“It won’t damage you in anyway if I accept?” Jala asked cautiously.
“Consider it simply the duplication of a memory on a larger scale. Valor will retain the knowledge and you will learn everything he knows. However, the knowledge that comes directly from his mind will be tainted with his opinions and beliefs. You will not form your own ideas about maneuvers and such,” Jail explained his expression skeptical at best.
“Then I agree to your terms Valor,” Jala said with a faint nod. She knew how much Valor must want her to have his knowledge to risk Jail working on his mind once more. He had stated clearly in the Darklands that he didn’t trust the Han’shy mage and yet here he was insisting that mind magic be worked once more. “I trust in the fact that Valor’s mind will not be altered in any way from this magic,” she said softly as she moved her gaze from Valor to lock eyes with Jail.
“You have my word that no changes will be made to his mind beyond sharing his knowledge with you. I swear by the blood of my house,” Jail said formally as he rose to stand facing Valor. The Han’shy towered over the knight and his hands nearly covered Valor’s head as he placed his palms carefully over Valor’s temples. “There will be a moment of dizziness as I work,” Jail warned Valor quietly and then closed his eyes as he focused on his magic.
Jala watched in silence as the spell was worked, her eyes moving constantly from Valor’s face to Jail’s. She had been warned that Jail might not be entirely trustworthy and she was allowing him to work on the mind of one of her closest friends. Of all of the different types of magic Sovann and Neph had taught her. Mind magic had not been included in the lessons. If Jail did alter Valor’s mind there would be no way she could fix it.
Are we having doubts? Neph’s voice broke through her thoughts and she glanced aside to look at him. It wasn’t often that Neph used mental links. He usually just spoke whatever was on his mind regardless of who he offended. His expression now, however, was carefully neutral, giving no indication that they were linked.
Do you trust Jail? Jala asked him through the same mental link.
I trust no one, Neph answered bluntly, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. If Valor starts clucking like a chicken we will know Jail isn’t our buddy after all.
That’s not funny Neph. I’m serious, Jala objected, her gaze moving once more to scan Valor’s face. He seemed paler then before, but didn’t look to be in any sort of pain.
Jail is on our side as far as the Avanti are concerned. Jail has nothing to gain by sabotaging Valor so it should be fine. The part you are going to have to watch Jail on is the Fionaveir. He has family on their council and he is fond of them, Neph assured her, his tone moving from his typical sarcasm to the gentle tones he seemed to reserve for only her.
So virtually the same as Wisp then, Jala replied with a sigh and nearly rose from her chair as Valor staggered and sat heavily back against the table.
I have to wonder about the expression on your face right now, Neph said softly his voice barely a whisper in her thoughts.
Jala blinked quickly and sat back in her chair once more, her eyes flicking to Neph who was watching her closely. It was a week to you. It was well over a month for me. Valor is… She paused as she searched for the correct words and noted with irritation the amusement that flickered across Neph’s face once more.
Is what? Neph pressed.
Valor is dear to me. Just as you and Marrow are. I care for all of my friends, but through certain circumstances I have grown closer with some more than others. Stop looking at me like that, Neph, I don’t even know what is amusing you. I was concerned, that was it, Jala explained, her voice growing defensive.
It looked more like terrified to me, but I’ll let it go, Neph replied his gaze moving down the table as Jail stepped back and folded his hands tightly together. A faint glow surrounded Jail’s hands for the barest breath and with a nod to Jala he slowly opened his hands to reveal a pure white crystal cupped in his palms.
“Twenty years of knowledge is contained in this stone, Jala. Do not try to learn it all at once. Extract it in fragments or you will overwhelm yourself,” Jail warned as he sat the crystal carefully down on the table and slid it across to Jala.
Nodding, Jala picked it up carefully and turned it over her hands as Valor made his way unsteadily back to his chair. “Are you all right?” She asked softly as he sat back down.
