From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(154)
Chapter 30
Avanti
Lightning flashed, illuminating Wesley’s form as his lips traced a path down her side. Jala fought back the shudder of revulsion and called on her magic to cleanse her body of the poisons the man had fed her. The crash of thunder hid her gasp as another flash of lightning shattered the darkness and she caught the briefest glimpse of the shadowed form standing in the tent behind Wesley.
“Hello, Jala,” Seth whispered. The sound of his voice brought Wesley’s head up sharply. The healer staggered to his feet, a look of guilt covering his face as Seth closed the distance between them. The glint of bare steel flashed once in the Assassin’s hand as lightning lit the sky again. Seth drove forward hard against the healer and Wesley’s scream was lost in the thunder outside. “He said I had to bring you alive. He didn’t say how alive though,” Seth hissed, his dagger buried to the hilt in the man’s stomach. Wesley stumbled to his knees, his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach, and a sobbing whine bursting from his throat.
Jala stared down at the man with no trace of mercy in her heart as her magic healed the countless wounds her body held. “Traitor,” she hissed as she staggered to her feet. Her eyes fell to Marrow’s still form with the next flash of light and the pain from seeing Finn turned to fury. “I want him dead,” she whispered to Seth, her balance still too unsteady to take action herself.
“He will be soon, I promise. He must suffer first, though,” Seth said calmly, seizing the man by his hair. “You have matters to attend to outside, Jala,” Seth said as he tossed the soulgem down on the bed before her. “You might want your Bendazzi with you to face it, though,” he added with a faint smile as he dragged Wesley to his feet by his hair.
“No, no, please. Jexon forced me. I didn’t want to betray her. I had no choice,” Wesley whined his voice rising with every word.
“I’m not the one you should be begging for mercy. I’m taking you to him now,” Seth said coldly, his gaze rising to Jala once more. “The runes on a Soulreavers back are what keep the spirit from passing to the Darklands, Jala. If you destroy the tattoos they end up in the Darklands like everyone else,” Seth said as he backed toward the shadows dragging the sobbing healer with him.
“Tell Finn that Jexon will be there shortly,” Jala promised softly as she picked the soul stone up from the bed. Moving as quickly as she could she knelt beside Marrow and healed his body of the poison and wounds Wesley had given him. Carefully she broke open the stone and urged his soul back into his body, wishing Ash was there to help her. She didn’t know at all what she was doing. Marrow stirred under her hand, his yellow eyes opening slowly.
I cannot even begin to describe how much I want to kill that little bastard. Marrow’s voice was weak in her mind, but she could sense his rising fury.
“Wesley is beyond our reach now, but Jexon isn’t,” Jala said softly as she rose to her feet once more.
Turning, she moved for the door to the tent, her stride gaining speed as her strength slowly returned. She heard Marrow move behind her as she pushed the flap of the tent back and stared out into the storm filled night. She could see a cluster of people standing near the center of the encampment and the faint noise of ringing steel sounded above the wind. Letting her hand fall back to her side, Jala stepped out into the rain, her bare feet sinking in the mud. The wind and rain pelted her, whipping her hair and torn gown as she silently approached the crowd. They parted before her as the spectators of the fight stared at her in shock. Still silent, Jala continued past them, her eyes locked on the two combatants. Neither had seen her approach. Both men were too consumed with the fight to notice the shifting of the crowd. Pausing at the edge, Jala watched as Valor brought a vicious blow down across Jexon, his face a mask of grief and fury. Jexon parried hastily, his feet sliding in the mud as his sword caught Valor’s blade at the last moment.
“Jexon!” Jala called loudly, her voice rising over the storm. Both men froze, their swords dropping in shock as they turned as one to gaze at her. Her eyes locked on Jexon as she stepped forward into the circle. “Betrayer,” she hissed her eyes narrowing.
Jexon staggered back, his eyes widening at the sight of her. “You were dead. I saw him kill you. There was no one that could have raised you,” Jexon stammered. The expression on his face was one of pure terror and his sword shook in his hand.
Jala nodded slowly in agreement as she took another step forward. “Had you shown me kindness, Jexon, I might have cared for you.” Jala spoke the words slowly as she took another step forward. “Had you spoken to me, I might have understood you,” she continued as she advanced once more. “Had you shown me courage, I might have respected you,” she said, stopping just in front of him. “Instead, you have shown me nothing but pain and treachery, and you have my hatred in return,” Jala finished, her magic rising swiftly as she pointed a hand at him. Jexon’s look of fear changed to agony as her spell shredded the flesh of his back ruining the protective magic. “Kill him, Valor,” she commanded as she stepped back giving her knight room.
Valor moved with no hesitation, his sword rising in a single graceful arc as he brought it down hard on Jexon’s neck. Blood sprayed across her face as she watched her husband’s body fall to the ground, his legs kicking feebly in the mud. “A widow again,” Jala said softly as she turned back toward her tent, her hand dropping to rest on Marrow’s head as she walked. The crowd around her was deathly silent and she noticed a few of the Soulreavers dropping to their knees, their heads bent in submission as she passed.