The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (72 page)

Jala sighed and wondered once again why she
had left the others behind and kept only Valor and Neph with her.
Ash was with her too, of course, but he rode in the back with his
small band of Soulreavers. Wisp, she had sent to Faydwer with a
contingent of archers to help with the Blight troubles there. Jail,
she had sent home with the main body of her army, and Sovann she
had given the most important role. She had sent the mage into
hiding with her family. Not even she truly knew where he had gone.
They had both decided that was the safest course, given that she
was going to be hunting Blights and the creatures scanned minds.
The loss of her friends was hard. Leaving Legacy was almost
unbearable. Other than the short trip to Goswin and then Kithvaryn
she had never been from her son more than a few hours a day. Now it
would likely be weeks before she saw him again.

“You are thinking about Legacy again aren’t
you?” Valor asked, his words echoing her thoughts so perfectly she
wondered if he had a talent for mind reading that he hadn’t yet
mentioned.

“Is it that obvious?” Jala asked with a
sigh.

“You do look pretty damned pathetic when you
think about him,” Neph said and shook his head at her. “You get all
sad faced and your eyes get glassy with motherly concern. I have to
focus on how bitchy you were in Avanti just to keep from puking
from the sight of the sweet sentimental side of you,” he added with
a smirk.

“Why do I like you so much?” Jala asked
dryly, though she could feel the smile tugging at the corners of
her lips.

“You got me there,” Neph replied with a snort
of amusement.

“I find myself confused by it as well,” Valor
added, rolling his eyes at Neph. “Your mother must have been a
harpy beyond compare for you to end up so callous and emotionally
stunted.”

“Emotionally stunted,” Neph repeated with a
grin. “I like that,” he added with a nod of approval.

“There is something wrong with you,” Valor
said with a slow shake of his head.

“What is that?” Jala asked, slowing her horse
as she stared at a massive stone archway rising from both sides of
the road. She could see the faint glimmer of magic on the stones,
but she couldn’t tell what it was from their distance.

“The entry gate to House Hai’dia,” Valor
replied with a smile.

“What are the runes?” Jala asked, as she
pressed her horse forward once more.

“Protection and obscurity. From this side of
the gate you can see nothing of the manor house or the area
surrounding it.” He motioned to the low stone wall that ran from
both sides of the archway through the fields beyond. “Notice how
both fields on either side of the stone wall look exactly the
same?” he asked and glanced toward her.

“It’s grass, Valor. How different can grass
look?” Neph asked dryly

Valor simply smiled and continued riding
until they reached the arch. Holding a hand up he motioned for them
to pause and then he rode forward. His Arovanni slowed to a stop
beside one of the pillars and Valor quickly removed his gauntlet.
Leaning over the saddle he pressed his palm flat against the
pillar. “Alexander Hai’dia,” he said softly as he sat back in his
saddle once more. The pillar flashed with a blue light that swiftly
faded back into the stone. Glancing back, he nodded for them to
approach. “The wards are down for now and will stay down until we
reach the house. I can reset them from there,” Valor explained.

“Alexander?” Jala asked staring at him in
confusion.

“My birth name. Alexander Valor Hai’dia. My
mother chose my first name. My father chose my middle name. It
shows their difference in priority clearly, doesn’t it,” Valor said
with a smile as he led the way through the stone archway. “I never
use my first name and I doubt anyone beyond my mother even realizes
that I have a name other than Valor,” he said over his
shoulder.

“I don’t blame you for not using the first
name,” Neph muttered and Jala elbowed him and shook her head with
narrowed eyes. Neph grinned back at her and shrugged one shoulder
in response.

Rolling her eyes, Jala turned her attention
back to the road and stared at the beauty of the land around her.
Her eyes were drawn to the house and she realized why Valor hadn’t
complained about the size of the Avanti estate. His childhood home
was even larger by her guess. Pulling her horse to the side of the
road she stopped once more and simply stared down the gently
sloping hill, trying to guess what it must have been like to grow
up in a place such as this. The house itself was ancient in
appearance with worn stones covered in ivy and blooming vines. It
rose four stories to tower over the lake that spread between the
road and the grass covered fields beyond. Turning, she gazed down
to the statue of a rearing horse near the edge of the lake closest
to the road. The entire sight was awe inspiring and spoke clearly
of the power of Valor’s house. This was not the home of a minor
lord. House Hai’dia was a power to be reckoned with and their home
showed it clearly.

