The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (28 page)

“My armor was damaged and my sword lost, but
it’s me, Korv,” Valor insisted taking the break in the assault as
opportunity to shift his position. With careful steps he placed
himself between Jala and the Shifter, taking care to keep his back
toward Jala at all times.

“Korv, stand down and let them approach the
gate.” A woman’s voice broke through the wind in clear perfect
notes. Jala shifted in the snow bank, struggling to get a look at
the speaker.

“Blue!” Valor gasped, his voice filled with
relief. His shoulders sagged as he backed another step toward Jala
and offered her his hand.

She accepted it gratefully and dusted the
worst of the snow from her coat. With chattering teeth she glanced
back behind them once more, then to Valor. “Blue?” she asked in
confusion.

“Blue Bess, a friend of mine. She is our
savior here trust me. Korv wouldn’t dare cross her,” Valor
explained as he tugged on her hand for her to follow.

Jala stole a last look at the bear as it
backed away from them and disappeared into the blizzard, then
scanned the area until she spotted Marrow’s form as he returned to
her side. “Thank you,” she whispered as she ducked her head from
the worst of the wind and followed blindly after Valor.

The wind continued its ferocious assault for
several more feet, and then dropped abruptly. Jala looked up in
shock and stared at the immense wooden wall before her and the dark
trails of chimney smoke beyond it. They had been within ten feet of
a village and she hadn’t even realized it.

“If you truly are who you claim to be, you
will have no trouble proving it to me.” The woman’s voice came
again and Jala looked around until she located the speaker perched
above the gate. To say she was beautiful was an understatement.
Long silver hair tumbled down across her shoulders, the ends tipped
in a snowy white. She wore an elaborate vest of velvet and brocade
sewn in green and gold that was cut short enough to reveal her flat
well-muscled stomach. The matching pants and thigh-high boots were
of the same quality and the first impression she gave was truly
breathtaking.

Blue’s dark eyes were filled with amusement
as she regarded Jala’s slack-jawed stare and Jala quickly looked
away, only to glance back once again when the woman turned her
attention back to Valor. It wasn’t so much the magnificent clothing
or the woman’s natural beauty that held Jala captivated, as it was
the tracery of small blue runes that covered the woman from her
neck down on every surface of skin visible. There was obvious magic
in the markings but Jala couldn’t tell exactly what their purpose
was without a scrutiny she was sure the woman wouldn’t
appreciate.

“My Lady Merrodin, may I present Blue Bess,
acclaimed bard of Glis as well as Arovan and Herald for High Lord
Blackwolf,” Valor said with a formality she was unaccustomed to
from him. He bowed slightly to the woman and smiled at her. “Tell
me how to prove it and I will, Blue,” he said as he stood straight
once more and then smiled roguishly. “By the way, did you mean to
make that rhyme or have you been a bard for so many years you can
no longer speak without spewing out verses?”

“I never spew words,” Blue snapped, her voice
still beautiful to the ears but filled with obvious offense.
Leaning forward, she wrapped delicate long fingered hands around
two beams and used them to swing down, landing gracefully before
the gate. Drawing one hand before her she stretched a lean leg out
in front and bowed to Jala formally at the waist. “If you truly are
High Lady Merrodin, it is an honor to have you grace our humble
dwelling. If you are not truly the High Lady then you will make a
very pretty meal for Korv,” Blue said as she stood once more and
tilted her delicate chin upwards to survey Valor more closely.

“Not while I draw breath,” Valor warned, his
hand dropping on reflex to where his sword normally hung. He
frowned as he found nothing but empty air and sighed heavily.

Blue watched the gesture with obvious
amusement and then met his eye once more. “My, my! Did we come to
the battle without our sword? The Valor I knew never would have
made such a mistake. His hand was always firmly gripping his…” She
paused and coughed lightly, giving him a smile. “Sword,” she added
at last.

Valor cleared his throat and raised his own
eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. “The proving myself
to you? Did you forget? You are getting a bit long in the tooth,
vixen.”

Blue sputtered for a moment, her eyes wide as
she stepped back away from him with a look of complete indignation
written on her face. “Long in the tooth, he says,” she exclaimed
with a gasp. “This is not Valor Hai’dia before me at all. Sweet
Valor would never utter such wretched words before my ears,” she
continued, her voice rising in mock pain.

