Valor smiled faintly and looked up at the lightening sky. “Neph will give me an honored grave if I don’t get you back home and out of this cold,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry you can’t go home,” Jala offered with a frown and looked over the fields one last time.
“Ahh. I’m about to, Jala, if you have enough strength left to take us. Arovan was my home. Merro is my home now,” Valor replied with a faint smile.
“May that never change. I think I would be lost without you, Valor. I love all of my friends but after what we have faced together there is no one I rely on more than you,” Jala said as she drew on her magic once more and began the casting that would return them to Merro.
Chapter 14
Sanctuary
The Spell Hawk tilted hard to the left and Shade pushed himself straight in his seat once more. “Bring the nose back level,” he ordered.
“The steering is incredibly touchy isn’t it?” Symphony replied as she leveled the controls and sent them tilting sharply to the right. Letting out a peal of laughter she tried to correct once more, shaking the ship violently in the process.
“Yeah, pretty touchy,” Shade agreed, his voice pitched several tones higher than normal. Swallowing heavily he pried his hands from the armrests and sat straight once more. “That’s the water Symphony,” he said as calmly as he could. Glancing over at her then back at the view screen as he spoke. “Water, Symphony,” he repeated, leaning forward a bit in his seat to stare at the rapidly approaching waves. He glanced once more at Symphony. She sat very still in her seat a distant look on her face. “Water!” Shade bellowed and she jumped in her seat. His heart thumped painfully against his chest and he finally realized what it must be like for Charm when he was flying.
With unsteady hands she pulled upwards on the controls and looked over at him with a sheepish expression. “Mental link I’m so sorry. I didn’t think it would distract me that much,” Symphony apologized with a small shrug.
Prying his fingers once again from the seat he returned the smile with a quick nod. “No problem,” he said his voice nearly a squeak in tone.
“You don’t do well as a passenger, do you?” Symphony asked with a smile.
“No, I suppose I really don’t,” Shade admitted and let out a shaky laugh. “Everything OK? That mental link must have been important for you to zone out like that.”
“It was an update from Lutheron. The Firym have sent a hundred troops to help hold the city. The Faydwer have sent a handful of mages and their Ambassador. Jala Merrodin has returned from the Darklands and has apparently barely survived her quest, and last but not least, Delvay attacked the Rivasan border in force early this morning. Reports are still coming in but it appears as though the Rivasan suffered horribly,” Symphony said and then sighed heavily. “I don’t want anyone to suffer, and they all seem determined to kill each other off,” she complained with another sigh.
“One would think they would be more concerned with the Blight infestation,” Shade said in a disgusted voice.
“The Blights don’t seem to attack our opposition at all,” Symphony told him, her gaze moving from the view screen to look at his face. “It’s as if they have some way of controlling the creatures.”
“It’s House Morcaillo controlling them,” Shade confided, shaking his head. “I tried to tell the Fionaveir that when I first arrived but I don’t think they truly believed me.” He paused and glanced at Symphony with a smile. “Did you know you steer in the direction you are looking and we are nearly going back the same way we just came from?” he asked in a conversational tone.
Symphony laughed and shook her head. “I did that on purpose, Shade. I might not be a good pilot yet, but I’m not that bad. Today’s lesson will have to be cut short; I have to get back to Sanctuary.”
“We have barely been out of the city twenty minutes and they already need you back?” Shade asked with a shake of his head. “You never get time to yourself. From breakfast on you are reading reports or training.”
“And my time will only get more precious if we succeed in our goal,” Symphony agreed with a smile. “If it stops the constant wars and brings some peace to this world, it’s worth it though. Don’t you agree?”
“I do. I don’t see how you are going to manage it, though. They tell you only what they want you to hear. How can you lead with only half the information?” Shade asked. It was a common enough topic between the two of them. Over the past few days he had been doing his best to fill her in on the scant information that he knew, and on occasion had even eavesdropped for her to learn more. There wasn’t much of importance that was actually said aloud, though. If it was truly delicate information, mental links were generally used and with that he was useless.
“I’d like you to come to the meeting with me discreetly. After it is over, I want to know what you think of what is said there,” Symphony said with another glance toward him.
“Watch it or we will be going back out to sea again. You steer where you look,” Shade teased, but gave her a slight nod in answer to her request. “I’ll sit in the back as silent as a mouse and save all of my bitching until we are alone,” he promised.
Symphony laughed and gave him another smile. “Are you so certain you will be wishing to bitch afterwards,” she asked as the skyline of Sanctuary came into view ahead of them.
Shade stared at the city and let out a faint breath. “Beautiful isn’t she. She has some battle scars but she is still an absolute beauty.” Glancing over at Symphony he returned the smile. “And yes, I’m positive I will.”
“You really love this city, don’t you?” Symphony asked in a quiet voice.
“With most of my heart. It’s been my home for a long while. Morcath should be considered my true home, I suppose, but that’s not how it feels. I know every stone of this city and most of the people who live here. Well, at least in my district.” He frowned and cleared his throat. “My former district that is,” he corrected with a twinge of regret. It wasn’t that he missed his family at all, but he did miss his people. They had relied on him and he had walked away from them without a backward glance. Had he been there for them the night of the attack on the city he could have spared them the worst of the suffering. Instead he had been on the side causing the damage and making their already difficult lives more painful.
