Age of Valor: Blood Purge

by D. E. Morris

“A couple of weeks, likely.” Jaryn offered Elas a hopeful lift of a brow. “I can try to stretch it out for as long as possible.”

  Elas only shook his head. “It's better done sooner rather than later. Will you at least let us know when you find out her real name? She doesn't respond to whatever that woman told us it was and we'd like to be able to call her by her real name.”

  “Of course.”

  Placing a broad hand on the blue haired man's shoulder, Jaryn gave it a firm squeeze but offered no words of comfort. Ashlynn and Kenayde had lengthy conversations over their shared heartache in not being able to conceive. Jaryn and Elas simply knew how each other was feeling. There was no need to talk about it and make it worse. He could only imagine how it must have been, even for a few hours, having a child in their care. It must have felt like they were a family. Given Kenayde's tender heart, it was easy to imagine her getting wrapped up in the fantasy of it all. This only doubled Jaryn's sorrow for the two of them. Yes, it would certainly break her heart to see the child go.

  Elas nudged him and inclined his head toward the library they were passing, causing Jaryn to look. Inside, Ashlynn sat alone before a blazing fire, her eyes glazed and her head resting against the corner of the high-backed chair in which she sat. Together, the men entered and took up similar seats across from one another that were diagonal to hers. Without moving her head, she looked from one to the other, giving them a weary smile of acknowledgment before returning her attention to the fire.

  “Are you all right?” Elas asked.

  She gave a slight nod and lifted a sluggish hand to rub her eyes. “Just tired, as I'm sure are both of you.”

  “It's been an extremely long day,” Jaryn agreed. “Everything appears to have settled.”

  “Don't say that,” Ashlynn practically whined. “The second you do, something else will happen.”

  Elas shook his head. “I think there's a limit per day for dramatic occurrences. We definitely filled our quota.”

  She gave a quiet chuckle, followed by a soft sigh. “How are our people?”

  “Well on their way to recovery,” promised her brother-in-law. “The potion Kenayde and Badru came up with has soothed the stomach pains and is allowing people to sleep, which is what they desperately need right now. Cavalon is already looking much better than just about everyone else and Rowan will likely be fully healed before morning.”

  “And my father?”

  Jaryn leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “He's been given one dose already but Badru wants him to take a second. Just a precaution because of his age, but really, there's no reason why he shouldn't be right as rain soon enough.” Ashlynn sighed again, prompting Jaryn to reach out and put a reassuring hand on her knee. “It's all right, love. We made it out of this one.”

  “Barely,” she breathed. “And what about next time? You know this is only the beginning. Our enemies are getting stronger, but are we? They have proven they can find our vulnerabilities today. We were warned. All of those people lying ill could have been killed, but they weren't, and that was done on purpose.”

  “I know,” Jaryn conceded. “We shouldn't have allowed Killian to bring that woman in.”

  “What were you supposed to do?” Elas asked, “leave her out in the streets covered in blood? Left her family hanging on posts while they bled to death? You made the best choice you could have made out of terrible options.”

  “Maybe.” Ashlynn shifted in her chair, leaning to the side so she could prop her elbow on the arm and rest the bottom of her mouth in her hand. She stared at the fire for a moment, then turned to her husband. He gave her a fleeting smile to tell her understood the turmoil she wrestled with, but once again, words would do nothing to help the situation. They could all sit there and replay every single decision that led up to the events that had taken place, taking different paths, but none of it would change the outcome.

  The fire dimmed as the night wore on. Thinning logs broke apart and tumbled over one another behind the grate. The silence was occasionally broken by someone walking by, a sniffle, or someone clearing their throat, but for their part, the three companions kept peace between them without words. There was far too much to consider, and they were all too weary to entertain any sort of real plan of action, even if they couldn't stop thinking about it.

  “How goes the Oceana rebuild?”

  None of them had spoken for long enough that a sort of lull had settled on the room. Ashlynn's sudden question, although quiet, startled the other two enough to cause them to jump and bring a tired smile to her lips. “Sorry.”

