The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (53 page)

“Damn, Vic, a moron? That is a bit harsh,”
Havoc muttered, his posture going back to relaxed as he exchanged
looks with Kadan. He tried to keep his tone light despite the
emotions raging inside him. He had never seen Victory this close to
snapping before, not even when Veir fell.

“She gave the report?” Kadan asked
cautiously, his eyes flicking to Victory as he spoke. Apparently
the sight of the Fae unhinged was just as disturbing to the Delvay
as it had been for him to witness.

“She said Nerathane had joined the fight and
that they had Magebreakers,” Havoc said with barely a glance toward
Kadan. His attention was fully focused on Victory who was leaning
against a tree, his eyes locked on Kes’s burnt body.

“That could be Jala or Wisp if we don’t stop
them Havoc,” Victory whispered softly. The anger had left his face
now and he seemed pale and drained.

“We can’t stop them. You said it yourself
that the Spellblades wouldn’t hold against Magebreakers, and
Nerathane. We can’t fight the dragons and Rivana at the same time,
Victory.” Havoc spoke in the calmest voice he could muster. It
worried him to see Victory like this. Vic was the anchor that kept
him from getting them both killed.

“Are you expecting me to surrender? I won’t
back down. I don’t care how many dragons they have. Delvay will
fight,” Kadan snapped.

“So he was right about one of us being a
moron at least,” Havoc returned in a dry tone. With one simple
sentence Kadan had managed to piss him off yet again. The Delvay
lord was the best at setting his temper off though so it really
shouldn’t be surprising.

“I’m not a damned craven. I will not hide
from my enemies, but feel free to scurry off Firym,” Kadan shot
back and spat on the ground in disgust.

“You are going to be responsible for the
death of everyone in this army if you continue, Kadan. You have no
choice but to retreat now,” Havoc said, his voice rising in pitch
once more.

“For the love of the Divines,” Victory sighed
and shook his head. “Fine, kill each other off,” he muttered
throwing his hands up in defeat.

“It’s either kill him off or watch him
sacrifice Delvay for his damned pride,” Havoc snarled. “You can’t
hold against them Kadan! You were already outnumbered before the
dragons joined the fight. You are going to die, you jackass,” Havoc
said loudly, pronouncing each word slowly as though he were
speaking with a doting elder.

“If you want to run, feel free, Havoc. We
didn’t ask for your help in this fight to begin with,” Kadan
hissed.

“I’m leaving, Havoc,” Victory said in a voice
so soft Havoc barely heard him.

“I’ll be back at camp shortly. Once I knock
some sense into this dipshit,” Havoc called, his hand already going
for the hilt of his sword.

“I won’t be at the camp, Havoc. I’m leaving
Delvay,” Victory added in a slightly louder voice.

“Run with your friend, Havoc. Spare me the
trouble of burying your corpse later,” Kadan said in a mocking
tone.

Havoc glanced over his shoulder toward
Victory and then back at Kadan. Anger coursed through him, but if
he wasted more time fighting with Kadan, Victory would be gone.
Clenching his fist tightly he locked eyes with Kadan. “You should
have cried for your sister,” he hissed as his fist connected
solidly with the Delvay Lord’s nose. Bones crunched under his hand,
but he didn’t stay long enough to see the damage.

Turning, he followed quickly after Victory,
catching up with the Fae just as he was mounting Avalanche. “Vic,
wait!” Havoc called before his partner could manage the first of
the transport spell.

“What?” Victory asked in a voice that seemed
too tired.

Havoc gave a light whistle and waited
patiently as Razor trotted over to him. Looking up at Victory he
smiled faintly. “So, where are we going?” he asked as he swung into
his saddle.

“I’m going home, Havoc. That’s where I should
have gone in the first place. If you were smart you would go home
too. Our own people need us, and maybe they will actually listen
when we try to save their lives,” Victory said sadly, his eyes
flicking to the child that still didn’t seem to realize his mother
was dead.

