The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey (58 page)

“Same hair and eyes but she is the tiny one.
Sure, she is tall but a strong wind would carry her off,” she said
with a wink as she motioned for him to follow and headed for the
fire.

“Coming, Oma?” Shade asked, pausing for the
girl. He offered his hand to her, and she took it with obvious
hesitation. “I’m sure it will be fine, after all, one of them is
related to our guards,” he said in a reassuring voice. After a
moment, Oma took the offered hand, and he led her to the far side
of the fire and took a seat.

“Sym, Lutheron, this is Shade. You should
both remember him from my reports. The girl beside him is Oma. She
would make a damn good Truthfinder if we could find someone to help
her learn. She is a bit shy, though,” Lex said the moment they had
seated themselves.

Lutheron pushed his hood back revealing dark
hair and darker eyes. His features were lean and almost delicate in
its bone structure. The expression on his face was perfectly
composed, giving no hint whatsoever to what he might have thought
of Lex’s reports. “So, you are the Changeling, eh? And why do you
wish to join our ranks?” he asked in a voice that Shade was sure he
never had to raise to get the attention of others.

“I’ve spent the entire time I’ve been in
power believing I have been doing my part to make our world better.
I’ve learned otherwise recently. I’d like to spend the rest of my
life knowing I’m making the world better,” Shade answered. He’d
given thought to how he might answer that question on the ride and
had decided this was not the time for diplomacy. He wanted to
forget diplomacy and simply rely on honesty.

Symphony nodded to Lex. “That was a good
answer,” she said to her brother. Her voice was low and rich, and
Shade had the instant desire to draw her into more conversation
simply to hear her speak.

“He is smart and he is sick of the intrigue,
Sym,” Lex said.

“You won last year’s Sky Race, didn’t you?”
Lutheron asked, his tone thoughtful.

Nodding, Shade glanced at the man. “I would
have won this year too, but it was deemed inappropriate for me to
enter it and not the melee,” he explained.

Lutheron smiled, and the expression sent a
shiver down Shade’s spine. The expression had no warmth to it at
all. At once, Shade thought he knew how a deer might feel when it
spotted a Bendazzi stalking it. “I believe I know just what to give
you for your first assignment,” Lutheron said with a hint of
satisfaction in his voice. “Tell me, have you ever been to
Eldagar?” he asked, the smile still on his lips.

Shade shook his head. “No, I’ve never even
been to that continent. The ruling lords there do not consider
House Morcaillo suitable guests.”

“One of our operatives is having a bit of
difficulty in Eldagar. I think you might be just the person to help
him out, if you truly are as Lex says.” He glanced at Lex who
looked mildly offended at the suggestion that he might have
deviated from fact on his reports and gave a slight nod. “Tell
Caspian to explain Eldagar to him, once he has been sworn into our
brotherhood,” Lutheron told Lex and leaned back against a tree. The
shadows seemed to cling to the man as he reclined, but Shade had
the distinct feeling he was still watching him.

“It will be as you say, Lutheron,” Lex agreed
and turned to Symphony. “What are you two doing out here anyway?
Especially dressed like that.”

“We are on our way to either bless a wedding
or stop it. We haven’t decided yet. Lutheron sensed you approaching
so we made you a fire and waited. He wanted to see your new recruit
before we left. I have no idea how long this will take us, possibly
a few days,” Symphony explained.

Leah raised an eyebrow and frowned. “Whose
wedding? It’s not exactly typical Fionaveir business to get
involved in such things.”

“Finn Sovaesh and Jala. I believe you know
both of them,” Lutheron answered quietly.

“You are going into Sanctuary?” Leah asked,
her voice incredulous with eyes locked on her sister.

“No, they are in Firym, actually,” Symphony
corrected, her eyes flicking to Shade.

Finding himself suddenly uninterested in
conversation, Shade leaned back away from the fire. Aware of Oma
seated so close to him, he tried to keep his emotions under control
but was finding it increasingly difficult. He should be happy she
was out of the city. The Firym lands would be safe for her. His
father had no power there. It didn’t dull the sting of rejection,
though, no matter how much he told himself it didn’t matter.

