The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey

by Melissa Myers

  Hawk raised an eyebrow at her and offered her a leather tie for her hair. He remained silent. He would, until she answered, she knew. Even if she didn’t give a reply until tomorrow, he would wait. He had patience like no other. She took the tie and bound her hair back sloppily. At the moment, she really didn’t care what she looked like. She just wanted it out of her face.

  “I’m worried. I suppose that is about the only way I can put it. Those men back there were rangers and trappers and were simple farmers. They knew the dangers of where they lived and they were still caught unaware. I just don’t want to lose you,” she said at last, her eyes still locked on the distant fields.

  “We are a bit more than common trackers,” he pointed out quietly.

  “I couldn’t get a scent off those tracks, Hawk. Nothing. All that I could pick up was blood, I don’t know if I’ll ever get the scent of blood out of my nose.” She looked back at him as she spoke.

  He gave her a halfhearted smile. “But they left tracks, and that’s enough,” he said.

  “They left tracks near their victims; they didn’t leave any leaving the village. We are riding blind right now, hoping we have guessed which way they are heading. We don’t even know how many there are.” she protested.

  “Four, I think, and the direction we are going is the right one; I can feel it,” Hawk replied.

  “How do you know?” she pushed.

  Hawk gave a rueful chuckle and smiled at her. “Because every instinct I have tells me to ride the other way,” he answered with a shrug.

  “Well I’m not worried anymore,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. “Now I’m scared, and that’s not something I’m used to.”

  He took her hand again, cupping it in his larger callused one. With a smile, he raised it to his lips and kissed it lightly. “If you are scared, imagine how these people must feel, knowing what waits in the dark for them. We will find it, and stop it. We are Fionaveir. We are their shield.”

  Solace closed her eyes and clutched his hand. Her instincts told her to turn around, as well. She had learned long ago to listen to those instincts. They had kept her alive this long. With a nod, she pushed her mare forward and continued toward Briarford. The village wasn’t a large one, perhaps sixty people, and mostly farmers. It was as far as they had guessed from the map, the next likely place for a massacre.

  Chapter 19

  Sanctuary

  “You are gloating,” Jala pointed out with a frown. Finn gave her an innocent look and smiled. He carried the smaller of her two trunks balanced easily on one shoulder while the other bobbed gently behind her, carried by magic.

  “Me?” he asked in mock disbelief. “I never gloat. That would be unseemly.”

  “Of course not,” she agreed dryly. “Exactly how far into the maze is your hall?”

  “It’s not exactly my hall, per se. It’s more of a common hall for first circle with no house affiliations,” he clarified. “And it’s not much farther. They keep us in the back where we won’t start too much trouble.”

  “Does that work?” she asked.

  He considered the question and shook his head. “No, not at all. There are certainly a few of us who know how to behave. Those that I’m friends with, not at all,” he answered with an unapologetic shrug.

  They rounded another corner and he turned to head up a set of wide stairs. This part of the building looked older than what she had been staying in, but it had a certain charm to it. Most of the old stone had been covered with ivy, and small blue flowers lined the ground on either side of the stairs. The dark wood door had a sigil on it that seemed much more recent than the door itself. “Is that the mark for the arena?” she asked as she stepped up behind him.

  Finn flashed her a grin and nodded. “You will meet the others. We decided it was the best way to mark where we lived, considering.”

  “Considering what?” she asked, following him through the doorway and into the dimly lit corridor.

  If he responded, she didn’t hear it. No sooner had the door closed, than a loud squeal came from a nearby room. Jala froze, unsure of what to expect. A door was flung open with a bang and a half-dressed girl stumbled out, her auburn hair in complete disarray. She let out a giggle and fell back against a wall as a half-dressed man followed her out. He was barefoot, and wore only trousers which were halfway unlaced themselves, she noted with a blush. An empty bottle of wine was clutched in one hand, and he seemed to be swaying a bit. He half fell toward the girl, catching himself at the last moment with one hand against the wall. With another wild giggle, the girl wrapped both arms around the man’s waist and rose to kiss him.

