I don’t like his being nice. It makes me more nervous than when he has that devious smile on his face, Marrow said. The Bendazzi flattened his ears back and paced away from Jexon’s horse to sit closer to Valor despite Vanguard’s prancing hooves.
“It looks even, numbers wise,” Neph said, his eyes still roving over the Avanti forces.
“I don’t like the ground they have given us,” Jala insisted. It seemed too much like a trap to her, though she couldn’t tell where they might be hiding any surprises. The ground was flat and level without so much as a bush showing.
“Caltrops in the grass maybe?” Badger offered hesitantly. Shrugging, her father looked over to Valor and raised an eyebrow. “What do you think, Lord Hai’dia?” he asked. Jala raised an eyebrow at the title and smiled at her father. He didn’t use the lord title when he addressed anyone else in the army.
“It could be, but I doubt it. I would guess that they plan to rain arrows down on us from across the field. That I can block for my Knights though with a simple wind spell,” Valor said after a short pause.
“Could you perhaps summon another storm?” Jexon asked and they all turned to look in surprise at the polite tone he was still using.
Valor shook his head slowly eyes flicking to the bright blue sky that held only a trace of clouds in it. “Too much effort with the weather this clear. I wouldn’t get much in the way of results till nightfall,” he said cautiously with suspicion clear in his voice. Apparently he didn’t trust Jexon’s new courtesy any more than Marrow did.
Jexon nodded slowly and let out a long sigh. “My Soulblades cannot do a wind spell to block the arrows. The best they could do to avoid the Serpent’s teeth would be a spirit form to cross the field, but not all of them have that ability and for those that do their attacks would be delayed while they regained their physical forms,” he said with a shake of his head.
“I’ll lead the assault,” Valor announced, straightening in his saddle and glancing over his shoulder to locate his Knights.
“Valor, I don’t like this,” Jala insisted. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something felt wrong. On the surface the battlefield looked to be in their favor. It was perfect for her knights and the infantry would be able to maneuver easily as well.
“Blights?” Neph asked her with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t know,” Jala said with another shake of her head. “Something is wrong here,” she said softly.
Fishing in his pocket for a moment Neph pulled out the pair of glasses that Sovann had given him and put them on. Slowly he turned his head and scanned the entire field, then turned back to Jala and shook his head no. “It’s clear as far as I can tell,” he said with a shrug.
“I’ll lead the charge. Badger, bring the militia in and disperse the Soulblades among them. Have Wisp and her archers on the sidelines in case there are mages. Neph, you can go sit in the back and read if you like. I got this,” Valor said with a smile as he signaled his knights forward.
“I hope your horse falls on you, Valor,” Neph said dryly without even the trace of a smile to show he was joking.
“Where is Jail? Maybe he can scan the minds of the Avanti commanders before we attack,” Jala said quickly before Valor could fasten his helm in place.
“Jala they will be protected from that,” Valor said with a smile and winked at her. “Have I ever failed you before?” he asked with a grin.
Jala shook her head slowly and let out a long sigh. “No, and I trust you Val. I just have a very bad feeling,” she said softly.
Valor pressed his horse closer and smiled down at her. “We can’t just sit here, Jala. I agree it looks too good to be true, and it probably is. You have to have faith that I can handle whatever they throw at us and I will have faith that you are back here waiting with your magic to support me,” he said in a voice pitched for her ears alone.
“Val…” Jala began but let her voice trail off. She wasn’t sure what she had been about to say, anyway. Swallowing heavily, she nodded and gave him a forced smile. “Kick their ass,” she said at last and nodded, her gaze going once more to the Avanti side. Whatever it was, she would find out soon enough, and Valor was right. They couldn’t simply sit there.
“I’ll bring the Soulblades forward,” Jexon said with a nod as he turned his horse and rode back into the ranks of the army.
“I don’t like nice Jexon. It makes my skin crawl,” Neph said quietly as he watched the Lord ride off.
