The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (6 page)

“Devony, it’s perfectly all right in here. I
promise. Emily is a friend and is helping me with an experiment.
She is not a ghost and this house is not haunted. How could it be
haunted? After all, we just built it, remember?” Sovann said
gently, his voice filled with patience. “Maybe you should show
yourself, Emily. That might make her feel better,” Sovann
suggested, turning to look in the direction he thought Emily was
in.

Emily fought back a snort of amusement as she
watched him gaze at the empty corner. She remained silent and
turned her attention outside the window she was perched in, hoping
to catch a glimpse of what she knew she wouldn’t see. Jala and
Marrow had been gone for days now and no matter how long she
watched for their return, she knew in her gut she wouldn’t see
them. Jala had left her behind, just as Shade had done, and she had
never seen Shade again.

It wasn’t truly Jala that she missed, though.
It was Marrow. She identified with the Bendazzi better than she did
these perfect pretty Immortals. He was a predator as she was, and
he understood things the immortals couldn’t seem to grasp. Like the
smell of scented soap alerts prey. Emily grumbled silently and
shifted a bit closer to the window. She had no doubt at all that if
she showed herself to Sovann and Wisp another bath would be in her
future.

A ragged sob followed by a slamming door
heralded Wisp’s victory, and Emily watched in amusement as the
child ran to huddle beneath the window barely inches below her. The
desire to reach down and touch the child flashed through her mind,
but she ignored the impulse. While it might be funny for a moment
to see the child shriek and jump it wouldn’t be worth the lectures
from Sovann that would ensue afterwards.

“What did you need to speak with me about?”
Sovann asked quietly as he gave Devony a reassuring smile.

Wisp looked over her shoulder at the door and
then back to Sovann. “Are the wards in place?” she asked
quietly.

Sovann returned her gaze and arched an
eyebrow before nodding slowly. “Whenever the door is closed the
wards are active. No one can hear us,” he assured her.

“My brother is here. He wants to speak with
Jala. I haven’t told him what is going on. I left him in the main
house with some food and drink while I came to speak with you. The
only company he has right now is the maid and she had no idea where
Jala is. What should I tell him? The truth didn’t seem a good idea
at the time,” Wisp explained, her words pouring out in a flood.
Wisp brushed a strand of hair from her face and stared at Sovann,
her big green eyes full of expectation.

Emily’s attention turned from the window to
them and she watched Sovann as he considered the Fae’s words. On
the surface, Sovann was a slender mirror of his dead brother. He
had the same bronzed skin and tawny hair, though he wore his hair
longer than Finn had. Emily, however, had been around Sovann enough
lately to know appearance was the only thing the brothers had in
common. Finn was passionate and spontaneous where Sovann was calm
and thoughtful. He was displaying that thoughtfulness right now and
didn’t seem in a hurry to answer Wisp, though the Fae was quite
obviously in a hurry.

“I don’t see how they can possibly interfere
with Jala right now…,” Sovann began but let his voice trail off. He
pursed his lips as he gave the matter more thought and shifted a
few items on his work table.

Emily smiled at the habit. It was one of the
few entertainments she had while working with Sovann on his secret
project. He was very particular about his work tables and liked
everything to be perfectly in place. So when she grew bored she
roamed the room shifting things around.

“Whatever we tell him, he will report back to
the Fionaveir leaders. It won’t take long for gossip to spread.
Jala didn’t say that we should keep silent on this but I don’t want
to do anything that might jeopardize their returning safely. It’s
not that I don’t trust my brother, but I don’t know how far the
gossip will go. If the Fionaveir leaders keep it to themselves we
don’t have a problem,” Wisp said, her voice filled with
concern.

Sovann nodded slowly and then smiled
brightly, looking over at Wisp with decision clear on his face.
“All right, where is Neph?” he asked sweetly.

“Overseeing the grain that’s being stored and
he is in a foul temper because of it. Apparently the flour has been
cut with sawdust, or so he says. The last I spoke with him, he was
planning to ride north to Brannaford to… How did he put it? Ahh.
Strangle the crooked bastard with his own innards
. Yes, that
was it,” Wisp replied with a faint smile of her own.

