“Guards!” Cassia screeched from the door, her voice rising like a banshee’s wail. “Guards!” she repeated as she fled the room.
“Thank you,” Truce whispered to the Assassin as the sound of running footsteps filled the hall.
“If they made their house any bigger they would have to set up campgrounds in the hallways for visitors that were trying to get from one side to the other,” Neph grumbled.
“In Delvay, they live in huts and you can spit across the room. Delvay don’t need big houses because they are manly,” Valor mocked in a parody of Neph’s deep voice.
“In Delvay, we use Arovan knights as floor mats and eat their horses for dinner,” Neph said, giving a Valor a dark look.
“In Merro, you both shut the hell up and try to act dignified when we conquer other countries,” Jala snapped, cutting them both off before the conversation could worsen. She had to admit though, Neph was right. The Avanti house was too damned big. They had entered the city at the first sign of surrender and thirty minutes later she was still trying to reach the High Lord to settle terms.
“Isn’t he supposed to come to you for this?” Neph asked as they followed the servant up another flight of stairs.
“How much farther?” Jala growled to the servant.
“The top of these stairs and to the right, Lady,” the woman answered in a quavering voice. She didn’t look more than twenty at the most and obviously had never expected to be the one guiding invaders through her master’s house.
“Better not be very far to the right. I’m sick of walking,” Neph grumbled.
“Lazy bastard,” Valor said with a quick glance at Neph.
Jala let out a weary sigh and glanced back at them. Against everyone’s advice she had only brought an escort of two as well as her Bendazzi. At the time it had seemed like a splendid idea. Neph was like a big brother to her and Valor was her anchor. They were the two that she trusted most in the world, but she had forgotten how they bickered. “I should have brought Ash and Jail. They are both so serene,” Jala mused aloud, a trace of longing in her voice.
“That you would have fallen asleep with boredom and fallen back down the stairs, broken your neck, and died. Then Avanti would triumph. Wise choice to bring us,” Valor said with a charming smile.
Neph snorted in amusement and smiled at her. “I would have laughed. Even when they rolled your body into the ground I would have been laughing, and I would have made the tombstone myself. Survived everything but the stairs,” he said with a wicked smile.
“Yours is going to read. She had no choice but to kill him. He wouldn’t shut up. And I bet you get yours a lot sooner than I get mine,” Jala promised sweetly and let out a sigh of relief as they reached the end of the hall.
The servant bobbed her head meekly and held up a hand. “Please wait here while I announce you,” the woman said in a voice that held a note of pleading.
“I don’t think so,” Jala said darkly as she moved forward and pushed the woman aside. Shaking her head in disgust, Jala shoved the doors open roughly and stalked into the room, her eyes scanning the occupants immediately. Truce sat at his father’s desk and a red-eyed Cassia was tucked into a chair in the corner, a napkin clutched between her delicate hands. A tall man in the uniform of an Avanti elite stood near one wall while two guards stood on either side of the door.
“Lady Merrodin,” Truce stammered as he rose to his feet, his gaze flicking to the door. No doubt the man was wondering why his servant had failed to announce her.
Jala stared at the guards for a breath then slowly turned to look at Truce. “I’ve crossed half the city to speak with you. You surrendered, remember? Why did you not meet me at the gate?” She asked coldly.
“I thought it would be best if we discussed such things privately,” Truce began, his tone faltering as he watched her.
“We never should have let her through the gates. Daddy would have killed her,” Cassia sobbed, bringing the tattered napkin to her bloodshot eyes.
Jala watched Cassia for a long moment and then looked back to Truce, no trace of mercy or amusement on her face. “Where is Sovaesh?” Jala demanded. She had expected the man to be in the room when she arrived but there was no sign of him.
“In prison, Lady Merrodin. He killed my father,” Truce explained in a voice that didn’t seem quite as grief-stricken as Jala would have expected.
“Bring him here now,” Jala snapped.
