The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (19 page)

Hands reached for her as they thundered by,
their icy grasp tracing paths across her armored legs. Jala shrank
back farther against Valor and willed the horse to run faster.
There were too many faces among the recent dead that she
recognized, and that itself was far more painful than the chill of
their grasping hands. She heard Valor let out a rough chuckle
behind her and tried to look up at him but couldn’t turn her head
from the way he pressed on her.

“What in the name of all of the Aspects are
you laughing about?” Jala demanded. Her own emotions were ranging
from disgust to anger. There was certainly no amusement in anything
she saw.

“Devron Rivasa was back there. His spirit
made a rather rude gesture to you. I don’t think he cared much for
the results of your brief duel with him,” Valor answered as he
slowly lifted the pressure from her back.

“May he rot here eternally and if fate is
generous I’ll send Cassia to keep him company soon,” Jala hissed as
she sat up cautiously. They were through the gates now and past the
worst of the fighting. More spirits milled in the streets here, but
they seemed inclined to let them pass without threat. Glancing down
at her legs Jala noted the crystals of frost coating her armor. She
could still feel the cold in her skin below, but it was passing
quickly. Just a brief touch had left ice however. Should one of the
spirits decide to do more than brush against her, she would have
problems.

“Of course there would be,” Valor muttered
behind her as he turned his horse toward the center of town.

“Would be wha…” Jala began but her words died
as she realized what he had been speaking of. Ahead of them, rising
above the rest of the city, loomed what was no doubt their
destination. The palace stood looming above the rest of the city,
its high roof crowned with crystal-peaked spires. The spires were
the source of the glow she had seen from beyond the walls. Forms
circled the palace in the air, though she couldn’t tell what they
were, between their speed and the blinding glow.

“Of course there would be dragons,” Valor
repeated, his voice filled with disgust. “If they land for a fight,
continue on. I’ll deal with them alone while you get Finn.”

“Out of the question,” Jala snapped, the
words out of her mouth before she had considered what she was
saying or what tone she was saying it in.

“If we both stop to fight, we waste time,
Jala. Vaze said to move quickly before the Forgotten are defeated,”
Valor reminded her gently.

“Bugger the Forgotten and the dragons and the
demons and Death her bloody self, I’m not leaving a friend behind,”
Jala growled daring him to object again. “You promised me, Valor
Hai’dia. We come in together, we leave together with Finn,” She
reminded him firmly.

“Damn, nearly my full name. I feel like my
mother is here suddenly. Well, we are running out of time to argue.
What do you propose if they land?” Valor asked with a heavy
sigh.

“I propose we make quick work of them
together, and continue on together, and rescue Finn together, and
leave together!” Jala replied angrily.

“Sounds perfect. Let’s hope it goes that
way,” Valor agreed.

“It will,” Jala snapped, her eyes following
the path of the creatures above the palace. They didn’t seem to
show any inclination to land, which seemed a very good sign to her.
Unless, of course, they landed after Jala and Valor entered the
building, thus trapping them inside with Death.

“I will have to dismiss Valorous when we
reach the doors. I can’t leave him alone out here,” Valor informed
her as they neared the front steps.

The spirits were thicker in this area and
Jala shuddered at the thought of passing through them on foot.
Valor was right, though, they couldn’t leave the Arovanni alone.
“How about you dismiss him on the stairs,” Jala suggested as the
spirits began to move toward them.

“Deal,” Valor agreed without hesitation as he
reined his horse directly toward the palace with no indication that
he planned to slow from the dead run before they reached the
stairs.

Icy hands grasped at her legs and arms as
Valorous plowed through the spirits. With a massive push the
Arovanni launched himself toward the stairs clearing more than half
in the single leap. His hooves skittered on the stones as he
scrambled for purchase on the too narrow stairs and she felt him
sliding back as he lost his balance. Valor dropped quickly down
from the saddle and pulled her down beside him as the Arovanni’s
hind legs lost their purchase. The massive horse let out a squall
that echoed through the city as he crashed down to the stone
stairs.