“Fetch him and tell him to deal with the
Fionaveir.” Sovann said with a firm nod and started to go back to
his work.

“But I love my brother! Why would I sick Neph
on him?” Wisp objected with a hint of a whine to her lovely voice.
She shifted where she stood and twisted the fabric of her green
tunic in her hands.

That, too, was a habit Emily had noticed time
and again. She didn’t need to hear their words to know their
feelings. She had studied these immortals far too often. Wisp
always twisted at her cloak or tunic when she was upset.

“Neph won’t kill him Wisp, and Victory will
be less apt to press Neph for answers than he would you. Chances
are, once Neph walks into that room Victory is going to accept
whatever comes out of Neph’s mouth without argument, and hurry home
just to avoid further conversation,” Sovann assured her with a
wink.

“If you say so,” Wisp agreed, though she
didn’t sound at all sure of the plan. Motioning to Devony she
turned back toward the door. “Come on Dev, let’s go find Neph.”

Devony leaped up from the ground at a sprint
and was through the door before Wisp had taken more than three
steps.

Sovann shook his head and let out a long
sigh. “I really wish you would help us ease her fear of you a bit,
Emily,” he said softly as the door closed.

“Sometimes fear is healthy, Sovann. That
child should be terrified of the unknown,” Emily replied in her
customary whisper and moved silently to another perch in the
room.

“The unknown, yes, but you, no. You are one
of us, remember?” Sovann pressed gently and lifted his pen once
more. A book lay sprawled in front of him, filled with random marks
that Emily had never been able to decipher. Every time she had so
much as glanced into the pages the ink seemed to writhe on the
paper and made her head ache.

“If you say so,” she agreed in a skeptical
voice. With Jala and Marrow here, she had felt as though she
belonged. Now, though, it was harder to believe. She felt no
connection with these people, not even with Jail who had helped her
work through some of her more base instincts with his mind magics.
They were one thing, and she was quite another.
They are prey
and you are predator
, a small voice whispered inside her and
she hushed it quickly. It had been whispering things in her mind
for days and she wasn’t entirely sure if it was another’s words, or
her own thoughts that she had been repressing.

“I do say so, Emily. I know you are out of
sorts right now. We all are. The loss of Finn, and then Jala and
Valor, combined with trying to get things started here, and we are
all under tremendous stress. We have to work together and rely on
each other now, though, and it is important to remember you are one
of us,” Sovann said, his gaze locked on the book his hand, moving
quickly as he added more notations.

“If you say so,” Emily repeated, moving her
position again as she spoke. She never stayed put after making
noise. It just wasn’t safe. Sovann wasn’t that paranoid though, she
noted as she came to a stop right behind him. His head was still
bent forward, his attention fully on his project. He didn’t worry
at all about what was around him, or what might happen.
One
quick blow to the spine and he turns from annoying mage to
meat
, the voice whispered again and Emily stared hard at the
bronzed skin on the back of Sovann’s neck. His hair was pulled back
in a tail tied loosely at the base of his neck, just barely
revealing that sweet spot on a human’s spine. The spot that held so
many nerve endings and was so fragile. One blow there and no matter
if it was Immortal or human, it was incapacitated.

“I think we almost have it, Emily. A few more
days and I think I’ll be able to create the first runes,” Sovann
said absently, once again speaking to the wrong area of the
room.

Emily arched her brows and smiled faintly. He
should learn to heed the advice she gave, even if it was directed
toward the child. A little more fear would do wonders for Sovann’s
survival.

Her attention snapped up as the door opened
once more and Jail stepped into the room. Emily watched the big
mage as he surveyed the room, then smiled faintly at Sovann. “I
wondered if I might borrow Emily for a time. I think she is due for
a bit of therapy today,” he said in a calm voice, though the
expression in his eyes was one of anger. He was dressed casually in
a loose tunic and breeches and, as always, had a neatness about him
that seemed at odds with his huge muscular frame. The only
difference she noted was the slender hilt of a sword that showed
just over his left shoulder. Emily had never seen Jail armed
before. He always fought with his bare hands.

