The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (77 page)

The Rivasans had used the hellfire to keep
them pinned in the valley all morning. For now, her magic was
holding it at bay, but it wouldn’t last forever. Bows twanged as
her archers desperately tried to use the few minutes they had to
bring down a few of their enemies. Her knights were useless in the
current battle and the Soulreavers were suffering the brunt of the
work as they worked their spirit magic relentlessly against the
Rivasans.

Jala growled in fury as the Rivasan mages
moved forward once more. “Another wave!” she repeated the call and
moved quickly to hold the fire at bay. The fire hammered at her
wall but her heart rose as another sound rose above the roar of the
flames. Craning her head she listened, desperate to hear the sound
repeated. Holding her breath, she felt hope rise in her chest as
the drum of hoof beats filled the air beyond the barrier.

“Firym!” A voice bellowed beyond the flames.
She knew that voice. Hope soared in her chest as the hellfire died
down to reveal the lines of Flameriders charging headlong into the
Rivasan forces.

“Mount up!” Valor bellowed at the sight and
his Arovan knights scrambled to obey.

“Havoc.” Jala breathed the name like a
blessing on her lips. Falling back behind the lines once more she
watched as the Flameriders collided with the Rivasan lines.
“Support them!” she bellowed to her own forces, but the command was
hardly needed. She could already hear the Arovan knights moving
forward to join the battle, their horses slowly gaining speed as
they cleared the lines.

Moving quickly, Jala mounted her own horse
and rode forward just far enough to get a clear look at the
battlefield. The two Bendazzi moved out in front of her horse,
guarding her from anyone foolish enough to approach her directly.
Drawing on her magic she lent her support where she could. The
sound of hoof beats behind her drew her attention, but didn’t’
break her focus. Nodding, she watched Zachary Dark approach, her
magic still flowing from her like water.

“Goswin is attacking on their flanks and I
can see the banner of Delvay there as well. I’m going to hit them
on the other side with the Harvesters from oblivion, though I doubt
the souls of my people will be strong this far from their home,”
Zachary informed her as he kicked his horse and rode hard for the
outer flank of the Rivasan army.

Hope rose further in her chest and Jala
poured everything she had into her assault. A dragon’s roar rose
from the Rivasan lines and she watched as Nigel and the three
sisters took wing to meet the newest threat. She couldn’t spare
time to watch them, however. She had to trust them to handle their
kin while she dealt with the Rivasan mages. Already she was too
distracted. It was nearly impossible to keep her eyes from seeking
Valor on the field. His knights were thick in the middle of the
fighting and her gaze kept flicking in his direction seeking the
flash of purple armor to tell her that he still lived and
fought.

Pain lanced through her as she felt something
draw power from her. Frantically, Jala searched the field beyond
trying to spot who was siphoning from her. Another wave of pain
followed quickly by another nearly sent her tumbling from her horse
and spoiled her next spell. With a snarl, Jala wrapped her hand
tightly around the magic filled staff and drew enough power to try
to shield herself. She had barely managed to get the spellshield up
when the next wave hit her and shattered her shield as if it were
nothing more than a child’s attempt at magic. No matter how hard
she searched, Jala could not spot her assailants and she knew by
the frequency of the attacks there was far more than one. “Seth,”
Jala gasped as the assault came again, latching onto her like
leeches rather than the quick fleeting attacks they had begun with.
She wasn’t sure if Seth would answer her call but her desperation
was growing. They had sensed her weakening strength and were moving
in for the kill.

A flash of black feathers drew her eye and
Seth rose from a crouch beside her. “Magebreakers,” he informed her
as he settled beside her horse.

“Kill them please,” Jala begged. She had to
drain the staff just to manage enough strength to remain sitting.
Neph had warned her about Magebreakers in their lessons. They were
specially trained mages that honed their talents for the singular
purpose of killing any who worked magic.

“I will do what I can,” Seth promised her as
he disappeared into the chaos of the fighting beyond him.

Jala take my strength until he finds
them
, Marrow commanded, his voice sounding desperate in her
mind.

Shaking her head, Jala gazed upward, her eyes
locking on the one thing she knew that held more power than even a
trained company of Magebreakers could handle. Slowly she dismounted
from her horse and stepped away from the gelding, her gaze still
fixed above her.
Do you remember when you spoke of my family's
gift, Marrow? You said it was what they wished for that brought
them low
, Jala began, the idea blooming further in her
mind.

Jala now is not the time to test such
theories. Drain my power and let Seth deal with them
, Marrow’s
voice was desperate as he tried to force his strength through the
bond toward her.

It wouldn’t be enough Marrow. And despite
my wishes, Seth will never reach them all in time. There are too
many
, Jala said softly as she stretched her hand up above her
head toward the distant sky. “I wish I could save every man woman
and beast that fights on my behalf today,” she whispered as her
outstretched magic reached her target. Pain ripped through her
entire body as she drew power from the Barrier surrounding
Sanctuary. She felt the Magebreakers desperately trying to pull
back from her and latched onto their magic, refusing to let them
escape. Roaring filled her ears as she channeled the raw power
through her. The pain reached agonizing levels and she felt the
Magebreakers fall one by one from the force of the magic she
channeled into them. A scream burst from her lips, as the agony
grew and she struggled to regain her focus through the blinding
pain. With sharp gasps she extended her sight over the battlefield
and sent healing magic pouring over her people and allies. The pain
lessoned as her spell drew some of the power from her body then
returned two fold as the full strength of the Barriers magic
crashed down on her once again. In essence the Barrier itself was
like Barllen and the power it held had been building since the
creation of Sanctuary. Laughter bubbled in her throat as her mind
frayed from the pain. “You will not win!” Jala screamed her
defiance as the pain became blinding. Calling on her magic she
lifted her hands before her and sent death hurling down on the
Rivasan forces. Dimly she noticed the ragged breaks in her skin and
the bright light shining just beneath. Her body was failing and she
didn’t have long left. She was channeling more magic than her flesh
could contain.

