Zoelyn raised her eyes just long enough to glance at Jala. The air around the High Lady was filled with hundreds of tiny runes and the magic surrounding her was so thick that tendrils of her wine colored hair were rising around her as if she was immersed in water. Jala’s pale face was calm and her eyes were closed and yet she was easily the most terrifying thing Zoelyn had ever seen in her life. The woman was wielding more magic than Zoelyn had ever dreamed possible, with as much effort as a normal person drew breath. With just a fraction of the magic Jala was using, she could level a city.
The air tightened around her and Zoelyn lowered her gaze once more as the bright glow increased yet again. She could hear Shade muttering muffled curses and what sounded like praying from Valor. Squeezing her eyes shut, Zoelyn held her breath as the air around her exploded with a brilliant flash of light and then all was dark once more.
Slowly Zoelyn relaxed and marveled at how tense her body had been without realizing it. Even her jaw had been clenched. Her eyes opened and she stared in complete disbelief at the grass covered ground around her. Trees dotted the landscape for as far as she could see to the north, while the ground just behind her was covered with lush grasslands such as the fields in Arovan. Minutes before, she had been mere feet from the Black Sea and now there was no sign of the ocean or even a beach.
Valor smiled faintly and turned slowly to look at Shade. “I love and worship her; only a fool would do otherwise,” he said softly as he moved to stand just behind Jala.
The ground surrounding the High Lady was still barren rocks, but everywhere else brimmed with life. There was no longer any sign of the curse that had been upon Tevonale and Zoelyn swallowed hard at the thought. If the High Lady could remove a curse from an entire continent, there might be hope that she could remove the curse from Zoelyn.
“I think that came pretty close to my limits,” Jala said weakly and it was only then that Zoelyn realized the High Lady was no longer simply holding her staff, she was supporting herself with it. Jala’s hand rose to her face and she brushed at the pale skin under her nose and frowned as it came away with gold blood on it. “Very close,” she amended.
“Too close,” Valor agreed as he carefully wrapped an arm around her back. “You did a beautiful job, though, Jala, and now we are one step closer to repairing the world. You never cease to amaze me, love,” he added as he gently turned her back toward the spell hawk.
“The cities are back as well. The Blights will have homes here, Shade. Tell them that when you speak with them,” Jala murmured, her voice sounding feeble compared to the vibrancy the woman had possessed earlier. Her feet seemed to tangle beneath her for a moment and it was only Valor’s arm around her that kept her on her feet.
“Is she all right?” Shade asked Valor softly as the two of them moved passed him.
“She is fine, Shade. Have faith in her. She is just tired right now. I think she has earned that right,” Valor replied with a smile. He glanced around at the newly rebuilt land one last time as he helped Jala up the stairs. His smile widened as he turned to look at Zoelyn. “Welcome to House Merrodin, Zoelyn. That look of amazement you wear on your face right now will become far more common than you might expect. With Jala, miracles are simply part of the average day.”
Zoelyn nodded slowly, unsure what to say. Her attention returned to the land and the full meaning of Valor’s words. Dominic had never been able to ease her curse. He had even gone so far as to bring his mentor, Rose, from Sanctuary to see her. Rose had said it would take a miracle to release Zoelyn from whatever dark magics were upon her, and now for the first time in her life those words didn’t mean impossible.
“You coming, Zoey?” Shade asked and she glanced up quickly to see him standing in the doorway of the ship. She had been so absorbed in her own thoughts she hadn’t noticed him move.
Nodding quickly, Zoelyn moved to the ship and took the stairs two at time. Her body brimmed with energy and her heart was filled with hope. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she actually had something to look forward to. If Jala Merrodin could change the world in one night, helping a single person would surely be a simple matter. All she had to do was prove to Jala that she was worthy of the help.
Chapter 5
Merro
“Badger is ruling the city to the south that you built. This is to be the new capital of Merro. Jala has named it Vezradesh,” Vaze explained as the shadows fell away from them. Morning light was just beginning to fill the sky, but the city before them was already bustling with life.
