The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (42 page)

“I need to talk to him,” Jala said quickly as
she pulled herself free from the cloak. A lance of pain in her
chest pulled her up short and she leaned back against the door as
she struggled to find the source of her injury. Staring down, her
eyes locked on her breasts and she groaned softly. She hadn’t even
considered what the effects of being away from Legacy for so long
would be for her. It had been a simple arrangement to find a wet
nurse in Merro for her child. It was apparently not such a simple
thing for her. With a sigh she wrapped her cloak tightly around
herself and pushed away the problem for the moment. It was
uncomfortable, but it was nothing that would kill her anytime soon,
nor would her throbbing head. Valor’s temper on the other hand
might very well kill them all if she didn’t resolve the
problem.

“If you can’t calm him down, will you at
least knock him out? Maybe if he is unconscious the damned storm
will die down,” Sovann pleaded and she noticed the pale green tint
to his skin for the first time. Finn had spoken of being a sailor
in the past, but apparently his younger brother didn’t handle ship
travel as well. By his appearance, Sovann was quite sea sick.

“I will calm him down, Sovann,” Jala promised
as she climbed from the shelter quickly and crossed to the rail of
the ship. Lightning filled the sky as she crossed to the rail and
the crack of thunder that followed was nearly deafening. Blinking
quickly, Jala tried to clear her eyes of the momentary blindness as
she seized the rail of the ship in a death grip.

“Get back below!” Valor bellowed from
somewhere to her right and she began to creep in that direction,
moving both hands along the railing as she walked. Another wave
crashed against the boat and her breath caught as the icy water
drenched her. Gasping, she searched the deck until she located
Valor at the wheel of the ship and glaring at her with an
expression she had never before seen on his face – pure fury.

“I need to talk to you,” Jala called back,
hoping he could hear her through the wind.

“Get back below!” Valor repeated with more
force in his voice.

In hindsight perhaps you shouldn’t have
gotten drunk on Essence wine while you had a guilty conscience
,
Marrow offered softly in her mind in a voice filled with utter
misery. She could barely make out the Bendazzi’s form where he
crouched behind Valor. From what she could see of him, the cat was
drenched and shivering.

What did I say to him
? Jala pleaded as
she continued her slow approach to where Valor stood.

You told him of your plans to wed Seravae.
Wait, no, I think “confessed” is a more appropriate word to use
there, because I’m positive you were seeking forgiveness. As a side
note, judging by the weather, I don’t think he has forgiven
you
, Marrow explained.

“Valor, I need to talk to you,” Jala repeated
as she drew closer to him.

Valor shifted his hold on the wheel and
glared at her, his blue eyes filled with anger. “If you are washed
overboard it is not of my doing. It seems no matter how hard I try
to keep you safe, you do everything in your power to make it
impossible. You are like guarding a child with a hatchet. Sometimes
the aim is true and other times you aim for your own foot.”

“Valor, I’m sorry,” Jala pleaded as she
released her grip on the rail and crossed the last stretch of deck
separating them. The roar of another wave rose on the air and she
braced herself for the impact of the water. Icy sheets poured down
over her back and she felt one of her feet slip under her, then a
firm hand on her arm.

“Impossible to protect,” Valor snarled as he
pulled her over to where he was standing and returned his grip to
the wheel.

Jala frowned and brushed tendrils of soaking
wet curls from her face as she stared up at him. “Valor, I’m
sorry,” she repeated her eyes searching for any change in his
expression.

“Sorry for what exactly? Sorry for the
arrangements you have made, or sorry that you didn’t tell me
sooner? When exactly where you planning to tell me? As you returned
for Merro with an army of Spooks?” Valor snarled.

“Spooks?” Jala asked in confusion. It wasn’t
a term she was familiar with and this was the first time she had
ever heard Valor use it.

It is the derogatory term the Arovan use
for Seravae. Spooks, wraiths, paleys and a variety of much less
flattering words. I’ve learned all of them while we have traveled.
I must say I envy your talent for drinking more than you should and
passing out
, Marrow informed her.

“The gods-be-damned Seravae, Jala. When were
you going to tell me?” Valor demanded and his voice held as much
hurt to it as it did anger. “You ask me to trust you and then you
keep something like this from me,” he added bitterly and shook his
head as he turned his attention back to the raging sea.

“I wanted to tell you, Valor. I just didn’t
know how to tell you. I would have found a way before I left for
Seravae,” Jala said desperately, her gaze still locked on Valor’s
face. “Please, Valor, please understand I can’t do it any other
way. I have to do this to keep Merro safe.”

“And what you said about building you an
army, what was that, Jala? Just some feeble attempt to make me feel
important? You certainly don’t seem to think it will do anything to
help protect our home,” Valor snapped, his eyes flashing once
more.

“No, Valor, I need the army too. Don’t you
understand? Avanti has us outnumbered twenty to one. Even with the
army Ash will receive, we will be outnumbered. We need every last
soul we can manage fighting for Merro or we will all be Avanti
slaves,” Jala explained, her voice desperate. She needed Valor to
understand. She had too much to face without him. He had become her
anchor in the past few weeks and just the thought of facing what
lay ahead alone terrified her.

“Ash? You are going to marry the man that
failed to raise your husband?” Valor gasped incredulous.

“I failed Finn, Valor. That was my failure
from the start. And yes, I am going to marry Ash. For Merro and
every person that is depending on me I will do whatever it takes to
survive what’s coming,” Jala shot back, her own temper rising a bit
at the mention of Finn.

“Do you know the Seravae laws at all, Jala?
Do you actually believe it will still be your land after you marry
a Spook? Women have no property in Seravae. They are property
there. If Ash wanted to sell you it would be well within his
rights.” Valor returned his eyes fully on her now rather than the
storm or the ship.