“You make me nervous when you get that look on your face, Shade.” Symphony spoke in a low voice and was watching him far more closely than she should have been, given that she had the controls and they were very near the sky port already.
“Do you prefer the look of utter terror that will appear very soon if you don’t start paying attention to where you are flying?” Shade asked with a raised eyebrow.
She chuckled faintly and turned back toward the view screen. “Every time you get that look I wonder if you regret your decision to join us,” Symphony pressed. Cautiously she began to lower their altitude as they approached the Sky Port. There was already a small crowd gathered at the edge, no doubt waiting for their absent Empress’s return.
“I don’t regret walking from my House. I regret abandoning my people. I have doubts that I have joined the right side at times, but those mostly just occur when I am obviously set up and about to die,” Shade said with a grin.
“You are truly convinced we have a traitor aren’t you?” Symphony sighed. Once again it was a topic they had been over more than once and was rather worn through.
“I am truly convinced that before long you will think so too,” Shade replied as the ship came to a stop. “You are a smart girl. Given enough rope, your traitor will hang himself. The set-up with the Justicars was only the first betrayal. There will be more.”
“So you say,” Symphony sighed and unbuckled the flight harness. “Of course it could be you,” she pointed out with a smirk. “And then I would be a fool to listen to anything you said. You might simply be sowing dissention in the ranks.”
“Quite, let me continue the sowin
g. Lutheron is an ass. Caspian is so quiet it’s creepy. Faramir is bossy, and Vaze just scares me. There, that pretty much covers all of your advisors,” Shade said with a grin as he rose from his chair.
“You didn’t mention Remedy,” Symphony pointed out flatly with a dry expression on her lovely face.
“Remedy? Not even I am a big enough idiot to insult the man you are in love with. That would practically be suicide. Besides I don’t see him enough to find fault with him. Amazing. The one person you adore to be with, and he is never around.” Shade paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully then looked at her with an amazed expression. “Why, Lutheron plans their missions doesn’t he? Hmm. And he keeps Remedy gone all of the time. Well, I think that’s clear evidence on my he-is-an-ass theory. I wonder what else I might be right about.”
Symphony chuckled lightly and shook her head at him in amazement. “Vaze is away too. Is that conspiracy as well?” she asked, pausing beside the door to look back at him.
“No, that is a blessing. As I said he is scary,” Shade replied with a grin and motioned once more toward the door.
“Vaze is not scary,” Symphony protested as she pushed the door open and stepped from the Spell Hawk.
“I’m not?” Vaze asked in a mockery of a shocked voice.
“Damn it!” Shade burst out as he dropped down the last stair. He glowered at Symphony and then looked to Vaze who leaned casually against the side of the Spell Hawk with a smile on his face. “I was telling her a story about some idiot that thought you were scary. She has the same opinion as me though you are definitely not scary,” Shade said with a grin before glaring at Symphony once more as she burst into laughter.
“Shade you are a horrible liar,” Symphony managed through more giggles as she hugged Vaze and smiled up at him. “Welcome back. Where have you been the past few days? Not even Lutheron seemed to know.”
“Goswin, then the Darklands, then Merro,” Vaze answered. He motioned toward the crowd near the edge of the port and smiled at her. “I told them if they approached, I would eat their souls. If you want to speak with any of them you will have to call them over.”
“Eating souls now, eh? That’s a new one. So I am to understand that you have been assisting Lady Merrodin then?” Symphony asked as they began walking. She purposefully kept her gaze from the patiently waiting crowd and headed instead for the Justicar’s hall.
“So if you don’t see them, they aren’t really waiting for you. Is that how that works?” Shade asked, keeping his gaze on the ground as they walked.
“No, I don’t see them at all. Especially not the three that are waving for my attention,” Symphony replied. “Answer, Vaze,” she added with a bit of authority in her voice.
“To say yes would suggest that I had gone against Lutheron’s direct order not to intervene,” Vaze said softly.
“And to say no would be lying to me?” Symphony asked.
“I do find myself in a delicate place. I think I prefer to say nothing,” Vaze mused.
“Hmm. Was she successful?” Symphony asked in a softer voice.
“She was successful at returning with Finn’s soul. The resurrection however was not successful. I was forced to send him back to the Darklands. Death was soulriding him and he was a danger to everyone in the sunlit world as long as Death had him as a conduit,” Vaze explained.
Symphony let out a long wistful sigh. “I was hoping she would succeed all the way around. I can’t imagine loving someone so much that you would do such a thing. I feel sorry for her.”
“She didn’t even know him that long. There is no way she could have loved him that much,” Shade snapped irritably.
“Oh, that’s right. You had a bit of a rivalry on that account didn’t you?” Symphony asked, flicking her gaze in his direction.
“Not much of one, really. I was witness to the whole damned thing and there is no way it could have been that deep a relationship. Finn was too shallow a person for anything that deep,” Shade answered stiffly.