“For the love of the Aspects, Blue, cut the
drama,” Valor demanded as he turned back toward the forest with a
wary expression on his face. “If Korv hears you say that he will
have my head bitten off before you explain that you are
jesting.”

Jala watched the scene, looking from Valor,
then to Blue, and finally down to Marrow. “Do you know many that
have a Bendazzi as a Familiar other than Lady Jala Merrodin?” she
asked just loudly enough to be heard.

“Right. You are quite obviously who you say
you are, given that fact. You may approach the gate, Milady,” Blue
said with a smile and another bow but held a finger up to Valor as
he started to move as well. “You, however, do not have a rather
large cat to bear witness for you. Given your brutish nature with
words I find myself still suspect as to your character.”

Valor sighed and his shoulders slumped once
more. “Shall I recite a verse from your tattoos?” he asked with a
raised eyebrow.

Blue frowned at him and shook her head
slowly. “No, you never had opportunity to learn the special verses
and anyone could have learned the others. Instead you will answer
three questions.”

“Then please ask before Lady Merrodin gets
frostbite from your holding her hostage before the gate,” Valor
pressed.

Jala wrapped her arms tighter around herself
and allowed her teeth to chatter audibly as the bard turned to
regard her. “I’m from the south,” she offered in a quavering voice
and motioned with a delicate wave of her hand for the interrogation
to commence.

On another occasion the antics might have
been rather amusing, but not today. In her current frame of mind,
Jala wanted nothing more than the bard to be satisfied and allow
them to pass so she could heal Sebastian and return home.

Blue cleared her throat delicately and
narrowed her eyes at Valor with a suspicious look. “What did the
boy offer me?” she asked in a clear ringing voice.

“His heart. You took his pride instead,”
Valor answered without hesitation.

“Hmm.” Blue mused and nodded. “What would the
man offer me?” she asked her head tilting to one side.

“A bowl of late harvest grapes from the vines
of Arovan bursting with the flavor of summer,” Valor replied once
more without pause.

“Mmm.” Blue smiled, her eyes twinkling. She
nodded slowly and held up two fingers then slowly raised the third.
“And what would I give the boy or the man in return?” she
asked.

“Just enough to haunt his sleep and leave him
pining after you like a lovesick pup and not a drop more,” Valor
answered the moment she stopped speaking.

“Welcome home, Valor Hai’dia. So glad to hear
the rumors about your trip to the Darklands were exaggerated,” Blue
said in a voice filled with warmth. Moving forward she wrapped both
arms around Valor in tight embrace.

“They weren’t, Blue. We returned but a few
days ago,” Valor informed her as she stepped back from the hug.
Blue froze and stared at him as if she expected him to laugh, and
then slowly looked from his serious expression to Jala.

Jala gave a nod of agreement and turned to
look back toward the gate. “We have come so that I might heal
Sebastian Blackwolf. I have been told that he lies near death.”

Blue’s eyes lost their playful light and she
turned back to Valor. “Is this true? Can she heal him?” she asked
in a voice filled with doubt.

“It is and she can,” Valor answered.

“This way,” Blue said without further
hesitation as she pushed a postern door open beside the gate. “I
had no idea your visit here was of such importance. I thought you
were simply seeking Honor. Had I known, I never would have delayed
you at the gate,” Blue said in way of apology as she led them
through the muddy streets and small clustered houses.

“Honor is here?” Valor said quickly his eyes
moving to search the streets. “Is that his weather crafting outside
the gate?”

“He is and it is. Both he and Micah arrived
here before the first snows with the intent on escorting Sebastian
on to Arovan,” Blue explained her voice losing most of its former
merriment. “We haven’t been able to move him though. He keeps
growing worse and I fear now that we are doing nothing more than
waiting for him to die before we continue on. Or at least that’s
how it feels.” The bard paused and swallowed heavily, looking back
toward them with pain written on her beautiful face. “I do what I
can to keep spirits up. I don’t want my young lord to be smothered
in misery during his last days. I want him to hear laughter and
music and remember the joys of this world, in the hopes that
perhaps he will cling longer to life. I’m afraid that the sobbing
and tears do nothing but rush him toward his own grave,” she
confessed softly and ran a hand across her face to brush away the
beginning of tears. “He no longer even looks like the boy I taught,
Valor. He has wasted away to nothing but bones and agony.”

