The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams (34 page)

“Must have been a good session, you look
pleased,” he said, stopping beside her. He returned her smile and
she felt a surge of affection through their link. Leaning over he
gave her a light kiss and nodded toward the Academy. “If we don’t
start walking now you are going to be late to first hour,” he
warned.

Nodding slightly, she took his arm and began
walking toward the Academy. She glanced up at him with open
curiosity and raised an eyebrow. “Is there a special occasion?” she
asked.

He shrugged, pursed his lips, and slowly
shook his head. “No, that is if you mean am I here for a special
reason.” He shrugged and returned her look with another charming
smile. “I hardly get to see you, so I changed things a bit to see
you more. That, and I have a duel tonight so I won’t see you until
late, most likely. If I’m lucky it will be done before you are
finished training with Neph, but I’m not going to count on it.”

She frowned at his words and sighed. “What
are you dueling for?” she asked, hoping it wasn’t another insult to
her. It was nerve wracking to have Finn constantly risking his life
to protect her reputation. He didn’t seem to realize that he meant
far more to her than her reputation did.

“There was a get together last night in the
Rivasa district. At some point in the night a couple people got
together closer than they should have and now I’m fighting on the
behalf of one of their betrothed,” he looked at her and smirked.
“Now ask me the best part,” he urged.

“What’s the best part?” she asked
cautiously.

“I’m dueling for the honor of an Avanti lady
against our friend Devron Rivasa. I get to kill the little bastard
again,” he grinned at her like a gleeful child.

“Not Cassia?” she gasped, trying desperately
to think of another Avanti lady.

“Oh gods, no,” he laughed, shaking his head
at her. “No, Cassia, as far as I know is still in Avanti. This one
is a lesser lady of one of the smaller houses. Her name is Mevana.
I knew her when I was a child. She isn’t my sort but she isn’t a
Cassia,” he explained, still seeming highly amused.

“I didn’t think you would defend Cassia’s
…”She paused and cleared her throat. “Uhh, honor, if she actually
does have honor.”

“She doesn’t, and no, I wouldn’t. Not that
she would ask me to, though. While she may not have honor, she
certainly has pride and she would rather fight the duel herself
than ask me to fight for her,” Finn replied.

Nodding, Jala walked on silent for a few
moments, trying to rationally accept that this was what Finn did
for a living, while the irrational side of her screamed in
frustration that he was risking his life over Avanti and Rivasan
squabbles. “Is it the black coin then? I suppose it is since you
said you get to kill him again.”

Finn regarded her for a moment with a neutral
expression and nodded slowly. His pace slowed a bit and she slowed
her steps to match his. “Jala, people don’t hire me for first
blood. They hire me so someone dies. I am not known for mercy in
the arena,” he explained slowly, watching her as if he expected her
to recoil.

“I won’t mourn Devron. Perhaps you should use
the swords you used against Kithkanon this time, though,” she
replied, drawing a startled expression from him.

“I uhh …,” he began and then chuckled
slightly, shaking his head. “I charge more for using those blades
and she isn’t paying that much. I have to admit you just shocked
the hell out of me,” he finished, his tone matching his words
perfectly.

“I can tell,” she said with a smile. Wrapping
her arm tighter around his she glanced up at him and smiled. “Do
you remember when Arjuna was explaining the marriage tradition to
me?” she asked.

Frowning in confusion, Finn nodded and raised
an eyebrow at her. “Yes, but it’s an odd time to bring it up.”

“When he told me of the Immortal divorce, he
said that Immortals didn’t leave enemies alive. Killing him once
created hard feelings. Killing him twice will make a mortal enemy,
I think. I’m simply following your Uncle’s advice, don’t leave an
enemy alive,” she explained, her voice oddly cool, considering the
topic.

“Using a soul stealing sword when it hasn’t
been paid for would make his entire family my enemy,” he countered.
“If he dies in a duel his father will call him a fool for fighting
me again when he is revived. If he can’t be revived, his father
will do everything in his power to see me dead.”

“I hadn’t considered that aspect,” Jala
admitted with a sigh.