  Elas leaned forward in his chair, stretching and rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Last I hear, it's going well. Wessely predicts another three years to completion. Much of it had to be torn down before new walls could be erected, which took a bit longer than he was expecting, I think. Eager to have us out?”

  “Quite the contrary,” she promised. “Just considering some options.”

  “Elas, would you mind giving us the room?” asked Jaryn.

  The blue haired man shook his head and stood. “Not at all. I should see if I can help Kenayde get to bed any sooner rather than just sitting here anyway. Try to get some rest tonight, as unlikely as I know that is.”

  “Good night, Elas.” They were quiet again until he had gone, then Jaryn reached for Ashlynn's hand. He ran his thumb over the smooth skin of her palm before bringing it to his lips, assessing her drawn features. “Other than tired and shaken, how are you feeling?”

  Her lips curved into a frown and she sighed through her nose. Green eyes flicked back and forth as though trying to read her own emotions in the dying flames before her. “Numb,” she settled on at length. “I think I'm so overwhelmed at this point that everything in me has sort of...shut down.” Jaryn nodded his understanding before she continued. “I feel too little and too much all at once, and so, I think, it all cancels each other out until I feel nothing at all.”

  “I almost envy you that. All I feel is a building rage that I am fighting desperately against.”

  She pulled her hand back and reached for the tea that had been sitting in a nest of heated rocks on the table beside her. “Here, try some of this.”

  Taking the rose-colored liquid, Jaryn gave it a perfunctory sniff and made a face. “This isn't what you usually drink. This smells like wood.”

  Ashlynn chuckled and gave him a nod of encouragement. “It will help calm you. Trust me. It has done wonders for me tonight.”

  Jaryn took a sip, surprised to find it tasted better than it smelled with the distinct sweetness of honey coating his tongue. Ashlynn watched him as he drank, an eagerness in her eyes that made him smirk. “I'm drinking, I'm drinking!”

  “Good, isn't it?”

  He had to admit that as the warmth of the liquid ran down his throat and filled his belly, there was something soothing and relaxing that felt like it was washing over him. It made him pour himself another cup before pulling his chair closer to Ashlynn. With half of his second cup already almost gone, he set it aside and took both of Ashlynn's hands in his own. He eased her forward so that they met in the middle with their foreheads resting against one another. When his hands framed her face and he pressed a kiss into her brow, she gave a contented sigh.

  “I've been doing a lot of thinking about Lochlainn,” he told her as she lifted her eyes to meet his. “I can't stop playing the whole scene over in my head – what happened, what could have happened. He could have been taken, or killed.”

  “I know,” Ashlynn whispered.

  “I think it might be time, love. We've put it off for as long as we can. If he is to become the next Elemental of Earth, I think it needs to be done sooner rather than later.” He winced. “You have no idea what it does to me to say that, knowing what it will cost you.” Sorrow reflected deep in his eyes. “...knowing what it might cost me.”

  “You will not lose me,” she promised. Though her voice was quiet, it was strong. She wrapped her
slim fingers around his wrists. “After everything we have been through together, do you think you're going to get rid of me that easily?”

  Her attempt at lightening the moment only brought a fleeting smile to his face. “I know you're not keen on the idea of him learning how to use a sword but after today, I think he needs to. Beyond that, there's little else we can do to keep him safe here besides having him under the protection of a personal guard every hour of the day and night. Even that, as we both well know, is not the ultimate answer. His best line of defense would be to have the added strength and healing abilities of the Elemental.”

  Ashlynn nodded as she sat back. With a soft whine, she rubbed her eyes. “No, you're right. I know I've been putting it off for a while but I may not be able to put it off any longer.” Opening her eyes slowly, she asked, “Talk me through it? My brain is hazy.”