“You have been staring for a while now. Are
you OK?” Valor asked quietly and she looked over at him with a
faint smile.

“The entire village I grew up in could fit in
your entry hall, Valor,” Jala said softly.

“That isn’t my entry hall. It is my father’s.
Mine is in Merro,” Valor corrected.

Her smile widened and Jala nodded. “I stand
corrected,” she said with a slight bow of her head.

“I don’t know about you, but I could use a
hot bath and a warm meal in either order. Do you mind if we press
on?” Valor asked as he watched the small army they had brought pass
by, a few casting curious looks in their direction.

Jala shook her head quickly and pressed her
horse into a walk once more. Her eyes continued to trail across the
various statues and flowers as they rode. “What was it like growing
up here?” she asked after a long silence.

“When Honor and Chas were here it was fun.
Then Honor married and moved to the capital and Chas moved to Glis
and it was lonely. I’m the youngest child by quite a few years.
Honor is close to sixty now and Chas…” His voice trailed off and he
swallowed heavily. “Chas would be near forty this spring,” Valor
finished quietly.

“We could bring her back,” Jala reminded him
gently.

“Let’s wait and make sure we have something
to bring her back to. From what I’ve seen so far it doesn’t look
good. I’m afraid it might be too late to help Arovan,” Valor said,
managing to keep most of the despair from his voice, but Jala could
still see traces of it.

Jala watched him silently before turning her
gaze back to the approaching house. She wished she knew something
to say to reassure him, but she had to agree with his words. It did
look as though they were too late to save Arovan.

They caught up with Neph who stood waiting in
front of the massive stone doors of the house. The mage looked over
at them dryly and raised an eyebrow at Jala. “Point out the stables
to me, Jala,” Neph ordered as he waved both hands toward the empty
fields surrounding the house.

Jala turned in her saddle to look around as
Valor dismounted and pressed his hand against the stone doors.
“Alexander Hai’dia,” he repeated once more and the flash of blue
light flickered across the doors as they opened slowly. Taking his
reins in his hands once more he led Valorous through the doors and
into the darkened hall beyond.

“You see! They do sleep with their bloody
horses,” Neph said loudly as he followed Valor through the doors.
Glancing over at his bay mare, he frowned. “I will not cuddle you
no matter what you might think by this arrangement. I am not
Arovan,” he said firmly.

Jala shook her head and sighed as she rode
through the doors and stared silently at the stone stalls that
lined both sides of the entry hall. It was a stable. There was no
denying that, but the entire room was cleaner than most houses she
had seen. There was no smell of horses or manure present in the
air. Raising her eyes she watched Valor pull the bridle from his
Arovanni and the large horse sauntered down the hall and walked
into one of the stalls near the far end of the stable. She
dismounted and gazed around the stalls wondering which of the
countless empty stalls she should use for her gelding. A light tug
at her reins brought her attention back sharply and she raised an
eyebrow at Valor as he took her horse from her. With a speed she
hadn’t yet mastered, he stripped the tack from the gelding and led
him to one of the stalls a few down from Valorous and led him
inside.

“Tie your mare to a post, Neph. I’ll handle
her next,” Valor called as he finished with her gelding. Glancing
up at her he smiled. “Magic keeps the area clean and provides them
with food and water. It is a lazy approach but the horses never
lack for anything this way,” he explained as he stepped from the
stall.

Jala nodded and watched as the small company
of knights began stabling their own mounts. Even with the amount of
soldiers she had brought, there looked as though there would be
plenty of room to secure their mounts either in the stable itself
or the fields beyond.