Finn shrugged and smiled at her. “That’s the
Rivasan way of it. If I killed a Delvay in that fashion it wouldn’t
make enemies of the Delvay house. The Delvay outlook is survival of
the fittest. If Neph dies in a duel, his family will write him off
as being weak and won’t avenge him. Each house has their own
beliefs about it. Some will revive others won’t.”

“That’s horrible. You mean they wouldn’t
revive him?” Jala gasped with a tinge of anger in her voice.

“No, they wouldn’t, but that’s where we come
in as his adopted family. I would avenge him while you revived
him,” he told her with a wink. “He may be an ass, but he is
family.”

She grinned at the words and nodded her
agreement. “Although I don’t really think he is an ass anymore. I
suppose I understand him better now. Actually, I consider him one
of my better friends I think,” she said with a chuckle.

“Neph is a damn good friend to have. I think
he is closer to you than he is to me but that suits me fine.
Knowing Neph is at your back, actually reassures me a great deal.
Despite what his father thinks, Neph is pure Delvay, and a Delvay
won’t back down from a fight they believe in, for anything. If you
need help, Neph will stand by you no matter the odds,” Finn
informed her with a grin and stopped to open the Academy gate for
the both of them.

“You know all of the houses fairly well don’t
you,” she said, stepping through the gate quickly.

“Decently, I’d say. They all have their
quirks and it pays to know them,” he answered.

“Did you know the Merrodin well?” she asked,
watching his shoulders stiffen slightly as he closed the gate.

He turned back to face her slowly and nodded
slightly. “Better than I ever wanted to. I had no love for them at
all, Jala, and you are nothing like they were.” His voice was
level, all humor drained from it.

Shaking her head slightly she sighed. “I
think you misunderstand why I’m asking about them. I don’t want to
know the history of my house. What I’ve read so far disgusts me.
I’m no slaver and I don’t find joy in the suffering of others,” she
explained, taking his arm once more. “It’s just that I’m having
difficulty at healing. It’s not that I can’t do it well, it’s just
very draining on me and Rose thought it might be from my Bloodline.
She suggested I ask Sovann more about their magic but I thought you
might know,” she finished, looking to him.

He nodded slowly and cleared his throat,
looking down at the ground and then back down the road. “Sovann
hasn’t told you anything yet, eh?” he asked quietly.

“Not so far, and until now I hadn’t thought
to ask,” she replied.

“It seems everyone likes leaving the sticky
subjects to me,” he sighed and gave her a slight smile. “OK. Well
yes, I do know about the Merrodin magic but it’s a dangerous
topic,” he began. She raised an eyebrow at him but he held up a
hand before she could speak. “That, of course, doesn’t mean I won’t
tell you. You know I will. The Merrodin had Djinn blood and were
gifted with Wish magic. Or, what Sovann explains to me is simply a
higher form of Entropy or Luck magic. The ability to manipulate
fate in their favor. This is a potent gift and you are no doubt
wondering how a culture that could manipulate fate was
extinguished.” He glanced sideways at her and she nodded, her
confusion obvious. “Well, while it is potent, it is risky as well.
If the magic is not used with utmost caution, it can have
unfortunate results,” he said and sighed.

“Such as?” she asked, still confused.

“I’m by no means an expert on magic but I’ll
give you the explanation Sovann gave me as a warning to you. He
used a common enough wish that is echoed daily in the streets of
Sanctuary for it, only he used me as the example. See, this
discussion came shortly after I left home and was not doing so well
for myself.” He frowned as he spoke and his steps slowed again. “I
was about to go against Merrodin, or that’s what I believed at the
time. I was questioning him about their talents and I was quite
concerned about their strength at the time. He shook his head at me
and told me it was a double edged sword and the Merrodin wouldn’t
use it on impulse. For example, say you wish to be rich. The next
day your parents die and you inherit a fortune from them. You are
rich, but you are also an orphan. Was the wish the best path to the
fortune? I suppose if you hated your parents it would be, but
despite our differences I love my parents dearly. So Sovann’s
example worked well for me,” he finished and gave her a smile.

“So there is a trick to using it carefully
then?” she asked.

