The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams (44 page)

She shook her head again and felt the first
tear form a path down her cheek. “I don’t want to talk now Valor,”
she whispered. His expression was calm as he watched her and she
realized this was the first time she had actually been alone with
Valor. He seemed a different person away from Finn. She was used to
seeing him as the gallant filled with smiles and usually a bit
drunk. This man however was calm and thoughtful with a knowing look
in his eyes.

He nodded slowly at her answer and steepled
his fingers in front of his mouth. With another faint nod as if he
understood completely, he lowered his hands and smiled gently at
her. “I used to despise him for the way he manipulated people. I
couldn’t stand to be around him at all and tried to kill him on at
least three occasions. It wasn’t until Jail worked on my mind that
I accepted Finn as a friend,” he said quietly. Her jaw dropped
slightly at his words but he smiled bitterly again. “Yes, I knew
Jail created my friendship with Finn. I spend one night in a cell
with a bitter rival and a Mind mage and walk out the next day
friends. I may act like an idiot most of the time, but I’m not one,
Jala,” he said with a light chuckle.

“And that doesn’t bother you?” she asked
quietly.

He shook his head slightly. “No, if Jail
hadn’t done what he did, one of us would have been dead by now.
Honestly I can’t say if it would have been Finn or me,” he answered
quietly. “It wasn’t until I had been friends with him for a while
that I understood him. He may try with every ounce of his soul to
be Firym, Jala, but he was raised Avanti. There are some things
that cannot be unlearned. To the Avanti, everything exists for
manipulation. There is nothing sacred to those people. You have to
look at Finn’s purpose, though.” He paused and watched her for a
moment as if seeking confirmation that she was following his
words.

“What do you mean, his purpose?” she asked
quietly.

“Finn manipulates me all the time. I don’t
always notice when he does, but there are times when I catch it. He
can be quite smooth about it when he wants to be. Never once has he
manipulated me for selfish reasons, though. It is always done in my
best interest. So, consider what I’ve said, Jala, and you don’t
have to tell me what he did or what he used against you, but ask
yourself this. ‘Did he do it for his best interest, or yours?’” He
watched her face and waited silently.

“He wants me to flee the city and abandon my
district,” she said at last. While she would have never thought of
seeking him out for this talk, perhaps Valor was the best one to
understand. He was Finn’s closest friend and knew him better than
anyone else, other than perhaps Sovann.

“I can understand why he wants that. He wants
to protect you. I see your side of it as well, though. You are
responsible for those people now,” Valor said quietly and smiled at
her. “I support you in this. I won’t abandon the city either. My
sister is here, as well as my niece and our honor demands that we
do what we can to protect our people.” He smiled again and chuckled
lightly. “Humor me, Jala. List five words to describe Finn. The
first five that come to your mind.”

Jala considered the question for the briefest
of moments. “Strong, charming, passionate, honest, brutal,” she
said and cringed at the last word. It was the truth. though, and
she knew it.

Valor nodded his head in agreement. “Close to
the words I would have chosen. I noticed a distinct lack of the
words compassionate, thoughtful, and honorable. I’ve asked you to
define his nature. Jala. and you have done it better than most
would have. Knowing his nature, how can you expect him to act
outside of it? It isn’t in his nature to care about strangers. His
strength is yours, as is his charm and his passion. To anyone that
threatens that, he offers honest brutality.”

“I’ve never seen this side of you before,
Valor,” she said, watching him with respect. In just a few short
minutes he had taken her anger at Finn and replaced it with
understanding. She felt her temper cool completely and the sick
feeling fade from her stomach. While she still didn’t know what she
should do, she was in a better mind set to decide.

“Thank Jail for that. I rarely show this side
anymore,” he said with a resigned sigh. He looked at her for a long
moment and she shifted slightly under his gaze. “Compassionate,
honest, sweet, beautiful, and naïve,” he said quietly and rose from
his chair. “Milady, if I don’t get you back soon Finn will tear
Neph apart and then the city,” he said as he pulled his cloak back
on.

