The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey

by Melissa Myers

  He chewed on his lower lip with a thoughtful expression. “You don’t drink often either, do you?” He asked.

  “Umm no. I tasted beer once and it was awful,” she answered, and wondered why the words sounded so strange.

  He gave a slight snort of laughter. “You, my dear, are drunk,” he announced.

  “I think it might have been the transport. I didn’t feel this wobbly when we left the inn,” she objected.

  “I think the wine hadn’t hit you fully yet, and it’s only now caught up with you,” he corrected gently. “The transports cause a moment’s dizziness, but my dear you are wavering on your feet and slurring your words,” he said gently. She frowned up at him, and he offered his arm to her. “Here, until you are steadier. We have a bit of a walk, and there is a possibility that Sovann has something to sober you up.”

  She took his arm, and he began to lead her through the streets. “We are in the Morcaillo district,” she blurted, once she had noticed the color of the lights.

  “You know this area?” He asked, sounding a bit shocked.

  “No, not at all, but I live in Shade’s…err…Christian’s wing.” She stumbled a bit on the name. She had gotten completely out of the habit of calling him Christian at all. Finn’s arm seemed to tense for a moment, and she wondered why she had even said that. She knew they didn’t get along well. “You are related to him, though, aren’t you? You bear some resemblance,” she added, wondering if he would even answer.

  “Distantly.” He gave a sigh. “My great grandfather on my father’s side is Shade’s uncle.” He clarified and gave her a slight smile. “You can call him Shade. Not many bother with Christian unless they are addressing him directly and are not close friends. Everyone knows his shades of grey theory,” he finished.

  “You don’t get along with him either, I take it. I had wondered if it was mutual or one sided,” she said, a little depressed at the thought because she enjoyed both of their company. She stumbled again on a cobble, and Finn paused to let her regain her balance.

  “He doesn’t approve of my lifestyle, and I don’t care. That pretty much sums it up. It’s not that we hate each other or anything. We simply choose not to be around each other. He is still somewhat upset with me about a duel last year, as well,” he explained.

  “He was really hoping Lex would beat you. I thought he had, till you threw him,” she mumbled. She felt her eyes widen as she realized what she had said. She looked up at Finn anxiously hoping he hadn’t taken offense.

  He gave a snort of amusement at her expression. “My dear, I am not a High Lord. I don’t judge every word and weigh it for insult. Of course, Shade wanted Lex to beat me, Lex is a good friend of his, that’s natural,” he said gently and stopped. With care, he leaned her back against a wall and made sure she was steady. “I’m going to knock and make sure he is up. Wait right there.” He watched her to make sure she had understood, and quickly went up a few stairs and banged hard on a door. “Sovann!” he called, in a voice loud enough she was sure the entire neighborhood had heard.

  She looked around to make sure lights weren’t springing on around them and was amazed to discover there were no houses around. They were in what seemed like a warehouse district. “Your brother lives in a warehouse?” she asked warily.

  He glanced back down at her and seemed about to answer when the door in front of him opened. A slender young man in loose fitting tunic and breeches stood lined in light from the room behind him. His expression was one of complete exasperation. Jala looked between the two brothers with amusement. Sovann was lean where Finn was muscled, and his hair was long where Finn’s was cut short. It was as if the two of them had resolved to look opposite the other.

  “What?” Sovann demanded. He gave a slight sniff in his brother’s direction. “Are you drunk?” he asked, his tone annoyed.

  “No, but she is. Have anything to fix that by any chance?” Finn replied mildly and motioned for Jala to join him on the stairs. She gave him a questioning look, and it was obvious Sovann didn’t want their company. “It’s OK, he is always like this. He is my little brother. It’s all right for me to push him around.” As if to emphasize his words, he gave Sovann a gentle but solid push on the chest, knocking him back a few steps into the room.

  “Why are you bringing your women to my place now?” Sovann growled from inside the door.