Neph nodded in response and gazed silently at the half-built walls that surrounded the skeletal beginnings of the very large city. Several streets near the center of the city were already complete with houses and stores lining each side in neat rows. His eyes lingered on the massive house at the heart of it and he smiled faintly. “Valor’s influence,” he muttered.
Vaze smirked and nodded once. “Jala grumbled about it, but in all honesty it makes the most sense. The people need to see her as a High Lady and they won’t if she is the girl next door. She needs to be pretentious at times, even if she despises it.”
“What is the wall surrounding it? Protection from her own citizens?” Neph asked in amusement as they began walking slowly toward the house.
“The barracks, actually. Valor had them designed in the shape of a shield wall. It curves around the house in a half-moon shape. The northern side belongs to the archers, the southern to the Soulreavers, and the center houses the knights. There is a rather large courtyard in between it and the actual house, but not enough of one to delay her warriors if she has need of them,” Vaze explained.
“And the massive building to the east of the house?” Neph asked, his eyes lingering on the four-story black stone building crowned with spires on each corner. “It looks rather imposing for Jala’s taste. I’d expect to find something like that in Oblivion or Rivana perhaps but not here.
Vaze smirked and shrugged one shoulder at Neph. “Jala didn’t design it. I did,” he replied. “It serves several purposes, actually. It functions as a jail, barracks for the city guard, a council hall for the merchants and guildmasters, but most importantly my home.”
“Your home?” Neph said, staring hard at Vaze in confusion. “I thought you were a council member of the Fionaveir? Shouldn’t you be living in Sanctuary?”
“Retired council member. I promised Symphony I would see her as Empress, and I did.” Vaze shrugged again and waved a hand toward the city. “This is where my focus lies now. This is where my focus always should have been. Jala is my blood-kin. I turned my back on her when she needed me and I regret it more than words can express. Now when she needs me, I will most likely be standing somewhere nearby.”
“And the Fionaveir simply accepted your resignation with complete understanding?” Neph asked dryly. He eyed the man for a moment, his gaze moving from the sleek black armor that Vaze always wore to the four swords crossed on the man’s back, as well as the two that hung from his waist. Vaze was an asset to the Fionaveir. His talents were well known in all of the High Houses and he was easily one of the most feared men alive. Neph found it difficult to believe that the Fionaveir would simply let him walk away so easily.
“Symphony cried. Lutheron blustered. Faramir grew suspicious. And Caspian understood. I didn’t get a chance to see Remedy before I left the city, but I know he would understand as well. The simple fact is, the ones whose opinions I truly value understand my choice, and the ones who didn’t understand are scared of me.”
“I like that philosophy,” Neph murmured with a smile, his eyes moving from street to street as he tried to memorize the lay-out of the city. “She didn’t use the wagon wheel pattern for the streets,” he noted absently. From what he could tell, the basic plan for the city was on grids rather than the concentric circles that most nations favored.
“Ten major roads running east to west and six running north to south. Each road has a name and is clearly marked on each
corner,” Vaze explained, his hand rising to point at the neatly painted sign post on the corner of the street they were walking on.
“This comes from her getting lost in Sanctuary so often,” Neph said with a chuckle and nodded. “It’s a good sign that she is taking what is wrong in other cities and correcting it in her own.
Vaze slowed in his steps for a moment and then laughed, shaking his head at Neph. “It’s amusing how you think. It’s just her city she is planning to correct. Wait until after you speak with her this morning, Neph, and then we can have this talk again.” His voice was thick with amusement as he spoke and he simply shook his head at Neph’s questioning look. “Just wait,” he urged with a wide smile and continued toward the house.
