The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams (58 page)

“Oh, have you now, Puppet?” Kali asked. “Well
it seems to me that you broke into my house and you will leave when
I permit it.”

“I warn you witch,” Valor began and moved
forward a step, his sword still lowered.

“Your father won a fight against me in the
great outdoors where he had full access to the elements. He wasn’t
fool enough to attack me in my own home where I have the advantage.
If you truly want to join your friend in death, by all means
proceed,” Kali cut in, her voice going as hard as stone.

Jala pressed a hand against Valor’s arm and
shook her head slightly. She knew all too well from her lessons
with Neph and Sovann what a mage could do to protect his home. “Say
what you want, then and let us go,” she said quietly.

Kali let out a long breath and frowned.
“Well, you just took all of the fun out of that,” she said with a
bit of a pout to her full red lips. Waving a hand lightly she
rolled her eyes and tilted her head back and forth. “Where was I
…,” she murmured quietly. With another wave of her hand she
motioned to Jala. “Well, bugger it then, ta ta,” she said with
another sigh and darkness enveloped Jala’s vision.

* * *

There was a moment of vertigo and then the
world snapped back into focus. Sunlight dappled down on her from a
bright blue sky above. She sat in deep grass under the shade of a
tree. Marrow stood and stretched beside her, his yellow eyes
scanning their surroundings with a predator’s caution. Jala looked
around frantically and then back to the Bendazzi.

“Where is Valor? Is Emily with us?” she
gasped, still not quite sure where they were themselves.

Emily is not here. I suppose they are
still with the Creator
, Marrow answered, his voice sounding
much calmer than she herself was at the moment.

“We have to go back for them!” Jala said, her
voice rising with panic. Staggering to her feet she looked around
again trying to get her bearings, and then paused as the bubbling
of water drew her attention. Turning slowly she walked to the far
side of the tree and gazed down at the small brook. Her eyes rose
from the water to the tree above her and she studied the leaves. It
was a Jimpa tree. Her eyes widened as recognition set in. Turning
quickly she looked back to where the farmhouse had once stood. “I’m
home,” she whispered, wondering if this was some kind of trick of
Kali’s. “Is this real Marrow?” she asked quietly as she stared in
wonder at the thick stand of trees in the distance.

It is, as far as I can tell. I do not
think this is a mind trick or a dream
, Marrow replied, pacing
forward to stand beside her.

“How could Wisp have repaired so much in one
night? I don’t see signs of ashes anywhere,” she mumbled.

The prickle of magic touched her senses and
she froze, her mind quickly sorting out the type of spell. It was a
translocation she realized just before Valor came into view
staggering toward the tree. He threw one hand out in front of him
to brace himself and stood, shoulders bent and staring at the
ground.

“Valor! Are you all right?” Jala cried and
rushed to his side. She could see no sign of injury on him but he
was deathly pale when he turned to look at her.

He raised a gauntleted hand toward her and
nodded slowly. “I’m fine. It’s just the vertigo,” he said quietly
but his voice seemed to hold a bit of a tremor. “Is Emily with
you?” he asked, his blue eyes holding a bit of a frantic gleam.

She shook her head slowly and started to
answer when Emily appeared beside the tree. The Blight was dirty
and disheveled, with a torn tunic and breeches that looked as
though they might have been scavenged from the dead. She held a
large bundle in one arm and her dark eyes were locked on Valor.

“I was with you, Valor,” Emily said quietly,
her words almost sounding like an accusation. Her expression
betrayed nothing, but Jala could sense the tension between the two
of them clearly enough.

Valor nodded slightly and seemed to pale even
more. “I see,” he managed at last and nodded slowly.

Jala looked back and forth between the two of
them in confusion. She was about to ask what was going on when
Emily shoved the bundle in her arms toward Valor.

“I found this in the back rooms,” she said.
The cloth fell away as she moved revealing the soft silver curls of
a child’s hair.

“Devony,” Valor gasped, taking the child
quickly. He dropped to his knees in the grass and unwrapped the
child quickly.

