The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams (43 page)

“It’s one of the few reminders I have that
you aren’t invincible Finn,” she said with a faint smile.

He snorted in tired amusement. “Should be the
opposite there, Jala. I won that fight and lived through a wound
that would have killed anyone else. I’m about as close to
invincible as you can get,” he said with a wink and headed toward
the smaller door marking the bathroom.

She watched him go, and with a faint smile,
looked down at Marrow who was curling up on the rug. “I think I
worry too much,” she said to the Bendazzi. With a yawn, she pulled
her outer dress off over her head and kicked her shoes loose.

I think you have too much to worry about.
I’m not sure about the worrying too much
, Marrow replied and
rested his head on his massive white paws. His yellow eyes watched
her as she crawled into the bed.

Turning over on her side she smiled down at
the Bendazzi. “You may have a point,” she conceded and allowed her
eyes to droop closed.

* * *

“I have no idea how they managed to get the
rings.” Jala stirred silently at the words. It was Finn speaking
and his voice was hushed. She kept her eyes closed and listened,
curious as to who he was talking to.

“Do you have a way out?” A deep voice asked
and it took her a moment to place the speaker. It was Havoc, though
he sounded distant.

“It’s possible that I could get us out if I
talk to Graves,” Finn said, his tone sounding skeptical. “I don’t
know that he wouldn’t sell us out though.”

“I don’t like the idea of asking Graves for
anything. I don’t trust mercenaries,” Havoc replied.

“I know,” Finn said dryly. “I don’t know what
else to do, though. We can’t stay here.”

“Do you think Jala will leave?” Havoc asked,
his tone sounding doubtful.

“I don’t know that either. I think,
considering all things, she might,” Finn replied.

“Considering all of what things?” Jala said
sitting up slowly in bed. While she was curious to hear more from
the two of them, she didn’t like the thought of eavesdropping on
Finn. It felt wrong to her.

Finn sat cross-legged in the center of the
floor with a metal brazier, similar to the one they had used for
the wedding ceremony, balanced in front of him. This one however
was smaller and looked to be made of a dark black metal. A tiny
fire danced inside it and an even smaller image of Havoc stood in
the flames. The Fionaveir had obviously been at rest from his
appearance. His hair was disheveled and he wore nothing but loose
fitting pants. Her eyes lingered briefly on the tattoos covering
the left side of his body. The marks were distorted by the flames
of the illusion, but the sight brought back memories of her
father.

“I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m sorry,” Finn
said, looking a bit chagrined. She wasn’t sure if the expression
came from waking her or getting caught speaking about her.

“Hello, Jala.” Havoc’s image in the fire
waved a small hand with the words.

She stared at the figure for a moment and
then hesitantly waved back. “What manner of spell is this?” she
asked, her curiosity of the magic making her forget her earlier
question.

“Firym magic. The bowls make it much simpler
but you can use the same communication through common flames,” Finn
explained. He turned back to the small brazier and smiled at
Havoc’s image. “I’ll think up something other than Graves, but for
now I need to speak with Jala. I’ll contact you again when I’ve
worked something out,” he said.

“Understandable. Keep in contact with me even
if you don’t work something out. If nothing more than to let me
know you are both well,” Havoc said and the small figure in the
flames bowed slightly to both of them. “Good night to the both of
you and be safe.” Jala watched as the small figure disappeared into
the flames and then the fire itself died out as if Havoc’s presence
alone had kept it burning.

“You didn’t have to end your talk with him.
I’m sorry I interrupted. I just didn’t feel right overhearing the
conversation without your knowing I was awake,” she said
quietly.

“I don’t mind you overhearing what I say
Jala. Anything that I might have wanted to keep secret I’ve already
told you about,” he said with a smirk and moved to join her in the
bed, leaving the fire brazier where it was. “I don’t think I’ve
ever felt this worn down,” he mumbled as he lay down and pulled her
closer to him.

“Considering all what things Finn?” she asked
again before he had a chance to drift off. He had told Havoc he
wanted to speak with her, after all, and she wasn’t about to let
him off so easy.

“Considering our enemies control the city and
it’s not just us you are looking out for now,” he said quietly and
let his hand slip down to rest lightly on her stomach.

