The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes (56 page)

“I’m fine,” Jala replied, her eyes locked on
Legacy who was happily playing on a blanket under the window. Her
son had managed to capture Marrow’s tail finally and was trying to
figure out how to shove it into his waiting mouth before the
Bendazzi managed to free himself once more. Marrow squirmed and
twisted in mock agitation always managing to keep his tail just out
of range.

“I admire your resolve in this.” The soft
voice drew Jala’s attention back to the doorway as the Master of
Silence stepped into the room. The woman moved with a catlike grace
as she crossed the room to stand before her. “Jexon is…” her voice
trailed off as she searched for the proper word to use.

“A waste of air?” Neph offered in a helpful
tone.

“A craven sack of shit unworthy to clean the
mud from Jala’s shoes?” Valor suggested, taking the cue instantly
from Neph.

“Please, I’m sure the lady can find her own
choice of words here,” Jala said, desperately hoping they were
done. She was quite sure both of them were filled with many more
phrases that she didn’t want repeated in front of the snitching
seamstress.

“No, either of their choices will do. I might
have phrased it more eloquently, but theirs will suffice,” the lady
said softly with amusement thick in her voice. Turning slowly she
regarded the seamstress who was staring with a look of pure shock
on her face. “If you repeat any of what was just said, old woman,
it will be the last words you ever speak,” she warned. The
seamstress paled visibly and nodded quickly, her attention swiftly
returning to the cloth she was sorting. “I do not believe we had a
chance to be properly introduced. My name is Sirena. My son tells
me that you are remarkable in your will and determination.”

“Your son?” Jala asked as she pointed a
finger toward Ash who simply nodded with a smile on his face. It
was the first time she had seen him smile since they had stepped
foot onto the islands.

Sirena nodded, and though the expression on
her face was shrouded by the veil, Jala knew she was returning the
smile. “He has warned you about Jexon, I assume?” Sirena asked.

“He has, and I understand this will be a
difficult arrangement,” Jala replied. Though from what she had seen
so far, difficult may not be the proper word to describe it. She
had thought she was beyond insults, but Jexon’s every comment was
cutting. In just the few times she had spoken with the man she had
felt her confidence slipping.

“Well then, allow me to lesson a bit of the
pain of it. The Wraiths support you. The isle of Silence has always
supported my son and you will have the best that I have to offer
from the Circle of Silence,” Sirena said as she turned back toward
her son. “As for you, several of your friends asked me to tell you
how pleased they are that you have finally returned. They look
forward to speaking with you at your first convenience.”

Jala flicked a gaze toward Ash who simply
smiled wider. Apparently that was the sign they were waiting for
that would indicate their plan was working. “Please, Ash feel free
to visit your friends if you like. I doubt I will be going anywhere
soon, anyway.”

Ash shook his head with a smile. “It can
wait, Lady Jala. I will stay close by until after the feast, in the
event that you have any questions about the culture that I can help
with,” he said bowing his head to her slightly.

“What questions could there possibly be about
this culture. You are raiders that exist off others like parasites
and treat your women with less respect than a civilized person
shows a dog,” Valor said with a glare in Ash’s direction.

“Well, in their defense, most dogs I have
seen follow orders far better than Jala does,” Neph said with a
wink toward her.

“I’m more of a cat person, I suppose,” Jala
sniffed and shook her head at the three of them.

“Some of us are as you say, Lord Hai’dia, but
not all of us. There are some on this island that would welcome
change,” Sirena said quietly as she moved toward the door. “I will
pass your words along, Ash, and tell your friends to expect you
after the feast,” she said as she disappeared once more into the
halls of the keep.

“You didn’t have to insult her like that. My
mother is not at all what you described and neither am I,” Ash
said, his gaze upon Valor and the smile no longer present on his
face.

“Words, Spook. Those are nothing but words.
If you want me to believe it, then prove it,” Valor shot back.

“I’m trying to, Valor,” Ash said with a sigh
and shook his head sadly. “I just can’t seem to get far enough past
your prejudice to do it quickly.”

The night was brightly starlit and the
scent of a thousand flowers filled the air
. The memories of her
first wedding stirred in her mind with such vibrancy it was almost
as if she were there.
We sat for hours simply talking and I knew
with every fiber of my being that he was the one I wanted to wake
up beside every morning
. Finn’s dark green eyes rose in her
mind and the smoke filled hall faded to nothing more than noise.
The memory of his smile and the warmth of his skin brought a faint
smile to her lips and glassiness to her eyes.
Vezradesh
.
That single word that only he used, that meant so much when he
spoke it.

The image faded as someone at the roughhewn
table jostled her while reaching for more ale and shattered the
illusion she had built to block out the present. With a heavy sigh,
Jala looked around her to ensure she hadn’t blocked out anything of
importance. Jexon sat on her left, already deep in his cups and
laughing with those seated close by him. Another man that no one
had bothered to introduce her to, sat to her right. It had been him
that had pulled her back from her memories to face this.

Jala glared at him, knowing full well he
couldn’t see the expression on her face. No one could. As it turned
out, matron’s fashions on Seravae were the same attire Sirena wore.
A long modest dress that showed no hint of skin or the figure
beneath, complete with a long veil to cover her face and hair. It
had been a chore in itself to tame her curls enough that no hint of
them would show. She thought that would be the most difficult part
of the attire until they had arrived at the feast. She wasn’t
permitted to remove the veil to eat or drink, and she had yet to
master the art of getting whatever she was trying to put in her
mouth without getting some on the veil first. After the first
droplets of wine had stained the fabric and Jexon had made mockery
of it, she had simply given up. She really didn’t have much of an
appetite now anyway.