“Valorous be gone!” Valor bellowed as he
pushed Jala toward the double doors at the top of the stairs.

Jala barely glimpsed the Arovanni fading
before her attention was focused on the doors themselves. She knew
there would be protection wards lacing them and she didn’t have
time to unweave them gently. Drawing her power in, she held a hand
up for Valor to wait as she prepared a blast of raw magic. Lifting
her hands before her she ignited the magic in the focus gems Sovann
had given her and held her breath. Focusing her gaze, she pulled
her hand back to release the magic as the doors opened silently,
revealing a soft glow of firelight beyond them. Jala let the power
slide from her grasp and stared in disbelief at the obvious
invitation before them.

“Well done! That was much neater than what
you did to the gates in Sanctuary,” Valor said quietly with an
impressed look on his face.

Jala blinked and then looked over at him in
annoyance. “That’s because I didn’t open the doors. She did,” she
explained dryly.

“Ahh. Well, then, that’s unsettling isn’t
it?” Valor said hesitantly. He placed one hand on his sword hilt as
he moved forward cautiously to take the lead.

“Valor, no, wait. Let me go first in case
there are spell traps,” Jala said quickly as she moved in front of
him.

“I don’t like the idea of your being in the
lead,” Valor protested.

“And I don’t like the idea of being
splattered with bits of Stormlord if you step on a trap,” Jala
replied calmly, her eyes already scanning the ground ahead.

“Well, when you put it that way.” Valor
relented and motioned her forward with a nod. His words were
followed closely by the sound of his sword being drawn.

“There doesn’t seem to be any traps at all,”
Jala whispered as she looked up from the floor and gazed around the
entry hall of the palace. The room was massive and most of it was
lost in shadow to her gaze. Torches flickered along the walls at
intervals but their light did little more than add an eerie flicker
to the dark stone. The faint edges of curving stairs were barely
visible along both sides of the wall, but it was the steady glow
that emanated from the open doors between them that drew her
eye.

“No guards either,” Valor said softly, his
eyes scanning the room as well.

“I think I would prefer traps and guards,”
Jala admitted and let out a light breath as she squared her
shoulders and began walking toward the open doors before her.

Spirits drifted along the walls and corners
of the room, but they paid no attention to Jala or Valor as they
entered. Their attention was fully devoted to the dark robed figure
that sat comfortably on a throne at the far end of the room. Jala
scanned the room once more, her eyes briefly lingering on a pillar
of dark flames near the throne. She wasn’t sure exactly what it
was, but it didn’t seem to be a threat. In fact, nothing in the
room looked threatening, not even Death herself. If anything the
Divine looked relaxed and showed no indication that she even knew
her city was under siege.

“Have you come to make another deal with me,
Jala Merrodin?” Death asked, her voice rasping and hoarse.

“I’ve come for Finn,” Jala replied loudly,
her back straight as she approached the throne. She could hear
Valor’s footsteps behind her and by the sound she knew he was as
determined as she was.

“He is mine now. What have you to trade? The
Arovan?” Death asked, leaning forward.

“Finn swore his soul to me three times. You
have stolen what is mine and I’m here to take him back. I haven’t
come to trade or deal with you,” Jala pressed as she stopped
several feet from the throne, her eyes locked on Death.

“All dead are mine, foolish girl, no matter
what words they speak in life. Besides, Finn made a deal with me.
I’m sure you remember it. The same time you agreed to break a
curse, Finn offered me something else entirely. His service after
death in return for your safety from my domain,” Death said, her
voice filled with amusement. “You have wasted your time if you have
simply come to make demands. I’m feeling generous today, though.
The harvest has been good this year and it’s not often that I have
guests. I will not accept the Arovan alone as a trade. I will
however take the child and the Arovan for the one you seek.”

“You will not have either!” Jala snapped.

“I told you she was difficult to deal with,”
a familiar voice drawled behind her. She heard Valor utter a curse
and turned to watch the grey cloaked figure slowly cross the room
to stand by Death’s throne. “It took me so many visits to get her
to be willing for barter and still she was a bit of a bitch about
it, despite how good a deal I made her.” There was no mistaking
Hemlock’s voice, no matter how much Jala wished she could forget
the sound of it.

