From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(128)

The Lord Reaver’s wife died. They are saying it was suicide and from the few times I spoke with the woman it might very well have been. Jexon has spent the last day arguing against Ash, however. It would seem the Seravae mourning period lasts approximately the amount of time it takes to roll a body into the grave. I wasn’t too concerned at first, but Jala, I think he is swaying the council. If you do marry Ash with the way things stand, you will be lucky to get a guard, let alone an army. Neph spoke quickly as if simply knowing she was near Seravae was reason for panic.

With a heavy sigh, Jala leaned back against the rail and closed her eyes. Swallowing heavily, she tried to govern her thoughts and decide the best approach. She needed Seravae, and she needed their shamans more than anything else. For what she had planned in the spring she would need all of the Spirit mages she could get.

“May I ask what is wrong? Your emotions went from hopeful to despair in a matter of moments,” Ash said softly.

“Neph just contacted me. The High Lady of Seravae has committed suicide apparently, and your father has been using every moment since then to sway the council against you,” Jala explained in a voice utterly devoid of emotion. It seemed this was going to be one of the moments that Vaze and War had been trying to prepare her for. As they had said, sometimes you don’t have any good options; you simply had to take the one you could live with.

Ash was standing silently beside her, his own expression thoughtful. Glancing down at her he shook his head slowly. “We should go to Merro. I doubt I can win against Jexon with the council,” he said finally in a voice that was already filled with defeat.

“I didn’t even know the Soulreavers had a bloody council,” Jala muttered as she raised her free hand to wipe rain from her face and returned to rocking Legacy on her hip.

“It is comprised of a master of each circle of training. However the High Lord himself has a voice there as well and his word is worth two votes. In order to win against Jexon cleanly, I would need all three of the Masters on my side and that won’t happen. The Master of Blades will side with Jexon. There is no doubt of that, and depending on who is control of the shamans right now he might have that vote as well,” Ash explained sourly.

“Could you explain to me why, exactly, Jexon would do this, please?” Jala asked. She had only met the man once at the council in Sanctuary and he hadn’t seemed too fond of her then. She couldn’t imagine why he would want her as a wife after that meeting.

“Politics,” Valor said from his seat at the prow of the ship. She hadn’t even been aware that he could hear them speaking until now. Standing slowly, Valor stretched and walked over to join them. “If he marries you and places a lackey of his in control of the isles, he effectively has control of both. From what Ash is saying, whoever is the master of blades, is his lackey,” Valor said with a look of misery on his face. He stared down at her with a look that held both resignation and accusation in it.

“Scythe is in charge of Blades right now. He has always been a staunch supporter of my father and Valor is likely right about their goals,” Ash agreed and leaned heavily back on the rail.

“But you aren’t going to listen to us when we tell you to go home are you?” Valor asked, though his expression showed clearly that he already knew the answer to his question.

“I’m not going to go home without speaking with them first,” Jala answered carefully. It seemed as though vengeance was going to have a very high cost. Possibly her friendship with Valor, if she wasn’t careful. “You don’t understand, Valor. Every plan I have is contingent on Spirit mages. I have to have Seravae in this,” Jala sighed.

“Make new plans,” Valor suggested. “I’ve never met Jexon personally but I’ve heard enough of him to hate the man,” he added in a lower voice.

“Rumors, Valor. We both know how viscous rumors can be,” Jala returned in a voice that was sharper than she had intended.

“In my Father’s case, they may not all be rumors,” Ash offered hesitantly.

“Maybe you should listen to the son that had to exile himself to keep his father from killing him?” Valor added, his voice gaining volume with his anger.

The cold drizzling rain began to fall in heavier sheets and Jala sighed. Pulling her cloak tighter she looked up at the sky and then to Valor. “Really, Val, as if the day wasn’t bad enough,” she grumbled.

“Like I’m bloody well doing it on purpose!” Valor snapped back as he pulled the hood up on his cloak. “Maybe you shouldn’t have done whatever you did to my magic. Or maybe, just maybe you should stop pissing me off.”

“I feel inclined to mention that it isn’t exactly anger you are radiating right now, Valor,” Ash said quietly.

“Shut the hell up, spook,” Valor growled, his voice low and dangerous as he whirled to face the Soulreaver.

“OK, now it’s anger,” Ash amended quietly as thunder cracked in the sky above them. “We should probably get the child below until landfall,” Ash suggested to Jala, giving one last glance at Valor and the worsening weather.

With a heavy sigh, Jala nodded and moved toward the ship’s hold. “I never try to piss you off, Valor,” she murmured though she doubted he could hear her through the rain and wind. The smell of fish hit her the moment the heavy door was opened. “I really don’t want to go down there,” Jala sighed with a glance back to Ash.