The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (20 page)

“Your brother is here to save Finn Sovaesh. I
have offered him a duel in return for Finn’s spirit. I name you my
champion. Defeat your brother, and your husband lives. Fail me, and
your child is an orphan,” Death answered, her voice still calm but
holding a hint of amusement.

“This is sadistic,” Jala breathed, her eyes
locked on Death.

“Valor, would you truly let Sebastian die for
Finn after all I have done for you? Would you leave my child an
orphan to save an exile?” Chastity asked, her gaze fully on her
brother now. She took a step closer, her eyes searching Valor for
her answer.

Valor inhaled deeply, his head bowed. Slowly
he turned to face Jala, his dark blue eyes filled with pain. “I
will honor my word and my promise to you,” he said quietly before
turning back to face his sister. He exhaled slowly and stood
straighter, squaring his shoulders before meeting Chastity’s
accusing stare. “I would not let Sebastian die for Finn, Chas. I
will, for Jala’s son, however. I’m sorry Chas, I truly am. If it
were only my life at stake, my answer would be different.” He spoke
quietly, his voice hoarse.

Jala whirled to face Death who was leaning
forward once more, her posture looking quite eager. “Name another
champion please, or let me fight in Valor’s stead. I’ll face
whoever you wish, just don’t force him to do this,” she
pleaded.

“Everything has a price, Jala. Do you think
your knight is willing to pay this one?” Death chuckled. Her
shrouded arm rose again and twin swords appeared hanging in midair
between the Hai’dia. The blades themselves appeared to be made of
glass and glinted wickedly in the flickering torchlight. “Those
will be the weapons for the duel. Both equal, both deadly. Fight
well Chastity. Your husband depends on it.”

Valor gave a slight nod and dropped his helm
to the floor. “A moment, before we begin Chas,” he said as he
sheathed his sword and carefully removed his sword belt. Turning,
he handed it to Jala and proceeded to remove the rest of his
armor.

“Valor, what are you doing?” Jala hissed as
she watched piece after piece of the battered plate mail fall to
the floor.

“I will have a hard enough time with this on
my conscience, Jala. I don’t want the added burden of believing I
won because my sister was unarmored. I will do this with honor,”
Valor explained quietly, his attention fully focused on the
remaining buckles.

“How noble. How ironic, too. I thought your
brother was the one named Honor. From what I hear, that name
wouldn’t suit you at all, Valor,” Hemlock chuckled.

“I’ll not be judged by the likes of you,”
Valor growled as his gaze briefly flicked to the Assassin.

“I thought you had already been judged. Isn’t
that why you were in Sanctuary?” Hemlock pressed.

“Shut your dog up before I do,” Jala warned,
her magic rising once more. She had no idea what Hemlock was
referring to, but Valor was tormented enough without added pressure
from the Assassin.

“Such a temper,” Death chided. “I’m tempted
to let you try, but later perhaps. I have entertainment for
now.”

The last bit of armor dropped to the floor
beside her and she looked up to find Valor’s gaze on her once more.
She stared back at him in silence, her heart hammering in her chest
at the thought of what he must be thinking. Bowing his head deeply
to her he turned and pulled one of the swords from the air. With a
practice swing, he tested the weight and balance and nodded with
slight approval as he watched his sister claim the blade’s
twin.

“You always did make the wrong choices,
Valor. Should you win this fight, may Sebastian’s death be branded
on your soul forever,” Chastity whispered as she twirled her own
sword expertly in her hand.

“Do you have your magic, Chas? If not, then I
will not use my own,” Valor said, his expression and voice devoid
of all emotion.

“I do not,” Chastity replied formally.

“Then strictly blades,” Valor decreed with a
slight bow to his sister. “It will be branded there, Chas, I
promise you that,” he added as lunged toward her, his sword moving
in a graceful arc.

Chastity dodged back, managing a clumsy
parry. Shifting her feet, she regained her balance and caught the
next blow evenly on her sword. Spinning to the left, she drove her
blade toward Valor’s unarmored side. Chastity let out a faint gasp
as Valor’s sword scored a long line across her shoulder, then drove
hard with her own blade leaving a scarlet trail across Valor’s
cheek. The knight didn’t flinch or even acknowledge the wound, his
face still as emotionless as stone.

