Chapter 19
Kithvaryn
Warm arms wrapped around her and Jala sighed in contentment. Her eyes still closed, she nuzzled closer to the warmth and smiled. “Finn,” she breathed. All of her frustration and pain melted away with the strength of his arms. “I had the most horrible dream,” she mumbled as a wave of icy wind brushed across her face.
“I’m not Finn, Jala, and it’s not a dream.” Sovann’s voice shattered the fragile illusion her dreams had built and Jala’s eyes snapped open.
They were huddled together, pressed against a wall and the ground beneath them was lurching with a sickening pitch. Another roar of wind sent waves of water crashing down beside them, but the thick cloak Sovann had wrapped around both of them shielded the worst from her.
“Where are we?” Jala demanded, her eyes frantically searching the sky above for any sign of stars. Her father had taught her a bit about the stars and a glimpse would have given her a slight clue of her location. The sky however was shrouded with thick black clouds and driving rain.
“In hell,” Sovann muttered as he raised the edge of the cloak to block another torrent of water.
“No, that looks different,” Jala pointed out dryly, her eyes searching frantically for Marrow. There was no sign of her familiar anywhere around her and she felt panic rising in her chest. “Where is Marrow? Where is Valor? And most importantly, where are we?” she demanded once more, her voice rising in pitch with each word. The last thing she could remember was raising the dead of Goswin. It had taken everything she had to see the last of the souls brought back, but with the help of Zachary and the witches they had finally managed it.
“Marrow is with Valor. I think he is trying to calm him down. We are on a ship and should be very near Kithvaryn if the damned boat doesn’t capsize. I’m not sure what you said to Valor but he is certainly living up to the title Stormlord. I just wish he would have chosen a better time to do it,” Sovann explained, his voice thick with misery.
“What? I have no idea what I said to Valor that would upset him. Are you sure the storm is of his making and not simply the weather?” Jala gasped, her eyes searching the surroundings once more. She could see the shape of the ship now that she was looking for it. They were sitting in a recess on the deck and leaning back against the door to the hold.
“I’m positive the storm is of his making. It started in Goswin not long after you finished your magic. Valor was helping you back to Anthe’s and we had planned to rest there until you were able to travel. Then Valor’s expression darkened and so did the skies. He handed you into my care and stalked off around the time the snow began to fall. Within an hour it was a blizzard and not long after that, Anthe was very politely asking me to get Valor the hell out of her country. She has well over ten thousand homeless people right now and a blizzard was the last thing she needed,” Sovann grumbled and held up the cloak once more as another wave sprayed water across their feeble shelter. “The bloody storm followed us to the coast and now across the sea. I did have us in the hold for a while but it started to flood below. I made this damned ship with magic, Jala, it has no leaks in the hold. The flooding is from all of the bloody storm waves.”
“I need to talk to him,” Jala said quickly as she pulled herself free from the cloak. A lance of pain in her chest pulled her up short and she leaned back against the door as she struggled to find the source of her injury. Staring down, her eyes locked on her breasts and she groaned softly. She hadn’t even considered what the effects of being away from Legacy for so long would be for her. It had been a simple arrangement to find a wet nurse in Merro for her child. It was apparently not such a simple thing for her. With a sigh she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and pushed away the problem for the moment. It was uncomfortable, but it was nothing that would kill her anytime soon, nor would her throbbing head. Valor’s temper on the other hand might very well kill them all if she didn’t resolve the problem.
“If you can’t calm him down, will you at least knock him out? Maybe if he is unconscious the damned storm will die down,” Sovann pleaded and she noticed the pale green tint to his skin for the first time. Finn had spoken of being a sailor in the past, but apparently his younger brother didn’t handle ship travel as well. By his appearance, Sovann was quite sea sick.
“I will calm him down, Sovann,” Jala promised as she climbed from the shelter quickly and crossed to the rail of the ship. Lightning filled the sky as she crossed to the rail and the crack of thunder that followed was nearly deafening. Blinking quickly, Jala tried to clear her eyes of the momentary blindness as she seized the rail of the ship in a death grip.