* * *
Neph paused in the doorway and leaned against the door frame. Vaze had directed him toward the kitchen before parting company to attend to his own concerns and Neph expected to find the High Lady directing servants. Instead he found Jala with her hair braided up like a farmer’s wife, elbow-deep in flour. She had replaced her dress from the night before with a black tunic that looked to be about four sizes too large for her. If not for the belt that was holding her faded trousers up Neph had no doubt the tunic would have fallen well below her knees. His eyes trailed down the patched legs of her trousers to her bare feet and he fought back the urge to laugh.
So far she hadn’t noticed him and she was rather amusing to watch. Between her outfit and the flour coating her arms as well as a few splotches on her face she reminded him more of a child at play than the leader of one of the most powerful nations on Sanctuary.
She paused in her labors and snatched a chunk of fruit from one of the bowls. Humming happily to herself, she popped it in her mouth and returned to whatever task she had been attending to. Neph couldn’t truly say what it was that she was doing, beyond making a mess. He had never spared much time for the art of cooking. It had always been easier to buy the food prepared than to worry about its preparation.
Turning, she brushed a bit of flour from her hands, which resulted in more coating her clothes, and then froze as she spotted him. Her face split into a wide smile and she waved him into the room. “When did you arrive and how long have you been standing there?” Jala demanded as she waved him toward the table.
Neph smirked and dropped down into a seat with a shrug. “Long enough to realize you should hire servants,” he said.
Jala rolled her eyes at him and frowned as she poured a cup of tea and sat it down in front of him. “That’s the same rubbish Sovann is always going on about. I don’t see servants in his house, though,” she muttered sourly.
“He isn’t a High Lady,” Neph pointed out. He eyed the tea for a moment and then reached to the center of the table for the sugar dish. Still watching Jala, he dropped several spoon-fulls in and began to stir slowly. “So Vaze tells me you have a lot to talk with me about,” he began slowly and watched several emotions flash quickly across her face at his words. Excitement had definitely been the strongest, but there had been a touch of fear there as well. That sight alone gave him pause.
“We should see to getting your people settled before we worry about anything like that, Neph. I told Ash to make sure we had room in the Barracks for your men, but none of us were really sure exactly how many people you were bringing,” Jala said as she pushed a pan into one of the massive ovens and joined him at the table.
“You just need to worry about me, actually,” Neph said with a smile. She stared at him in confusion first and then dismay as he carefully took a sip of his tea. He leaned back in his seat and ignored her continuing stare as he tried to guess what herbs she had added to the tea leaves. There was a very strong trace of mint and another somewhat bitter flavor that he couldn’t quite place.
“They wouldn’t follow you?” Jala demanded, once she realized he wasn’t planning to explain more.
“They are with me,” Neph said vaguely and had to resist the urge to laugh as her frustration with him grew more obvious. Lifting the cup, he inhaled deeply, still trying to puzzle out what the odd flavor was and frowned. “I recognize the mint and the tea leaves obviously, but what else is in this?”
“What do you mean your people are with you but I don’t need to worry about housing them?” Jala stormed and let out a loud breath.
“Really, do you think I honestly want to discuss the tea mixture right now?”
“Do you see how irritating that is now, Jala? When you desperately want to know something and your friend is being annoying and cryptic. Doesn’t it just make you want to choke them? Like, say someone returns from the dead and drags you out of your home in the middle of the night for a secret meeting that they won’t explain?” He let his words trail off and smiled at her in smug satisfaction as he took a long drink from the tea.
“Willow bark. Vaze said you were bruised and looked a bit worse for wear. I thought you would refuse healing so I added painkiller to your tea,” Jala explained quietly, then stared in shock as Neph spat the tea he had been drinking into the floor between them.
Quickly, he pushed the cup back away from him and rose from the table, crossing to the sink in hurried steps. Without a backward glance at her, he leaned his head down to the faucet and rinsed his mouth out several times until he could no longer taste the slightest hint of the tea. Slowly he stood back upright and turned to look at Jala who was staring at him slack jawed.