  Jala slowly looked from the drunken couple blocking the hall, to Finn, who was looking a bit sheepish and scratching the back of his neck. “Interesting entertainment for so early in the day,” she said coolly.

  He gave her a smile and motioned toward the man. “Jala, this is Valor, a very good and apparently very drunk friend of mine,” he said, by way of introduction. With a frown, he leaned down slightly trying to get a better look at the girl and then shrugged. “I have no idea who she is, however, and it likely doesn’t matter.”

  Valor broke away from the embrace at the sound of his name and stood upright still wavering somewhat. He was taller than Finn by a couple of inches and in about the same physical shape with a well-honed body. Aside from the fresh scratch marks lining his back, he appeared to be without scars, as well. He brushed a lock of silver hair from his eyes and squinted toward them. “Finn!” he called happily, once he had apparently recognized his friend. “Oh, that’s a nice one you have there. Wait, is that Shade’s kitten?” he asked in a voice thick with drink.

  “My kitten now, Val, her name is Jala. How much have you drunk today?” Finn replied easily, and ignored the scathing look Jala was giving him.

  “I’m not your kitten,” Jala hissed. He, of course, ignored her comment as much as he had her look and continued to regard his drunken friend.

  Valor looked down at the empty bottle and gave it a slight shake. He frowned at the lack of wine and tossed the empty bottle back through the door they had stumbled out of. The girl had pushed off the wall and wrapped her arms around his waist, almost knocking both of them to the floor. “Not really sure, three, maybe, perhaps six,” Valor answered with a shrug.

  “Between three and six? Well done, Valor, well done. Any chance you and your lady will clear the hall for us, so I can get Jala set up in a room and introduce her to the others?”

  Valor gave a nod and another smile and waved to Jala. “I’m sure we will talk again, maybe I will even remember the conversation,” he said with a thick slur as he half-carried the girl back into his room.

  “They aren’t all as fun loving as Valor,” Finn assured her and continued down the hall.

  “He didn’t even notice Marrow,” Jala pointed out, glancing back at the Bendazzi standing close behind her.

  Finn looked back at Marrow and gave a shrug. “Valor rarely notices such minor details as a man-eating predator when beautiful women are in the same vicinity.” He motioned to a door as they walked by. “That’s Neph’s room. He is about as good at magic as Sovann and closer to hand. I’ll introduce you to him later, so if you need help with spells you will know him.”

  She looked at the door and frowned. There was a sigil carved into the wood and it wasn’t one she recognized. From the looks of it though it had been put there with a very dull knife. “What does that sigil mean?” she asked.

  “Cursed, but it’s just a joke, pay it no mind,” Finn replied easily. He paused outside a door and sat a trunk down. With a slight grunt, he pushed on the door. It resisted for a moment and then opened with a sharp crack. Jala looked down at the splintered lock and then up to Finn in confusion. “You, get out. You have a new room assignment,” he called inside and took her key from her hand. With a casual toss, he threw the key at the inhabitant of the room.

  She stared up at Finn in disbelief. “What are you doi
ng?” she demanded.

  “Getting you set up in a room,” he answered as if it were obvious. He glanced back through the doorway and frowned. “I’m not playing, so move your ass or I’ll move it,” he called in a louder voice. Abruptly, a younger man rushed past them from the room clutching the key and bundled clothes in his arm as he hurried down the hall.

  “I’m sorry,” Jala called after him and smacked Finn. “You are such a bully,” she hissed.

  Finn rubbed his arm and smiled. “And you are just now noticing this?” he asked. With a shake of his head, he lifted the trunk back onto his shoulder and moved into the room. For having just been vacated, the room was remarkably bare of possessions.

  Jala looked around in surprise and then to Finn. “How did he gem everything so quickly?”

  Finn shook his head. “That guy hadn’t been here long, maybe a week, and I warned him not to get too comfortable. I don’t like anyone in the room right next to mine,” he explained and sat her trunk down once again.

  “Then why am I in the room next to yours?” she asked.

  “Because you aren’t anyone, you are Jala. That’s different,” he answered and looked around the room sniffing lightly. “Does it smell a bit off in here to you?” he asked with a frown.

