The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey (59 page)

“Uncle Arjuna,” Finn began, his voice filled
with warmth. “May I present, Jala, my soon-to-be wife. Jala, this
is my Uncle Arjuna, High Lord of the Firym nation.”

“A pleasure, Milady.” Arjuna nodded his head
respectfully and looked her over again with an expression of
approval. “Soon-to-be wife, you say?” he asked looking back to
Finn.

“That is actually why we are here, Uncle. I
was hoping you would perform the ceremony for us,” Finn replied. “I
know there is no warning, but I want to get it done before the lady
changes her mind. Look at her, Uncle, by morning she may realize
she can do far better than me,” he grinned as he spoke and Arjuna
gave a deep chuckle.

“By all means then, let us find a more
comfortable place to talk. You can explain where you met your
lovely lady, and how she comes to be followed by a Bendazzi.”
Arjuna motioned for them to follow as he turned back down the hall
from which he had come.

Jala glanced to Sovann who had remained
silent the entire time and raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay,
Sovann? You are so very quiet,” she asked, keeping her voice low.
Finn had moved ahead to join his uncle but she kept her pace slow
to match Sovann’s

He gave her a nod and a faint smile. “I
didn’t spend as much time here as Finn did. I’m more Avanti by
nature, I suppose. Not nearly as rough or aggressive as this side
of my family. So, for the most part, when I’m here I remain quiet.
Better to be considered the silent sort than to offend them with my
Avanti ways.” he explained.

She nodded her understanding and let the
topic rest. “Do you know what Kozva’Fyree means?” she asked,
wondering if it was Finn’s name here. She certainly hoped it wasn’t
it seemed far too complicated and she wasn’t even sure she had
pronounced it right.

Sovann smiled and nodded. “It’s a title of
respect the Firym give to outsiders. It means worthy of fire. It
isn’t a name you will have to use so don’t worry.”

She let out a sigh of relief and he laughed
softly. “You have no idea how happy that single sentence just made
me,” she grinned at him.

“The Firym are a unique culture and a very
proud one. To be said you are worthy of fire here is one of the
highest praises you can achieve. Finn is definitely favored by
Uncle Arjuna.” He watched the two figures ahead of them for a
moment and then looked to her. “Did he explain the Firym marriage
customs to you at all?” he asked.

She shook her head in answer and frowned.
“Are they very different from the ones the Aspect Temples use? I’ve
seen hundreds of weddings before the altar of Fortune.”

“There are no rings for one thing. And it is
impossible for a Firym wedding to be forced, both the man and woman
have to be fully committed to the arrangement or it isn’t legal in
the eyes of the Firym. I’m sure Uncle Arjuna will explain better
before he begins, but suffice to say once the ceremony is complete
there will be no hiding the fact that you are married,” Sovann
explained, his words raising more questions in her mind.

They both fell silent as they passed through
the doorway Arjuna and Finn had disappeared into. She looked around
as she entered and decided this must be the study the guard had
mentioned. Even though it was quite warm outside, a small fire
burned in an ornate fireplace on the far wall. The floors were
marble and polished to a shine so high she could see her reflection
in them. Bookshelves filled with leather bound volumes in all
shapes and sizes lined the wall. Near the fireplace a massive desk
rested, its top covered in tidy piles of papers and envelopes.
Arjuna led them instead to overstuffed leather chairs and motioned
for them to sit while he poured drinks into tiny crystal
tumblers.

“So Finn tells me the Bendazzi is your
Familiar,” Arjuna began as he handed her the drink.

She nodded and smiled at him and then looked
down at the drink with suspicion. From the color of it she guessed
it to be Firewater and from the scent it was a good deal stronger
than Finn’s decanter. If she drank this too quickly there was a
good chance she would be choking on the floor. If she didn’t at
least taste it, though, she might offend the High Lord.

“Quiet, isn’t she?” Arjuna commented to Finn
taking a chair by his nephew.