“She is fine. Drugged I think, but she lives
and has no wounds,” Emily assured him as he frantically checked the
child over. Lifting her nose slightly, Emily sniffed at the wind
and nodded to Jala. “The others are that way. I can smell fire and
humans. We should get the child to safety and let the others know
you are well,” she said then turned back to Valor. “And when things
are settled you and I will talk,” she added before fading from view
once more.

Valor looked up from the child and nodded
slowly. Silently he stood cradling Devony’s small form in his arms.
“She is right. The others will be worried,” he said quietly.

“I’m worried,” Jala said, unmoving, her eyes
locked on him. “What is going on, Valor? Why is Emily acting like
that toward you?” she asked.

“Words from Kali. She gave me the same
treatment she gave you, Jala. I’m still sorting it out myself, but
I’m of the impression that it is simply poison meant to mislead
us,” Valor replied quietly and eyed Jala curiously, his eyes
searching her face. “What about you? Have her words changed your
heart? Did you believe what she said?”

Jala sighed and plucked one of the leaves
from the branch above her. Chewing lightly on her lower lip she
began to fold it in her hand much as Finn used to do. “I put
thought into it before she sent me from her house. It really didn’t
require much thought, honestly,” she fell silent for a moment and
tore another small piece from the leaf. “What she said about the
gods was true, Valor. Fortune told me as much at the council
meeting just after I was married. I didn’t understand what he meant
then. I thought he was saying I was blessed with love, not that
they had bewitched Finn.” She fell silent again and her shoulders
slumped a bit.

“Has that changed your decision about
bringing him back?” Valor asked cautiously.

Jala shook her head and smiled faintly. “Not
in the least. Even if he doesn’t love me, truly, I love him. I will
do whatever it takes to bring him back. His blood is on my
hands.”

“No, his death lies at Hemlock’s feet, not
yours, Jala. You can’t blame yourself for this,” Valor protested.
He shifted the sleeping child in his arms carefully and stepped
closer to her. With his free hand he gently tilted her chin up and
forced her to meet his gaze. “They killed Finn, not you. I watched
you, Jala. You did everything you possibly could to save him,” he
said gently.

With a slightly trembling hand she fished the
gold coin from what remained of her pocket, half amazed that she
still had it after the night’s excitement. She held it up for Valor
to see and watched him carefully as she spoke. “Anthe gave this to
me when I went to see her in the Tolanteer woods. See the swords on
this side. They match Finn’s soulblades perfectly. The other side
has a badger on it. My father was called Badger by the Fionaveir.
Anthe told me that I could see one side or the other but never at
the same time. Everyone speaks in damn riddles, I think.” She
lowered her hand slowly and wrapped her fingers tightly around the
coin. “Finn understood it, though. He told me if his death was the
price of Merro, he accepted it. He called it poetic justice to have
so many returned to life with his death.” She smiled bitterly at
the words and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Apparently, the coin represented a choice between my husband and
my home. When I stepped forward as Lady Merrodin, I made my choice.
His blood is on my hands, Valor and while he may have accepted it,
I won’t. I will do everything I can to bring him back.”

“And if his feelings have changed when he
comes back? What if the god’s magic only lasted while he lived?”
Valor asked. His expression hadn’t changed at all with her words.
She had expected him to turn away from her in disgust with the
confession.

“Well then, I suppose I will hope he still
considers me a friend and doesn’t hold the actions of the Aspects
against me,” she said quietly.

Valor nodded and let out a long breath. “Then
we know where we stand. We should get back to the others. I’m not
sure who we can find that is capable of returning Finn’s soul to
his body, but Neph will know.” He started forward in the direction
Emily had indicated.

“Valor,” Jala said quietly, and the knight
paused and looked back to her. “Can you still call me friend? He
was like a brother to you and I as much as traded his life for
this,” she motioned a hand at the land but kept her eyes on him,
searching for any signs of anger.

“You traded nothing, Jala. If Finn knew
everything as you said he did, then he made the bargain. He could
have walked away at any time and he didn’t.” Reaching up, Valor
plucked another leaf from the tree and offered it to her. She
accepted it and looked down at it thoughtfully. “This isn’t what
you bought with his life, Jala. This is his gift to you. He gave
his life freely. Don’t let Kali’s words make you believe
differently. It dishonors his sacrifice,” he said with a faint
smile and started walking again.