“Jala!” Valor’s voice rose above the roar of
magic in her ears and she watched as Noble and Havoc struggled to
restrain him before he could reach her. “Jala!” He screamed
again.

“Valor,” Jala breathed as the pain rose again
and her body convulsed as the power ripped her apart from the
inside. Raising her hands once more she cast a final spell over her
people urging the souls of the fallen to rise once more. “Sorry,
Finn, but they aren’t done here yet, either.” She whispered the
final words as her world dissolved into blinding white light.

Jala had expected to find herself in Finn’s
hall once more. Instead, the world around her was bright with light
and nearly blinding. Echoes of voices rose around her and she
stared in wonder at the countless threads of magic that wove
through the air surrounding her like thousands of spider webs.
Hesitantly, she brushed her mind against one of the threads and
felt an instant connection with a mage struggling to master his
spells in Faydwer. His thoughts, ambitions, longings, and dreams
filled her like a flood until she knew every desire and fear the
man held.

“I’m in the barrier,” Jala whispered, her
eyes scanning over the threads of magic once more. She moved from
thread to thread, her spirit reaching out to touch the strands
until the understanding of how they worked settled in her mind.
“Marrow was right. It does depend on what you wish for,” Jala
whispered as she sent her mind racing through the webs to settle on
the threads that represented the Blights plaguing the world below
her.

Jala was about to send her magic coursing
down to destroy the creatures when a faint longing for safety
reached her mind through one of the strands of magic. Focusing on
the thought, she scanned the creatures mind and realized with
dismay that Emily was not alone in her rebellion against the Blight
instincts. Slowly, Jala pulled back the destruction she had been
about to unleash on the creatures and examined their minds closer.
It was not her right to perform genocide on the creatures and the
realization of what she had almost done sickened her. The Blights
were a part of Sanctuary now and there was nothing anyone could do
to change that fact. Just like everything else in the world, they
existed in shades of grey. All she could do now to help her people
was cleanse the darkest of them from Sanctuary and hope they could
find peace with the Blights she spared. Her attention rose past the
Blights and she studied the countless threads before her. The
Blights weren’t the only monsters on Sanctuary and she wouldn’t
limit her cleansing to just them. She apparently had all of the
time in the world to work, though.

“May you return from the life stream to a
better life,” Jala whispered as she began the first of the
cleansing with the Blights. Her magic coursed down through the
strands of magic in bright lances that would kill the creatures
instantly. She had seen enough suffering in Sanctuary and despite
the turmoil that had dwelled in her chest while she still breathed
she no longer wanted Vengeance. All she wanted now was peace.

With a deep sigh of contentment, Jala turned
her mind to her task, her magic searching for the darkest strands
that touched the barrier. Within what seemed like only a breath,
her magic faltered as it traced across strands buried far beneath
the other webs. Her curiosity peaked, she moved closer and gazed
down at the tangled strands that lay so well hidden. Brushing her
mind against them, she tried to find the souls they belonged to but
the minds were blank as if those attached were dormant. Even a
sleeping mind held thoughts, but these were simply blank. Jala’s
confusion grew and she brushed the strands again trying to
determine what lay behind them.

“
Momma
,” The single word shattered her
concentration and Jala pulled back from the threads, her mind
desperately seeking where Legacy’s voice had come from.

Jala if you can hear me, follow my
voice
. It was Valor this time, and Jala raced toward the sound
of his voice. She slowed as she neared the threads that hummed with
the life of those she loved more than anything else in the world.
Strength filled her as their voices grew louder in her mind. They
are praying to me, Jala realized in shock. She could feel their
love and thoughts pulling her back toward the world below. Longing
and duty warred in her heart as her gaze returned to the tangled
black webs behind her.

Momma you promised you would come home
soon
. Legacy’s words shattered all thoughts of remaining. The
webs might very well be a problem in the future, but she would face
them below in the sunlit world with her friends beside her. Drawing
her power around her she focused on their voices and used their
strands to guide her back to the world below.

The blinding white light faded and sunlight
slowly filled her world once more, as she guided her magic through
the spells needed to create a body to replace the one she had so
carelessly destroyed. Her eyes opened slowly to stare down at the
kneeling forms of Valor and her son. Both had their heads bowed and
eyes squeezed tightly shut and Jala smiled at how her son mirrored
the knight in both posture and the expression on his face. The two
Bendazzi sat silent behind them watching her with their bright
yellow eyes.

Welcome back. You were sorely missed
,
Marrow said gently and the sound of his familiar steady voice in
her mind brought a smile to her lips.

Silently she pulled on her magic once more,
summoning a dress in the Firym style such as she used to wear in
Sanctuary before armor had become a necessity. The deep purple silk
clung to her form as she stepped toward the two of them and she
bent gently to place a hand beneath Legacy’s chin. Tilting his head
up slowly she smiled into his wide violet eyes that mirrored her
own so perfectly. “Forgive me for being late, Legacy, but I’m here
to keep my promise now. I was lost for a time, but you helped show
me the way back,” she whispered. Tears filled her son’s eyes as he
jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around her. Reaching down,
she lifted him and wrapped him tightly in her arms.