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

“I don’t like the sound of a quick trip down
a cliff,” Jala returned dryly as she settled beside him on the
ground. Leaning forward a bit she stared down into the inky
blackness, though it was a pointless endeavor and she knew it. It
was hard enough to see three feet in front of her in the Darklands,
let alone down a cliff side.

“Well, we can have a slow trip down if you
prefer. I had planned to ride, but we can walk if you like,” Valor
said with a shrug.

Jala glanced at him and then back to the
cliff side. “You mapped it with the wind didn’t you? That’s what
the breeze was when I woke.” She hadn’t had opportunity to study
much of the Elemental magics beyond her Windblade spell, but Sovann
had managed to explain it to a point.

Valor nodded and plucked a pebble from the
ground beside him. Turning it over in his fingers he motioned past
her. “Two hundred yards that way and there is a rather narrow path
leading down to the base of this cliff.” He paused and motioned in
the opposite direction. “That way? Well, the only way I can find
down is to jump, which, if our magics were working more reliably,
wouldn’t be a bad plan. I don’t like the idea of only one way down.
That pretty much guarantees a fight at the bottom. There will be a
guardian.”

“Ahh. You are optimistic. You said Guardian
as singular. I’m going to guess it will be plural. I’m not feeling
optimistic in the least,” Jala replied, struggling to keep the
bitterness from her voice at his reminder of her magic. She had
assumed that it would work the same in the Darklands as it had in
the land above. That assumption had nearly gotten them killed in
every fight so far. It was sporadic, to say the least. In some
situations her spells worked flawlessly. In others, they simply
didn’t work. For him to say “our magic,” was a kindness. His magics
seemed to be working fine. It was her failing that he was concerned
about. Despair clawed at her once again and she had to fight the
urge to weep. She wouldn’t allow herself that, though, not after
she had dragged them both into this. If she knew they would find
Finn it would be different. She would have no regrets at all then,
but if all of this was in vain…

Valor watched her for a long moment, his
expression unreadable and then slowly nodded. “This place gets to
you after a while doesn’t it? Constant darkness, limited
conversation, and I’ve begun to think it actually feeds despair
into you. Somewhat like an Empath, I suppose.”

“It doesn’t need to feed me despair. I have a
ready supply,” Jala said quietly and brushed her hair back from her
face once more. “It’s too much like Merro here. All that is missing
is a storm and it would be the same as the day my parents died,”
she mumbled, looking up to the sky and half expecting to see
thunderheads forming.

“I’m glad to hear that. It’s quite
reassuring,” Valor said softly.

Jala turned her gaze from the sky and looked
over at him in bewilderment. “What?” she asked in confusion.

“I hope it’s exactly like that day here. As I
recall from the little bits I’ve been told and from the fact that
you are sitting beside me, you defeated Death that day. She wanted
you dead and yet you live. If you can do it as a toddler, it should
be a simple matter now.” He smiled as he spoke, but the expression
seemed forced.

“I had the protection of a god, remember?”
Jala pointed out dryly. The very same god she had disavowed a few
short weeks ago. Fortune was manipulating me, and it’s his fault
that Finn is dead, she reminded herself.

“I fail to see what has changed,” Valor
replied with a smirk as he stood and patted his sword hilt. He
offered her a hand up and she accepted it, shaking her head at him
with the barest hint of a smile touching her lips. “There is some
food prepared near where you were sleeping. Eat something and we
will continue. I’d like to get the descent over with as soon as
possible. The longer we delay, the more my imagination will paint
into the coming fight.”

“Have you even rested, Val?” Jala asked
bluntly as she looked over his disheveled form. His armor was
battered and filthy and his once pristine cloak hung in tatters
behind him in a constant reminder of the fighting they had faced in
the first days here. His face was drawn with dark circles heavy
under his blue eyes. If he had slept, it certainly wasn’t
showing.

“I slept for a time when we stopped,” Valor
replied and motioned to the food once again. “Eat.”

Jala nodded silently and returned to her
pallet. A plate had been left near the head of it, carefully
covered with a cloth. Her stomach growled in response to the sight
of food. “I’m amazed I didn’t notice it right off,” she said as she
sat and broke off a piece of the fried bread.