“They used it to create the Veir plague,
Jala. Have no doubt they phrased that spell very carefully. To a
point, it worked flawlessly, Veir was destroyed. The double-edge
caught them in the end though. Merrodin was destroyed as well. A
couple of the Veirasha survived, of course.” He glanced at her and
winked. “But then so did a Merrodin,” he added with a smile.

“Well, I don’t think we have to worry about
it in any event. I wished over and over throughout my childhood to
have my parents back and I’m still an orphan. If it’s a birthright,
I didn’t inherit apparently,” she said with a shrug.

He stopped walking and she stopped beside
him, puzzled. “Are you sure it didn’t work?” he asked. “As far as I
know, magic doesn’t have a time limit and you do have the chance to
get your parents back now.”

“But that’s through bargaining with Death,”
Jala objected, pausing in her own steps and turning to face
him.

“It’s Luck magic Jala. It alters fate. As far
as I understand from Sovann, it creates opportunity for something,
not instantly delivering what you wish for. You know, most orphans
don’t get a chance at all of bringing their families back.” He
paused and reached a hand inside her coat, drawing a thick gold
coin from the inner pocket. “And it could explain this. If your
magic did work, this is the double-edge,” he added, holding up the
coin Anthe had given her.

She felt all color drain from her face as she
stared at the coin. “I didn’t know you knew about that. I didn’t
really believe what she said about it,” she said, her voice
thick.

Finn raised an eyebrow at her and cocked his
head, a trace of a smile playing across his mouth. “Truly? Well, no
secrets between us right? You told me the night you were drinking
after Shade visited. Jala, if you didn’t believe Anthe, why are you
so pale now?” His voice was gentle as was his expression.

“You believe I have gambled you,” she
explained, watching his expression closely. “Finn, I wouldn’t
gamble with your life. It’s a glimpse of the future that’s all it
is. Sovann says Time magic is unreliable because the future is
always changing. I would never risk losing you. I will change the
glimpse Anthe told me about.”

Finn let out a snort of laughter and grinned
widely at her. “Jala, I’m not upset. If my life is the price of
your dreams, I accept it. I will by no means be laying my head on a
chopping block willingly, and I will fight to my last breath, but
if that’s the price, so be it. It’s kind of poetic justice,
actually. Considering how many lives I’ve taken, it seems like a
balance to know my death might return so many to life.”

Jala stared at him in bewilderment and shook
her head slowly, her jaw dropping open slightly. “No, no, no,” she
said, her voice choked. She shook her head again more violently.
“There is no
so be it
here, Finn Sovaesh, and that is not
justice that I want any part of. There is nothing at all in this
entire wretched world worth that price. Nothing!” she said, her
eyes locked on his and a trace of hysteria in her voice.

“Not even the restoration of two countries,
Jala? Are you saying one life is worth more than all of those
people?” he asked, his voice still calm and rational.

“I would burn two countries to keep you,
Finn!” she snapped, her voice rising again.

“Rivana and Avanti?” he asked in
amusement.

Stepping forward, she smacked him lightly on
the chest, her violet eyes flashing. “Not funny, Finn. This is not
funny at all to me. Rivana and Avanti or Morcath or any of the
rest. You are worth more to me than any of it,” she pressed and let
out a long unsteady breath.

He smiled at her and shook his head slowly,
his expression filled with affection. “Jala, a single life isn’t
worth that, no matter whose it is,” he said and wrapped his arms
around her drawing her close. She buried her face in his shoulder
as he rested his chin gently on the top of her head. “It’s OK,
Jala. I knew about the coin and I know about your other guilty
secret, and while I’m not happy about it, I appreciate the
thought.”

She stiffened in his arms. shocked into total
silence for a long moment. “You know about what, exactly?” she
asked carefully.

He chuckled. “How many secrets do you have,
exactly? For someone who isn’t supposed to be keeping any, you seem
nervous. How about you confess your sins and we will see if you
have one I don’t know about?” he offered, a trace of teasing in his
voice.

“You know about the bargain with Hemlock?
That is the only other secret I have, other than the coin and the
coin I didn’t think important because I never intended to allow
that to happen.” She pushed back from him as she spoke, no longer
caring if she was late to class or even made it to her classes at
all.