“Get back below!” Valor bellowed from somewhere to her right and she began to creep in that direction, moving both hands along the railing as she walked. Another wave crashed against the boat and her breath caught as the icy water drenched her. Gasping, she searched the deck until she located Valor at the wheel of the ship and glaring at her with an expression she had never before seen on his face – pure fury.
“I need to talk to you,” Jala called back, hoping he could hear her through the wind.
“Get back below!” Valor repeated with more force in his voice.
In hindsight perhaps you shouldn’t have gotten drunk on Essence wine while you had a guilty conscience, Marrow offered softly in her mind in a voice filled with utter misery. She could barely make out the Bendazzi’s form where he crouched behind Valor. From what she could see of him, the cat was drenched and shivering.
What did I say to him? Jala pleaded as she continued her slow approach to where Valor stood.
You told him of your plans to wed Seravae. Wait, no, I think “confessed” is a more appropriate word to use there, because I’m positive you were seeking forgiveness. As a side note, judging by the weather, I don’t think he has forgiven you, Marrow explained.
“Valor, I need to talk to you,” Jala repeated as she drew closer to him.
Valor shifted his hold on the wheel and glared at her, his blue eyes filled with anger. “If you are washed overboard it is not of my doing. It seems no matter how hard I try to keep you safe, you do everything in your power to make it impossible. You are like guarding a child with a hatchet. Sometimes the aim is true and other times you aim for your own foot.”
“Valor, I’m sorry,” Jala pleaded as she released her grip on the rail and crossed the last stretch of deck separating them. The roar of another wave rose on the air and she braced herself for the impact of the water. Icy sheets poured down over her back and she felt one of her feet slip under her, then a firm hand on her arm.
“Impossible to protect,” Valor snarled as he pulled her over to where he was standing and returned his grip to the wheel.
Jala frowned and brushed tendrils of soaking wet curls from her face as she stared up at him. “Valor, I’m sorry,” she repeated her eyes searching for any change in his expression.
“Sorry for what exactly? Sorry for the arrangements you have made, or sorry that you didn’t tell me sooner? When exactly where you planning to tell me? As you returned for Merro with an army of Spooks?” Valor snarled.
“Spooks?” Jala asked in confusion. It wasn’t a term she was familiar with and this was the first time she had ever heard Valor use it.
It is the derogatory term the Arovan use for Seravae. Spooks, wraiths, paleys and a variety of much less flattering words. I’ve learned all of them while we have traveled. I must say I envy your talent for drinking more than you should and passing out, Marrow informed her.
“The gods-be-damned Seravae, Jala. When were you going to tell me?” Valor demanded and his voice held as much hurt to it as it did anger. “You ask me to trust you and then you keep something like this from me,” he added bitterly and shook his head as he turned his attention back to the raging sea.
“I wanted to tell you, Valor. I just didn’t know how to tell you. I would have found a way before I left for Seravae,” Jala said desperately, her gaze still locked on V
alor’s face. “Please, Valor, please understand I can’t do it any other way. I have to do this to keep Merro safe.”
“And what you said about building you an army, what was that, Jala? Just some feeble attempt to make me feel important? You certainly don’t seem to think it will do anything to help protect our home,” Valor snapped, his eyes flashing once more.
“No, Valor, I need the army too. Don’t you understand? Avanti has us outnumbered twenty to one. Even with the army Ash will receive, we will be outnumbered. We need every last soul we can manage fighting for Merro or we will all be Avanti slaves,” Jala explained, her voice desperate. She needed Valor to understand. She had too much to face without him. He had become her anchor in the past few weeks and just the thought of facing what lay ahead alone terrified her.
“Ash? You are going to marry the man that failed to raise your husband?” Valor gasped incredulous.
“I failed Finn, Valor. That was my failure from the start. And yes, I am going to marry Ash. For Merro and every person that is depending on me I will do whatever it takes to survive what’s coming,” Jala shot back, her own temper rising a bit at the mention of Finn.