“Rather unsettling,” Badger agreed. Leaning over in his saddle he kissed Jala lightly on the cheek and smiled at her. “It’ll be fine Curly. Your knight knows what he is doing,” he said in reassurance as he turned his own horse. “Gotta get the militia ready,” he said as he kicked his mount into a trot.
Jala glanced at Neph before turning back to watch Valor ready his knights. When they had come to Merro they had been considered misfits. Now, however, she saw the backbone of her forces. In every fight so far it had been the knights that had led the assault. Valor rode through the ranks nodding to some and patting others on the shoulder before moving forward to take his position in front. “Why does he always have to lead?” Jala muttered
“Just a guess, but I’m going to say it’s because he’s their leader,” Neph offered with a smirk. “It’s Valor, Jala. He is too stupid to stay some place safe. Have you ever once seen him look for the safest place? No he is always right in front in his shiny armor practically begging to be killed,” Neph added rolling his eyes at her.
“He is fearless,” Jala agreed, her eyes still on the knights. They were an impressive sight. There was no denial there.
“No, I said he was brainless,” Neph corrected, then turned to watch as Wisp led her archers past and began to position them on either side of the field. “Almost go time,” Neph said flexing his fingers. “Where the hell is Jail?” He asked, shifting in his saddle once more to look behind them.
“I haven’t seen him all morning,” Jala admitted, though that wasn’t unusual lately. Jail drifted through the camp constantly using his mind fog to keep others from noticing his presence. “I haven’t seen Ash either, now that I think of it,” Jala added with a frown.
“Come to think of it, where is Sovann? What the hell? Did they all desert and we just now noticed?” Neph looked over to her, his gaze leaving the archers, a look of question on his face. “Sovann is always with Wisp, but I don’t see him there now.”
Jala’s frown deepened and she shook her head and shrugged. “I have no idea Neph,” she admitted, her attention returning almost at once to Valor’s knights as the Soulblades joined the field.
Across the battlefield she could see the Avanti archers moving to the front as they prepared for the coming charge. Closing her eyes tightly, Jala whispered a prayer to War on Valor’s behalf.
“Merrodin!” Valor bellowed and she could feel the ground shake as the warhorses thundered across the field. Her eyes opened and she watched with held breath as the Arovan cavalry closed on the Avanti. The air filled with arrows as the enemy archers loosed, but as Valor had told her his wind spell kept any from hitting the Knights.
Jala have you reached the Avanti camp yet? Jail’s voice broke through her mind and she barely registered the words as her eyes followed Valor across the field. The knights on either side of him had branched out to form a wedge formation that would break through the enemy’s lines with ease.
We are engaging them now. Where are you? Jala responded half-heartedly. The pounding in her chest increased as the knights reached the half-way point of the field.
Do not engage them! Jail bellowed in her mind as Valor’s horse faltered in its charge. Jala’s heart stopped as two more of the Arovan horses fell as the ground split open under them. A dark form rose from one of the chasms. The creature was immense in size, bigger even than Valorous and built like a wolverine. It launched itself onto the closest knight with ripping claws taking the warhorse and its rider down into the pit it had sprung from. Do not enga
ge them! Jala, did you hear me? They have the Warrens mercenaries with them, Jala! Jail screamed in her mind.
Too late, Jala replied numbly, cutting the mental link as she frantically searched the field for Valor. She couldn’t even see a glimpse of his purple armor in the chaos. Her father was rushing forward with the militia to try to lend what help he could, but it wouldn’t be enough. A flash of purple caught her attention and her eyes locked onto what remained of Vanguard. The horse was lying too still, its body halfway into one of the tunnels. “Valor!” The scream tore from Jala’s throat and her heels were in her horse before she fully registered what she was doing.