Sovann glanced up at him and nodded faintly.
“Of course, Jail. I hadn’t realized she was to meet with you.
Forgive me for delaying her. I’ll see you tomorrow, Emily.” There
was warmth in his voice as he spoke her name and Emily felt a
twinge in her chest at the sound of it.

“Right behind you, Jail,” Emily whispered not
bothering to respond to Sovann. It didn’t seem right to treat him
as a friend with her earlier thoughts of meat.

“Ahh, how about right beside me, as friends
should walk,” Jail countered and offered his arm to the open air
beside him.

“I don’t think we will fit through the door
that way,” Emily objected dryly.

“We will turn sideways at the door. Take my
arm, Emily,” Jail said proffering his arm once more.

You were in my head. I thought you said
you didn’t do that
. Emily prodded through a mind link as she
took his arm gently, a faint smile creasing her lips. Perhaps Jail
wasn’t too bad after all. At least he knew a bit of fear and
respect.

I suppose it’s a good thing I lied,
considering how deeply you were considering turning Sovann into a
snack. You were supposed to come to me if the instincts
returned
, Jail scolded as he opened the door and led them both
out.

I wanted to eat him, not fuck him
,
Emily replied in amusement. The first weeks of her maturity had
been incredibly difficult. The primary instincts for a Blight were
to kill and mate, though they only mated with superior creatures.
Unfortunately, Jala only surrounded herself with superior
creatures. It had been Jail that had helped her through that trial
and kept her from molesting the several available and no doubt
willing males she was around. Even Madren had been a temptation to
her, though he was only a half-blood, and she had no doubt
whatsoever that he would have been willing.

The agreement was for instincts that you
didn’t agree with
, Jail reminded her sternly.

What makes you think I didn’t agree with
the instinct to eat Sovann
?
He has been rather obnoxious
lately with his blood drawing and such
, Emily pointed out
calmly.

Truthfully, you don’t disagree with that
desire at all
? Jail asked and the disapproval was thick in his
voice.

I don’t think I would miss him
, Emily
replied. She searched inside herself looking for any scrap of
regret and shrugged the shoulder that he was closest too. While he
couldn’t see the gesture, he could feel it through her contact with
his arm.

Your mother would be disappointed
,
Jail said coldly and Emily felt guilt crash against her.

In the beginning her mother’s words had
always echoed in her mind, but they had grown less frequent lately
and the louder whisper of the other voice had begun to influence
her.
I think it’s because they are closer now, and there are so
many. It’s hard to separate myself from them
, she explained to
Jail, the remorse at last flooding through her. Jail was right. Her
mother would be disappointed. She had wanted a beautiful daughter,
not a monster.
Help me learn to ignore them
, Emily asked
with a light squeeze on Jail’s arm for emphasis.

Gladly, if it will keep you from eating my
friends
. Jail’s voice had lost a bit of its tension and she
could feel the muscles of his arm relaxing – the nice firm muscles
of his arm. Her gaze roamed from where her hand rested on his
forearm up the path to his broad shoulder. He was impressive in
form.
Aspects be damned, Emily
, Jail said, i
t really is
fuck or fight with the Blights, isn’t it. Not saying it’s not
flattering to be admired like a piece of meat, but with a Blight
doing it, it’s flattering and frightening at the same time
.

Emily chuckled softly and let out a long
sigh.
Sorry, Jail, I didn’t realize I was slipping this much.
You really are quite tasty looking though
. The arm beneath her
hand tensed again and she chuckled again.

Please don’t ever say that again
, Jail
requested gently, and paused in his steps as a figure left the main
house. By the coloring and dress Emily guessed it was Wisp’s
brother, though she had never met the man before. He moved past
them with barely a nod and headed straight toward a massive white
horse. “Safe journeys, Victory,” Jail muttered as he watched the
man ride off.

“Bugger safe journeys. May his horse trip and
roll on him. It would serve him right for riding something that
damned big,” Neph snapped as he approached from the house as well.
All mystery surrounding the departing man’s angry expression
vanished from her mind at the sight of Neph. The surly Delvay had a
habit of putting that expression on people’s faces.