“Well, give me a lift to Faydwar at least,
Vic. Don’t leave me stranded with the Delvay after I broke their
lord’s nose,” Havoc said quietly. He still couldn’t believe what he
had just heard. In the ten years they had been traveling together,
Victory had joked about leaving him behind, but he had never been
serious before. There was no laughter in his eyes now. This time he
was serious.

Victory nodded slowly and began the spell
silently, his gaze never leaving the child.

“Can I ask why, now, Vic? We’ve been through
a lot of shit together. Why are you cutting ties now?” Havoc asked,
amazed at the pang in his chest at just the thought of going
separate ways. They had been friends since the Academy, only Zach
had been with them back then. Then the fall of Veir, and it was
just the two of them after that. Now it looked like it wouldn’t
even be that much.

“Because I don’t want to watch you die,
Havoc, and I think for the first time since I’ve known you that it
might actually happen. You’ve always been invincible in my eyes,
but you never know when to back down, Havoc. After what I’ve seen
in the past few weeks…” Victory’s voice trailed off as his magic
washed over them. The rest didn’t need to be spoken aloud, though.
Havoc knew all too well what he meant.

Seravae Isles

Cold wet drizzle washed over them in a steady
fall that had lasted all day. Jala glanced toward Valor who sat
alone at the prow of the ship. She couldn’t prove he was causing
the weather but she had a good suspicion that he was. He had been
silent since they had left Kithvaryn and hadn’t said so much as a
word to her the entire ship ride. With a sigh she glanced over to
where Ash stood by the rail, staring out over the ocean. He had
been quiet too, but then from what she had seen of the man so far,
Ash was always quiet. He would speak if you spoke first, but he
rarely initiated the conversation himself.

You should have brought Sovann with you if
you wanted social company
, Marrow said as he moved forward to
sit beside her.

“I needed him to go with Kithvaryn,” Jala
sighed as she pulled the blankets closer around Legacy. With the
weather, she should take the child below, but the holds of the ship
were stifling and held the overwhelming odor of rotting fish. “I
wish we could have gone home first,” Jala added in a wistful
voice.

I wish we had just gone home. I don’t
understand why you must marry Ash. He isn’t right for you
,
Marrow grumbled.

“We’ve talked about this. I’m not getting
married for love. I’m getting married for power. I need the armies
he will bring to Merro,” Jala said in an exasperated voice. No
matter how many times she tried to explain the concept of political
marriage to Marrow he simply didn’t understand.

He cowered from the Divine
, Marrow
pointed out in a disgusted voice.

“We’ve talked of that too. The Soulreavers
have a superstitious fear of Death. They believe her to be the only
god and not a very nice one,” Jala repeated the words for what felt
like the hundredth time.

Just saying, if you don’t cower you should
have a mate that doesn’t cower
, Marrow grumbled.

“I did, and his lack of cowering got him
killed!” Jala snapped and instantly regretted raising her voice as
Legacy began to squirm in her arms. He was always fussy when he
woke early from a nap. “Shh. I’m sorry, love,” she cooed, rocking
the child in her arms.

Perhaps you should try for one that is
brave and thoughtful rather than rash and fearless
, Marrow
suggested. The Bendazzi had been harassing her with this line of
conversation since they had set sail. No matter how carefully she
explained her plans to him he ignored her.

“Know any of them that have a very large army
on standby?” Jala asked with sarcasm lacing her voice.

Do you even know you will need a very
large army
?
You are Divine with the blood of War in your
veins. Maybe you are a one-woman army and simply don’t realize
it
, Marrow said with an indignant sniff.

“Please stop, Marrow,” Jala pleaded as she
continued to rock Legacy who was at the verge of tears. Slowly she
stood up and began to pace the deck, hoping the movement would help
soothe him. He was growing so fast due to her magic it was possible
he was beginning to teethe. That would only make his fussiness
worse. She had considered removing the magic and allowing him to
age at a normal pace, but in light of what was coming, it seemed a
better plan to let him grow enough to be less dependent on her. It
was a morbid path to follow, but she didn’t like the thought of her
son suffering if something happened to her.