“You bastard,” Jala hissed, her power already
rising for a spell.

“Tut, tut. Let’s not be hasty there, Jala. Do
you really want to end the conversation that way?” Hemlock shook a
finger at her, a smile barely showing beneath the grey hood of his
cloak. “How about this, Death. In honor of Jala’s former reverence
for Fortune, how about you offer her a wager? Perhaps a duel. That
would honor Finn as well, given his former occupation.”

“Mmm. That could prove interesting,” Death
agreed and leaned back in her throne once more. “Your champion
versus mine. If you win, you get Finn and I allow you to leave my
domain. If I win, I get the Arovan and the child and I still allow
you to leave. That’s more than fair, I think.”

“Leave the child out of it and you have a
deal,” Valor said from behind her.

Jala whirled and stared at Valor, an
expression of disbelief on her face. He lifted his visor and met
her eyes. There wasn’t a trace of doubt on his face. “Valor, you
can’t…” she began but he shook his head slightly.

“I remember my promise and I fully intend to
keep it, Jala. I am not going to sacrifice myself in this fight, I
promise you. I’d love a chance to kill that bastard.” Valor assured
her, his gaze moving past her to settle on Hemlock.

“The child remains in the bargain. Take it or
leave here with nothing,” Death pressed, her tone sounding
annoyed.

“Done,” Jala agreed before Valor had a chance
to speak again.

“Jala!” Valor gasped in objection.

“You said you intended to keep your promise.
Now you have more incentive to do so. My trust and faith are fully
with you, Valor. I know you will not fail me,” Jala spoke softly.
Turning back to Death she squared her shoulders once more. “Show me
Finn before we pursue this. I will know that you truly hold his
soul before we continue,” she demanded.

“Difficult to deal with indeed,” Death
muttered and motioned a clawed hand toward the pillar of dark flame
beside her. The black fires receded, revealing the limp dark
skinned form that hung suspended beneath them. His arms and legs
were already showing the scaled skin of the Darklands demons, but
there was no mistaking Finn.

“Finn,” Jala gasped, her eyes locked on the
closed eyes willing them to open.

“Murderers and rapists. Really, Jala with the
taste you have in men, we should get along much better. Judging by
the standards you have, I may be your ideal man,” Hemlock
chuckled.

Jala heard Valor shift behind her and looked
back as he closed his visor. She only saw a glimpse of his face
before the helm closed but his expression was pained, not outraged
as she had expected. “I’d rather fight you than continue this
conversation,” Valor growled as he moved forward a few steps and
leveled his sword in a defensive position.

“I recall saying my champion versus yours. I
do not recall saying Hemlock was my champion, however,” Death said
with a rasping chuckle. “No, Hemlock is no warrior and we all know
that. He serves me in other ways. I had a bit more of an equal
fight in mind for you, Valor Hai’dia.” Death motioned toward the
back of the room and the air shimmered as a form began materialize.
Details began to take shape and Jala caught her breath as she
recognized the long silver hair and delicate build of Chastity
Hai’dia, Valor’s sister. With the exception of the blood stain on
the front of the woman’s dress, she looked as lifelike as she had
the last time Jala had seen her on the stairs of the Justicar’s
hall.

“Valor! What are you doing here?” Chastity
demanded, her tone filled with concern. Her eyes flicked across the
other occupants of the room briefly then back to her brother.

“Chastity.” Valor gasped as he pulled his
helmet free and stared in dismay at his sister.

“Touching, so very touching,” Death said, her
voice void of any emotion at all. “Chastity Hai’dia, your husband
lies on my very doorstep. He clings to life by the barest thread in
the sunlit world. He took a poisoned arrow in the last engagement
he fought in and no healers remain to save his life. I, however,
have the power to spare him if I choose.”

Chastity turned toward Death, her expression
one of desperation. Her eyes flicked back to Valor and then Jala in
confusion. “Why do you tell me this? What can I do to save him?”
Chastity asked in a cautious tone.