  Jala watched him a moment longer and sniffed the air. “A little,” she agreed and worked a quick spell to clean the room. The magic washed over the walls and floor leaving it all polished. She grinned. “I remember spending hours doing that by hand at the Temple,” she sighed, and waved a hand at the bed, cleaning it, as well.

  A rattle came from the door behind them, and Jala turned to see a dainty, dark-haired girl standing there. She was fiddling with the broken lock shaking it back and forth. She stood just over five feet and had the strong look of the Fae about her. She looked up then and met Jala’s gaze with a smile. Her features were so delicate and her frame so small, it looked as though a strong breeze could carry her away. Jala shifted slightly, self-consciously. She felt like an ox in comparison. The girl turned her bright green eyes to regard Finn and cleared her throat.

  Finn glanced back and smirked. “Jala, may I present Wisp. Wisp, this is Jala.” He spoke the introduction with a formality that shocked her.

  The girl curtsied and stood beaming a smile again. “Wisp is a nickname of, course. My real name is Amelia. Nice to meet you, Jala.” Wisp moved quickly across the room and gave Finn a quick hug. “Thank you so much for bringing another girl here,” she blurted as she broke the hug off.

  Finn gave a light chuckle and nodded. “Wisp has been the only girl in this hall for just about two years. Well other than warmers, that is,” Finn explained.

  “Warmers?” Jala asked.

  “The bed warmers they drag home,” Wisp replied with a roll of her eyes. “But now you are here, and he is moving you into a room and the one right beside him. So you can’t be a warmer. You must be going to stay,” she said in a tirade of words, her voice sounding almost ecstatic.

  Jala nodded and broke into a smile. She couldn’t help it. Wisp was bubbly, and it was apparently contagious. “Thank you for the warm welcome.”

  “We are going to be the best of friends, I’m sure of it,” Wisp replied, fairly bouncing. “Do you want help unpacking?” she offered suddenly, her eyes landing on the trunks. She seemed to notice Marrow then and abruptly fell silent, green eyes going wide. “A Bendazzi,” she breathed in a voice barely a whisper.

  Jala gave a slight nod and rested her hand on Marrow’s back. “His name is Marrow. He is my Familiar,” she explained.

  Wisp’s jaw dropped and her delight was obvious. “Oh how perfectly marvelous,” she chirped and clapped her small hands together. “I want to be there when Cassia sees him.” She did bounce then and looked to Finn. “You. Out of here. Your work is done, and the heavy lifting is over. We will call you if we need furniture moved,” she ordered and pointed toward the door.

  Finn raised an eyebrow and looked ready to protest, but Wisp gave him a solid push toward the door. “Out! Girl time. Go,” she repeated, making each word a command as she shoved him again. Still looking somewhat stunned, Finn left the room with a final glance. Wisp quickly closed the door, mumbling something as she did so. The wood on the door gave a slight creak, and the splintered part of the lock popped back into place. Happily, Wisp bolted the door and turned back to Jala.

  “I’ve never actually seen anyone bully him. It’s always the other way around,” Jala said, trying to contain a laugh.

  Wisp gave a delicate snort and waved in dismissal. “Finn is easy to bully. Just catch him when he isn’t angry and give him a shove. He is pretty much like Valor. Neither of them would consider raising a hand to a woman.” She gave another snort, this one filled with amusement. “Well, not in anger anyway. It’s actually rather difficult to find either of them without a woman in hand.” She looked around the room and nodded approvingly. “It doesn’t smell like old cheese in here, anymore. Not sure what it was about that last guy, but it did smell odd around him.” She pulled her dark hair up and with a quick twist tied it in a bun, then brushed her hands together as if getting ready for serious labor. With a light step, she moved to the first of the trunks and flung it open. Jala tried not to stare at the pointed ears, but Wisp seemed to notice anyway.

  “My full name is Amelia Faydwer,” she explained.

  “I thought all of the High Houses had their own halls?” Jala asked in confusion. “Shouldn’t you be in Faydwer’s hall?”