  “She isn’t my woman, she is apparently Shade’s whom I believe is your current business partner. She needs help, and you are going to help her,” Finn replied. He glanced back at Jala again and made another slight motion with his hand. “C’mon, it’s OK. He is always this prickly. Personally, I think he needs…”

  “You not to worry about what I need,” Sovann cut in before Finn could finish. “Bring her in while I’ll get something to sober her up.” His voice faded slightly, and she heard the sound of his footsteps as he disappeared back into the warehouse. She climbed the steps unsteadily, and Finn quickly held out his arm.

  “No worries, doll, you will be walking straight in no time,” he said as she reached the top step.

  Finn led her inside with the care one would give to an invalid. They passed by several darkened halls branching off from the dimly lit main hall and then entered a huge room. Enormous vats lined the walls, and she could see steam rising from the top of them. The center of the room held several tables all cluttered with an assortment of bottles and beakers. On the very back table, closest to the wall, she could see what looked like streams of very thin light in different colors rising from the table, where they seemed to be swallowed by crystals suspended in a semi-circle in midair. She was gawking openly when Sovann reentered the room.

  He took one look at her face and then followed her gaze and looked back seeming pleased. “It’s my latest project. Here, drink this and I’ll show you, and then Finn can explain what in the Aspects is going on.” He handed her a small glass vial as he spoke and abruptly turned to cross to the waiting crystals and lights. She looked at the vial and then to Finn who nodded, and she gave a shrug. With a quick twist, she removed the lid and downed the vial and promptly gagged. It was the foulest tasting substance she had ever even smelled, let alone tasted. Had she examined it closer before putting it to her lips she never would have considered drinking it. She fought her roiling stomach for a moment, and noticed Finn’s hand was still steadying her.

  “I really think he does that on purpose,” Finn whispered in sympathy. “I think he makes it taste like that to torture me, since I’m usually the only one ever drinking it.”

  She gave a shuddering breath and noticed her head beginning to clear. She stood a bit straighter and shook her head at Finn. “Next time, I’ll stay drunk,” she gasped.

  His expression was one of complete understanding. She gave another quick shudder and wished she had something to wash her mouth out with. To her delight, Finn handed her a flask. “Just take a sip or we will have to repeat the whole process,” he cautioned.

  “What is it?” She asked with obvious hesitation.

  “Jimpa Brandy,” he replied.

  His eyes were roving around the warehouse, so he didn’t see the surprise on her face. She took a small sip, and a warm sweetness filled her mouth. She could taste the Jimpa fruit clearly in the alcohol and savored the familiar flavor. It had been so long since she had tasted that. “I thought Jimpa only grew in Merro. How did you get brandy made from it?” she asked cautiously.

  “My father serves House Avanti. I get perks from that. The High Lord there stockpiles wines and various other liquors to age them for ungodly amounts of time. In this case, a little over ten years,” he explained as he took back the flask and tucked it into his pocket.

  Sovann cleared his throat and Finn gave her a smile. “He either wants to show off his new project, or he wants to hasten us out of his warehouse. Either way, shall we?” He said and waved his hand gallantly toward where his brother stood waiting.

  To her relief, keeping her balance was no longer
a difficult act, and she crossed the room quickly, filled with curiosity as to whatever his project was, and if he could actually help her with her magic. She could see a sword balanced in the center of the table when she got closer. It was balanced carefully on several metal pegs and the streams of light seemed to be originating from its blade.

  Finn looked down at it unimpressed. “You really need to get out more, Sovann,” he said dryly.

  Sovann gave him a withering glare and looked to Jala where his glare diminished at the sight of her obvious interest. “This sword is a mage killer. It absorbs magic from its blade pierces,” he began. His slender fingers motioned to one of the beams of light. “What I am doing is separating the magic inside per type of magic,” he finished, sounding rather pleased.

  “Why?” Finn asked. Both his voice and his expression suggested he thought the whole idea a complete waste of time.

