The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey (56 page)

“Brought her as directed,” Wisp said with a
grin and bowed to Jala. “The floor is yours, madam.”

Jala looked around at all of the faces turned
to her and lifted a hand and waved slowly at them. “Hi, umm, please
stop staring,” she said quietly and several sets of eyes suddenly
shifted from her.

“Here, take my chair,” Valor offered, getting
up quickly and motioning to his seat. “I’ll get you some food. Jail
said you would be hungry.” He moved before she could reply and she
simply nodded and sat down.

“I’ll kill you, Val,” Finn warned, his eyes
fixed on his friend.

“For what? Getting her food?” Valor asked,
his expression nothing but innocence as he handed her a plate and
sat a glass of wine down beside her. Valor smiled down at her, his
blue eyes sparkling. By the look of him, he was planning on his
usual trips to the bars soon. He was dressed in his house colors of
black and silver, and his hair was pulled back and tied with an
elegant black ribbon. By far he was the best dressed in the room
with the exception of herself.

“I know what you are doing, Val, and I’m just
saying I will kill you,” Finn said, repeating his warning.

Valor looked offended at the suggestion and
shook his head at Jala. “I have no idea what he is speaking of, but
apparently he finds my courtesy distressing,” he said, his tone
sounding mildly offended.

“For the love of the Aspects, sit down and
shut up, Valor,” Neph’s voice cut off any further comment the young
knight might have had, and Valor found a spot on the foot of the
bed to sit. Neph glanced over at Jala and raised an eyebrow. “Want
me to tell them or would you like to?” he asked.

Jala motioned for him to go ahead. “I’ll eat
while you do and answer any questions if they have them. It’s
probably best that you explain it anyway, you will likely do a
better job of it.” Neph gave her a nod and she flashed him a smile
of gratitude and began to eat. She hadn’t even considered eating
yet, and the smell of food had made her realize how long it had
been since she had eaten. They had doubtless used magic to sustain
her during her days-long slumber, but since she had awakened, she
hadn’t had a thing.

“As everyone in this room knows, I have spell
warded this area so no one outside of this room can hear a word.
Which means if anything we speak of in here leaves this room and
becomes gossip, Finn is most likely going to kill someone. He has
already shown Valor he is unreasonably protective and violent.”
Neph flashed a smile at Finn.

“True words,” Finn agreed with a smile.

“Everyone in this room also knows that Jala,
Finn, and Wisp recently went to see the Oracle in the Tolanteer
forest. What you don’t know is what the witch told her. While I
don’t know everything she said, I do know the important part. Jala
is the last surviving member of House Merrodin.” He paused again
letting the information sink in. “While this alone would be enough
to get her killed, there is more. While on the way back they were
attacked and like an idiot, Finn nearly got himself killed.”

“He was protecting me,” Jala objected,
cutting him off.

Neph snickered lightly and nodded to her in
acknowledgment. “As you can see, Milady is protective over Finn as
well,” he said in apology. A few chuckles echoed through the room,
and Finn gave her a wink. “At any rate, Finn got a big ouchie. Jala
healed him, and thus awakened the other side of her family tree.
Apparently she is Merrodin on Daddy’s side and part Divine on
Mommy’s. So every High Lord on this damn planet is either going to
want to bed her or kill her,” he finished.

“It will take all of us to keep her safe,”
Jail said, as the room grew quiet once more. “We have to keep this
a secret as long as possible. Jala still has a lot to learn before
she can handle them alone.”

“Speaking of learning,” Neph said, once Jail
had fallen silent. “Sovann, you take her in the mornings before the
Academy and teach her the fundamentals of Magic. I’ll take her in
the evenings after school and teach her battle techniques.
Agreeable with you?”

Sovann nodded his acceptance of the
suggestion. “If it is all right with Jala, that is fine with me.
She expressed a desire to build her reservoir using mage stones;
can you help her with that after your practice?” he asked, his
attention focused more on Neph than Jala. “It would be best to do
in the evenings before bed, so she regains her strength while
sleeping.”

Neph gave a nod and settled back into his
chair apparently satisfied.

“Swords would be good as well,” Valor pointed
out. “There are times when magic simply isn’t the best choice.”

