The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey

by Melissa Myers

  He gave a nod, seeming satisfied with the answer. “I’d tell you who has the bad blood, but you would think I was being petty,” he said. “You know the moment we are back in our hall I’m going to get an answer out of you, right?”

  “I know. I’m quickly learning not to argue with you,” she replied in a resigned voice.

  He gave her a smile. “Don’t do that. You are about the only one aside from Valor that will still argue with me. Every time I argue with Valor it ends up in drawn steel. I rather like having someone who will talk back without a sword.”

  “Look, the trees are thinning ahead. Surely we can’t be at the border already.” Jala pointed ahead and turned in her saddle to look back the way they had come. Behind them, standing majestically beyond the saplings, she could still see the ancient trees of the Tolanteer. When they had ridden through on the way to the witch, it had taken them most of the day simply to clear the new growth.

  Finn pivoted in his saddle to look behind them and then to the south. “I think we are far closer to the Nerathane border than Shade thought. We will be lucky if we cross into Rivana at all.” He sat back down in his saddle and urged his horse into a faster walk.

  They rode the rest of the way in silence with the intent on reaching the clearing. While she had been excited at the prospect of seeing more of the world, she was more than ready to be home now. Finn seemed to share her eagerness, and by the time they broke into the open grasslands they had caught up with their companions.

  Shade was looking around with a frown and seemed to be trying to get his bearings. “I don’t know if we are in Nerathane or Rivana,” he admitted finally and dismounted from his horse.

  “Neither is a good prospect. Best we get the ship loaded and leave quickly,” Wisp said with a shrug and dismounted, as well.

  I smell more humans, Marrow said, raising his head and sniffing the air.

  Finn looked down at the Bendazzi, and before Jala could say a word he was motioning Wisp to hurry. “Get the spell hawk loaded now,” he barked, and the others jumped to obey.

  Jala felt a slight tremor of magic across her back and turned to see riders in the yellow and orange of Rivana. They stood in a semi-circle between her friends and the border of Southern Goswin. Toward the back of their ranks were two riders dressed differently, and from what Jala could see, they were unarmored. While apparently part of the Rivasan group, they stood slightly apart from it. One, a powerful looking man dressed fully in white on a white horse, watched in silence as the other, dressed in blue and silver, pushed his horse forward toward the spell hawk. The one approaching was half-blood if Jala guessed right. His pinched face didn’t quite have the perfection of a full Immortal, but he was certainly no commoner. An expression of annoyance covered his features and his whole manner spoke of disapproval. His thin dark hair was pulled back severely, and combined with the crisp starched clothing he wore, he reminded Jala of a military officer.

  “Christian, we are leaving here now; get your household on the ship.” His voice was severe and cold, which added volumes to his demeanor of disapproval.

  Shade turned to regard the newcomers and blinked in surprise at the man addressing him. “What is the meaning of this, Master Temare?” he asked, obviously trying to regain control of the situation.

  “Your father has sent me to collect you. He is very disappointed that you allowed yourself to become involved in this scandal,” Temare replied, his tone at the last word amplifying how distasteful he found the current situation.

  Shade’s gaze flicked to the Rivasan soldiers and then to Jala and Finn. “The girls have nothing to do with any troubles the Rivasans might have with Finn, allow me to take them as well.”

  “No, I won’t leave Finn here alone,” Jala objected loudly. Shade gave her a pleading look, and she felt Finn squeeze her arm. She planted her feet more firmly in the ground, determined not to be moved from Finn’s side. She had no doubts what the Rivasans intended to do with him, and there was no way she would leave a friend to that fate. Especially not Finn, a small voice in the back of her mind added.

  “If they allow you to leave, do so,” he hissed in her ear. “They intend to kill me, and they will likely kill you as well if they don’t rape you first.”

  “I won’t leave you,” she repeated through clenched teeth. Marrow crouched low beside her, his lips beginning to curl up in a snarl as he eyed the Rivasans.

  “I had been told the girl had left your protection and now lived under the roof of Sovaesh.” Temare eyed Jala with an expression of disgust. She returned the glare, hoping she was displaying her sentiments to him just as clearly.