  He inhaled and grabbed his unfinished tea. “I can't say as I know all the details since they've changed so often over the past four years, but I'll recount what I remember to be constant. It's always been my understanding that you wanted Badru with you as you bled out, as well as Tasarin, since he would be the one to revive you at the very last second. Cavalon will be with Lochlainn, keeping an eye on him and making sure he's safe and stable. He'll be right there with him as the powers are transferred so he's not alone and hopefully not too frightened. As soon as Lochlainn receives the Element, Tasarin will give you some sort of healing and strengthening elixir. Badru will give you a blood infusion similar to the way Cavalon did that night on the Isle of Contest. If all goes according to plan, after that, both of you will rest up and no one else will be any the wiser.”

  She nodded once more, her eyes far away as she listened. It was only when Jaryn was setting his empty cup down that she asked, “Do you think it will work? Honestly?”

  “It worked before with Mei Xing and her father.” He shrugged. “I'm not saying I'm in favor of it or that I'm looking forward to it, but I recognized the necessity of it.”

  “He is still so young,” she pointed out.

  “Rowan was nine.”

  She didn't say anything more on it, though her expression was pinched. “What about the pages, the ones with the runes on them? Do you still have them?”

  Jaryn's head tilted at the swift change of subject. “Yes, of course. They're safe and locked away in the hidden compartment of my desk as always.”

  “Have you checked since all of this madness settled down?”

  “Yes. Right before Elas and I began walking I ducked in to make sure they were still secure.” He gave her a patient smile. “No one else knows they are even there besides you and I except for your father.” She began twisting one of the rings on her finger and he watched the way her breathing sped. Reaching for her once more, he made her hands still and pulled her close to kiss her. “I promise you that I will not let anything happen to you, to Lochlainn, or those pages.” His whispered words must have brought some comfort, for she smiled against the bristles surrounding his lips and kissed him again. When she leaned into him, clear in her intentions for seeking physical comfort, Jaryn gave a husky chuckle and pulled away. “Come to bed with me.” He could see her hesitation and narrowed his eyes. “You're not going to sit out here all night in your anxiety, Ashlynn. I won't let you. Come to bed.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “Let me check on the children one more time and then I'll be up.”

  As if to remind her what would be waiting for her, he kissed her one more time. “Don't take too long.”

  “I won't.”

  Jaryn rose to his feet, trailing a hand down the side of his wife's face. He cupped her chin with a tender touch before letting her go and leaving the room. The guards that had been following him and Elas now followed him once more. Either the men had been too concerned with her detached state or too wrapped up in their own thoughts to notice, but neither of them had realized she'd been sitting in a room under no protection of her own.

  Hearing the receding footfalls of the armored men, Ashlynn's form shifted, blonde waves cascading in a long, straight sheet of black down the back of the young woman now in the chair. Her skin was slightly darker and her slanted eyes were a deep chestnut brown. A wicked smile curved up the edges of her small pink lips as she rose and crossed the room on silent feet. A glance out into the hallway revealed it to be empty, and she darted from the room with cat-like agility.

  Her chosen path was clear of people. There was little hesitation in her movement, as though she was long familiar with the halls of Altaine and knew exactly where she wanted to go. Every now and then she would need to stop and hide behind a pillar or find another way around if someone was unexpectedly blocking her route, but there was little that took the determination from her face. As she made her way close to the foyer, she almost ran into Connor and Niam as they came in from the outside. Smoke from the fire surrounded them in an invisible cloud. It filled her lungs even as she flinched back into the shadows.

  “In the morning, we'll load the carts with the ashes and bring them to some of the nearby farms,” Niam said. “As long as we make sure not to take any of the human remains, they can use the wood and food ashes for their crops.”

  “The rest can either be buried or dumped out at sea,” Connor grumbled.

  A cough drew their attention to hall to the south wing. Niam raised his torch high, but all that could be seen was a little brown mouse. It hurried across the wide-open space for the safety of the walls of the eastern wing. Continuing on, it squeaking as it sped its way across the stone on four spindly little legs to move around corners, through doorways and up stairs. Pausing just around the corner from which two familiar voices came, the mouse looked around. No one was around to see it grow in size and change back into the form of a human. This time she was older than before, a woman in her later thirties with blonde hair and wearing the simple clothes of a household servant. With quiet confidence, she stepped into the corridor where Ashlynn and Killian stood together in conversation.