“She is afraid whatever you just gave her is
going to kill her,” Finn replied with a grin and took a long drink
from his own cup. He smacked his lips a few times and gave a nod.
“And chances are it will. She doesn’t have a tolerance for
Firewater yet, Uncle.” With a grin to her, Finn took her glass and
poured the drink into his own. Arjuna started to rise again but
Finn motioned for him to sit. “I have a flask that she will enjoy,
don’t trouble yourself Uncle,” he assured the High Lord and handed
Jala the flask of Jimpa Brandy.

“Thank you,” she said taking the flask.
Looking back to Arjuna she lowered her head slightly in
embarrassment. “I’m sorry I didn’t want to offend you. It’s just
the Firewater is a bit strong for me,” she said.

Arjuna gave a chuckle and nodded, his smile
reminding her of Finn’s, full of confidence and good humor. “So you
wish to marry my nephew then?” he asked, settling himself farther
into his chair.

“I do,” she agreed.

“And what do you think of this, Sovann?”
Arjuna asked, addressing his youngest nephew for the first time
since they had arrived.

“I think it’s rushed and impulsive just like
everything else Finn does in life,” Sovann answered with bitter
honesty.

Arjuna raised an eyebrow and looked to Finn.
With a shrug, Finn smiled at his uncle. “Live by the fires of the
heart, for the first emotion is often the truest,” he replied.

Arjuna’s smile returned showing white teeth
and he nodded with approval. “You are more Firym than any other in
your family, my boy. Then it is settled, if the Brazier accepts
your pledges you shall have a wife.” Arjuna rose gracefully from
his chair and moved to a cabinet on the back wall. Drawing a key
from his pocket he unlocked the doors and removed a heavy looking
wrapped bundle.

“Brazier?” Jala asked in a bit of alarm.
Sovann had said there would be no doubt she was married, did they
intend to brand her.

“Look at his left arm when he returns, there
will be patterns on the skin there. Those symbolize his marriage.
It isn’t a burn, it’s done through magic, and it doesn’t hurt, I
promise,” Finn replied, his tone reassuring.

“The only time a wedding is painful here is
when the band of one party is smaller than the other side,” Arjuna
said with a smile as he sat the bundle down on the table between
the chairs and carefully unwrapped it. Nestled inside the plush red
velvet was a bowl made from what looked like solid gold. It had
three legs holding it up from the table, and the sides were
engraved with images of couples in such detail it held the eye. The
center of the bowl was blackened as if heated too many times and
Jala looked at Finn in apprehension.

“You place your hands on one side of the
bowl, I place mine on the other,” Finn explained, moving a hand to
demonstrate. “It won’t burn you. The outside stays cool.”

“It is part of the ceremony, you and Finn
must sit with the bowl tonight keeping your hands upon it,” Arjuna
said pausing to look at Finn. “Both hands on the bowl, Finn,” he
warned.

Laughing, Finn grinned at his uncle and
picked the bowl up and handed it to Jala. She took it carefully
from him and her eyes widened at the magic she could feel coursing
through it. Turning it slowly in her hands she studied the
engravings.

“You must place your hands on opposite sides
and thus you will be facing each other. You cannot help but think
of another while sitting for so long face to face. If the marriage
is meant to be, the bowl’s magic will sense it. In the bottom, a
chain will form, each link formed of devotion and love. The thicker
the chain the truer the bond,” Arjuna explained. He held his own
hand out for her to examine and she looked down in fascination at
the thick lines tracing over the back of his left hand and around
one wrist. “This is the mark of a Firym marriage,” he explained,
turning his hand from left to right for her to see. The marks did
not resemble burns or tattoos. They had a metallic quality to them,
as if metal had sunk into his skin. One side of the marking was
silver while the other was gold in hue and together the pattern
they made was truly beautiful.

“There is no such thing as a political
marriage here,” Finn told her with a smile. “If you do not love the
other holding the bowl the chain will not form. Without a chain
there is no marriage. Which is for the best, considering the Firym
definition of divorce.”

Arjuna laughed and nodded with a smile. “We
do not marry for power or money here,” he agreed.

Looking between the two of them Jala raised
an eyebrow. “What is a Firym divorce?” she asked.

“The event that comes shortly before a Firym
funeral,” Finn answered with a chuckle.

“You aren’t joking,” she said after a moment
of watching them both.