“Thank you, Valor,” she whispered and fell
into step behind him. His words had lifted the growing guilt from
her and hardened her resolve. Finn had given everything to give her
back her home. How could she do less to give him back life.

* * *

Wisp was the first to break from the camp as
they approached. With a sob she embraced Jala tightly. “I’m so
sorry, Jala,” she whispered and squeezed harder. Backing away, the
Fae wiped tears from her eyes. From the redness of her eyes, Wisp
had been crying for a while, Jala realized. “Neph told us
everything when he arrived. We were so worried about you,” Wisp
continued and wiped at her eyes once more, sniffling as she did
so.

“We are fine. We helped with the fighting a
bit. The Fionaveir hold the city now,” Jala said quietly and
allowed Wisp to lead her into the camp. I should be crying like she
is, Jala thought numbly, but she was curiously devoid of all
feelings. There wasn’t even a trace of anger. She just felt empty
and tired.

“Someone arrived here for you not long after
Sovann and I began rebuilding the land. He is waiting at another
camp, though. I didn’t want him near Valor,” Wisp said, her voice
hushed and her eyes on the knight as he approached the fire and
gently laid Devony down in the grass beside it.

“Who?” Jala asked in confusion, wondering who
they would have to hide from Valor.

“He says his name is Ash. He is from Seravae,
Jala, and you know how the Soulreavers and Arovan get along,” Wisp
said with a strong note of warning in her voice.

“Actually, no, I don’t, but I’ll hazard a
guess and say it isn’t well,” Jala said, her eyes already searching
the other camps for any sign of the Soulreaver. If anyone knew
about returning the dead to life it would be Ash. “Can you take me
to him now, Wisp?” Jala asked, feeling her hope rising. With a
confused look and a quick nod Wisp turned their path toward the
northern camps and walked quietly with her.

They had barely passed three other fires
before Jala spotted Ash. His pale features and white clothing stood
out starkly against the bright green of the grass. He rose as they
approached the fire and bowed to her with a faint smile.

“You look a bit worse for wear, Milady. Would
you rather rest before we speak?” Ash said as he stood slowly.

Jala flushed and looked down at her ragged
dress and shook her head slightly. “A lot of fighting. I need to
speak with you now, though, if you don’t mind.”

“This is your land, High Lady Merrodin. My
time is yours while I am here,” he replied.

Wisp stepped back a pace and gave Jala a
questioning look. “Should I stay?” she asked hesitantly.

“Please do,” Jala replied and motioned for
Ash to sit back down before lowering herself to the grass. “My
husband died in the reclaiming of the city. I’m not sure if you had
heard yet,” Jala began and Ash nodded slowly.

“The dead spoke to me of his passing,” he
replied with another bow of his head. “I grieve for your loss
Lady.”

She heard Wisp give another choked sob and
reached over to take the Fae’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I
don’t wish to accept this loss, Ash. I have his body. What do I
need to do to bring him back? I’ve seen others that were killed
returned to life. How do I bring my husband back?”

Wisp squeezed her hand tightly. “Oh, Jala, I
thought you were in shock when you weren’t crying. You aren’t
grieving because you haven’t given up!” Wisp exclaimed and gave her
another quick hug. She looked to Ash with hope lighting her bright
green eyes. “Do you know how to bring him back?” she asked.

Ash regarded them both quietly and folded his
hands in his lap, lacing the fingers together. He nodded slowly but
Jala could see hesitation written clearly on his face. “I do know
how to call a soul back to the body,” he began, but paused again,
seeming to consider his next words carefully. “I do not know if his
soul can be called back, however,” he said with hesitation.

“Why couldn’t it be?” Jala asked, wondering
if Hemlock had used a soulblade in the attack. If he had she would
need to retrieve the blade quickly before he had time to destroy
the trapped soul within it.

“The dead whisper about many things, Jala,
and they whispered a lot when he passed. The Dark Lady has a
special interest in that one. I’m not sure she will release him.”
Ash spoke the words in a voice barely above a whisper and then made
a warding sign over his chest. “To speak of her is ill luck,” he
explained as he lowered his hand back to his lap.