“He is in prison. Did you not hear my brother?” Cassia snapped, her voice rising. “He is going to die for what he did, as you should have,” she added with a whine.
Jala crossed the room in two quick strides and brought her hand so hard across Cassia’s face that it knocked the woman from her chair. Sobbing, Cassia began to crawl away but Jala’s eyes were already fixed on Truce who stood staring with a look of utter shock on his handsome face. “If this bitch says one more word to me I will forget any thought I had of mercy and leave your heads on spikes and your city in ruins. Is that understood, Truce?” Jala hissed, not bothering to look at the guards who had gone for their swords. Valor and Neph still stood by the door, as did her two Bendazzi. If the guards chose to attack they wouldn’t manage to get their swords clear of their scabbards before they were dead.
“Take my sister from the room now. See that she is kept in her own quarters until Lady Merrodin is gone from the city,” Truce snapped quickly and the elite moved at once to obey. Apparently neither man was willing to gamble on Cassia being smart enough to keep her mouth shut.
Jala watched them leave and slowly looked back to Truce, her expression deadly. “I hate to repeat myself, Truce. I will just this once, though. Bring me Sovaesh,” she said in a low voice her eyes locked on his.
“Bring Sovaesh here now!” Truce barked to his guards then looked back to Jala with an expression of caution. Obviously he had expected to speak with the same meek girl he had met in Firym during her wedding.
“What’s wrong, Truce? Not sure what to think of me now? You have your family to thank for what I have become,” Jala spoke in a hushed voice her eyes narrowed. Moving forward toward the desk she smiled coldly and dropped down into the empty chair across from him. “Sit and listen. You will agree to what I say or you will die, understood? I have no time for negotiating and Avanti is in no position to demand negotiating. Your gates are open and my Army holds your city.”
Slowly, Truce sat and nodded for her to continue. His gaze flickered to the Bendazzi once but he remained silent. Apparently he was wiser than his other two siblings.
“The Greenwild is mine, now. I claim the entire country for Merro and from this day forward it is to be considered under my protection.” Jala heard Valor and Neph mutter in shock behind her but ignored them as she continued. “The only border crossing I will allow from your country to mine will be in the purpose of trade or commoners who have family there. If a government official or soldier of your house is found on my land I will take it as an act of hostility and if I have to go to war again, Truce, there will be no mercy.”
“You understand that my House has frequent dealings in the land of the Greenwild?” Truce asked hesitantly.
“Are you asking if I am aware that you harvest most of your slaves from those lands? Yes, I am aware of that. If you are asking if I am aware that your soldiers go there for entertainment in the forms of rape and murder, yes, I am aware of that as well. If you have other dealings there I don’t care about them. If it meets my guidelines, then we have no problem. If it doesn’t I will kill you,” Jala returned her voice still icy.
“I see. Well then I will make what changes I must with my people to ensure that they do not cross the borders,” Truce said with a faint nod. His expression was starting to sour with her words. It was doubtful that anyone had ever spoken like this to him before, except perhaps his father. Donrey Avanti had not shown anyone respect from what Jala had seen.
“You will surrender half of the Avanti treasury to me as well as submit to my S
oulreaver’s truth-find to verify that you have been honest about the amount of coin. This is nonnegotiable,” Jala paused and shook her head slowly as his expression changed. “I can see the look of dismay on your face. You are showing more pain about giving me gold than you did at the mention of your father’s death,” Jala said with disgust in her voice.
“He loves gold far more than he ever loved his father.” Sovaesh’s voice brought her attention to the doorway and Jala nodded to him.
“Sovaesh,” Jala said in greeting before turning back to Truce. “You will also surrender Sovaesh and his family into my care,” she announced with a tight smile.
“What?” Truce gasped his eyes going to the Assassin.
“If I have your pet Assassin, I don’t need to take your son to ensure your good behavior,” Jala said and watched him blanch at the thought. She had guessed his family would be his weak point. It was with most.