It was full dark in Fallanor when they
arrived. The city was spread out before them with beautiful stone
homes lining both sides of the cobbled street. Lanterns lit the
way, shining brightly inside colored glass globes that swung in the
light breeze. Beyond the town walls, she could see the dim outline
of the Scarlet Jungle looming vast and black in the night. Scents
of flowers hung heavily in the air, making an aroma that was almost
intoxicating.

Finn looked around to get his bearings and
glowered at his brother. “Could you have possibly put us any
farther from the palace?” he asked.

“I could have set us down in the jungle, but
I thought this more appropriate. It gives you plenty of time to
tell me what is going on before we get there,” Sovann replied, his
tone mild.

“Palace?” Jala asked, eyes widening. Finn had
mentioned his great uncle but he had said nothing of palaces.

Giving her an absent nod, Finn drew a shirt
from the bundle in his hands and pulled it on. Nodding for her to
follow he began to walk dressing as he did. “It’s not too far to
walk,” he assured her as he tucked the shirt into his pants and
pulled a vest over it.

“No, it really isn’t too far, but why are we
going there?” Sovann pressed.

“I’m getting married,” Finn replied now
hopping on one foot as he pulled a boot on.

Sovann stopped in his tracks and stared at
his brother with his jaw dropped. “Finn,” he began cautiously. “Do
you remember when we talked about you not thinking things through
completely?” he asked.

“I was actually the one that suggested it,”
Jala said meekly, trying not to laugh at Finn’s progress with his
boots.

Finn stopped abruptly. He stood in the middle
of the street his vest unbuttoned and shirt barely tucked in. He
looked down at his one bare foot and then to the boot he held in
his other hand and raised an eyebrow at his brother. “What makes
you think I haven’t thought this through?” he asked, his expression
carefully blank.

Jala turned her head and covered her mouth
with a hand. She was losing the fight with laughter quickly and now
didn’t seem the time to burst into giggles. She studied the homes
beside her admiring the lush gardens that surrounded each one. She
knew if she looked back to the brothers she would lose the battle
and likely wake the neighborhood with her laughter. She could
picture the expression on Sovann’s face clearly enough in her
mind.

Are you finally ready to admit he is your
mate?
Marrow asked, padding up beside her to sit.

She gave him a nod and smiled at the
Bendazzi.
Yes, you are right, Marrow; he is the only one for
me.

She glanced back at the brothers to see them
bent close in discussion their voices too low to hear. Finn seemed
quite pleased with himself, and Sovann looked close to
surrender.

With the Soul Bond the two of you have I’m
amazed it took this long,
Marrow said, his tone filled with
exasperation.

Soul Bond?
Jala asked, her gaze
dropping to Marrow.

Did you not realize? It is rare in your
kind I think. Bendazzi have it, as do wolves. I’ve heard hawks do,
as well, but they seem too simple-minded for something such as a
Soul Bond. It is the joining of spirit, when one soul calls to
another. It is beyond the thing your kind call love; it is whole
and complete. With a Soul Bond, there can be no other,
Marrow
explained, using more words than she had ever heard from him
before.

What makes you think we have one?
Jala
asked with curiosity.

Marrow gave an indignant sniff.
I can see
it when I look at the two of you. Your souls reach for one another
even if your bodies do not. The spirit holds more wisdom than the
mind. It knows where it belongs even if the mind is too stupid to
accept it.

You can see souls?
She looked down at
the Bendazzi in amazement and then looked to Finn wondering if he
knew what a Soul Bond was.

Glimpses at times, but one does not need
to see your soul to know. I have been trying to tell you for
days,
Marrow replied wearily.

“Fine. Then you are getting married. I won’t
bother trying to talk sense into you.” Sovann turned from his
brother throwing both hands up in defeat. “Congratulations, Jala,
you are getting married to an impulsive ass.”

Grinning widely, Finn pulled his other boot
on and quickly adjusted the cuffs of his pants tucking them neatly
inside the knee high black boots. He stood straight again and
offered his arm to her. At some point in their discussion, Finn had
managed to straighten his shirt and button the vest and now looked
quite respectable. “Hurry now before you regain your senses,” Finn
teased and she moved to his side, taking his arm in hers.