Chaos rose on all sides as she maneuvered her frantic gelding through the crevasses and screaming horses trying desperately to reach the last place she had seen Valor. Her horse snorted and jumped to the side, nearly unseating her as the ground before her split open. Barely registering what she was doing, Jala launched a Windscythe spell into the face of the creature lunging toward her. Its skull split as the spell hit it, showering her with hot blood. The creature’s rider threw himself from the animal as it fell back into the depths, but Jala was too far past to worry about him. The militia would have to deal with the man.
“Valor!” Jala screamed again as she dropped from her frantic horse beside the pit where Vanguard had fallen. With her heart pounding in her throat she searched the ground, terrified that she would find his body, but he was nowhere to be seen. Snarls erupted from the tunnel below and Jala dropped down on the ledge and slid into the depths without hesitation. The chaos of the fight above faded and she could barely make out the form of one of the wolverine-like beasts as it slashed viscously at a knight. Calling on her magic once more, Jala sent a lance of ice through the beast pinning it to the tunnel wall. The creature snarled and convulsed trying to free itself, not seeming to understand it was already dying. Moving forward quickly, Jala knelt down by the knight, but he was already past any healing she could offer. The man’s chest had been torn open as if he hadn’t worn armor at all. Standing, Jala moved quickly down the tunnel desperate to find Valor. The shamans hadn’t been at the fight yet. She had no way of knowing if they were holding the souls of her fallen or not. If Valor was already dead, there was a very good chance that his soul had already been claimed by Death.
The sound of fighting ahead sped her steps and Jala broke into a run, fighting back the urge to call his name once more. Turning a corner she nearly tripped on a body of one of the knights and stumbled hard against the wall. Her breath catching in her throat, she pushed from the wall and barely ducked the sword blow that was aimed for her neck. Spinning back she pulled on her magic, forcing spikes of rock straight up from the earth beneath the mercenary. The man screamed and struggled to free himself from the stone before his strength failed him. Jala started to move past when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Spinning back she called on her magic once more and barely managed to contain the spell as she recognized Marrow and Emily. The two Bendazzi moved silently up beside her, barely sparing a glance for the dying man skewered before them.
Warning. Just a little warning before you go charging off into the middle of hell, Marrow snarled in her mind.
“I can’t find Valor,” Jala breathed, her words choked.
Emily moved forward, her head shifting one way and then the other ears twitching as she sensed the air. This way. He is wounded, Emily said quickly as she moved forward deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels.
“How wounded?” Jala demanded trying to keep her voice low despite her panic.
He is bleeding. I can’t tell you more than that, Emily answered quickly, her head low to the ground as she ran.
They passed two more dead knights and what remained of a warhorse before the sound of fighting rose once more in the tunnels.
“Bloody die already!” Valor’s voice echoed off the tunnel ahead accompanied by the ringing of steel.
Not bothering to waste time on caution, Jala sprinted forward, her magic already rising as she rounded the corner. Valor stood with his back to a wall facing off against one of the mercenaries and the massive creatures they used as mounts. The creature was limping heavily, nearly dragging one leg behind it. Turning at the sound of her approach it snarled and charged.
The faint flicker of black caught her eye as Emily launched herself fully onto the creature’s head, her hind legs raking viscously down its neck. A blur of white passed, Jala on the other side as Marrow joined the fight, and Jala turned her full attention to the mercenary. Her choices of spells were limited with him standing so close to Valor. She couldn’t risk anything hitting the knight. From the looks of him he was already too wounded. She settled on a spell and focused on the man’s armor. It was mismatched chain and plate, but it would suffice. Within a breath the armor had changed from the dull grey to glowing red as the metal heated with her spell. The mercenary fell back, dropping his sword, a strangled scream rising in his throat as the metal shifted from red to white and began to melt, fusing to the man’s skin.