“Finn can teach her swords,” Neph said,
cutting Valor off before he could volunteer to help.

“When? If Sovann has her in the mornings and
you have her at night. She will have the Academy during the day and
a lot to catch up on there, she has already missed a week,” Valor
objected.

Jala watched them in dismay and tried to
decide if she should even attempt to add an opinion. This was not
at all the reaction she had expected. Looking over at Finn, she
found him watching her with a grin. He looked around the room and
mouthed the words “Watch this” to her as he rose slowly from the
bed. Moving with smooth deliberate steps over to stand in front of
her, he drew his sword and dropped to a knee in front of her. The
room fell deathly silent the moment his knee touched the carpet. He
gave her another wink, and she looked at him in confusion.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

He rolled his eyes at her and bowed his head
over his sword. “I, Finn Sovaesh, swear before all in this room
that I serve Lady Jaladene Merrodin. By every ounce of strength and
drop of my blood, I will defend and serve Milady in whatever cause
she sets before me. By the Aspects and Divine, I swear my life and
soul to her for now and always,” he spoke in a calm, steady voice
and looked up at her with the last words.

“I don’t know what to say, I’ve never heard a
vow given before,” she said quietly.

“Say you accept my sword into your service,
and I’ll be content,” Finn replied with the hint of a smile.

“I accept your sword gladly, Finn, and wish I
had the proper words to tell you how much your vow means to me,”
she said, still watching him in amazement. The room was silent
around them. Apparently everyone had been as shocked as Jala by his
actions.

Finn stood slowly and winked at her. “See, I
know how to shut them up,” he whispered with his usual grin
returning. He crossed the room again and dropped back onto his bed
letting his sword drop beside him.

It was Sovann that knelt next, followed by
Wisp and then Neph. Jala listened to their vows and accepted their
pledges, her hope growing stronger with every word spoken. With the
help of the people in this room, rebuilding Merro was becoming more
attainable by the moment. Jail waited until the others had seated
themselves and gave his own vow, seeming horribly amused as he did
so. One by one, her newly made court looked to Valor who, out of
everyone, had remained still and silent.

Jala shook her head and smiled. “Valor barely
knows me,” she explained.

“It’s not that,” Valor objected. “I’m
debating on whether or not my father would kill me. I’m a second
son and unlikely to inherit, but he expects me to serve in Arovan’s
army one day,” he explained.

“In his shadow of course,” Finn agreed with a
nod. “Understandable, Val, you would likely be most comfortable
there and we understand.”

Finn had barely finished speaking before
Valor was kneeling before her, his sword point down and swearing
his own vows. The others in the room managed to keep their laughter
to themselves until after she had accepted his sword and motioned
for him to rise.

She looked around the room and smiled at
everyone, shaking her head slightly. “You all realize I’m poor,
what’s left of my people are starving beggars and my lands are in
ruins, right?” she asked.

“Bloody hell. Now, she tells us,” Neph
growled and the room broke into laughter once more. Neph waited for
it to die down and grinned at her. “Of course we do. There isn’t a
single person in this room that would give his word for money.” He
glanced at Finn and smirked. “Well, except perhaps Finn, but he is
more of a whore with his swords than his honor.” Finn rolled his
eyes and threw a pillow at Neph. Grinning, the Mage dodged and
turned back to her. “We are a bit different from your typical lords
and ladies. You see, we can’t be bought.”

“That isn’t what I meant at all. I know you
aren’t like that. It’s just I’m not sure what exactly I am supposed
to do with a court when I don’t have a kingdom,” Jala explained
quickly.

“You don’t have a kingdom yet,” Finn pointed
out, emphasizing the last word.

“If I’m ever going to get one I need to speak
with the Lord of Oblivion,” she sighed. That task alone seemed near
impossible to her.

“I can arrange that easily enough,” Wisp
offered. “The Harvest festival will be going on in my lands in two
weeks. I can arrange for you to speak with him there, and no one
will think a thing about us going to the festival, so we can keep
it quiet.”

“Your father’s lands,” Neph corrected. “Your
lands are now the Merro Wastes, remember?”