Arjuna gave a shake of the head and another
sip from his Firewater. “Our people are passionate ones. We do
everything in full measures. Although to be fair, it isn’t always
called a Firym divorce. Generally it is referred to as an Immortal
divorce. There are few among the Elder Blood that would leave an
enemy alive. If a marriage has come to such bitter terms that you
can no longer stand to live in the same house, you are
enemies.”

Jala nodded her head slowly in understanding
and carefully set the bowl back down onto the table. “Okay, so we
sit with the bowl tonight, then what?” she asked eager to change
the subject.

“Then if a chain forms by the first hint of
the sun we are taken off to prepare for the wedding. Each of us
will have an attendant. I’m not sure who will act as yours.
Preparations are made before the sun has fully risen and once the
sun is fully crested, Arjuna will bring us both together and the
chain will be wrapped around our hands binding them together. This
is another part of the ritual. If we tremble or drop the chain it
is a sign that while we do love each other we are not ready for
marriage. If we are calm and steady throughout the entire ceremony,
which will last however long my uncle wants to keep us standing
there, then we are considered married,” Finn explained and narrowed
his eyes at his uncle. “If my uncle is kind he won’t leave you
baking in the sun long,” he added.

“No, she is not Firym, I would not cook her,”
Arjuna agreed good naturedly. He seemed ready to add more but the
door cracked open a fraction and a nervous-looking servant peeked
in. “Yes?” he asked, his tone sounding mildly irritated.

“Milord Arjuna, Lutheron is here and begs
leave to speak with you,” the girl said quickly.

Standing, Arjuna set his glass down and
nodded to the three of them. “Forgive me, I must see to this,” he
said leaving the room without another glance.

“Lutheron?” Sovann asked, his gaze on the
door. “The Lutheron?” he repeated turning to look at Finn.

Finn was frowning and Jala raised an eyebrow
at him. “I have no idea why he would be here, but it can’t be
good,” Finn said finally.

The door opened again and Arjuna returned
with a man and woman in tow. He closed the door behind the three of
them and motioned the newcomers to a seat. “I would appreciate it
if you keep this short Lutheron they have preparations to see to
that shouldn’t be delayed much longer,” Arjuna said, his tone
respectful yet firm.

The woman pulled her hood back revealing
features that brought the twins Lex and Leah to Jala’s mind. Her
gold eyes fixed on Jala and then looked to Finn. She looked them
both over in appraisal and then nodded to Lutheron.

Pulling his own cloak down, he offered a hand
to Jala and then Finn. “My name is Lutheron as you have likely
already gathered. We’ve come here on behalf of the Fionaveir. This
is Symphony.”

Symphony bowed her head to the two of them
and fixed her gaze on Jala. “I would like to speak with you alone
if possible,” she said with a hesitant look toward Finn.

Glancing around the room at those assembled,
Jala shook her head slightly. “Whatever you have to say to me you
can say in front of those present. I have no secrets from Finn or
Sovann and Arjuna is soon to be my kin by marriage,” Jala replied
firmly and didn’t miss the smile that crossed both Finn and
Arjuna’s faces.

Clearing her throat, Symphony gave a slight
nod with only a slight flicker of her eyes in the direction of
Finn. “The Fionaveir are aware of who you truly are, Jala, we have
been since you were born,” she began and paused as if expecting
Jala to object to her words and demand privacy.

Jala nodded and forced a polite smile. “Would
that one of you could have shared that information with me before I
went to Tolanteer. Finn could have been spared a great deal of
pain,” she said trying to keep the sharpness from her tone.

“Only the council has known, else I’m sure
Havoc or Victory would have told you. It was deemed that you needed
more time to learn before you were told, so that you would be
better prepared,” Symphony continued.

“I think that I will have a better chance of
learning what I need to know by knowing who I am,” Jala
countered.

Symphony gave a slight nod. “Perhaps, but it
is a moot point now and not what we have traveled here to speak
of,” she conceded and seemed hesitant to continue.

“You are here because you don’t think she
should marry me,” Finn cut in and Symphony had the decency to look
chagrined.

“We are here because we are concerned that
this might not be the best match for what she has ahead of her. A
political marriage to one of the houses would be more beneficial.
Surely you can see that,” Symphony said carefully.