Valor nodded faintly. “Just dizzy as he said I would be,” he assured her. “Everything I learned at the Academy and beside my father on the battlefield should be there. By the time you finish that crystal you should know every bloody detail there is to know.”
You know what else I noticed? Neph asked, his voice fainter through the mental link. While you were all eyes for Valor and your mind was filled with what you label as concern, the lady knight was watching you like a hawk, and if looks could kill, my dear, you would be very, very dead, he added as the link between them faded completely.
Jala glanced briefly at Neph and then to Bridgette but the knight’s attention was focused on the table itself rather than anyone seated at it. “Are you all right to continue?” Jala asked Valor softly as she turned the crystal over in her hands once more. She knew how valuable the knowledge he had given her was and she was still trying to figure out how to protect the crystal from being lost or stolen.
Valor nodded and motioned with his hand for her to continue. His eyes scanned the table briefly and she knew he was searching for a decanter of wine. While he hadn’t been drinking as much recently, it was a habit that was dying a slow death.
“The next order of business. Sovann, how difficult are the Blight glasses to create?” Jala asked, determined to move ahead before she was distracted further.
Sovann looked up from where he had been playing with his nephew and shrugged slightly. “Not hard. It’s time consuming mostly with the fashioning of the frames and cutting the lenses. If Joseph helps me with that part we should be able to make them fairly quickly.”
“I’d be happy to help. I’ve gotten rather good at it over the past few weeks, given how many test pairs Sovann has made,” Joseph offered.
Jala nodded faintly her eyes lingering on Joseph. I don’t like your new addition of Joseph Walker either. It was rather convenient that he showed up in Sanctuary wasn’t it? War’s words echoed in her mind as she studied Joseph and nodded once more. “See that we have as many pairs as you can manage. I intend for all of our archers to be equipped with them,” Jala continued, her gaze turning to Wisp next. “You will be in charge of our Archers and see to their proper training,” she informed the Fae with a smile.
“I’d be happy to, but I still have so much restoration on the land to do, Jala,” Wisp said with a sigh.
“Let it go for now. We have plenty to work with from what you have already restored and if we don’t get a functional army by spring there is scarce point in having a restored country. Avanti will slaughter us,” Jala said firmly and looked next to Neph.
“No,” Neph said bluntly before she could speak.
“You didn’t even let me say what I wanted from you,” Jala snapped and let out a heavy breath.
“You were about to tell me that you wanted me to scour our ranks for likely mages and start training them,” Neph said with a smirk and shook his head slowly and firmly at her. “I wouldn’t teach you magic at first and I’m sure as hell not going to teach your whores magic.”
“You don’t know that is what I was going to say,” Jala shot back indignantly though in fact it was exactly what she was about to say to him.
“Ahh. Well, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that you were about to make a suggestion that wasn’t idiotic, then. What was it you wanted from me, Jala?” Neph replied sweetly his blue eyes glittering with mischief.
“I was about to inform you that you are in charge of feeding my cat and mucking the stables,” Jala informed him dryly.
“Still better than training whores to cast fireb
olts,” Neph agreed with a smile.
“I wish you would stop calling them that,” Jala sighed.
“Would you prefer disease infested,” Neph began, but Jala smacked him before he could finish. His face broke into a grin and he winked at her. “Slowly but surely we are getting a bit of life back into you. I’d rather see your temper than your depression.”
“You are such an ass, Neph,” Jala sighed but smiled faintly as she spoke. Shaking her head slightly she looked back around the table once more her eyes lingering on Jail. “Is it true Jail? Do the Avanti truly hold your homelands?” she asked.
“They do,” Jail said with a nod and a smile.
“Why are you smiling?” Jala asked in genuine confusion.
Jail’s smile widened and he winked at her as he stood carefully from the table and moved to stand beside her. “They hold my lands. That is true. There is one thing they haven’t considered however. Tell me what you see, Jala,” Jail said as he bowed deeply before her and dropped to his knees his head hung in submission.