“Jala will make him whole again, I promise
you, Blue,” Valor assured her, placing a gentle hand on her back
and urging her forward once more.

“We’ve had healers to see him,” Blue said
through soft sniffles. “They were not the best at their craft,
however. The finest healers are no longer with us, I fear. They
fell in the early days of the fighting and now we are left with
children that know a fraction of the art their masters held. We
tried to send for a healer from Sanctuary, but no one will come to
Glis.”

“Had I known, I would have come,” Jala
offered quietly.

Blue glanced over her shoulder once more at
Jala and then guided them up a set of stairs and through a door.
The small house blazed with heat and Jala let out a sigh of relief
as she unwrapped her arms from her coat and stretched her palms
toward the cheerfully burning fireplace. The house was decorated
modestly with simple chairs and a roughhewn table. A door in the
back opened at the sound of their entrance and Jala glanced over to
see Honor Hai’dia staring at them in utter shock.

“Hello brother,” Valor said, his voice
shattering the silence of the room.

“Lady Merrodin has come to see Sebastian.
Will you ask if it is allowed? Please, Honor,” Blue called.

Honor nodded slowly and then turned back to
the room once more, the look of shock still on his handsome face.
After a few muffled exchanges he leaned through the door and
motioned to Jala. “This way please, Lady Merrodin. My Lord Micah
will show you to Sebastian.”

Jala stole a glance toward Valor and then
nodded and made her way across the small room. “Thank you,” she
said softly to Honor as he held the door open wide for her. With a
quick glance around the small parlor she turned to Micah and bowed
her head in greeting.

The last time she had seen the heir of Arovan
he had been filthy and dressed in grooms clothes. This time however
he resembled his rank. He rose quickly from the chair he had been
sitting in and bowed deeply to her. His somber clothes were of fine
quality but lacked the flamboyance of Blue’s courtly attire. He
started to offer his hand and then seemed to realize that he still
held a thick book in his grasp and quickly dropped it onto the
table. “Lady Merrodin, I apologize for our distraction and shock. I
could not think of a more unexpected guest, however, and I hope
that explains our lack of manners.” His voice was mellow with only
a faint hint of an accent to it. She could see his gaze moving from
her face to her stomach, but he was far too well-mannered to make
mention of it.

“I can imagine the shock and I assure you I
am not offended. I am getting rather uneasy about being so formally
addressed though. May I beg your indulgence and ask that you simply
call me Jala,” she said carefully, choosing her words in an attempt
to sound as courtly as she could. Folding her coat over her arm she
effectively hid her pregnancy from direct sight and hoped the
subtle signal was enough to let the young lord know it wasn’t a
topic she cared to discuss.

Micah nodded slowly and a faint smile creased
his face. “If in return you would be willing to call me Micah, and
we can set aside the formal speech,” he offered.

“Thank the Aspects,” Jala sighed and nodded
gratefully to the heir of Arovan.

“Honor says you’ve come to see Sebastian. I
regret to say that he is in no fit state for company. His health is
such that I doubt he will even know you are in the room. Whatever
you have come to speak with him about, however, perhaps you could
say to me. I think that Arovan might be in a better position to
offer whatever assistance you seek,” Micah said cautiously, his
eyes searching her face for some indication as to her purpose
here.

Jala shook her head slowly. “I think you
misunderstand my presence here, Micah. I’m not here to ask for
assistance. I’m here to offer it. I’ve come to heal him,” she
corrected gently.

“That’s kind of you lady, but we have had
healers here for that very purpose to no avail. I know you had time
for a few lessons with Rose but I fear the poisons that eat at
Sebastian are well beyond the talents of a master healer.” Micah
leaned back against the chair and rubbed his jaw. The exhaustion on
his features showed clearly as he relaxed and she wondered how long
it had been since he had allowed himself a full night’s sleep.