“Are you allergic to willow?” Jala asked quietly, her gaze moving from the tea splattered floor to him in utter confusion.
“I’m a channeler, Jala,” Neph said slowly, his pale blue eyes locking on her violet ones. Honestly, he had thought she knew what his focus was, but it was apparent now that she didn’t. Painkillers were devastating to him and had he finished the cup he would have been crippled on magic until the herb’s effects wore off. “I’m bruised and scraped and my body aches and I’m more powerful because of it,” he continued and saw the light of recognition flicker to life in her eyes.
“Pain, Neph? You chose pain as a bloody focus?” Jala demanded. She shook her head at him and then glanced at the cup and back to him. “Bloody hell. It wasn’t much willow. I barely added any at all. I knew you never use painkillers so...” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head at him again. “Of all things, Neph, why did you choose pain?”
“Because it is the most constant thing I know, Jala,” Neph answered quietly and watched as her mouth snapped shut once more. Jala leaned back heavily in her seat and rubbed her face with one delicate hand smearing more flour across her cheek in the process. Now didn’t seem to be the time to point that out, however. His words had darkened her mood and he doubted teasing her would help much. “It’s fine, Jala. I can’t feel any effects and I barely took two drinks before you told me,” Neph assured her as he pulled a rag from the shelf and moved to clean up the mess he had made on her floor.
“Pain should be a rarity, Neph. Life should not revolve around suffering and loss with happiness as the fleeting part of our existence,” Jala said softly as she folded her hands on the table and stared down at her arm where Firym tattoos had once been.
Rising slowly, Neph dropped into his chair once more and tossed the rag on the side of the table. He leaned forward on his elbows and let out a long breath as he watched her. It was obvious that there was more to this display than anything he had said, but how much more he had no idea.
“I want to change that, Neph. I don’t want Legacy to grow up in this world. I don’t know anyone who speaks of what a happy life they have lived. Everything is pain and suffering or loss and loneliness. I want Legacy to look back on his life and smile rather than cry,” Jala continued, her eyes moving from her arm to his face. “Vaze is right. I do have so much to talk with you about, but please tell me what you mean about your people. I need to understand where all of the nations stand before I can continue my plans.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be Symphony’s job, Jala? Your focus is supposed to be Merro,�
� Neph said calmly. He knew all too well what Jala was like when she got obsessed with an idea. “You paved the road, remember? You don’t have to continue down it. You have shown others the direction they need to move.”
“You saw the council last night. They won’t simply walk the path I point in. I will have to goad them the entire way like a herd of pigs,” Jala grumbled. She rubbed her face and waved a hand in irritation. “Symphony is supposed to do it, yes, but that missive that was sent out is proof that she isn’t doing it. Delvay, Glis, and Merro were left off that list. Does she really think if she simply ignores us we will sit peacefully at home and hope she does what is right? Those are three names from our side of the alliance. Without us at the High Lord’s council to vote, our enemies have the majority.”
“Are we even sure our vote will count for anything? Symphony may plan on simply using the High Lords as advisors,” Neph pointed out. “Well then, whichever one she is taking advice from right now needs to be smacked upside the head,” Jala grumbled. “I have three months to get everything straightened out before the first council in Sanctuary. After that I will know how much work I have to do on the rest of the world.
If Symphony impresses me, I will focus on Merro alone. I won’t hold my breath for that, though.”
“I will hope she impresses you, then. Your focus needs to be here, Jala.” Neph sighed but couldn’t help smiling at her. “Bloody Dasharrans. It’s never enough with your kind,” he grumbled as he shook his head at her slowly.
“I don’t know about Dasharrans, but I know it’s not enough for me. Have you gotten any reports from the other nations at all? It’s all so depressing and I’m just not sure where exactly to begin,” she sighed and frowned at him. “You still haven’t told me where you stand with your people. I thought reclaiming Delvay would be our first move, but now I’m not sure,” Jala said with a frown.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4 The Blessed Curse Page 14