  “She is still a friend of mine, Temare, and I will not leave her to Rivasan mercy,” Shade replied, his posture stiffening.

  “I assure you the ladies will be fine,” a new voice cut in. Jala turned to the speaker and watched a rider in the Rivasan colors push his horse forward. His features were so close to Devron’s, he had to have been close kin to the dead boy. “Please, Lord Morcaillo, these are matters between Finn and myself. We really do not want this to turn into more than it already is.” His voice was oily and full of arrogance. Jala bit her lip and fought back the urge to speak up again. It might be better to let Shade speak now. He, at least, was on equal footing with the man.

  “Get on the ship, Christian, with your two comrades.” Temare waved his hand toward Leah and Madren and sniffed with distaste as his gaze fell on Jala. “The girl is no longer our concern. She has made her choice of allies, and the Faydwer girl is of no concern to the House Morcaillo, either.” Temare spoke with a tone of authority and pointed at the ship. “Your father will not be pleased if you cause difficulties with an allied House. House Rivasa has never had a quarrel with House Morcaillo, I highly suggest you do not start one,” he added when he noticed Shade’s lack of movement.

  “Come on, Shade, that’s a Soul Reaver in the back,” Leah said, her voice a bit urgent. She tugged at Shade’s arm and he allowed himself to be moved a step or two before planting his heels once again.

  Jala watched him with hope and truly believed he meant to stand beside them before Temare spoke again. “If you do not wish for your father to show here I suggest you get on the ship. Be aware, I will inform him of the difficulty you have already caused,” he snapped and Shade seemed to wilt before the words like a child. With a final apologetic glance her way, he stepped onto the spell hawk followed closely by Leah and Madren. Temare bowed respectfully to the Rivasan lord. “My apologies, Milord, It was never House Morcaillo’s intent to inconvenience you,” he said and then stepped onto the ship, as well, without so much as a glance back.

  Finn watched them disappear onto the ship and pulled his silver cigarette case from his pocket. Silently, he lit the cigarette and took a long drag as he eyed the Rivasan intently before exhaling the smoke through his nostrils. “What now Dendric?” he asked, his voice low.

  “You killed my brother and dared to trespass on my lands. What do you think happens now, Sovaesh?” The Lord replied, his tone mocking. “You will die, the Faydwer will get a grand visit with my father, and your little kitten there will become a slave.”

  Jala shuddered at the word, her mind flashing back to images the witch had shown her. She tried not to picture herself beaten and bloody in her mother’s place. Setting her jaw, she pushed the images back and felt her back stiffen. She would die before it came to that, she decided firmly. Marrow snarled beside her and his hair began to rise. Spines rose from his back as he crouched lower, thick curving black protrusions from his shoulders and along the ridge of his back. For a moment, the sight stunned her out of her determination and she simply stared down at the Bendazzi in shock. She hadn’t known he had spines. She scolded herself mentally for the distraction and pushed the thoughts away. Sovann was right; she really did need to work on her concentration.

  “See the one in the back, without a uniform? said Finn. That’s a Soul Reaver. Keep an eye on him. I’m not sure which circle he i
s, but he is either a Blade Master or a Shaman. If he is a Blade Master we don’t have a prayer. This many men will be tough as it is. If he is a Shaman, he can pull your soul straight out of your body without effort. For now, just keep yourself shielded, don’t let the shield drop for a moment. Rivasans use Hellfire and a lot of it,” he spoke the words quickly and kept an eye on the Rivasan lord as he hissed them to her. Taking another long drag from his cigarette, he stepped away from Jala and Marrow and moved out into open ground.

  “You can’t possibly mean to pursue this!” Wisp exclaimed, apparently realizing it was going to come to blood. “Do you have any idea what my father will do to your lands, Rivasa?” She glared defiantly at the Lord.

  “Most likely nothing. He will simply pay your ransom. Considering that you were taken on my lands,” Dendric replied with a cold smile. “Drop your weapons and surrender, Finn, you don’t have a chance here, and you know it. Set down the swords and I’ll make it quick and painless. Fight me and I’ll leave you alive to watch my guards have a turn with your kitten.”

  “The bloody hell they will, you bastard,” Jala growled.

