The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey

by Melissa Myers

  “If Caspian thought them alive he wouldn’t have sent me,” Lutheron replied. “He sent me to find whatever killed them and get make sure it dies.”

  Charm wanted to ask why, exactly, Caspian had sent him with Lutheron, but judging by the coolness in the man’s voice, it wasn’t the time to ask. So, they were here for killing that seemed simple enough. With luck, they might even be able to find the ranger’s remains. If the bodies were fresh enough, a skilled life mage could return them to life. If not, then they could at least see their friends properly buried. Being a Fionaveir, properly buried meant a good retirement. A rumble sounded above him, and he looked up toward the sky. It was difficult to see through the tangled limbs of the ancient oaks and pines, but the sky looked a bit dark to the south. Gaelyn was south of them though he had no idea where Briarford was. It would seem he was riding toward a rather wet day in the wilderness.

  “What a perfectly wonderful way to start a perfectly wonderful day,” he sang again lightly, getting a rather odd look from the wolf pacing a few feet to his left. He ignored the Shifter and continued whistling the song under his breath. His gaze moved from tree to tree and along the fern-lined trail they rode on. While it wasn’t the pristine gardens of Sanctuary, it did have a certain feral beauty to it. Soon enough he would be in hostile country, getting soaked through by a storm while hunting very proficient killers with a very proficient killer as company. For now, he would make the best of it and whistle if he damn well pleased, while enjoying the serene beauty around him. Only the Aspects knew when he would be able to do either again.

  Chapter 22

  Sanctuary

  Jala sat up in her bed with a start. Her body was covered with a thin film of sweat and her breathing came quick. She blinked a few times and looked around her room until she was fully awake. She was used to nightmares, but that had not been a nightmare. She felt a blush heat her cheeks and wondered if she had made any noise, suddenly conscious that the object of her dream slept just on the other side of her wall.

  I wonder if his empathic abilities are always active, or if he just senses your emotions on occasions. Would be interesting to know what he dreams of tonight, Marrow’s voice was filled with amusement as he spoke in her mind and she felt herself tense at the words. She hadn’t even considered Finn sensing her mood. With a rush of panic, she turned and regarded the wall with an expression of dismay. Just the thought of explaining her dream to him made her blush deeper.

  Her door cracked open a bit, and she nearly fell out of bed onto her face at the sound. She looked over to find Finn leaning through the crack with a look of concern. Seeing her awake, he stepped the rest of the way into her room and she found herself grateful for the darkness of the room. At least he might not notice her blush. He crossed the room silently, wearing nothing more than pants that had obviously just been put on, as they were not even laced properly. She couldn’t see his expression, given the darkness, but she could sense his concern.

  “Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare? I could sense panic,” he whispered and knelt by her bedside, so close she could smell the scent of him, a mixture of soap and sweat, and that certain spice that seemed his alone. He ran a hand down Marrow’s back as he waited for her answer, seeming to relax when he noticed the Bendazzi’s calmness.

  “I’m fine, the trip today has just put my nerves on edge, I suppose,” she replied quietly, and it wasn’t entirely a lie. She was rather nervous at the prospect of traveling to the Tolanteer forest. He reached up and squeezed her hand giving her a smile she could barely make out in the darkness.

  “Nothing to worry about. You will have Marrow and me with you, and I believe Wisp plans to go, as well. If something actually makes it past us, Wisp will put an arrow through its eye,” he said, his tone reassuring.

  “She mentioned going yesterday after classes, but I didn’t know she had decided on it,” Jala said. Her blush was receding now and she felt her pulse slowing. She gave a glance toward the window. It was still full dark out with stars shining brightly. The moon itself wasn’t visible, but she guessed dawn was still hours away. “I’m okay, really. You should get back to bed because it’s bound to be a long day. By the end of it, I’m sure we will both regret my waking us,” she urged, though she doubted she would ever regret seeing Finn at any hour of the day.