She considered his words for a breath and
then felt her eyes widen. She had suspected she might be with child
but hadn’t breathed a word of it to anyone, not even Marrow. “How
long have you known?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Long enough to start serving you tea and
grow even more protective about any harm coming to you,” he replied
in a voice as soft as her own had been.

“I didn’t know for sure, I thought I might be
…,” she trailed off and sighed. While the idea of a child was a
pleasant one, now was simply a horrible time to contemplate having
one. “I thought you had protections against it. I mean you’ve slept
with every woman in the city, I think, and I don’t see little
Sovaesh bastards running around,” she said, her voice cracking
slightly. She could feel tears welling in the back of her eyes and
fought them back. It was not the time to break down crying, no
matter how worried she was.

“I had a ring. I stopped wearing it when we
were married. You follow Fortune after all and I thought if it was
meant to be, it would be. I didn’t quite expect things to take the
turn they have though,” he replied and she heard a bit of
hesitation in his voice as he spoke.

“And?” she pressed, unsure what, exactly, he
was avoiding saying.

“And when I found out you were, I was
thrilled. I thought it might be the perfect way to convince you to
let me get you out of this mess we are in,” he said quietly. “I
love you, Jala, and I love the thought of having a child with you,
but we are in a serious mess right now, all of us. We need to get
out of this city and retreat to somewhere safe. It is not the time
to try to stand alone. We simply aren’t strong enough. If we try to
rebuild Merro right now they will tear us apart.” He paused again
and rubbed his face, not looking at her as he spoke. “While it
wasn’t the only reason I was happy about the prospect of being a
father, I thought that maybe you might listen to reason if it meant
protecting our child.”

“You think I’m being unreasonable by wanting
to help these people?” she asked, trying to digest his words and
sort through the roiling emotions they created. From the way he
spoke, it sounded as if he wanted her pregnant to use the child as
leverage. She felt a sick feeling in her stomach and pulled back
away from him.

“Jala, please don’t,” Finn began as she
climbed from the bed. “I don’t think I phrased that well. Please
let me explain better,” he said, sitting up in the bed and watching
her closely.

She shook her head slightly, not wanting to
look at him. “No, I don’t want to fight with you Finn and I need to
think. I think I understood you perfectly and …,” she trailed off
and shook her head. Hastily, she pulled her dress back on over her
head and left the room, ignoring his quiet protest behind her. She
heard Marrow rise and follow but didn’t spare a glance back to the
Bendazzi.

The hall was silent as she closed the door
behind her. Apparently everyone else was resting. She made her way
quietly up the stairs, brushing at the tears that were threatening
to fall. With luck she wouldn’t run into any of her friends. Right
now she simply wanted to be alone to think. The idea of explaining
what was wrong to anyone, brought a lump to her throat. Pausing
part way up the stairs, she summoned a spell to her mind. Magical
transport was a dangerous proposition, but at the moment it sounded
better than talking to anyone. She began the spell hastily before
she changed her mind.

“Jala, wait, don’t!,” she heard Finn call as
the magic washed over her and Marrow. She caught the faintest
glimpse of his form in the hall as he rushed toward her. The
expression on his face was agonized.

* * *

She looked around in mild shock at her
surroundings. She hadn’t focused well when she cast the transport
spell, and she was lucky it had worked properly at all. All she had
wanted was to be alone where no one would bother her and now she
clearly was alone. She was standing in the center of her old room
in the Morcaillo hall. Dead flowers covered every surface in the
room. Apparently no one had thought to throw out Madren’s gifts
after she had left. Marrow tested the air beside her and then
looked up at her with a questioning look in his yellow eyes. She
ignored him and looked around the room, studying the locked door
and the barred windows. She doubted anyone had been in this hall
since Shade had left the city.

She swallowed heavily and finally met the
Bendazzi’s gaze and shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to admit
how much that hurt, even to you,” she said quietly, feeling her
eyes go glassy again. “I love you, Marrow, but right now I can’t
talk. So just please let me think for a while. I have to sort this
out before I go back,” she finished quietly, her voice breaking a
bit on the words. The Bendazzi bowed his head in acceptance and
moved to the wall to lie down.