  “The bloody hell you will,” Finn agreed and drew his blades. He stood defiantly before them, his shoulders set and his eyes intent. “I will not surrender. Might as well get on with it.” His voice was a low growl filled with threat.

  “Finn, they have you twenty to one.” Wisp’s voice was filled with pleading.

  “Twenty to two if you draw that bow, Wisp. I’m not backing down, you know me better than that.” Finn began his advance toward the horseman. Slow and cautious at first as he gauged his opponents and chose his first target.

  “Kill him. Keep the girls alive,” Dendric said in an almost lazy voice and rode back to wait, apparently not inclined to face Finn himself. His gaze fell on the Soul Reaver who sat motionless on his horse watching the encounter. “You heard me, kill him,” he snapped.

  The Soul Reaver regarded him with pale, near colorless eyes and raised a white eyebrow. He was a colorless form among the bright yellow and orange of the Rivasans, standing out like a snow drift in a spring garden. His expression was neutral and if he had any intention of acting, Jala saw no signs of it. Still, she kept her gaze fixed on the Soul Reaver as Finn had told her to. Her shields were up and solid, giving her the safety to watch and not worry about the other soldiers. She found herself marveling at the man’s complete lack of pigment. His skin was as pale as snow, with hair that seemed even whiter, and his features were well made. But the sheer strangeness of his presence made him seem not quite human.

  “You hired me to collect his soul once he was dead, not to kill him. If you cannot win this fight with these odds you do not deserve the victory,” the Soul Reaver spoke in a calm, polite voice that seemed wholly out of place in this chaos.

  Upon hearing the words, she turned her attention back to the fight. Knowing he wouldn’t move, freed her to watch over her friends. Wisp had drawn her bow and was working hard to stay out of range of the swordsmen, as she fired as many arrows as she could manage during her retreat. If any arrows had found their marks yet, Jala saw no sign. It was likely that the soldiers wore wards of protection that would need to be dispelled before Wisp’s arrows would find a mark. Jala ground her teeth in frustration. The greater dispelling was a spell Sovann had taught her, but it required vast concentration. It would, of course, also destroy her shield and most likely her armor which was enchanted.

  Scanning the field, she located Finn standing in the center of four swordsmen and from the look of it was spending his strength defending and not attacking. Jala bit her lips and maintained the shield as he had instructed, wishing there was some way she could help. Finn delivered one of his typical flurries to the closest swordsman but had to pull back to parry two more before he could land a solid blow. There were simply too many on him. While none of the soldiers had managed to get through Finn’s defense, it was only a matter of time before it happened. He would tire before twenty men.

  “Help him, Marrow, get one of them off Finn and give him room,” she said quietly. As if he had simply been waiting for the word, Marrow sprang forward savagely. His jump carried him into the closest man’s back. The Bendazzi bore him down with little effort and raked with ruthless efficiency at the man’s back and stomach. The Rivasan’s screams tore through the air, and Jala steeled herself against them. She refused to feel pity for anyone that would follow Dendric’s orders. Finn seized the opportunity as soon as it presented itself. He whirled to his right, plunging a blade into one of the soldiers who was foolish enough to pause at the Bendazzi’s appearance.

  A blossom of flame drew her attention back to Wisp, and she watched the Fae barely dodge the burst of blue fire that flowed past her. Hellfire, Jala realized. Sovann had spoken of it but she had never seen it before. It was far beyond natural fire, burning at temperatures that could melt any armor. Intent on avoiding the fire, Wisp nearly ran into a circling horseman. With a cry of alarm, the Fae dodged under the horse and sprinted trying to get as much distance as she could. Jala watched in mute horror as the rider of the horse spurred the beast after the tiny Fae. Without really thinking, she dropped the shield and summoned her magic. She couldn’t simply stand here shielded and watch Wisp get rode down. With a grunt of effort, she wove the simplest offensive spell Sovann had taught her at the rider. The blast of wind hit solidly and knocked both horse and rider to the ground in a bone breaking tumble.