  Finn looked away from her and down to Marrow and made an amused sound. “Not a bad idea at all,” he murmured with another gentle stroke down the Bendazzi’s back. Marrow stretched out fully on his side and from what Jala could sense he seemed far too pleased with himself.

  “What did he say?” she asked, hoping her voice hadn’t actually squeaked as she thought it had. She frowned down at Marrow and once again found herself regretting that he could speak with others. He seemed to prefer to send his brief little comments to Finn more than anyone else though. It might be that Finn was simply not afraid of him and hadn’t shown any concern, since she had told him Marrow was her Familiar. It might also be that the Bendazzi had a very sadistic sense of humor and liked making her squirm. Of the two choices she strongly suspected the latter.

  I have nothing but your best interest in mind, you know this. Quit fussing. Marrow’s words were mildly scolding, but still held far too much amusement for her to quit fussing as he put it.

  Finn released her hand and stood with a slight stretch he seemed to examine her bed and then lifted the covers and laid down beside her. She looked at him with wide eyes unsure if she wanted to object or rejoice. “He said I should just stay in here given there wasn’t much left of the night, and in the event that you had another dream, I would be close if you needed me,” he answered at last. With a contented sigh, he shifted his position to a more comfortable one and draped an arm across her waist before closing his eyes. “All in all, I would say your Familiar is a very wise one,” he whispered and pulled her over closer to him.

  “Indeed,” she replied a bit breathless, and forced herself to relax. She had slept beside Finn before and not had erotic dreams. Of course, that had been right after visiting Merro and the memories of her past, and that was far from stimulus to lust. She paused at the word, and searched deeper in her mind. Was it lust? That seemed a word more for Finn’s warmers. She didn’t really know what word was right for her in this circumstance. She had only known him a few months but the world seemed empty when he wasn’t nearby. She had missed Shade when he had gone off to do errands, but when Finn left to do something, or she had classes and he wasn’t around, everything was darker somehow. That hardly seemed a proper description for lust.

  “What are you thinking about?” His voice was barely a whisper in her ear and his breath was warm on her neck.

  She stiffened slightly. She thought he had gone to sleep. He was so still and his breathing so soft, she couldn’t believe he’d been lying there so quietly. Finn was not the sort simply to lie still. He was always either talking or moving. “I thought you were asleep,” she admitted.

  “That doesn’t answer the question,” he pressed. His eyes were still closed and his expression seemed peaceful, from what she could see of it.

  “Do you sense my emotions all of the time? I catch yours from time to time but not often,” she asked. It was, of course, not what she had been thinking of, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “Only on occasion, and it seems to be mostly when you are distressed,” he answered.

  “I usually catch your amusement. I don’t think you are angry often enough for me to know if I sense that regularly. but I did catch that from you at the Arena,” she replied. Shifting her position slightly she turned more to face him and rested her hand on his chest. The skin was warm and soft to the touch with the strength of stone in the muscles relaxed beneath it. “Is that normal? I have never sensed anyone’s emotions before,” she asked. It was a question she truly hoped he would answer, and she prayed he would say it wasn’t normal. It seemed like a special connection to her, and if he said he sensed the emotions of othe
rs, it would steal the magic from it.

  “Not normal at all, unless you are an Empath. I’ve never sensed anything off anyone before, not even my own brother,” he replied, and she felt a surge of joy at the words. She carefully removed the beaming smile from her face and thanked Fortune that his eyes were still closed. She saw him smile then and heard him give a slight chuckle. “Now that was much better than the emotions I usually get from you,” he said opening one eye to regard her. “Maybe it has to do with how close I am to you,” he suggested with a roguish grin and pulled her even closer. She was pressed against him fully now, flattened to his side gently from shoulder to legs. “I always move closer when you are upset, maybe I should start moving closer when you are happy to balance things.”