“Bridgette, help settle the others that are
unfamiliar with Arovan, and select a few riders to go on scout
patrols in the morning,” Valor called as the woman finished tending
to her horse.

“As you say, commander,” Bridgette responded
with a quick bow of her head. Turning, the woman left the stables,
barking orders by the time the doors closed behind her.

“You can go on into the house, Jala. I’ll be
in shortly,” Valor said quietly as he pulled the saddle from Neph’s
mare.

Nodding, Jala walked past him and paused at
the far end of the stable, her eyes on the horse that stood in the
shadows there. She had missed it when they first entered. The
animal raised its head slightly and watched her and she realized
with a start that it was an Arovanni. The only other one she had
seen other than Valorous.

“Well, it looks like at least one other
person is here,” Neph said quietly as he stopped beside her and
stared at the horse.

Jala nodded slightly, her eyes locked on the
horse. Something about the creature made goose bumps rise on her
arms.

“That’s Rage. Though he hasn’t lived up to
his name in years. He was my sister’s horse,” Valor explained as he
paused beside them.

“Chastity had a horse named Rage?” Jala asked
in shock. The woman she had met in Sanctuary had been calm and
logical. She doubted the woman even knew the definition of rage.
Even when Chastity had been dueling Valor in the Darklands she had
been composed.

Valor shook his head as he opened a door just
beyond the Arovanni stalls. “My older sister. She died before I was
born. Her name was Tempest. According to the stories, Rage brought
her body home after she fell in battle against Seravae and he has
stood there ever since. Some of the small folk claim he is waiting
for Tempest to be reborn. Personally I think he is lost without her
and doesn’t know what else to do beyond wait where she always left
him,” Valor explained, then nodded through the door. “Come on. I’ll
show you a picture of her on the way to the kitchens.”

With a final glance at the Arovanni, Jala
nodded and climbed the stairs. The lights of the house flickered to
life as Valor walked down the hall, illuminating the countless
paintings and tapestries that lined the walls. Jala stared at each
one as they passed, wishing she had time to stop and admire the
work. She wasn’t in Arovan to sightsee, however, and Valor was
right, food and a bath did sound very good.

“I knew you were spoiled, Valor. I just never
realized how spoiled,” Neph said quietly as they emerged into a
vast entry hall that was lined on either side with ornate suits of
armor.

Valor ignored the comment and motioned to one
of the suits of armor near the front of the hall. “That’s her
armor. There is a painting of her above it and a story telling a
bit about her life below that. Feel free to look around. I will be
in the kitchen which is down the left hall if you need me. If you
would like a bath, there is a transport at the back of the hall
beside the staircase. Stand in the circle of runes and touch the
third rune with your foot. That will take you to the family
quarters. Jala, take the room at the end of that hall. Neph, take
the room to the left of hers,” Valor said as he continued to walk
toward the back of the hall.

Jala watched him disappear into the hallway
and moved closer to the indicated armor. The woman in the painting
wore plate mail and had a fierce expression on her beautiful face.
Her hands were folded around the pommel of an ornate sword and
Jala’s eyes fixated on the weapon. She had seen the sword before,
countless times as Valor fought back the denizens of the Darklands.
The last time she had seen it was when he had handed it to her in
Death’s throne room. Closing her eyes slowly she rubbed her temples
as she realized the entirety of her folly when she had dropped the
sword. Valor had never complained or even bothered to mention that
it was a family heirloom that she had so carelessly lost. Turning,
she let her gaze drop to the two Bendazzi who sat in silence behind
her. “I feel like such an ass now,” Jala whispered to them, hoping
Neph couldn’t overhear her

It’s a sword that you left behind. I think
he was more focused on the fact that you saved his sister’s soul
than concerned about the weapon
, Marrow assured her.

The sound of his voice in her mind was
comforting. Since Emily had discovered her Bendazzi form Marrow
talked less and less directly to her. It was only when Jala was in
dire need of counsel that he chose to speak up and she missed the
frequent links they had once shared.

Ahh. Yes. You are so neglected by me
,
Marrow chided her gently, and Jala rolled her eyes in response.