She brushed a hand gently across her stomach
and tried to imagine what it would be like to raise a child in the
world as it was now. Shuddering at the thought, she shook her head
and moved to the bed. It was covered with a thin film of dust and
the blankets were still rumpled. It was as if the room hadn’t been
touched at all since her last night here. Waving a hand she cast a
quick cleaning spell and crawled onto the down filled mattress. She
curled on her side staring at the wall and tried to put her
thoughts in order. Perhaps Finn was right. Maybe she should leave
the city for safety. Images of the children in Merro’s district
came to her mind as she considered the thought. When she had first
started rebuilding the city, they had been so filled with despair,
but now she could glimpse hope on a few of them. They knew she
wanted to help them so they could see a brighter future. What would
they see if she ran now and abandoned them to the mercy of the
Justicars.

She lost track of time as she lay there in
contemplation until the sound of the door opening brought her
sharply back to her surroundings. A tall figure in a dark grey
cloak moved into the room. The shadows seemed to envelop him as he
closed the door silently. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the
familiar garb.

“What do you want? I had thought our business
was concluded,” she snarled. Hemlock was the last person she wanted
to see right now.

The figure turned back toward her and slowly
pulled the hood down. With a start she realized it was Valor
regarding her with a slightly raised eyebrow. His hair was clean
once more and held back in its usual thong and other than a large
bruise forming on his cheekbone, he looked his normal immaculate
self. He smoothed the front of his fine black tunic and flicked a
glance to his grey cloak. It was obvious he wanted to say
something, but hesitated.

“Valor,” she gasped, and felt the color drain
from her face. What must he be thinking right now, knowing that
I’ve had dealings with Hemlock she wondered with panic. “What are
you doing here? What happened to your face?” The questions poured
out of her as the knight calmly surveyed the room and then looked
back to her. His expression was not the lazy smile she was so used
to seeing on his handsome face. He seemed more somber and
thoughtful.

His gloved hand rose to his face and gently
traced the bruise and he shrugged slightly. “I had a discussion
with Finn about which of us would come find you,” he explained
calmly. Looking around the room once more, his eyes settled on a
heavy cushioned chair. He crossed the room silently and dragged the
chair back to the side of the bed with little effort. Removing the
grey cloak he draped it over the dusty cushions and sat down
lightly.

“Finn hit you?” she asked quietly, leaning
forward for a better look at the injury in the faint light. It
didn’t seem to be more than a bruise and a faint scrape, hardly
worth summoning a healing spell for, and yet she was tempted to do
so.

“I hit him harder,” Valor said with another
shrug. “Neph is watching over him now and will stop him from
leaving when he wakes.”

“You knocked him out?” she gasped, looking at
him in amazement. Valor was Finn’s staunchest supporter and the
thought of him striking Finn was unbelievable to her.

“It was better than allowing him to tear
through the city trying to find you while he is hunted,” Valor
reasoned.

“But the Justicars are hunting you too,” she
pointed out, her eyes flicking to the grey cloak.

Valor smiled bitterly. “As much as I loathe
Hemlock, being mistaken for him does have its advantages. If the
rumors are to be believed, he appreciates that particular fashion
statement. It supposedly keeps people guessing as to where the real
Hemlock is,” he explained, the look of distaste plain on his
face.

She nodded faintly and looked away from his
gaze. There were too many questions in those dark blue eyes. “How
did you know where to find me?” she asked quietly in an effort to
turn the subject from the Assassin.

“There weren’t many places you could be. So I
picked the one Finn was least likely to look in, and lo and behold
here you are,” Valor said with a sigh. He reached a hand up gently
and turned her chin forcing her to meet his eyes once more. “What
did he do?” he asked gently. She shook her head silently in
response and he sighed once more. “Well, I know he hasn’t cheated
on you so that’s not it,” he began, and leaned back in the chair
folding his hands on his lap. “A year ago, I would have thought
Finn would be single forever and then he met you. Before we
actually met, I would have sworn you had laid an enchantment on him
to get him to fall so quickly for you. Now that I know you, though,
I know it isn’t true. He loves you too much to show any attention
to another woman, so what did he do?” he pressed. By the set of his
jaw she didn’t think he would let the topic drop.