Ash stepped up beside her as she turned back
to the rail once more. The Soulreaver smiled faintly at her and
nodded his head toward the ocean. “You can make out the edges of
Seravae now. The smaller shapes are uninhabited islands but if you
look past them you can just make out the coast of the Sword Isle.”
His voice was soothing and even Legacy stopped fussing as he
spoke.

Jala moved closer to the rail and peered out
across the rain covered distance in the direction he indicated. She
could barely make out the rocky coast through the murk of the day,
but what she saw wasn’t impressive to her. Glancing over at Ash she
nodded and tried to force a faint smile onto her face. To her
amazement Ash laughed at her expression.

“It isn’t much to look at, is it? It really
doesn’t get any better inland either,” Ash said with the amusement
still clear on his face.

“I’ve never seen you laugh before. Or even
really smile for that matter,” Jala stammered, still staring at the
Soulreaver in amazement.

Ash looked down at her and raised a pale
eyebrow. “Did you think I was serene all of the time?”

“Well yes, actually,” Jala admitted, still
staring at him.

Ash laughed again and shook his head at her.
“I have a lighter side, Jala. I just try to be professional when I
am working. Till this point, in every contact we have had, I have
been working.”

“You considered it working? I’ve never once
paid you for any help you have given me,” Jala replied, shaking her
head at him slightly. It was a relief to see this side of him. She
had pictured a marriage with him as being dull and lifeless. To see
him actually laughing gave her hope, though. There was a
possibility that their agreement could become friendship or
possibly even more with enough time.

“Money isn’t everything, Jala. I often work
for free if the task is a worthy one,” Ash replied with a smile. He
leaned forward on the rail, his eyes locked on the distant rocks.
“I won’t miss this place at all, after we have gone. I can’t think
of a single pleasant memory from the islands,” he mused.

Have you left Kithvaryn yet
? Neph’s
voice broke through her thoughts like thunder and all thoughts of
conversation with Ash vanished.

I have and you don’t have to bellow at me
Neph. I can hear you just fine
, Jala replied wincing a bit from
the link.

Go home. Do not come to Seravae
, Neph
ordered in a voice that brooked no argument.

I can scarcely do that, Neph. I can see
the shores of Seravae right now. What has happened? I thought
everything was settled
, Jala sighed, wondering if every plan
she made in her life would become a mess in her hands. It seemed
things could never simply go as she hoped. Everything had to be
complicated.

Everything was worked out perfectly until
last night. Now everything is a bloody mess. Do not come here,
Jala
, Neph said with frustration thick in his voice.

What happened last night
? Jala asked
wearily.

The Lord Reaver’s wife died. They are
saying it was suicide and from the few times I spoke with the woman
it might very well have been. Jexon has spent the last day arguing
against Ash, however. It would seem the Seravae mourning period
lasts approximately the amount of time it takes to roll a body into
the grave. I wasn’t too concerned at first, but Jala, I think he is
swaying the council. If you do marry Ash with the way things stand,
you will be lucky to get a guard, let alone an army
. Neph spoke
quickly as if simply knowing she was near Seravae was reason for
panic.

With a heavy sigh, Jala leaned back against
the rail and closed her eyes. Swallowing heavily, she tried to
govern her thoughts and decide the best approach. She needed
Seravae, and she needed their shamans more than anything else. For
what she had planned in the spring she would need all of the Spirit
mages she could get.

“May I ask what is wrong? Your emotions went
from hopeful to despair in a matter of moments,” Ash said
softly.

“Neph just contacted me. The High Lady of
Seravae has committed suicide apparently, and your father has been
using every moment since then to sway the council against you,”
Jala explained in a voice utterly devoid of emotion. It seemed this
was going to be one of the moments that Vaze and War had been
trying to prepare her for. As they had said, sometimes you don’t
have any good options; you simply had to take the one you could
live with.

Ash was standing silently beside her, his own
expression thoughtful. Glancing down at her he shook his head
slowly. “We should go to Merro. I doubt I can win against Jexon
with the council,” he said finally in a voice that was already
filled with defeat.

“I didn’t even know the Soulreavers had a
bloody council,” Jala muttered as she raised her free hand to wipe
rain from her face and returned to rocking Legacy on her hip.