She nodded silently and rose from the bed. On
impulse she caught his arm before he turned for the door. He looked
down at her with a questioning look. “Thank you, Valor. I thought I
needed to be alone to sort this out, but I was wrong,” she said
quietly and released his arm.

“Whenever you have issues with him, find me,
Jala. There is a very good chance I’ll support you in it. I love
Finn like a brother, but he has a horrible habit of only being able
to see his own view on things.” He started to turn toward the door
again and then paused. Looking back at her he pulled the cloak hood
down once more and met her gaze. “I don’t know what you have dealt
with Hemlock for in the past, Jala, and I won’t ask for details.
However, in the future come to me for that as well. If Finn won’t
resolve whatever grievance you have that tempts you to seek an
Assassin, I will. There is no need to sully yourself with the likes
of that bastard. I will resolve the problem honorably.” He pulled
the hood back up as he finished speaking and moved to the door
before she could answer.

She started to follow and then paused as she
saw Valor’s back stiffen as he stepped from the door. “Wait, stay
back,” he warned, holding a hand up to stop her. With his other
hand he threw back his cloak to free his sword.

“What is it?” she asked, expecting to see
Justicars filling the hall beyond him.

“I closed the door when I came into the hall,
it is standing open now. I’m afraid we are not alone here and I’m
not sure who has stopped by for a visit,” he said quietly. He drew
his sword and moved his other hand out in front of him. Jala
watched in silence as his hair began to move as if in a gentle
breeze. In moments the wind in the hall was whipping at his face
and pulling his long silver hair free of its throng. As graceful as
a dancer Valor stepped into the hall, his sword sweeping left and
then right, faster than she had ever seen him move against Finn.
Blood sprayed from the shining silver blade and she stared in awe
as the bodies of two Blights fell to the thick carpet of the hall.
Each had been felled by a single blow to the neck and the heads
were nearly severed. The creatures were naked with smears of dried
blood on their talons, one had been male, the other female. They
were rangy in build with an emaciated look to them.

“How did you know where they were?” she asked
as she approached the door. The Blight Finn and Valor had killed at
Sovann’s had nearly been butchered. Both of these were clean
precise kills. Her eyes lingered on the delicate features of the
creatures, if not for the tangled hair and filth they could have
passed as half-bloods easily.

He took her quickly by the hand and pulled
her down the hall after him. She allowed herself to be pulled
along, only glancing back once to make sure Marrow followed. The
Bendazzi nodded for her to hurry and kept his yellow gaze on their
surroundings. She knew how much Marrow hated not being able to
sense the creatures and guessed he was furious right now.

“I’m sorry, Jala, but I don’t know if there
are more than two and that trick won’t work outside.” Sword still
held at the ready, he ushered her quickly toward his horse. It was
a tall elegant mare rather than Vanguard, she noticed, as she
climbed onto the saddle. Valor mounted quickly behind her and
turned the sleek chestnut toward the paths. With a light kick to
her sides he urged the mare into a run. Marrow paced alongside them
easily, his attention shifting from side to side as they left the
garden paths.

“How did you find them with the wind?” she
asked again, unsure if he could hear her words at the speed they
were moving.

“I am the Stormlord’s son,” he replied, his
words barely more than a whisper in her ear.

Avanti

Truce paced the room, pausing at times to
watch the children at play near the windows. His son turned eight
this year and his young sister-in-law was barely ten. Glass blocks
lay scattered between them on the carpet with the beginnings of
what looked to be the walls of Avenesh near his son’s leg. Lucias
was reaching for more blocks, his dark red hair falling down over
his face.

“No you get the red ones,” Dahlla corrected,
setting the red blocks out in front of Truce’s son with the
superior air of an elder. Her light brown hair was pulled up neatly
and she sat cross-legged in a fashion that spread her wide green
skirts around her. It wouldn’t be long before Dahlla no longer had
time for such games, Truce mused, as he watched the girl hastily
smooth her skirts once more.