“Do you know the Seravae laws at all, Jala? Do you actually believe it will still be your land after you marry a Spook? Women have no property in Seravae. They are property there. If Ash wanted to sell you it would be well within his rights.” Valor returned his eyes fully on her now rather than the storm or the ship.
Uhh. I know I’m not an expert on human concerns, but shouldn’t someone be sailing the ship, considering we are in the middle of a storm and most likely soon to be lost if he doesn’t guide us, Marrow cut in, his yellow eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them.
“I sincerely doubt Ash would want to sell me even if those laws applied. This is beneficial to both sides, Valor. His faction doesn’t agree with how things are done in Seravae and are seeking a new beginning. This could work if you would just try to open your mind a bit,” Jala pressed.
“Open my mind a bit? Do you have any idea what his people have done to our land for the past thousand years? They are murderers and rapists. They attack the coasts every year and kill whatever is not useful to them, Jala. Is that what you want in your country?” Valor snarled, the expression on his face suggested that he would like nothing more than to shake some sense into her.
“Did you not just hear me say it’s a different faction? Ash’s people are not raiders, Valor! You cannot judge them all by the actions of a few,” Jala replied, her voice gaining volume as her frustration grew.
So the glowing yellow light to our left means land right? Don’t your people keep flames on the coasts to warn ships about rocks? Marrow spoke again but the words barely registered in her mind. Every ounce of her focus was upon Valor who stood glaring down at her his back rigid.
“And you believe him? You are so damned naïve, Jala. What makes you think Ash’s people are any different from the others, beyond his telling you so,” Valor snapped.
“Ash has given me no reason to doubt his words, Valor. He has always acted with honor when dealing with us,” Jala replied hotly.
“When dealing with you! I have had no dealings with the spook nor will I ever,” Valor corrected.
Yes those are definitely rocks. That is, if either of you care yet. I’m really not looking forward to a ship wreck, but then I wasn’t really looking forward to any part of this trip, Marrow said, his voice taking on a defeated tone.
“Wait what?” Jala snapped her eyes turning to the Bendazzi and then to the storm darkened sea beyond. It was a useless endeavor with her vision however and she could barely see beyond the prow of the ship. “Valor, are we about to hit rocks?” she asked, her tone switching from anger to panic.
Valor’s eyes snapped forward and he pulled hard on the wheel of the ship. “Yes,” he replied quickly as he bent his full strength to turning the ship. “Brace yourselves,” he mumbled as the ship lurched, its timbers screaming in protest.
“Why in the bloody hell are we going right for the rocks?” Sovann demanded as he staggered from the hold area.
“Am I the only one that can’t see in the dark here?” Jala demanded her eyes still searching the roiling sea frantically.
“Apparently,” Valor hissed as the wind around him rose once more, blowing hard into the sails. “Hold on to something, Sovann, this is going to get rough,” Valor commanded as he closed his eyes. Magic roiled off him as he called upon his elemental powers.
“What are you doing?” Jala demanded as the ship began to rise dramatically.
“Bloody buggering hell that’s a big wave,” Sovann gasped. The mage had taken Valor’s advice and now clung with a white knuckled grip to the railing, but the expression on his face suggested that he would much rather be back in the hold. “We are riding the crest of a wave, Jala,” Sovann informed her, his voice cracking a bit as he spoke.
“Valor, what are you doing?” Jala asked again a bit more franticly.
“Getting us to shore so you can make your deal with the damned mercenaries. Last warning, Jala, find something and hold on. This is going to be a rough landing,” Valor replied in hoarse whisper as the ship rose yet higher in the water.
“Marrow, come here!” Jala gasped as the wind rose in strength. Quickly she wedged the Bendazzi between her and Valor and clung to the knight with both arms as she squeezed her eyes shut. “I trust you, Valor,” she whispered as the ship lurched once more and gained more speed.
Jala sat up slowly spitting sand from her mouth and blinked the salt water from her stinging eyes. Lightning filled the sky, illuminating the broken outline of their small ship just long enough for her to see the extent of the damage. While Valor’s trick with the wave may have spared them all a very cold dousing in the stormy sea and possible drowning, it certainly had not spared them the pain of a ship wreck. Blinking her eyes once more she staggered to her feet and stared along the coast for any sign of her friends.