Wisp blushed and shrugged at Jala. “Going to
take me a bit of time to adjust to this. Bear with me, please.”

Jala smiled and nodded. “It will take all of
us time to adjust I think. That would be wonderful if you can
arrange it though Wisp. I really had no idea how I would get
someone from Oblivion to talk to me.”

“Wisp will take care of it,” Finn said
sitting up on his bed once more. “Now, all of you but Jala, outta
my room and take your chairs with you.” He motioned to the door,
and his friends rose with a few complaints and more laughter. He
watched them leave and looked over at Jala.

“That was rude,” she pointed out with a
smile.

He shrugged. “If you are training with Sovann
in the morning and Neph at night and attending school during the
day, it really doesn’t leave me much time for your company. So, if
I have to be rude to get you alone, I will.”

“I didn’t expect all of that,” she said
quietly. Raising the wine to her lips she took a drink and shook
her head again. “This all seems like a dream, I keep expecting to
wake up.”

“I knew they would if I took the first step.
It wasn’t that they needed me to goad them into it. It was simply
that none of them had considered it. Most of them come from rather
important houses themselves. The idea of swearing an oath to
another house had likely never crossed their minds,” he
explained.

“Thank you,” the words were simple ones, but
her tone added volumes with its sincerity.

“It wasn’t my first choice, simply the one I
knew you would accept,” he replied with a shrug.

“What was your first choice?” she asked,
looking over to him.

He leaned back on his arms and smiled at her.
“Getting you out of Sanctuary. I thought about offering it this
morning, but after listening to how you turned down Shade, I
decided I didn’t want the same rejection. I have family in Firym
that would have granted me lands, or if not there, Valor would have
given me a place on his lands.” With a shrug, he rose to his feet
and stretched. “But I know you want Merro back and you have to be
Lady Merrodin to do that. So leading my friends into your service
was the next best option.” He walked over to the small table and
poured himself a drink. Raising the glass in her direction, he gave
her another fainter smile. “To Lady Merrodin,” he said, flourishing
the glass in her direction. Without pausing, he raised the glass
and drained its contents entirely and poured another.

“What’s wrong, Finn? Are you upset because
you thought I wouldn’t leave with you? Honestly, I don’t know what
I would have chosen if you asked.” She rose and moved toward him.
She could feel his agitation. It wasn’t truly anger that she felt
from him, but deep frustration, and she wasn’t sure what was
causing it.

“Neph is right, every High Lord with a son is
going to be after you, and eventually you are going to find one
that you won’t let me kill.” Raising the glass to his lips, he
drained the second glass. She put a hand over the decanter before
he could pour a third. He raised an eyebrow at her and looked down
at her hand. “What? You can get rolling drunk but I have limits?”
he asked.

“I don’t think there is a single High Lord or
any of his children that could compare with you, Finn. No one would
treat me as well as you do and you are quite possibly the most
honest person in Sanctuary. Who could I trust like I do you?” She
moved her hand from the decanter but he didn’t reach for it. He set
his glass down instead and took one of her hands in his.

“I had never even contemplated commitment
before I met you, Jala, and I don’t have to contemplate it with you
at all. I am committed. Regardless of what choice you make
concerning marriage, I am yours in mind body and soul.”

“So marry me, then, and spare me the High
Lords attentions. I don’t want any of them,” she said and then
clamped her mouth shut realizing she had spoken aloud what she had
been thinking.

Finn released her hand abruptly and moved to
the door so fast she thought her words had sent him into full
flight. Mentally, she cursed herself and turned to the table and
poured a glass from the decanter. Still kicking herself for
speaking, she downed it so fast she didn’t realize it was Firewater
until the glass was empty. Gasping from the taste, she bent double,
one hand clutching the table for support. Dimly, she realized Finn
had not fled and was leaning out the doorway looking into the
hall.

“Sovann, get in here,” he yelled out the
door. She had recovered from the drink by the time Sovann entered
the room looking as bewildered as she felt. Finn hastily moved to
his closet and grabbed a few articles of clothing. He grabbed his
sword as he passed the bed and replaced it on his belt, moving with
an urgency that left her completely confused. “I need you to cast a
transport,” he said to his brother who was watching him patiently
waiting for an explanation.