Uhh. I know I’m not an expert on human
concerns, but shouldn’t someone be sailing the ship, considering we
are in the middle of a storm and most likely soon to be lost if he
doesn’t guide us
, Marrow cut in, his yellow eyes flicking back
and forth between the two of them.

“I sincerely doubt Ash would want to sell me
even if those laws applied. This is beneficial to both sides,
Valor. His faction doesn’t agree with how things are done in
Seravae and are seeking a new beginning. This could work if you
would just try to open your mind a bit,” Jala pressed.

“Open my mind a bit? Do you have any idea
what his people have done to our land for the past thousand years?
They are murderers and rapists. They attack the coasts every year
and kill whatever is not useful to them, Jala. Is that what you
want in your country?” Valor snarled, the expression on his face
suggested that he would like nothing more than to shake some sense
into her.

“Did you not just hear me say it’s a
different faction? Ash’s people are not raiders, Valor! You cannot
judge them all by the actions of a few,” Jala replied, her voice
gaining volume as her frustration grew.

So the glowing yellow light to our left
means land right
?
Don’t your people keep flames on the
coasts to warn ships about rocks
? Marrow spoke again but the
words barely registered in her mind. Every ounce of her focus was
upon Valor who stood glaring down at her his back rigid.

“And you believe him? You are so damned
naïve, Jala. What makes you think Ash’s people are any different
from the others, beyond his telling you so,” Valor snapped.

“Ash has given me no reason to doubt his
words, Valor. He has always acted with honor when dealing with us,”
Jala replied hotly.

“When dealing with you! I have had no
dealings with the spook nor will I ever,” Valor corrected.

Yes those are definitely rocks. That is,
if either of you care yet. I’m really not looking forward to a ship
wreck, but then I wasn’t really looking forward to any part of this
trip
, Marrow said, his voice taking on a defeated tone.

“Wait what?” Jala snapped her eyes turning to
the Bendazzi and then to the storm darkened sea beyond. It was a
useless endeavor with her vision however and she could barely see
beyond the prow of the ship. “Valor, are we about to hit rocks?”
she asked, her tone switching from anger to panic.

Valor’s eyes snapped forward and he pulled
hard on the wheel of the ship. “Yes,” he replied quickly as he bent
his full strength to turning the ship. “Brace yourselves,” he
mumbled as the ship lurched, its timbers screaming in protest.

“Why in the bloody hell are we going right
for the rocks?” Sovann demanded as he staggered from the hold
area.

“Am I the only one that can’t see in the dark
here?” Jala demanded her eyes still searching the roiling sea
frantically.

“Apparently,” Valor hissed as the wind around
him rose once more, blowing hard into the sails. “Hold on to
something, Sovann, this is going to get rough,” Valor commanded as
he closed his eyes. Magic roiled off him as he called upon his
elemental powers.

“What are you doing?” Jala demanded as the
ship began to rise dramatically.

“Bloody buggering hell that’s a big wave,”
Sovann gasped. The mage had taken Valor’s advice and now clung with
a white knuckled grip to the railing, but the expression on his
face suggested that he would much rather be back in the hold. “We
are riding the crest of a wave, Jala,” Sovann informed her, his
voice cracking a bit as he spoke.

“Valor, what are you doing?” Jala asked again
a bit more franticly.

“Getting us to shore so you can make your
deal with the damned mercenaries. Last warning, Jala, find
something and hold on. This is going to be a rough landing,” Valor
replied in hoarse whisper as the ship rose yet higher in the
water.

“Marrow, come here!” Jala gasped as the wind
rose in strength. Quickly she wedged the Bendazzi between her and
Valor and clung to the knight with both arms as she squeezed her
eyes shut. “I trust you, Valor,” she whispered as the ship lurched
once more and gained more speed.

Jala sat up slowly spitting sand from her
mouth and blinked the salt water from her stinging eyes. Lightning
filled the sky, illuminating the broken outline of their small ship
just long enough for her to see the extent of the damage. While
Valor’s trick with the wave may have spared them all a very cold
dousing in the stormy sea and possible drowning, it certainly had
not spared them the pain of a ship wreck. Blinking her eyes once
more she staggered to her feet and stared along the coast for any
sign of her friends.

Never again. I don’t care what the
purpose. You will never again get me on a ship
, Marrow snarled
in her mind and she felt herself release a sigh of relief. There
was sign that one of her companions had survived; now all she had
to do was find the other two.

“Jala!” Sovann’s voice rose above the howling
wind just long enough for her to hear the single frantic call.

“I’m all right!” Jala called back, hoping he
could hear her. Slowly she began to walk in the direction she
thought the call came from. In the current weather, it was
difficult to be sure.

“Is Valor with you?” Sovann called again, his
voice louder and closer.

“No,” Jala replied as loudly as she could
while her mind raced with images of Valor lying broken on the beach
somewhere. With a muffled curse she picked up her pace toward
Sovann, her eyes scanning the ground around her as she moved.

I haven’t located him yet. If I do I will
tell you at once. I am trying to determine exactly where we are at
the moment
, Marrow informed her.

“Valor!” Jala called, her voice breaking as
she contemplated the heavy armor he had been wearing. Even with
Valor’s strength, swimming in all of that steel would have been
next to impossible. “Damn it, Val why did you leave the armor on,”
she hissed as she blinked rain back from her eyes. Another violent
gust of wind drove hard across the beach and she clenched her teeth
against the cold. She’d lost her cloak at some point on the journey
and the sheer material of her dress was no match for the
weather.