Never again. I don’t care what the purpose. You will never again get me on a ship, Marrow snarled in her mind and she felt herself release a sigh of relief. There was sign that one of her companions had survived; now all she had to do was find the other two.
“Jala!” Sovann’s voice rose above the howling wind just long enough for her to hear the single frantic call.
“I’m all right!” Jala called back, hoping he could hear her. Slowly she began to walk in the direction she thought the call came from. In the current weather, it was difficult to be sure.
“Is Valor with you?” Sovann called again, his voice louder and closer.
“No,” Jala replied as loudly as she could while her mind raced with images of Valor lying broken on the beach somewhere. With a muffled curse she picked up her pace toward Sovann, her eyes scanning the ground around her as she moved.
I haven’t located him yet. If I do I will tell you at once. I am trying to determine exactly where we are at the moment, Marrow informed her.
“Valor!” Jala called, her voice breaking as she contemplated the heavy armor he had been wearing. Even with Valor’s strength, swimming in all of that steel would have been next to impossible. “Damn it, Val why did you leave the armor on,” she hissed as she blinked rain back from her eyes. Another violent gust of wind drove hard across the beach and she clenched her teeth against the cold. She’d lost her cloak at some point on the journey and the sheer material of her dress was no match for the weather.
“No sign of him yet?” Sovann asked as he approached her quickly, his cloak pulled tight against the wind.
Jala shook her head and chewed on her lower lip as she continued to stare hopelessly at the beach. “I think magic is my only hope here. I’m too damned blind in this murk and rain,” Jala informed him and let out a long sigh.
“Let me. I doubt you have had a chance to rebuild all your power from Goswin and you may need what little you have for the negotiations with Kithvaryn,” Sovann offered with a frown.
“Well, look for my staff as well as Valor, if you would please. Valor first, though,” Jala agreed and rubbed her face with both hands. This was not exactly how she had planned to make an entrance to the isle of Kithvaryn. From what she had learned of the man, Kithvaryn was a meticulous person with an eye for details that made most seem blind.
“This way,” Sovann urged after a long pause and she followed after him quickly as he moved toward the ship wreckage. He stopped just short of the main body of the ship and began frantically pushing the tattered remains of their sails from his way. “He is under here somewhere,” Sovann called over his shoulder.
“Is he living? Can you tell?” Jala asked frantically as she dropped to her knees and began pulling the cloth back as quickly as she could.
“He is pureblood Immortal, Jala. It will take more than a simple ship wreck to kill him,” Sovann assured her, but the expression on his face said otherwise. “Here, Jala I’ve found his arm,” Sovann exclaimed and Jala moved quickly to his side.
Pushing past Sovann she forced the remainder of the wreckage back and stared down at Valor’s pale face and the streak of coppery blood that tracked down from his temple. “He is alive, but he will need healing. Give me a bit of room please,” Jala said, her words coming out in a rush as her eyes lingered on the color of his blood. It was too dark to be sure, but it didn’t quite seem red. It wasn’t gold she could tell that much, but it still wasn’t quite the right color.
“Should I look for Marrow as well, or just the staff?” Sovann asked as he stepped back away from her.
“Marrow is fine just the staff please,” Jala replied softly her eyes never leaving Valor.
“I will find it then. If you need me, call. I shouldn’t be far off,” Sovann said as he backed away farther.
“Valor can you hear me?” Jala whispered. Carefully she placed a palm on either side of his face and gently smoothed his hair back from the wound. Leaning back a bit she daubed at the blood with the sleeve of her dress. It didn’t look like a deep gash, but she could already see the lump rising beneath it. Chewing on her lip once more she looked down at his pale face and swallowed heavily. “I don’t ever want to see you like this again, Valor Hai’dia. I’d rather you be fuming and cursing me then bleeding on the ground before me,” she whispered hoarsely as she began to form a healing spell in her mind.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes Page 31