Pushing off the wall, Valor drew his sword up for a deathblow as pain shot through Jala’s back. Stumbling forward she whirled searching for her assailant as another gash opened down her side nearly gutting her. “Blight,” she screamed to Valor as she fumbled for her glasses. There was no way she would reach them in time though and she knew it. Another slash tore across her neck and she managed to pull back just enough to save herself from a slit throat. A grunt of pain erupted behind her, but she couldn’t spare a moment to glance back to Valor. Her fingers finally closed around the glasses and she tore them from her pocket, spinning back again and hoping she was dodging the right way. She had limited ground to move, though, with the Bendazzi still fighting the Warrens creature and Valor apparently still fighting behind her. Red hot fire exploded through her stomach as she finally managed to get the glasses on her face. Numbly she stared into the face of the Blight just inches from her own before slowly dropping her gaze to the clawed hand that was buried in her guts. The creature smiled at her his face, so perfectly human, as he slowly retracted his claws from her stomach.
“Jala!” Valor’s hoarse cry rose behind her as the Blight shook its head at her sadly and brought its claws down hard across her face.
“Here, drink this,” a soothing voice whispered above her. Eyes still closed, Jala allowed herself to be lifted as a cup was settled against her mouth. Cool liquid touched her lips and she struggled to swallow. The liquid burned down her throat and Jala coughed in protest. She felt the bed shift beneath her as someone stood.
“Is she going to live?” Jexon’s voice rose softly from somewhere nearby and Jala struggled to force her eyes open.
“Kendry did quite a bit to heal her before she ran out of energy. With me attending her though, not a chance in hell.” The voice no longer held anything soothing about it. “The Bendazzi is out. Do you want to finish him or shall I?” the man asked, his voice sounding eager.
“Go ahead. I have no interest in the beast,” Jexon replied in a bored voice.
“No,” Jala said desperately as her eyes finally obeyed. Her limbs felt sluggish beneath her as she struggled to sit up. Blinking to clear her vision, her eyes sought frantically for Marrow. A tall slender man with a charming face stood over the sleeping Bendazzi, a slender blade held at the ready. “No,” Jala repeated, the word choking as her throat tightened.
“You shouldn’t be able to move that much with the dose I gave you,” the man scolded mildly as he dropped to a crouch and plunged the dagger into the back of the Bendazzi’s skull. Pain shot through her as the link with her familiar was severed and Jala fell back on the bed, her chest heaving. The man moved to stand over her, the dagger still in his hand. Leaning down he casually wiped the blood on her nightgown and smiled coldly at her.
It took Jala’s mind a long moment to recognize him. It had been so long since she had actually seen the man, that he was unfamiliar. It was Wesley, one of her own people, the healer she had brought
from Sanctuary. “Traitor” she gasped as the unbearable loss of Marrow ripped through her.
“Everyone can be bought, Jala,” Jexon said with a smile as he moved to stand over her as well. “Wesley wasn’t that hard actually. He didn’t care much for the way you shunned him and once I discovered his little secret, getting him to help me was easy,” Jexon explained in the same polite tones he had used earlier that day before the battle.
“Valor,” Jala breathed as memory of the fight flashed back into her mind. She didn’t even know if the knight had survived the battle.
Jexon’s face darkened at once and his smile lost all warmth. “I’m sure you will find him in the Darklands. My men are dealing with him now,” Jexon said, a savage smile lighting his face.
“Valor will kill you,” Jala hissed through clenched teeth. Words were getting more difficult as the muscles in her body refused to respond to her commands.
“The poison is starting to kick in. She should be fully paralyzed soon,” Wesley said as he dropped once more onto the bed beside her. His finger traced a slow path down her neck tugging lightly at the edge of her nightgown. “Can’t move at all now, can you?” he whispered, his eyebrows rising as a smile rose on his face. She recognized the expression of lust on the man’s face and it chilled her more than the poison in her blood.
“Wesley here has a penchant for dead things. Did you know that?” Jexon said, his tone once more conversational. “It took no more than the promise of his own lands and the use of your body to get his help.”
“Valor will kill you,” Jala repeated, the words barely audible. A crack of thunder broke the stillness of the night outside and laughter welled in her chest. Her lips stretched as much as they could into the parody of a smile.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes Page 46