“But I want the blue one,” Lucias protested
pointing meaningfully at a shining blue block. Truce paused and
regarded his son for a long moment, noting how the boy’s jaw was
set. It seemed it was never a good idea to tell an Avanti, “no,”’
regardless of how old they were. His eyes lingered on the glass
blocks the children had scattered. He had spent countless hours
playing with those toys as a child. They were mage created of
course, and each block had a different purpose. The red ones were
best for building walls and castles while the blue ones were more
pliable and better for shaping. His son’s green eyes had narrowed
as he regarded the blue blocks and Truce cleared his throat.

“Mind your manners, Lucias,” he warned, and
continued his pacing. His words drew the attention of Nallia, who
rose from the small table to approach the children. Truce smiled at
his wife and shook his head slightly. “The blue ones are the most
fun. Who can blame him,” he said quietly, earning a beautiful smile
in response.

“And he can share with his Aunt today. It’s
not often we get such visits,” Nallia replied and winked at her
younger sister who was watching them now.

Nodding silently, Truce looked back to the
table where Nallia had been sitting and gazed at the delicate form
of his mother-in-law. She was staring out the window, her face
drawn with worry. It was true, visits such as this were very rare.
He was curious about why his father had summoned them all to this
room, but was wise enough to know he would get no answers until
Lord Avanti himself arrived.

“Would you like some more wine, Lady
Davahni?” he asked quietly and paused once more in his steps as he
awaited the woman’s reply.

She shook her head slowly in response and
then forced a faint smile onto her face. Normally, the woman had a
healthy glow about her bronze skin. Today she seemed pale. “No, but
I thank you for the offer, Truce,” she said, her voice soft. Her
gaze once again went to the window and he assumed she was seeking
Sovaesh. Truce could understand her worry, he was rather curious
himself as to where his Father-in-law was.

“She is so worried, Truce, can’t you reassure
her?” Nallia whispered quietly as she came up beside him. She
looped an arm through his and stared up at him with pleading clear
in her dark green eyes.

“I wish I could, love, but I’m as clueless as
the rest of you as to why we are here,” he replied softly. “I would
hate to offer her false condolences. From what I’ve seen this
morning, Father is in a temper and I do not know why.”

“I hate the fact that Daddy isn’t here? He
isn’t in trouble is he?” Nallia pressed, desperate for any answers
he could give.

“I have not heard of Sovaesh at all today,
I’m sorry,” Truce said, feeling his heart sink at the look of
disappointment on Nallia’s beautiful face.

The sound of the door opening loudly drew all
attention and Truce watched his father stroll through with a dark
expression. As always Lord Avanti was dressed in the most costly of
fashions. Rings winked from every finger as he crossed the room,
his gaze refusing to meet anyone. Truce watched his younger brother
Nate following closely behind and noted the bruises and cuts that
lined his face. Sovaesh trailed them both silently. Though the
lower half of his face was covered, the look in his eyes was
stormy. His gaze flicked to Nallia in question and then back to his
brother. While Truce couldn’t think of any reason why Sovaesh would
attack Nate that was certainly what it looked like.

“What happened to Nate?” Nallia whispered to
him, and by the worry in her voice he realized she was drawing the
same conclusion.

Lord Avanti paused a moment to look down at
the children. Dahlla rose quickly and curtsied with a smile. “High
Lord Avanti, Lord Nate, Father,” she greeted each in turn in a
voice that promised to be beautiful when she was older.

Lucias, who was well accustomed to seeing his
grandfather, simply nodded respectfully and promptly grabbed a blue
block from Dahlla’s stack. “Grandfather,” he mumbled ignoring his
uncle and Sovaesh completely, his attention already set on molding
the blue glass in his hands.

Lord Avanti nodded to them both and glanced
toward Lady Davahni. The smile faded a bit from his handsome face
as his expression grew more calculating. He turned on his heel and
made his way to the large desk that occupied most of the northern
wall.

“What happened to you?” Truce asked his
brother quietly, once their father’s back was turned.

“Don’t trouble yourself over it,” Nate hissed
back and followed after their father to stand beside the desk.