“I’m not going to change my mind,” she
assured him and fell into step easily beside him as they continued
toward the Firym Palace.

They walked in silence for a bit, her eyes
roving over the beauty of the city as they moved. Sanctuary itself
was imposing, built on such a grand scale it blinded you to the
dark alleys where poverty thrived. Fallanor, however, didn’t seem
to have any dark alleys. The entire city seemed to be thriving and
if poverty dwelled here at all, it was extraordinarily well hidden.
All of the houses were tidy and the streets were clean. Each
intersection they crossed was built in a circular fashion with a
fountain in the center.

“Have you told father?” Sovann asked as they
neared the massive structure that could only be the palace they had
mentioned.

Jala’s eyes roved up and down the
vine-covered columns and brightly lit windows. The building itself
was a work of art with delicate arches and murals lining the
walls.

“No, I haven’t. I don’t live by his means. I
don’t need his permission to live my life as I see fit,” Finn
answered.

“Have you given any thought to what Uncle
Arjuna might say about this?” Sovann pressed as they began to climb
the worn stone stairs.

“Not really, Sovann,” Finn replied, his tone
absent of any concern.

“Your uncle is High Lord Arjuna?” Jala asked,
pausing in mid-step. She had thought perhaps a lesser lord, or
maybe the steward, certainly not the High Lord himself.

“On Father’s side,” Finn replied with a nod
and tugged on her arm gently. “Don’t worry, I am well received
here.”

“Shade said if you ever left Sanctuary you
were as good as dead,” she reminded him.

Finn laughed and gave her a huge smile. “If
the Rivasans want to come get me here, I’ll cheer them on. The
Firym will bend them over and shove swords someplace they won’t
soon forget.”

“Do you have to be so crude, Finn?” Sovann
sighed.

Giving her a wink, Finn nodded to the guard
on the door. “Is my uncle still awake?” he asked the man.

Jala stared openly at the guard, admiring the
scarlet red plate mail and embossed black horse on his breast
plate. If this was just a simple guard’s attire, she couldn’t
imagine what the famous Flame Riders wore.

“He is in his study, Kozva’Fyree,” The guard
replied with a slight bow before opening the massive wooden door to
admit them to the palace. “Shall I summon a servant to guide you?”
the guard asked as they passed through the doorway.

Finn shook his head and smiled. “I haven’t
been gone that long, Jax, I can still find my way,” he replied.

With a simple nod the guard closed the doors
behind them.

The hall itself stretched out almost past the
point of her vision. In the back of the room a staircase arched
from both walls curving in its path to the second floor. Directly
below the balcony was another fountain, this one immense in size
and carved from black stone. Seven horses adorned the top, all in
various forms of a charge, their riders leaning forward with swords
raised. Finn led her nearer and let her get a closer look,
motioning down into the water as they approached. Bright colored
fish swam in the water. Their bodies like gems in shades of
scarlet, blue, and green.

Sovann looked down at the fish and gave a
faint smile. “Do you remember the time Uncle caught you fishing
here?” he asked Finn.

A frown formed on Finn’s handsome face and he
nodded grimly. “I remember not being able to sit properly for a
week because of it,” he replied. Glancing at Jala the frown faded a
bit. “I was young, maybe seven at the time, and upset because I
couldn’t manage to catch anything at the river like the older boys
could. So I took matters into my own hands and went where I knew
beyond a doubt there were fish for the catching,” he explained.

“And I blistered your backside well enough
that you never looked at my fountain again without respect,” a
deeper voice said from the hallway. “Welcome home,
Kozva’Fyree.”

Finn had turned at the voice and bowed low to
the speaker. Jala gave a slight curtsy and remained silent waiting
for an introduction. The Firym Lord reminded her a great deal of
Havoc in his build and coloring. He wasn’t a large man though his
bearing and fine clothes did make him imposing. His dark red hair
was cut short, as she had come to expect from most swordsmen. She
met his eyes when he looked to her with curiosity and noted that
they were the same deep green of Finn’s.