  A shriek came from near Finn, and she prayed it was one of the Rivasan’s but didn’t spare the time to look. The other riders had noticed her join the fray, and two were riding toward her. She could get her shields back up in time if she started now, but that would leave Wisp alone once more. Jala ground her teeth and motioned the Fae to her as she leveled another spell at the closest rider. She didn’t know enough about the Rivasan’s to know what magics were most effective against them, but fire was definitely off the list. There were limits as well to what she had learned from Sovann in the way of combat magic. His magic was more of a practical nature. Her gaze flicked to the fallen horseman and she gave a sigh. That one seemed to have worked well enough she decided. Focusing herself completely, she hurled a wall of solid air at the approaching soldiers and smiled in satisfaction as the wind hurled them back. It didn’t have as much effect as she had hoped, but for now, they were out of the fight.

  Wisp reached her side breathless and pressed her back solid against Jala’s. “Thank you,” she gasped and Jala felt the Fae’s shoulders tighten as she raised her bow once more.

  “Don’t mention it,” Jala replied, turning her attention to the Rivasan Lord who was watching the battle with an annoyed look on his face. Apparently he had expected them to be dead by now. Her gaze flicked over his clothing and jewels searching for any wards he might be wearing. Seeing nothing obvious, she considered the options quickly. It was doubtful that wind would work effectively on him, considering the two riders she knocked back were already rising, and the lord was sure to be stronger.

  “Only seventeen left, no problems here,” Wisp mumbled behind her and Jala wasn’t sure if the Fae had been speaking to her or not. She flicked a glance back to Finn to see he had dropped one of the swordsmen though another had quickly taken his comrade’s place. “They have protections up against my arrows. Any chance you can dispel that?”

  “I can try,” Jala offered and set herself on that spell instead. The dispelling would, of course, leave her standing completely naked in enemy territory, but if Wisp managed to sink an arrow in the Lord’s eye, the end result was worth it. She let the magic wash over her and tried to ignore the sounds of combat around her. A major dispelling of this nature was more complicated, and she couldn’t allow herself to worry for Marrow or Finn. She was halfway through it when she heard Finn curse loudly.

  “Oh, shit,” Wisp exclaimed, her voice rising to a near screech. Jala kept her eyes closed and focused refusing to let her concentration break this close to completion. A gus
t of hot air brushed across her cheek and abruptly the world went dark. Smoke filled her nostrils thick with the smell of charred flesh. The spell failed completely; her focus destroyed by the smell. Her eyes flashed open, and she stared in mute astonishment at the bronze scaled back shielding her. She stood in shadows and looked up numbly to stare at the bronze wing stretched over them like a canopy. Her jaw dropped as her mind suddenly realized what it was seeing. A dragon had saved them from hellfire, and the smell of burning flesh rose in waves from the creature. Almost causing her to wretch. Jala fought back her puzzlement. Now was not the time to contemplate why a dragon was being burned by fire despite all of the stories that said they were immune.

  Build a stable fire now, behind your enemies. NOW! A voice commanded in her mind, and it only registered after she was casting the spell, that it was Havoc’s voice and not Marrow’s. She released the spell and a bonfire the size of one of the mounted riders sprung to life behind them. Her breath caught in her throat as the first of the black horses emerged from the flames at a dead run. Havoc sat astride it, his swords bared and flashing toward the closest Rivasan. The soldier recognized the threat too late and fell to the ground, his neck nearly severed. She heard the dragon give a savage growl, and it lunged awkwardly at a passing rider. Its movements seemed sluggish, and it couldn’t seem to rise fully to its feet. Jala struggled to get a look around it, to catch some sign of Finn but there was no way of seeing past the bronze scales.

  “Is Finn alright, do you know where he is?” she asked Wisp frantically. She couldn’t hear the swords ringing anymore and was afraid he had fallen while her eyes had been closed.

  Wisp looked at her in disbelief and motioned at the dragon. “That is Finn, and no he isn’t all right,” she replied, her voice nearly hysterical. Leaving Jala to sort it out, the Fae notched another arrow and fired at a passing soldier. Jala shook herself from the daze Wisp’s words had left her in, and returned her full attention to the fight, throwing spells when she could get a clear target. Briefly, she caught the glimpse of Avalanche and wondered for a bare second when Victory had arrived. She hadn’t seen him join the fight. Then the moment passed and her world once again shrank to spells and death.