense his puzzlement at her words. “I was told a Familiar
is the echo of your soul, a mirror for what you are inside, and you
are so much more than I am. You can’t be my mirror,” she explained,
her voice still hushed.

“Jala, you really should consider stepping
away from the large man-eating beast,” Finn called from behind her.
She had thought much longer had passed, but it must have just been
moments.

“I’m ok,” she called back to them as she
dropped carefully down onto a knee in front of the Bendazzi and
looked at him with wonder. So much for a bird or kitten for a
Familiar.

“
I was not puzzled by the term Familiar. I
know much of the human ways. I was puzzled that you could not see
yourself in me. I looked into your mind as well, Jala. I saw a
little girl look terror in the face and ignore it. I saw a little
girl that survived the death of a country. I see a woman who has
forgotten this before me right now, but perhaps you only needed a
reminder of that child to feel her strength again,”
he spoke
gently and with affection. Soundlessly, the creature rose and paced
slowly to stand inches from her. She watched him as he approached,
watching the powerful muscles shifting just below the skin, still
amazed at the beauty of the beast. He sat back down in front of her
and looked her square in the eyes, with more intelligence and
wisdom than she had seen in most human’s eyes.

“What is your name?” she asked, as she
reached out a hand to touch him. The fur was as soft as velvet, but
the body beneath seemed more stone than flesh. She wondered idly
what Shade would think when she showed up with a Bendazzi the color
of pitch. What shade of grey would he see her as then?

“
Bendazzi do not have names, we know each
other by scent,”
he replied.
“My color still disturbs you,
though, yet I don’t understand why. It’s camouflage. Nothing
more.”
He gave a slight shake and his fur rippled. The color
seemed to leach out of it as each hair rose, and when he was still
again, the long ruff around his neck was the color of fresh snow
while the shorter hair on his sides and belly turned a silvery
grey,
like my coat, she realized with a start
.

The Bendazzi let out a snort that almost
sounded like rough laughter
. “Exactly, my coat to match
yours,”
he agreed.

“You need a name,” she said and her mind
began to sort through the possibilities.

“
If I must have a name I will name myself.
I’ve seen in your mind, and I will not be saddled with a name like
Cap, as you did that dog
.” The Bendazzi cut her off before she
had thought of more than a few names.

“He had a black cap, and I was six when I
named him,” she muttered lamely in her own defense.

“
And I’m now white. What would you call
me, Snowball? I think not. I will be Marrow. If you must call me
something, call me that,”
his voice sounded somewhat
indignant.

“Marrow,” she whispered, trying the name.
“Marrow. For the bones that mean so much to you, and for the
dead land you call home
,” he explained. “
Speaking of which,
if that man doesn’t put away those blades we will be leaving more
bones here
,” he added, looking past her toward where Finn and
Sovann waited.

She looked back over her shoulder and stood
slowly. Both brothers wore expressions of disbelief. “My Familiar,”
she explained as she walked back toward them with Marrow pacing
easily at her side.

Finn grinned widely and gave a light chuckle.
“Well now, things will get interesting fast,” he said and flipped
both swords around and slipped them easily back into their
scabbards.

“Your what?” Sovann’s voice was nearly a
gasp.

“Familiar, his name is Marrow,” she repeated.
She felt herself shiver a bit and realized she was soaked through.
She hadn’t even thought of the rain between the bones and then
Marrow. Now, however, she felt the cold keenly.

“She is soaked and half frozen, Sovann, get
us back home,” Finn ordered. He moved toward her, not the least bit
wary of Marrow now, and took a place on the opposite side of
her.

“Wait! The bones. I need to bury them.” she
objected through chattering teeth.

“Done already, I did it when you first
started to wander off. They obviously meant too much to you to
leave rotting,” Sovann said calmly. He approached with more caution
than Finn and his eyes never left Marrow.

The Bendazzi, for his part, seemed quite
bored by the two of them and simply sat there on his haunches
looking out over the wastes.
“I will not miss this place at
all,”
he told her as Sovann began to cast his spell.

A shiver washed over her again and she closed
her eyes remembering the beauty of Merro before its destruction.
Images of vast green fields of knee high grass and the bubbling
brook passed from her to Marrow. She fed him images of the Jimpa
tree and the wild forests that lined the border between Merro and
the Greenwild. Her mind filled with more memories as she waited for
the spell to take her back to Sanctuary.