  Wisp made a scoffing noise. “I’d rather be in the Hall of Champions. I’m a third born child, not an heir or anything, and it doesn’t really matter much where I stay,” she replied, as she began pulling dresses carefully from the trunk and placing them on the bed.

  “Hall of Champions?” Jala asked as she moved to help unpack. She hadn’t ever officially unpacked the trunks, she realized as they moved the clothes out. In Shade’s hall, she had been content to live out of the trunks, removing clothes as they were needed.

  Wisp paused and gave her a smile. “Finn is the Champion of Swords, Valor of Joust, me of Archery, Neph of Magic, and Jail of the Pits,” she explained. “You know, from the Spring Games. It’s not officially called the Hall of Champions or anything, just a nickname a few have given it,” she added.

  Jala gave a snort of amusement. “I don’t see how I’m going to fit in here then.”

  “Well, not everyone in this wing is a champion, and you will fit in fine,” Wisp assured her with a smile. “Now, tell me how you and Finn met and how you managed to get him to move you in? I want all the details, spare none.”

  Jala gave her a smile and realized she had never actually had a female friend before. In the Temple, she had been surrounded by adults, and then Shade and Finn. Wisp would be the first girl though. She lifted another dress from the trunk and leaned back, folding it in her lap, and began telling Wisp exactly how they had met, and made sure to spare no details.

  “So, on the second night, its Valor’s turn to cook, he can burn water so plan to go out to dinner that night. Most of us do. Finn cooks on third night, which usually consists of bread and cheese if you are lucky, and Neph leaves coins out for us to buy dinner on his night to cook.”

  “Why do you have assigned cooking nights, then?” Jala laughed, interrupting Wisp as they walked down the hall.

  Wisp smiled. “Because Jail is a very good cook when he isn’t in jail. That’s how he got his nickname, by the way. He makes it a habit of irritating the Justicars for sport. I am a good cook as well, so we keep the silly routine,” she explained. She stopped in front of Neph’s door and gave a hesitant knock. “Neph, are you awake?” she called softly, leaning close to the door.

  Jala raised an eyebrow and looked toward the windows. It was still late afternoon outside, not even evening yet. “Rather odd hours for sleeping,” she mumbled quietly to Wisp.

  “Neph is rather odd,” Wisp replied in a hushed voice.

  “I’m up,” a voice calle
d back, muffled by the door.

  With a gentle push, Wisp opened the door and beckoned Jala to follow. The room beyond was pitch black without a single light burning. A faint glow rose from strange patterns on the walls in different colors. In one corner were blue whirls and just below that faint yellow lines that seemed to curve as if mimicking sun rays. Jala spent several minutes simply looking around the room at the patterns as Wisp explained who she was.

  Neph himself did not look anything like a true mage, to her eyes. He was dressed in leather with bracers that bore spikes on each wrist. His pale hair, which was hard to tell if it was blond or silver, was shaved close around his head with the top forming little hedgehog-like spikes. He reclined in a padded leather chair with a book open on his lap. The boots he had propped up appeared to be hobnailed such as a soldier tended to wear. He was looking past her, she realized, his eyes locked on Marrow. The Bendazzi stepped the rest of the way into the room, gave it a cursory sniff, and sat down beside Jala.

  “Beautiful human you have there,” Neph said to Marrow, ignoring Jala completely. Marrow gave a slight nod, as if in answering, and shrugged. “I don’t care much for full light. I’m more of a nocturnal creature, I suppose.”

  Jala looked down at Marrow in shock. She had never known him to speak with anyone else. She hadn’t even been aware he could. She had thought their bond had made that possible. “You can hear him?” she asked at last, when it seemed he wasn’t planning to actually talk to her.

  He gave her a somewhat annoyed look. “Of course I can. Welcome to the hall and all of that, if Finn has told you I give magic lessons, he lied. If you want to know something, ask Sovann,” Neph replied.

  Wisp gave him a smack on the arm and narrowed her eyes at him. “She isn’t a warmer, Neph. Be nice or I’ll hurt you,” she warned.