Valor shrugged as he moved to his horse. “I
would guess your first thoughts revolved around where the hell am
I,” he offered as he began systematically checking the straps and
buckles of the Arovanni’s tack.

“Something like that,” Jala agreed as she
hastily broke off another bite. The food was dry in her mouth but
tasted divine after days of dried beef.

“Catch.” Valor called to her and she looked
up in time to see him toss a flask to her. She caught it and nodded
her thanks before taking a long drink. The water was tepid and
stale but it was the best they had aside from Valor’s wine.

“Val, can I ask you something that has
absolutely nothing to do with our current mission?” Jala began
cautiously between bites.

He glanced back over his shoulder and nodded
before resuming his inspection.

“Why did you swear fealty to me?” Jala asked,
her tone still cautious. The last thing she wanted to do was offend
him. His hands slowed as he continued to tug on the straps and test
the buckles. “It’s not that I doubt you. I can scarcely do that,
considering where we are right now. It’s just… You barely knew
me.”

Valor dropped the last strap and turned back
to face her. He rubbed his face absently and moved to sit across
from her. “At first, there were two reasons. The primary reason
being that Finn wanted me to, bad enough to play the daddy card. I
always knew he wanted something from me badly if he mentioned my
father. The second was for the very slim chance that I might
actually be able to get a fresh start. At that time I didn’t know
you and so I saw the chance as a slim one.” He paused and seemed to
be trying to organize his thoughts. “It wasn’t heartfelt then,
Jala. I won’t lie to you about that, but after you started
restoring Merro, I began to see a glimpse of what could be…” He
trailed off again and met her eyes. “What you are building is my
fresh start. I’ve squandered what I had in Arovan. There I would be
lucky to retain my rank as Captain. The only reason I still have it
is because I haven’t gone home. If I do return home I will lose my
knighthood as well as my military commission. It wasn’t heartfelt
then, but it is now.”

Jala nodded slowly and cleared her throat.
There was another matter that she had to clear up and it would be
more delicate. Once it was settled, however, her mind would be free
of doubts on Valor and she would have one person she could trust
beyond all others, aside from Finn of course. “When we came back
from Sanctuary, Kali kept you longer. You seemed unsettled when you
discovered Emily had witnessed your talk with Kali. Why?” Jala
pressed gently. She wasn’t sure if he would answer this one, but
sincerely hoped he would. The idea of any of her friends being
manipulators was painful, but she couldn’t afford for Valor to be
one, not right now. She needed his support here too much to risk
relying on someone that wasn’t genuinely a friend.

Valor frowned and rose again. Pacing back to
the horse he pulled another flask from the saddle bags and moved
back to join her once more. The smell of wine filled the air as he
removed the stopper and took a long pull. He wiped his mouth with
the back of his hand and let out a long sigh. “Before I answer, may
I ask what has raised these questions?” His tone was formal,
without the faintest hint of warmth. “Have I given you reason to
doubt me?” Valor asked, before she had time to answer.

Jala glanced around the camp and looked back
at him. Letting out a long sigh of her own she pulled on her magic
and prayed that it would work this time. She wanted to answer the
question for him desperately, but knew she couldn’t if others could
overhear. A warm tingle brushed her skin as the wards fell into
place around them. Her shoulders sagged with relief. Had the
protection spell failed she would have had to refuse him and that
could have damaged their fragile friendship beyond repair. She
could tell by the set of his shoulders that he was upset, though
she couldn’t tell if it was actual anger or not. His moods were so
much more difficult to judge when he wasn’t around Finn. Around
Finn, Valor had been an open book with every emotion worn openly.
Without him, the knight was guarded and reserved. “I had a dream
while I slept. He called it a waking dream. It was a warning, I
suppose, and I was reminded how many times I had been manipulated
without even realizing it. Then it was pointed out that my friends
could be part of it. I want to trust you, Valor, and in most ways I
do, but I’ve trusted poorly before.

“Who said it was a waking dream?” Valor
asked, his tone sounding even more guarded. His blue eyes had
narrowed and he was watching her closely.