“I see you groveling before me. Jail, get up this instant,” Jala said quickly as she reached to pull his arm. Her vision blurred for a moment and she stared hard at the dagger pointed directly at her throat. Jail stood in the same spot he had when he had first approached and there was nothing about his posture that suggested submission at all.
“The Avanti have forgotten that what our eyes see is not always the truth. A Mind mage is a very dangerous opponent. You may believe you have won, but that’s only because they want you to believe it,” Jail said softly as he slowly put his dagger away and then lifted both arms out to his sides his hands held open showing that he held no weapons. “It was a demonstration, nothing more, Valor,” Jail said carefully as he stepped cautiously forward.
Blinking in confusion, Jala leaned back in her chair to see Valor’s dagger pressed firmly in the small of Jail’s back. “It’s OK, Valor,” Jala said, her eyes widening.
“Demonstrate on Neph next time, Jail,” Valor said softly as he flipped his dagger back around and replaced it in its sheath.
“It was poor judgment on my part,” Jail said neutrally and bowed his head in apology to Valor. “I’m sorry to alarm you. I meant no harm to her.”
“It’s fine, Jail. I see your point as far as your country goes. I believe you are right and Avanti has underestimated your people,” Jala said with a nod, her gaze flicking once to Valor and then back to Jail.
“Good thinking there, Val kill off the Mind mage that just helped you,” Neph said with a sigh and shook his head at the knight.
“He had a dagger to her throat, Neph,” Valor shot back with anger building in his voice.
“And he wasn’t cutting was he?” Neph returned hotly.
“Oh for the love of the Aspects, both of you shut the hell up,” Madren broke in stunning everyone at the table into silence. “Every time you two are within five feet of each other you bicker like old women,” Madren said with a sigh and looked back to Jala with a smile. “Please continue,” he urged seeming utterly oblivious to the dumbfounded stares he was getting from everyone in the room.
“Uh…” Jala began lamely and then shook her head quickly and grinned. “Completely unexpected, but thank you, Madren. Actually I was just getting to the point of needing to speak with you anyway. I need you to fill as many mana stones as you can as quickly as you can. I will be breaking the curse on Goswin in three days,” she said as her grin faded.
“Just like that, eh? In three days I’m going to do something that no one has been able to do in decades,” Neph said with a smirk.
“If she says she is going to do it, then she will,” Valor snapped, his gaze moving from Madren back to Neph.
“Stop it,” Jala cut in holding a hand up in front of both of their faces. “I’m in between your bitchfest and I don’t want to listen to it,” she said firmly as she placed a palm firmly on both of their faces and pushed them back farther into their chairs. Pulling her hands back, she looked down at her palm and then back to Neph. “You bit me,” she said dumbly and glanced up at him.
“Put your hand where it doesn’t belong and you pay for it,” Neph replied with another smirk.
“May I ask how you intend to break the curse?” Sovann asked quietly, his voice just loud enough to carry across the table.
“The same way I ended Death’s magic. I intend to find the threads that are causing the problem and either sever them or repair them, whichever is needed,” Jala explained calmly, still examining the teeth marks in her hand.
“You can see threads now?” Sovann asked in shock.
His tone of voice drew her attention upwards and she nodded calmly to him. “I can. It was a talent that I discovered while I was lounging in bed,” she replied.
“So she is a Sorceress, a Channeler, and a Weaver,” Neph concluded with a raised eyebrow.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing. I was amazed when she showed a talent for Channeling,” Sovann said and shook his head slightly as he stared at Jala with a bewildered expression.
“I’ve put some thought into that actually,” Jala said with a bitter smile.
“And…” Neph pressed.
“And I remember quite clearly saying I wish I could just master magic when I was having so many difficulties learning a simple Light spell in Sanctuary. It appears my family magic does work quite well. The edge of that sword was what I had to go through to master it. Sovann made the Sorcery part simple. I mastered the Channeling the day Finn was nearly killed in Rivana, the Weaving came from nearly dying myself,” Jala explained.