  “Your Majesty.” She curtsied as she approached and Ashlynn turned in her direction. “Please forgive my interruption.”

  Ashlynn was tired and a little impatient, but not unkind. “What is it?”

  “The princes have been having nightmares...crying out in their sleep. We weren't sure who to tell since they're too old for nannies, and-”

  “No no, it is quite right that you should tell me.” Ashlynn glanced at a piece of parchment Killian held. “We can talk about this with Jaryn later. It seems I will be sleeping with the boys.” She gave the girl a weary smile of thanks. “Please send word to the king that I will not be joining him tonight.”

  She bent her knee again. “Yes, Your Majesty.” At the dismissal, she turned to disappear back down the way she had come. Once more she took the shape of an animal, a sleek white cat this time to make her trip easier. It wasn't until she reached the stairway leading up to the floor where the royal apartments were that she stopped to sit and listen. All was quiet around her. For the last time that night, her shape changed. Once more she wore the dress of the high queen, her wavy blonde hair in pins and braids. She strolled back into the room with the fire, now practically dead, and pulled a small paper packet out from behind the cushion of the chair in which she'd been sitting. The contents were dumped into Jaryn's abandoned teacup before she added just enough tea to dissolve the mixture. In three gulps, she swallowed it all down. She caught sight of her reflection in the window beside her and could see her own nervousness reflected there. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to slow her racing heart. She lifted her chin before she left the room to go join Jaryn, who was eagerly awaiting her.

  ~*~*~*~

  Elas stood in the doorway to Cavalon and Rowan's room, the little girl with violet eyes in his arms fast asleep. He was quiet as he watched Kenayde checking on her patients. Despite looking worn, he could see the happiness in her tired eyes when Killian told her how much better the two Elementals were doing. Cavalon had bee
n sleeping comfortably for nearly three hours now, a sure sign he was well on the mend, and Rowan was no longer moaning as she sought peaceful rest for herself. Neither of them had gotten sick since they'd received the antidote earlier.

  “Your wife has a gift,” Badru complimented, leaning against the door frame to the left of Elas. The younger man smiled with pride and Badru nodded, watching Kenayde with the admiration of a teacher observing an achieved student. “I have always loved science and chemistry. Learning how things work together and how they do not is as thrilling for me as battle is for others. Knowledge is my addiction. What many call magic I know to be natural chemical reactions that happen when compounds are altered and mixed. I have been doing it for a great many years and I tend to rush through the process of creating and discovering. Watching Kenayde tonight was a treat. I was able to see a fresh mind as it learned, solved mishaps and mistakes, and sought for solutions to correct what did not work. She was much more patient than I ever was when I was just starting out.”

  Elas gave a crooked grin. “With Ashlynn for a sister and me for a husband, I think she had to learn patience to survive.”

  It was hard for Badru not to laugh at that. “Perhaps.” He eyed the baby, his smile dimming as sadness turned his expression into a brief pout. “Poor child. I saw you playing with her earlier when she was still awake. She seems quite taken with you.”

  “Which is saying something, given my face.” Elas looked down at her and ran a finger over her silky cheek. “She's been through a lot these past few days. I hate that it isn't over for her yet.”

  “Do you know the parent Element the family belonged to?”

  Elas shook his head. “No, but she's definitely Gaelic. I can tell by her skin already. Plus, the closer Kenayde and I looked at her hair in the sun, it's more silver than blonde, and only Gaels have hair that's oddly colored anymore.”

  Kenayde was smiling as she joined the two men, her head tilted so she could look down at the baby. She didn't even have to ask Elas to share, he simply held her over, depositing her into Kenayde's arms as though it was the most natural thing between them. The baby's breath hitched and she shifted, but otherwise stayed asleep as Kenayde bobbed on her feet. “Are we talking about this little one?”