“War, my grandfather,” Jala answered without
hesitation. By the way he was acting she wondered if he had the
same doubts about her. “We live in a very twisted society you know.
You joined me in hell. That alone should speak volumes for trust.
I’m sorry, Valor I shouldn’t have pressed you.” She shook her head
slowly and broke off another piece of bread.

“No, you should have. Were I actually
manipulating you, I could be delivering you to their doorstep.
Others might, I wouldn’t.” Valor said quietly.

Jala’s chewing slowed and she watched him
with a raised eyebrow. He seemed uncomfortable and shifted, not
meeting her gaze. She swallowed heavily and tilted her head, still
watching him. “Valor, is there something you want to tell me?” she
prompted gently.

“Not really,” Valor mumbled and let out a
long breath. “Kali wanted me to ensure that Finn didn’t come back.”
He began slowly and met her gaze once more. “She said that Finn was
never meant for you and that the two of you would bring devastation
to the world. I found that sickly ironic, considering how she is
constantly trying to kill us all off with her creations. When I
mentioned the fact, she laughed at me and asked if I had never
heard of a common enemy before. Nothing breeds unity like strife, I
suppose. Her words were still fresh in my mind when we tried to
raise Finn.” Valor fell silent and shifted again and rubbed his
face. “I didn’t mention it and I should have. With her words
breeding doubt in my mind… What if I helped the spell fail? I
couldn’t help but feel doubts about it then. I know Finn. I love
him like a brother, but what Kali said is true. He is cold. He is
brutal, and he is utterly without remorse. That influence combined
with your power is terrifying, Jala.” She started to speak but he
held up a hand to stop her. “I should have given you more credit,
though. I was wrong in that. I have doubts of Finn, but I shouldn’t
have doubted you. It’s your power, and how you use it is your
choice. So I’m here to bring him back no matter what. I failed him
when the spell was cast. I failed you when I doubted your
convictions. I will not fail either of you in this.”

Jala watched him silently for a long moment
and then reached a hand out slowly to take his. He raised an
eyebrow at her in question but didn’t pull free. She squeezed the
fingers lightly and summoned as much of a smile as she could. “I
don’t doubt you in the least, Valor. I had the slightest hesitation
from the way you acted after Kali’s, but that is gone now. I trust
you with my life and…” She paused and looked around before giving a
bitter chuckle. “And my soul, I suppose. I know I would be dead by
now if not for you and I know you will do everything you can to
bring Finn back.” Jala released his hand as she finished speaking
and set the plate of uneaten food aside. “Can I trust the others as
I trust you, Valor? You know them better than I do,” she asked
softly.

“I don’t trust Jail. I’ve never been able to
determine if his mind-work on me was entirely in my best interest
or if he had another agenda. I was in line for redemption that
would have been followed by promotions in the knighthood before he
tampered with my will. I have forgiven him for it though. What I
lost is questionable. What I gained was a priceless friendship,”
Valor said quietly. “I don’t trust Wisp much either but that’s
probably being racist. She is Fae and they are sneaky. I truly
haven’t spent enough time around her to know if she is or not,
though. I don’t trust Neph, but you can. He swore an oath to you
and he would rather eat his own boots than break his word. Sovann,
I do trust, perhaps even more than I trusted his brother. Sovann
has a rare trait that very few in Sanctuary possess – integrity. He
cut all ties in his homeland because he couldn’t abide by their
behavior.”

“You answered exactly as War did. He told me
to watch Jail and Wisp and form my own decisions,” Jala said as she
began to gather the blankets and fold them for travel. “Val, can I
ask one more question? You don’t have to answer it if you don’t
want to.” She glanced over at him as she folded the blanket across
her arm.

“Let me do that and you get dressed. And yes,
you can ask another. Even if it’s something I don’t want to answer,
at least it ends this damned silence we have been living in,” Valor
replied as he took the blanket from her and began to gather the
rest of their gear.

“If you are disgraced in Arovan, why did Lord
Arovan give you a commission to lead a thousand of his knights?”
Jala asked.