  Sovann flicked his gaze toward his brother and ignored the question. “I am then storing it in crystals and classifying the different types of magics I find. From what I’ve discovered so far this sword predates the barrier. There are magical energies here that are simply not found in Sanctuary. With luck and a lot of study, I’ll be able to master the magics I find,” he explained, his attention fully on her as if Finn no longer mattered.

  “I didn’t even know such a thing was possible,” Jala said in a bit of awe. She could count at least twenty crystals. She had believed magic was magic. The idea that there were different kinds of magic was a bit overwhelming at her current level of knowledge.

  “Now, what was it you needed help with?” Sovann asked her politely, still apparently ignoring Finn.

  “I’m supposed to be studying at the Academy this year, in the first circle, and I can’t seem to master any magic. I understand I’m supposed to be able to cast the most basic spells just to pass Admissions, and at this point I can’t even summon a small light,” she answered miserably.

  Sovann raised an eyebrow and looked at her. His eyes seemed to lose focus for a second and then he gave a short snort of amusement. “Easy enough, you have a block on your power,” he said. Sovann turned and abruptly slapped his brother’s hand as Finn reached for one of the crystals. “Don’t touch anything, Finn,” he ordered, and looked back to Jala choosing once again to ignore Finn.

  Finn gave her a grin and winked, then leaned back against the table. She could tell from his expression he enjoyed tormenting his brother far too much. “Why would she have a block?” Finn asked.

  Sovann gave a shrug. “Most parents put blocks on their children when they are very little, to prevent the more ambitious ones from starting fires and such when they have a temper tantrum.” He explained. He gave Jala a slight frown. “Your parents should have taken it off you well before now though. Certainly before they sent you to the Academy,” he added.

  “My parents died when I was young, I was raised in an Aspectvar,” she explained quietly.

  Finn turned to regard her thoughtfully, and she saw a flicker of what looked like sympathy, for just a moment on his face.

  Sovann simply nodded with understanding. “That would explain that. I can, of course, remove the block, and if you have about an hour, I can most likely teach you a few minor spells to get you past admissions,” he offered.

  A smile broke across her face and she felt her heart give a small leap. “Really? You would do that?” She asked, excitement filling her voice. Both brothers seemed amused by her response.

  Sovann looked between the two of them again and his expression shifted to puzzlement. “Finn, your fate line is reaching for her,” he said with hesitation.

  “His what?” Jala asked.

  “I highly doubt that. She really isn’t my type, Sovann. She has morals, and you know I hate that in women,” Finn replied to his brother with a smile.

  Sovann gave a weary sigh. “You don’t have to be sleeping with her for fate lines to touch, you cretin. She could simply be a friend and your fates might run together.” He snapped at Finn and then looked to her. “Fate line is a magical term. Let me see how best to explain.” He paused and tapped his chin as he searched for words.

  Finn shook his head again. “I don’t have female friends, Sovann. I have women I haven’t slept with yet. And as sweet as Jala is, she would require too much effort. I much prefer women that fall into my bed with very little effort.”

  Jala looked at him and frowned. She had thought them well on the way to becoming friends, but apparently not.

  Sovann looked at his brother in annoyance. “You are such a pig at times. I can’t believe we are actually related.”

  Finn gave him a charming smile and a wink. “I know, but I’m sure Father has looked into it by now and decided he has to accept you regardless. Besides, I think Mother loves him far too much to have cheated on him. So we will simply have to believe you were dropped on the head or something,” he said.

  Sovann glared at him a moment, and Finn made a light oinking sound that had Sovann once again ignoring his brother. He turned his attention fully back to Jala. “A fate line is quite simply as it says. I cannot describe it any better. It is a thread of your aura, or soul. It shows the path of your life. Yours has scars, but I won’t ask. I wouldn’t have mentioned it, had it not been for my brother. I find it sickly ironic that not even his fate line can stay away from beautiful women,” Sovann said with a sigh. Finn gave a laugh at his words and Jala simply shook her head in disbelief.