  “Maybe,” she agreed faintly. Her pulse had quickened and her breathing seemed a bit faster, as well. She forced herself to slow it and tried again to relax. It seemed an impossible task, though, with his hand on her back and his body so close. She felt him shift beside her and then his lips were on hers and pressing her back toward her own pillow. His weight pressed on her softly and the kiss seemed to last an eternity and an instant in the same breath. She had never kissed a man before, and she worried at how clumsy she must be, but if Finn objected, he gave no sign.

  He ran a hand through her hair and stared into her eyes for a long moment before speaking. “I don’t think I would care to sense the emotions of others. Your opinion and feelings are the only ones that truly concern me. I can’t explain it and I don’t want to examine it. I prefer simply to accept it and enjoy it,” he said, as he traced a finger down her cheek, still gazing into her eyes. “You have the most beautiful eyes,” he said after another moment and slowly lowered himself back down to his own pillow. “Nearly as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside, and that is saying a lot.”

  She curled up beside him again, wondering at the single kiss. Perhaps she had been too clumsy, though he didn’t seem to be offended.

  “Watch how close you get. I’m not used to restraint on these matters and I’m afraid my willpower isn’t as great as it should be right now,” he warned gently. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes again and took a few more steady slow breaths.

  “Should I move away?” she asked, hoping he would say no.

  He gave a slight shake of his head in answer. “You are fine,” he said after a moment and moved his arm back across her. “Best to get some sleep though. You were right, it will be a long day, and if we test my willpower much more, I’m afraid it will break.”

  “Probably the best idea,” she agreed and closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. She wasn’t really sure she wanted sleep right now, but he obviously didn’t want her to push matters.

  Mi tevalla sel yondra mi vezradesh, he whispered just as she was drifting off. At first she had thought the words mumbled and that she hadn’t heard them right, and then realized it had been another language he spoke. She repeated the words over in her mind committing them to memory and decided later would be a better time to ask what he had said.

  Morning came with bright sunlight and birdsong and Finn carefully disentangled himself from her arms and crawled out of bed. With a frown, she found herself hating mornings more than she ever had before. She gave a sleepy mumble of protest and curled into the warm spot where he had been laying. It wasn’t that the room was cold. It was actually quite pleasant and promised to be a beautiful day, that is, if and when she decided to face it.

  “I told you mornings were horrible,” Finn agreed to her mumblings and leaned over the bed. With gentle hands, he pulled the blanket away from her head and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “This is your quest we are going on, though, and it’s scarcely good form for you to be late to your own journey,” he reminded her.

  Frown still in place, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. With barely a thought, she pulled him back down into the bed nearly causing him to fall across her. His expression was so shocked she found herself giggling as he straightened to a more comfortable position. “Mornings aren’t horrible. Your getting up was horrible,” she mumbled, and snuggled up beside him again.

  He brushed some of her hair back from his face and wrapped an arm around her. “You are going to make us both late to the sky port, and everyone is going to blame me,” he pointed out, his voice low. He ran his hand up her back gently, fingers tracing from tailbone to shoulder with infuriating delicacy. “And I’m not going to complain in the slightest,” he added after a moment and kissed her again with a bit more urgency than the night before. She felt his hand slide under the back of her nightgown, and his fingers were warm on her bare flesh. She returned the kiss with equal urgency, not caring if the others waited half the afternoon at the sky port. She wrapped her leg around his and pressed herself fully against him. She was not really sure what she was doing, and didn’t care in the least.

  A heavy weight landed on the bed near them, and Marrow promptly dropped his full weight across their legs. You had your chance for this in the early hours of the morning. We have things that must be done today. Cease your mating and get up, the Bendazzi said firmly, apparently viewing himself as a chaperone as well as a Familiar.