She felt Sovann’s magic wash over her and
sighed in relief at the sudden warmth of his parlor. Marrow let out
a contented noise that sounded half growl half purr. She opened her
eyes in time to see Sovann take a hasty step back from them and
survey the Bendazzi from a distance.

Finn let go of her hand and gave a sigh. “A
hot bath for you now and some dry clothes. Then we talk,” he said
in a voice that would book no arguments. “Sovann do you have
something she can put on?” He asked. Sovann gave a slight nod and
headed from the room, obviously glad to have a reason to be away
from the Bendazzi. Finn turned his attention to Marrow and he
smiled enigmatically. “He looks a bit thin, I’ll see if Sovann has
some sort of food for him,” he said after a moment, and walked off
through the door whistling lightly.

“
I like him. He is bringing food,”
Marrow said, with eager anticipation in his tone. She could sense
his hunger now and was amazed he hadn’t actually tried to eat one
of her friends.

Finn returned first with a large haunch of
meat balanced on one shoulder. He dropped it lightly on the wooden
floor near the Bendazzi and stepped back a respectful distance. He
didn’t show any signs of fear, but he wasn’t stupid enough to get
between a three hundred pound predator that was near starvation and
a haunch of meat. Sovann entered a few moments later and motioned
for her to follow him. “I’ve prepared a bath and laid out some
clothes for you. We will wait in the parlor,” he explained as he
led her to a door. He motioned her toward it and turned to leave
but paused and looked at her. “I don’t know what exactly happened
tonight, but I’m glad you took us with you, Jala. Whatever pain
that place holds for you, well, that is not something that should
be faced alone.” He squeezed her arm gently and left her there. She
watched him disappear down the hall then pushed into the room.

Finn was sprawled on the couch with an arm
over his eyes when she returned to the parlor. He was dressed in
simple pants now, and, by all appearances, was asleep. Marrow lay
sprawled nearby on his side, a bare bone the only sign of the meat
he’d been chewing on when she left for her bath. She gave a faint
smile, as she could well understand their slumber. She’d had a long
nap earlier and could barely keep her eyes open.

Sovann sat in the corner of the room in an
oversized leather chair. Of the three of them only he remained
awake. He looked up at her from the book in his lap and gave her a
smile. “I hope the clothes will suffice for now. I’m sorry I didn’t
have something more appropriate,” he said quietly.

She looked down at the long nightshirt she
wore; it was oversized and fell well past her knees and was made of
fine dark linen. With a smile, she nodded to him. “It will serve
until my own clothes are dry, thank you,” she replied.

Finn took in a long breath and sat up
stretching. He let out the breath slowly and turned to look at her.
“Better?” he asked, his voice thick and quiet.

She gave a nod in reply and he motioned her
to the couch. She moved carefully around Marrow and took a seat on
the far end of the couch, folding her legs back under her. Finn
leaned forward to the table and poured her a cup of tea. “Okay, now
explain,” he said as he handed it to her.

“Finn, don’t push her,” Sovann objected. “She
will speak if she wants to. This is a tender subject. Don’t be an
ass, though I know that is difficult for you.”

“Sovann, shut it,” Finn said, his eyes never
leaving Jala. “Explain,” he said again, his tone was gentle, yet
firm, but she knew this was not a topic he would drop.

She took a sip of her tea and gave a sigh.
She knew he wasn’t speaking of Marrow. “How about I show you
instead? It will be faster and easier for me,” she offered.

He seemed to consider it for a moment and
then gave a nod. “As long as you agree to answer questions if I
have any,” he said.

“Finn, this is not our business,” Sovann
objected once more.

“It is mine. I need to know what is going on
if I’m going to keep her alive,” Finn returned.

“What do you mean keep me alive?” Jala cut in
before Sovann could speak again.

“You weren’t a threat before, Jala, and there
have already been contracts for your death. My father told me of
them.” He looked meaningfully at the Bendazzi and back at her.
“That just changed, my dear. You are a threat now, so show me what
I’m looking after,” he finished and waved a hand for her to
begin.

Sovann was still silent, and when she looked
to him, she found him simply staring at Finn as if his brother had
suddenly sprouted another head.