  Sovann cleared his throat before speaking again. “Before we begin, let me explain the fundaments of magic to you. Well, basic fundaments anyway. It will make the process of learning much easier for you.” She gave him a nod, and he continued. “There are three basic types of mages. Those, of course, have various schools to them, but for now we will stick with basics only. The first type is the Channeler. This type of mage channels energy from a particular focus. It varies from caster but it is generally just one type. Aspects, for example, are Channelers where their focus is faith. The more faith their followers have the stronger power they have to call on. Understand?” he asked, once he had finished the explanation in clear precise tones.

  “Yes,” she answered with a nod.

  “With a Channeler, if they have full access to their focus they are nearly unstoppable. But if you take away that focus they must rely on their own personal store of magic which is rarely ever much. You see every Immortal has a personal store of magic. Those cretins such as my brother who rely on swords have very, very small reservoirs. A Channeler is the same essentially. They rely on a focus as much as my brother does his sword, so they never build a strong reservoir.” He watched her until she nodded her understanding and calmly moved on.

  “Then there are Weavers. They are much rarer, and you will almost never encounter one. I am a Weaver, so you are lucky to actually meet one. We draw magic from everything around us, small amounts as a rule. And we cannot draw much magic from any one thing or we will destroy it, or kill it, if it happens to be a living target. Our magic is not as battle-worthy as a Channeler, but we excel at the creation of magical objects.” He motioned toward the sword as if to emphasize his words. “We have other talents, of course, but the main thing to remember is Weavers can draw off of you even if you do not wish them to, and if they have ill intent they can kill you just by doing so,” he finished. She gave another nod for him to continue, absorbing every word he spoke as if it were the gospel of Fortune.

  “Last, there are Sorcerers. Pay close attention here. You qualify as one,” he cautioned, and she raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn’t actually expected to qualify as any sort of mage. She was just hoping to learn enough to pass Admissions. “Unlike the Channeler or the Weaver, a Sorcerer’s magic is innate. They can simply see a magic and mimic it. The other two have to study a spell and commit it to memory from runes or books. However, Sorcerers do not use a focus or draw magic from the outside world. It comes only from their reservoir. For this reason alone, there are not many powerful So
rcerers. In order to build your personal store of magic, you must exercise it, such as Finn working out with his weights. You must steadily use more and more. This will leave you in a constantly weakened stage until you get your reserves to the level you wish them to be.” He paused, watching her closely.

  “How do my reserves refill if I don’t draw magic from the outside world,” she asked.

  “Excellent question and proof you are listening closely. It will occur naturally on its own. Meditation will help, as will sleep, but the speed it regenerates depends on the casters and their strength. A very powerful Sorcerer will refill his reserves before a weak one. Despite how it might seem, the weak one would be at full capacity first given the smaller reservoir,” he answered.

  “You should teach at the Academy,” she told him with a grin. “You explain everything so clearly,” she added.

  He gave a pained groan. “Aspects no. I’d not wish that on my worst enemy. Now, another thing you have to know is that Sorcerers have what are called Familiars. If you watch for them at the Academy, you will notice them. They are usually some sort of common small animal like a cat, or a bird. I’ve even heard of frogs and such. It depends on the person. The best way to explain the Familiar is that it is an extension of your soul. So the animal that comes to you will be a reflection of your inner self.” Sovann raised an eyebrow at her and smiled. “I don’t know you well enough to hazard a guess at what yours might be, but do you understand what I mean about them?” He asked.

  “I think. You are saying, by seeing a person’s Familiar I can define certain qualities about him, such as a Sorcerer with a cat could be considered intelligent, curious, or perhaps cruel, whereas a Sorcerer with a rat is likely cunning and resourceful, and most likely a bit sneaky,” she answered with only a hint of hesitation.

  “That is pretty close to the mark. You get the general idea of it. You will have to come back and show me what sort of animal comes to you. I admit I’m rather curious.” He sat down on a stool and motioned her to do the same. “Have a seat and we will start learning a few basic spells. Just watch me and attempt to mimic my actions. It will be rough at first, but once you figure it out only the size of your reserves will limit you.” Sovann said and indicated a stool across the table from him.