Truce looked to Sovaesh and let out a long sigh. Turning back to her, he nodded his head in agreement. “I would prefer that more than being forced to punish him for a crime I condoned,” he said with resignation. “Do you have further demands, Lady Merrodin?” he asked in a neutral voice.
“One last demand,” Jala said, pausing until he met her gaze once more. “Within one week of my leaving this city, you will travel to Sanctuary and pledge your oath of peace to Symphony.”
“I don’t even know if they will let me into the city, Lady Merrodin,” Truce objected gently.
“They will,” Jala assured him. Standing slowly, Jala looked to Sovaesh. “You have one hour to gather your family and whatever items you wish to take to Merro,” she informed him firmly then looked back to Truce. “You also have one hour to gather my gold from your treasury,” she added.
“Milady, do you have any idea how much money that is? It will take far longer than one hour to do,” Truce objected.
“One hour and then I start killing household or family for each additional hour it takes. That should be proper motivation Truce,” Jala snarled as she nodded her head back toward the door. “You will bring me the gold to my camp and sign the terms of surrender that I have waiting. If you fail to arrive in my camp I will raze the city,” she said as she turned for the door.
“Your definition of mercy is interesting,” Sovaesh said in an amused voice.
“At least I have a definition of mercy. The Avanti certainly don’t or I would still have my husband,” Jala snapped as she left the room.
“It’s moments like this that make me love you so much, Jala,” Neph said with a smile as he fell into step behind her. “You are almost mean enough to be adopted by the Delvay formally.”
Valor frowned and gave Jala a look of dismay. “Please, by all the gods, say something sweet and caring so he gets that notion out of his head,” Valor pleaded.
“Love you, Valor,” Jala said sweetly as she started down the stairs. It was spontaneous to say it now and she knew it, but during the few days after Jail’s visit in her tent she had come to realize it was true. With all her focus on fighting and planning and, of course, dealing with Jexon, she had never closely examined what she felt for Valor. She had known that she loved him, but had considered it love for a friend. That simply didn’t apply, though, when she put thought into it. If Valor asked her for anything, she wouldn’t hesitate to give it. If he showed pain, she would do everything she could to heal him. The thought of waking in the morning without him nearby was unbearable. There was no other way to describe her feelings for Valor, other than love, and it was more than for a simple friend. She heard Valor stumble behind her, followed by Neph’s ringing laughter. Glancing back, Jala smiled at Valor and shook her head slightly as she continued to walk.
Chapter 32
Sanctuary
Shade watched in silence as Sebastian Blackwolf bowed before Symphony and turned to leave the chamber. The Blackwolf line was renowned for their dignity and pride and Shade had spent the past three days watching Sebastian sacrifice his as he pled with the Fionaveir for help.
“Be wise in your choice, Symphony. We have limited resources and we can hardly afford to squander them on nations that are as weak as Glis,” Faramir said gently.
“Glis and Arovan supported you. You can’t just ignore their plea for help,” Shade said quietly, earning a glare from Faramir for his words.
“This is not something you can be sentimental about, Symphony. You must set your emotions aside and think as a ruler,” Faramir said firmly. Standing from her chair the dark haired woman moved behind Symphony and rested her hands on the younger woman’s shoulders. “You must hold the city. We need strength here and you will lose the following of the commons if you put them on rations to send food to Glis.” Faramir spoke softly and Shade could see Symphony already surrendering to the older woman’s advice.
“What does your gut tell you to do, Symphony? What thoughts crossed your mind when you watched Sebastian humble himself before you and beg for his people?” Shade asked in a louder voice, desperate to stop Faramir.
“Shade, she is right. I have to keep my fighting strength here or I can’t hold against Nerathane. Morcath may have fallen before Oblivion, but they didn’t capture Myth and Queen Willameir is a very big danger,” Symphony said in a voice filled with sadness.