Symphony nodded in a mockery of agreement and then looked back to Vaze. “Is she truly as wounded as they say? Should we have her brought to the city for healing?”
Vaze raised an eyebrow and shook his head faintly. “She took serious wounds but she will recover of that I am certain. You show more interest in her than you do any other lord. Do you realize that, Sym?”
Symphony sighed and gave a nod of her own. “I feel responsible for her troubles and I suppose I relate with her better than I can the others. Elijah Arovan, Arjuna Firym, and Jaradon Faydwer all know exactly what they are doing and how to do it. Jala Merrodin is different. She knows what she wants to do but not how to do it,” she said softly.
“Exactly like you,” Vaze agreed with a nod.
“I have a council, though, and she has a court of those who are just as clueless as she is. So I worry about her,” Symphony continued, a frown creasing her full lips.
“Nephondelvayon is not what I would call clueless. That one is easily as formidable as his elder brother,” Vaze objected. Moving ahead of them quickly he took the stairs to the Justicars hall two at a time until he reached the door and then held it open for the pair of them as they walked through.
“I’m so glad Morcath doesn’t have names like that one. Can we call him simply Neph so I don’t tie my tongue in a knot?” Shade asked, glancing at Symphony hopefully.
She chuckled in response and the frown on her face disappeared as she nodded. Shade let out a dramatic sigh of relief and found Vaze watching him with an approving expression as he turned back toward the hall.
“I’ve heard he is difficult to deal with,” Symphony said to Vaze as she returned to their discussion.
“Neph is like dealing with a rabid bear that has been doused in ice water, beaten with a stick, and called dirty names. He snarls, growls, and if you get too close, he bites,” Shade offered helpfully.
“You know him then, personally?” Symphony asked turning back to face him once more.
“I went to school with him. Of course I know him. He has been the Spell champion at the Spring Games for so long they might as well just hand him the trophy at the beginning of the contest and spare everyone the embarrassment of losing to him. He was first in his class on all his magic studies as well as most of his other classes. He is talented, frighteningly intelligent, cunning, and has the exact personality that I described with the bear analogy. And for some reason he latched onto Jala after the Rivana trip and shows her more courtesy than I’ve seen from him in four years of association at the Academy,” Shade explained quickly as they turned down the last hall before the council room.
“Any idea why he did?” Symphony asked looking over to Vaze with a raised eyebrow.
“Her blood. The Delvay are religious,” Vaze explained quietly.
“I see,” Symphony agreed with a nod and smiled at Shade. “I’ll see you after the meeting, then,” she said with a quick smile as Vaze opened the council door for her.
“You might as well come in now and hide. The room is still empty and it will spare you having to sneak in later,” Vaze said as Shade started to leave.
“What?” Shade asked freezing in place and then slowly turning back to look at Vaze, an expression of innocence painted on his features. “I wouldn’t sneak in…” he began but Symphony held up a hand to silence him.
“Don’t even try. As I said you are a horrible liar and Vaze is scary smart,” Symphony said with a grin.
“So scary,” Vaze agreed with a smirk as Shade frowned at both of them as he ducked into the room.
Symphony laughed softly and dropped into her chair at the head of the council table. “So are the rest of her court as talented as Neph. Should I rest easier and not worry so much for her?” she asked Vaze as he sat down beside her.
“Jail Han’shy has worked with the Fionaveir in the past. He relayed information to our contact in the Justicars. He is terrifying with his Mind magic and is one that I keep a close eye on for that ver
y reason. Valor Hai’dia was the shining star of Arovan until an unfortunate incident when a rival sabotaged him. He is quite possibly the most valiant one she has beside her and has sworn a blood oath to protect her. His loyalty is such that he accompanied her on her quest into the Darklands.” Vaze paused and tapped the table, his eyes looking back and forth, then rose once more. Moving to a cupboard he produced a decanter and two glasses. “Wisp Faydwer is an Earth mage with enough power to single handedly rebuild most of the northern portion of Merro by herself in a little over a week. She is fully trained in court politics and was briefly considered for raising to Heir of Faydwer until she found out and sabotaged herself,” he continued as he poured the glasses and sat one down before her. Taking a small sip of his own, he dropped down into his chair and smiled at her. “Sovann Sovaesh is an Arcanetech genius. If he can dream it, he can build it. He was considered too advanced to bother with the Academy at age fourteen. He also has too much integrity to side with the Avanti, despite the fact that he was raised there.”
Symphony nodded slowly as she digested the information and took a small sip from her drink. Eyes widening, she looked down at the glass and then back to Vaze with a questioning look. “What did I just drink? It tingles,” she demanded.
“Essence wine. One of Sovann Sovaesh’s inventions. Not only does it get you drunk it restores your magic at the same time. Not the best idea in my opinion but a popular drink among the Elder Blood,” Vaze explained with a grin. “She has youth surrounding her Symphony, but she has the cream of the crop. The ones that fled the city with her were the most talented of this generation. With the exception of Shade whose high moral standards unfortunately left him out of that particular group.”
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes Page 23