  “Damn you to the blackest depths of the Darklands, Marrow,” Finn growled and pulled his legs from under the Bendazzi with a glare of pure fury. He rose from the bed his eyes still fixed on the Bendazzi. Slowly he took a deep breath and looked down at Jala forcing his expression to one of calmness. “Sorry, I shouldn’t curse him,” he amended, though from his glance at Marrow, she didn’t truly think he was sorry in the slightest.

  “Blackest depths, indeed,” she agreed with a half-hearted kick to the Bendazzi and rose herself. Finn’s expression changed at once all traces of anger gone replaced by something she didn’t quite recognize. She watched him in confusion and glanced down at Marrow as if seeking the answer.

  Your nightgown is silk and pale colored. Your undergarments are silk and dark colored. And you are standing in front of a bright sunlit window. You have just displayed all that Fortune granted you, and that look on his face is admiration, Marrow explained patiently, and her blush rose so fast she felt faint for a moment.

  “I should…uh…I should get dressed,” she stammered and quickly moved from the window.

  You were about to mate with him before I jumped on the bed, and now you turn colors because he sees what you look like naked? Did you expect he wouldn’t notice you had breasts while you were rutting? The Bendazzi sounded both incredulous and amazed in her mind, and she cast him a quick glare.

  “I wish you wouldn’t call it that,” she hissed in a voice so quiet only Marrow could hear.

  Finn was across the room now, almost to the door. “I’ve got to check with Valor about something before we go, but I should be ready in about ten minutes,” he called over his shoulder as he left the room.

  Would you prefer I say the sentimental exchange of bodily fluids? Marrow asked in a tone thick with sarcasm.

  It didn’t seem quite right that an overgrown cat should be sarcastic. She was willing to bet a good bit of the remaining gold she had, that sorcerers with rats or toads as Familiars, didn’t have to deal with sarcasm first thing in the morning.

  No doubt, but then they have a bloody toad for a Familiar. I think sarcasm is a very small price to pay, personally, he replied to her thoughts smugly. A Bendazzi is a precious gift. Don’t you feel blessed? You should probably be getting dressed.

  Her door opened again, and she looked over to see Wisp sliding inside with a bundle under one arm. The Fae looked at her with wide eyes and a wider smile. “So I notice Finn didn’t sleep in his room last night,” she said, her eyes twinkling. She sat the bundle down and began to unwrap it. “Be a good girl now and tell me all about it while I get your clothes ready.”

  “My clothes?” Jala asked dumbly and glanced down at the gown she held in her hands.

  “You didn’t seriously think you were going to go wandering off into
the Tolanteer in a dress, did you?” Wisp asked in amazement. “Ridiculous. Come and see what I’ve brought you.”

  Jala moved closer and looked over Wisp’s shoulder at the dark green leathers she held. She ran a hand down the jerkin and marveled at the softness of it. “That will never fit me, it’s obviously yours,” she objected.

  Wisp gave an amused snort. “It’s yours now, and it will fit you as soon as you touch it, as if I would own armor that’s not magical.” She handed the leathers over with a light toss, and to Jala’s amazement the fine worked armor did seem to shift as she caught it. It was crafted with such loving care that the seams could barely be seen. An overall pattern of vining leaves and flowers covered the majority of it making it more a work of art than armor.

  “I can’t accept this, Wisp, it’s so fine,” Jala objected again and tried to hand it back. Wisp gave her a scathing look and dropped a chain mail vest over the top of the leathers she held. The rings were a bright polished gold and the same vines and flowers adorned the vest in a pattern over the links. There was no rattle of metal as it settled though and she reached up to touch the rings in curiosity. “What is this?” she asked in amazement. It was light to the touch and felt nothing like any metal she knew.

  “The leathers are made of serpent hide, and the chain mail is made of serpent bone. It’s as strong as metal, no worries. They have some sort of process for it where they grind the bones up into a fine powder and mix tempers in with it before firing it. They call it serpent bone porcelain, but it’s hardly an adequate name. Finn’s armor is made of the same stuff, you will see. And if he uses it, you know it’s durable.”