“So essentially, what she is saying is, if we truly traumatize her she might show us another form of magic that we don’t even know of,” Neph said with a grin.
“There are days when it is so tempting to smack you, Neph,” Jala said with a sigh. “Can you handle the mana stones all right, Madren? I will need as many as you can make. I have no idea how much energy it is going to require to lift the curse but I’m going to bet it is far more than I possess on my own.”
“Consider it done. I will work on that and nothing else until we leave for Goswin,” Madren assured her with a firm nod. He had been sitting with a thoughtful expression on his face for most of the meeting, but now his eyes held a gleam to them. She wasn’t sure if it was determination she was seeing, or hope. Either would do, though. They were both things that would be desperately needed in days to come.
“Well then, that is it until after the curse is lifted. Everyone knows where we stand and what to do. We face the Avanti in the spring and we must be prepared. It is up to everyone in this room to see that everything we can possibly do to protect ourselves is done,” Jala said with a nod around the table. “You may all return to what you were doing before I called you here,” Jala finished and watched everyone stand. “Neph, stay a moment if you would. I’d like to talk to you about something,” she added.
“As you like,” Neph agreed and dropped back into his chair once more.
Silently, Jala watched the room empty and nodded to Wisp as the Fae motioned toward herself and Legacy and then upstairs. Quietly, Wisp closed the door behind her and Jala turned her attention back to the room.
“If any of them are traitors I could find no trace of it in their minds,” Emily said quietly as she dropped her camouflage and took a seat at the table. She wore the clothing that Jala had painstakingly selected for her over the past few days. Though it wasn’t a fashion trend that any others would likely follow, the Blight seemed comfortable in the assortment of clothing stolen from various cultures. The short cut pants she wore originated from Morcath and were primarily used by the women tending the orchards to wear under their skirts for decency. The vest was borrowed from Firym style and the heavy clawed gauntlets derived from Delvay as did the spiked pauldron that covered one of the girl’s slender shoulders. “I scanned Joseph’s mind the deepest and unless he is far more clever than I think, he is genuine,” Emily said.
“W
ell isn’t this interesting,” Neph began slowly looking from the Blight to Jala. “I wondered about the presence of a few at that meeting.”
“I had to be certain,” Jala said calmly with no trace of remorse in her voice at all. “I started a war today. I have to know that my allies are truly allies.”
“We started a war,” Neph corrected with a smile and looked back to Emily. “The short hair looks nice,” he said with a nod causing both women to stare at him in shock. A compliment from Neph was as rare as a snowflake in summer. “The outfit looks as though you were dressed by a blind beggar but the hair is good.”
“You had to add to it didn’t you,” Emily sighed with a shake of her head. It had nearly taken having Marrow lay on Emily to hold her down for Jala to accomplish cutting the Blight’s hair. It had seemed the most practical thing to do, given how much Emily detested taking care of long hair.
Jala smiled faintly and glanced to the other side of the room. “Did you sense any guilt or remorse on any of them, Ash?” she asked quietly and had to fight back the urge to smile as Neph spun around in his chair to stare in the direction she was looking.
“Valor had remorse when he looked at his fellow knight, but there was no guilt in the room beyond your own, Milady,” Ash replied in a whisper as he slowly materialized from the shadows at the back of the room.
“Do you have anyone else hidden in here?” Neph demanded, turning in his chair once more to face her.
“Did you know Soulreavers can read emotions as well as Empaths can? It’s truly amazing what they can do with their spirit magic. Taking the form of a spirit, for example. I had no idea they could do that either. As silent as a ghost in a literal sense,” Jala said as she watched Ash cross the room to take a seat at the table beside her. “They are also utterly immune to the powers of Empaths as well as Enchantments,” she added, her eyes locking with Neph’s. “I need you to do something for me, Neph, and I need it to be done silently.”
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes Page 28