“Symphony, please don’t do this to them. They are your allies. Glis and Arovan have supported you since before you took the city. Don’t leave them to die,” Shade said as he rose from his seat and stood before her, his eyes filled with pleading. If Sebastian’s begging wouldn’t sway her, maybe his would. It was worth a shot anyway.
“Symphony, you cannot afford this no matter how much your heart bleeds for them. I want you to succeed here, love. You have to be ready to face the dragons.” Faramir spoke softly and Shade watched with a heavy heart as Symphony’s head bowed forward.
“She is right, Shade. I’m sorry. Glis will have to stand on its own for now. I will send them help when I can, I promise you,” Symphony said with grief thick in her voice.
“When you can, will be too late, Symphony,” Shade pressed, shaking his head at her. With a heavy sigh, he chewed on his lower lip as he made up his mind. “I can turn into anything, Symphony. With the Changeling blood, I can take on any form I want,” he began, his words drawing her eyes back up to him once more. Calmly he rolled the sleeve of his shirt up and stared down at the Fionaveir tattoo. “There is just one thing that I have never been able to be, no matter how hard I’ve tried.” Raising his eyes to look at her once more he smiled sadly. “I want to be the good guy for just once, Symphony, and seeing this has made me realize that I never will be as long as I follow others. I hope one day you follow your instincts. I’ve talked with you enough to know you are a good person, you simply have bad counsel,” Shade said, his gaze flicking to Faramir with the last words. “Good bye, Sym, and good luck,” he added quietly as he turned for the door.
“Shade, please don’t go,” Symphony called behind him. “Please, Shade, I don’t have many friends and I don’t want to lose the ones I have.”
“I’m sure the people of Glis feel the same way about their friends, Symphony. If you won’t help them, I will,” Shade said as he paused at the door.
“And just what exactly do you think one man can do to make a difference there?” Faramir asked in a mocking voice.
“One man’s help is a hell of a lot better than no one helping at all,” Shade said with a sigh as he stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him. He forced himself to walk down the hall without glancing back. It was tougher to do than he cared to admit. He had spent well over a month in Symphony’s company and he considered her a friend. This had to be done, though, and with luck it would be a wake-up call for Symphony. Silently he moved down the stairs and through the main entry of the Justicar’s Hall. A few Fionaveir watched him with curious looks, but no one spoke.
With mixed feelings welling in his chest, Shade made his way to the boarding house where he had been living,
though he hadn’t truly spent much time there. Really the room was little more than storage for the few belongings he had other than his Spell Hawk. It might have been a better idea to leave his gear on his ship, but the boarding house had been closer to the Justicar’s hall than the Sky port was.
She should have helped. Shade repeated the words over and over in his mind as he climbed the stairs to his room and unlocked the door. How could anyone ignore the expression of desperation on Sebastian's face? Shade wondered as he pulled his spare clothing from the drawers and shoved them into his bag.
“What the hell did you do?” Charm demanded from the hallway as he entered the room swiftly and glanced back over his shoulder.
“I asked her to help Glis and when she refused, I left. I told her I would help them if no one else would,” Shade explained, not bothering to look up as he continued to pack.
“Faramir has declared you a traitor. She says you mean to leave the city and she is strongly hinting that you were likely the one slipping information to our enemies,” Charm said, his gaze going to the door once more. “It won’t be long before they come for you, Shade. You have to leave now!” The rogue barked as he grabbed Shade and shoved his half packed bag into his hands. “I know you better, and perhaps a handful of others do as well, but most will believe Faramir,” Charm added as he shoved Shade toward the door.
“How in the hell could anyone believe that? I have been fighting beside you all since I arrived at the Fionahold,” Shade objected, half stumbling as Charm propelled him along.
“Because you are Morcaillo and Faramir is Caspian’s wife,” Charm snapped. The sound of footsteps brought them both sharply to a halt as several Fionaveir rounded the top of the stair way their eyes searching until they spot Shade. “Shit,” Charm hissed as he shoved Shade back toward his room. “The window,” he hissed as they retreated back into the room.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes Page 51