From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(151)

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.

“Kill her now while I deal with this,” Jexon ordered as he turned to leave the tent.

“Bye, sweetheart,” Wesley whispered as his dagger sank into her ribs.

A sob broke through Jala’s lips as the point lodged against one of her ribs. “See you in hell, Jexon,” she managed just before Wesley plunged the dagger once more and her world dissolved from blinding pain too darkness.





Chapter 29





The Darklands





Finn shifted on his throne, his heart hammering in his chest. Leaning forward he stared hard at Seth. “What do you mean she is dead?” he demanded. His mind was already racing, searching through the overwhelming number of souls drifting through his domain as he desperately tried to find Jala.