Jala watched the two with held breath as the
swords clashed time and time again. She had believed Valor would
have the advantage, given all the practice he had against Finn, but
Chastity was holding even with her younger brother. Jala moved back
farther from the fight and wrapped her arms around herself. Her
hand brushed against the spirit stone in the pocket of her grey
cloak and she wrapped her fingers around it tightly. Her eyes still
fixed on the battle raging she focused on the magics Ash had placed
on the small gem stone.
Only precious things work for spirit
stones. Gems are the most common things used. This only works once
however so whatever is used is destroyed when the spirit is pulled
free of the stone
. His words rang in her mind and she turned to
look once more at Finn. He still hadn’t moved at all and the scales
were tracing farther across his skin as Death’s transformation
continued.

Jala shifted where she stood and felt another
heavier object in the cloak pocket brush her fingers. Her finger
traced across the heavy gold coin outlining the twin swords that
had represented Finn. Her gaze rose once more to the fight and she
stared hard at Valor’s face as he tried his best to kill someone he
had nearly died to save not so long ago. It wouldn’t be simply
Sebastian’s death that he carried branded on his soul after this.
How could he even look at his niece again with that kind of guilt
on his conscience?

Another gasp from Chastity made her decision
for her. “To hell with honor, I don’t need it,” Jala hissed as she
drew her power in a massive surge and unleashed it at the floor
beneath Death’s throne. She knew better than to cast the opening
spell against Death or her throne itself. There were simply too
many wards to get through to do enough damage for a distraction.
The air cracked like thunder as the stones exploded sending shards
raining down over the throne room. A cloud of dust rose to envelope
both Hemlock and Death making it impossible to see if either had
been harmed.

“Jala, what the hell?” Valor demanded behind
her. The ringing of swords had ceased and she could feel the eyes
of both Hai’dia on her back. She had no time for them however.
Pulling the spirit stone from her pocket she focused on Finn and
activated its magic as the black robed figure of Death emerged from
the cloud of dust.

“You treacherous bitch!” Death screeched as
the air around her crackled with power. “Kill them!” she bellowed,
her voice shaking the stones of the hall. The drifting spirits
swarmed at her command as demons began to pour through the
doors.

“So, perhaps you should fight together rather
than against each other. Demons would be good targets,” Jala
suggested calmly to the stunned duelists behind her. Pulling on her
power once more she hastily raised shields around herself and sent
a force bolt toward Death. She meant it as more of a delay than an
actual attack and was unsurprised when the Divine brushed it off as
if swatting a fly.

“If that is the best you have, you are
already dead, child,” Death hissed as she began to advance, her
hands moving in intricate patterns as she began her own spell.

“I wouldn’t if I were you, Hemlock. This is
their dance.” Vaze’s voice rang clearly from above and Jala glanced
up just long enough to spot the Fionaveir balanced above the door,
tendrils of shadow held at the ready.

“You heard the lady earlier, I’m sure. I’m no
warrior. I have no intention of fighting,” Hemlock replied,
sounding surprisingly amused, though she couldn’t tell exactly
where the Assassin was.

Jala’s shields rocked as Death’s spell
slammed into her. The Divine was within five feet now and closing
the distance quickly. Activating the focus stones in her hands once
more, Jala sent a wave of wind out from her in all directions
pushing the spirits back. She needed room and there wasn’t much to
be had here. Bile rose in her throat as the traces of Death’s spell
washed over her. There was no longer any threat to the magic but
the foulness of it sickened her. Neph had shown her necromancy once
and it had made her skin crawl, despite the minor spell he had
used. Death’s spell had certainly not been minor and had no doubt
been intended to be quite lethal.

Shadow tendrils rose from the walls to either
side of her wrapping two demons tightly in their grasp. The
tendrils snapped like a whip and she heard the sounds of shattering
bones behind her as the demons were crushed against the stone
walls. “C’mon kid, I’m waiting to be impressed,” Vaze called from
above.