Her gaze wandered across the room to settle
on the small table where her friends were seated. Neph was keeping
a close eye on the other occupants of the room while Ash held
Legacy and spoke quietly with his mother. Valor, however, was
paying attention to nothing beyond his flask of brandy. His food
sat untouched, as did his glass of Seravae wine, and his eyes never
seemed to move beyond his part of the table.
Everyone was smiles
and laughter echoed through the gardens. The music was nearly as
sweet as the wine they were drinking and no matter where I looked
the night was filled with celebration
. Pushing the memory of
Firym back once more, Jala looked around the dark stone hall and
nearly laughed at the comparison. Those that sat at the table with
her husband were celebrating, that was true, but everywhere else
the mood was much different. Jala could see several people glaring
openly at her or her companions. Others seemed deep in plotting and
then a smaller crowd seemed bored by the whole ordeal.

The laughter beside her rose in volume and
the sound of a chair being pushed back loudly drew her gaze back to
her husband. Jexon was standing and wobbling slightly on his feet.
With a grin to his companions, he reached down and grabbed her
roughly by the arm, half-dragging her from her chair. Jala stood in
confusion, wondering if he was going to give a speech or if they
were retiring. By the Divine, she hoped they weren’t retiring from
the feast. She had been praying the man would be so drunk he would
pass out before they left the hall.

“What is going on?” she asked in a voice
pitched for his ears alone. She doubted he would answer. So far he
hadn’t spoken a single word to her directly.

With a swift kick Jexon sent the chair he had
been seated in shuddering across the floor to hit the wall behind
him drawing the attention of everyone in the room with the noise.
All eyes were on them as he pulled Jala roughly over in front of
him and pushed hard on her back. With a sharp gasp, Jala caught
herself on the table bracing both hands between the pitchers of ale
and filthy plates. She felt his hand tugging at her dress in the
back and her breath caught in her throat. For the first time since
she had dressed for her wedding she was grateful for the veil that
was hiding her expression of shock and humiliation. Her mouth
dropped open and she started to pull away until she remembered her
vow to the bastard behind her. She had sworn obedience in return
for his protection of Merro. He was testing her with this.
Swallowing a sob, Jala dropped her head forward and tried to ignore
the jeers of encouragement that echoed through the hall. He meant
to consummate their marriage here in the hall with her bent over
the table like a tavern whore, and there wasn’t a damned thing she
could do about it without breaking her vow.

“You are a breath away from death, Jexon. I
will not simply sit here and watch you rape her, you son of a
bitch.” Valor’s voice rose above all other noise in the hall and
Jala looked up to find him on his feet with a hand on his sword
hilt.

“It’s not rape, boy. She married me,
remember,” Jexon returned, his voice thick with drink. More calls
of encouragement rang out along the table and she felt him tugging
more roughly at her dress as he tried to find flesh beneath the
long folds of cloth.

“You are outnumbered thirty to one in this
room and half-drunk, boy. Sit down before you fall on your own
sword,” Scythe called out loudly and more laughter filled the
room.

“Thirty to two and I’m sober,” Neph declared
as he stood from his chair and flexed his fingers. A long slender
blade of shimmering white steel appeared in his hands as he
regarded Scythe with a wicked smile. “There has been quite a bit of
debate over the years about who is more formidable, a Soulblade or
a Spellblade. Continue and we will find the answer.”

“Please don’t. I gave my word to obey,” Jala
said in the steadiest voice she could manage. Her throat was tight
with unshed tears and despite her words about not feeding fear she
knew Lutheron was getting a healthy dose from her at the moment. No
matter how much she loved them for speaking up for her, she would
rather face Jexon humiliating her than watch her two closest
friends fight for her honor against these odds.

“I didn’t swear shit to the bastard,” Valor
replied hotly, his dark blue eyes locked on Jexon. Thunder rang
across the stones as the weather rose to match the Stormlord’s
temper. A few nervous murmurs broke through the hall amidst the
jeers. These people were island born and they knew how dangerous
storms could be.

“Your call, Jexon. Are we going to have a
nice peaceful wedding feast and you keep your pants on? Or are we
going to have a blood bath and a hurricane?” Neph called, his tone
filled with warning.

“Let’s settle it now Jexon. Fight me, just
the two of us. As Scythe said, I’m half-drunk and you are the Lord
Reaver. I should be easy to silence,” Valor challenged, his hand
never leaving his sword hilt.

“I won’t have blood spilled at my wedding,”
Jexon sighed and his grip on her relaxed as he stepped away.

“You god damned craven, fight me! You aren’t
going to run again are you?” Valor’s words brought the hall to
absolute silence. There were few things more despised in Seravae
than cowardice.

Jexon stepped another pace back from her and
shook his head. “What did you just say, boy?” he asked in a voice
that was likely meant to intimidate. If so the attempt failed on
Valor.

“You don’t remember me, Jexon? I didn’t know
your name at the time but I remember your face. You want me to
refresh your memory or do you want to draw your blade?” Valor
called back, his voice filled with mockery.

“You are obviously mistaken, boy. You have
never been to Seravae. Of that I’m certain and I have not left the
isles aside from councils. You are drunk and it is about to get you
killed,” Jexon said with disgust.

“It’s only a matter of time before your blood
is on my sword Jexon. I will find you when you have nothing to hide
behind and you will have no choice but to face me. With every
insult you show Jala you bring that day closer. Remember that, you
fucking coward, and perhaps it will motivate you to treat her with
respect,” Valor called, his hand finally moving from the hilt of
his sword.