Jala gave a slight nod and narrowed her
focus. Her magic roared in her ears as she launched spell after
spell at the Divine, sending Death reeling back from her. She kept
the pattern chaotic giving Death no opportunity to guess what would
come at her next. Moving forward, Jala continued the assault, her
magic gaining momentum until there was no break between blasts. The
noise of the swords and fighting behind her faded as she centered
her whole mind upon Death and let vent all of her frustrations and
anger.

Death staggered back once more, her robe
shredding on her frail form but the leathery skin beneath seemed
untouched by the magic. Snarling like an animal, the Divine surged
forward through the magic and slammed into Jala, knocking the
breath from her in a ragged gasp. Clawed fingers dug into her neck,
lifting her from her feet. Jala sucked air frantically and tried to
keep the rising panic from spoiling her next spell.

“Did you truly believe you had a chance?”
Death asked in a furious snarl.

Jala remained silent as she released a blast
of pure magic directly into Death’s chest. Her spell had been
spoiled and it was the best she could manage in her desperation.
The Divine rocked slightly from the impact and tightened her hold
on Jala’s throat. Pain flared through Jala in bright lances as
Death’s other hand tore into her stomach through the armor. Panic
washed over her once more as Jala realized the Divine’s intent. The
bitch meant to tear the child from her body.

Summoning all her remaining energy, Jala
brought her hand down hard covering Death’s shrouded face and sent
the last spell she knew she could manage through the focus stones
and into the Divine. Bright white light filled the room as the
spell exploded against Death. The Divine dropped her to the floor
and staggered back, both hands clutching her head.

Jala sucked in air in violent gulps and
stared down at her ruined hand in growing shock. The focus stones
had exploded and what remained of her right hand looked more like
raw meat than her flesh. Letting out ragged breaths, Jala twisted
the tattered folds of her old grey cloak around her hand and
staggered to her feet. Her mind reeled with the agony of her
wounds, but she forced herself to scan the room.

Demons swarmed the two Hai’dia who fought
back to back, their glass swords flashing with incredible speed as
they forced Death’s minions back from them. She could see Valor
trying to glance back toward her, his expression frantic. The
explosion of the spell must have left him thinking her dead. She
wanted to reassure him but when she tried to speak nothing but a
sob came from her mouth.

The throbbing in her hand and side increased
and she staggered to lean heavily against the wall. Her eyes
searched the room frantically for Vaze and spotted the Fionaveir
fighting several demons that looked quite intent on getting through
the door he blocked.

Her good hand fumbled in the pocket of her
cloak until she found the spirit stone. Pressing her fingers tight
around it she focused and let out another sob as she felt Finn’s
spirit stir within. Gasping, she looked around the room once more,
her eyes lingering on Death. The Divine had staggered back against
the far wall and was hunched over like an animal, her hands
clutching her ruined face. Jala took several sharp breaths and
searched inside herself. She had just enough magic for another
spell. With trembling fingers, Jala released the spirit stone back
into her pocket and cast her last spell. They would have to depend
on Vaze to get them out of here. She was in no condition to cast a
spell as complicated as a gate spell right now anyway.

“Valor, I need you,” she gasped as the magic
released. Darkness swam across her vision and she felt herself
sliding down the wall, her knees turning to jelly beneath her.
Strong arms pulled her back to her feet. Jala had no idea if he had
truly broken from the fighting that quickly or if she had fainted.
Her mind refused to focus on anything but her body’s complaints.
“Vaze get us out,” Jala gasped, praying the Fionaveir could hear
her.

“Jala,” Valor spoke frantically. His voice
wavered in her ears and his face blurred before her eyes. “Jala,
can you hear me?” he asked the words sounding distant.

Jala nodded her head forward as the shadows
around them thickened. The sounds of the throne room faded as the
world faded to pure blackness and then bright white light as the
forests of Goswin rose abruptly around her.

“Does she live?” a woman’s voice asked
distantly.
Anthe
, a small voice in the back of Jala’s mind
informed her.

“She lives and it’s no thanks to you. What
were you thinking, sending her into the Darklands?” Vaze demanded,
his voice sounding furious.