From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(171)

“That isn’t my entry hall. It is my father’s. Mine is in Merro,” Valor corrected.

Her smile widened and Jala nodded. “I stand corrected,” she said with a slight bow of her head.

“I don’t know about you, but I could use a hot bath and a warm meal in either order. Do you mind if we press on?” Valor asked as he watched the small army they had brought pass by, a few casting curious looks in their direction.

Jala shook her head quickly and pressed her horse into a walk once more. Her eyes continued to trail across the various statues and flowers as they rode. “What was it like growing up here?” she asked after a long silence.

“When Honor and Chas were here it was fun. Then Honor married and moved to the capital and Chas moved to Glis and it was lonely. I’m the youngest child by quite a few years. Honor is close to sixty now and Chas…” His voice trailed off and he swallowed heavily. “Chas would be near forty this spring,” Valor finished quietly.

“We could bring her back,” Jala reminded him gently.

“Let’s wait and make sure we have something to bring her back to. From what I’ve seen so far it doesn’t look good. I’m afraid it might be too late to help Arovan,” Valor said, managing to keep most of the despair from his voice, but Jala could still see traces of it.

Jala watched him silently before turning her gaze back to the approaching house. She wished she knew something to say to reassure him, but she had to agree with his words. It did look as though they were too late to save Arovan.

They caught up with Neph who stood waiting in front of the massive stone doors of the house. The mage looked over at them dryly and raised an eyebrow at Jala. “Point out the stables to me, Jala,” Neph ordered as he waved both hands toward the empty fields surrounding the house.

Jala turned in her saddle to look around as Valor dismounted and pressed his hand against the stone doors. “Alexander Hai’dia,” he repeated once more and the flash of blue light flickered across the doors as they opened slowly. Taking his reins in his hands once more he led Valorous through the doors and into the darkened hall beyond.

“You see! They do sleep with their bloody horses,” Neph said loudly as he followed Valor through the doors. Glancing over at his bay mare, he frowned. “I will not cuddle you no matter what you might think by this arrangement. I am not Arovan,” he said firmly.

Jala shook her head and sighed as she rode through the doors and stared silently at the stone stalls that lined both sides of the entry hall. It was a stable. There was no denying that, but the entire room was cleaner than most houses she had seen. There was no smell of horses or manure present in the air. Raising her eyes she watched Valor pull the bridle from his Arovanni and the large horse sauntered down the hall and walked into one of the stalls near the far end of the stable. She dismounted and gazed around the stalls wondering which of the countless empty stalls she should use for her gelding. A light tug at her reins brought her attention back sharply and she raised an eyebrow at Valor as he took her horse from her. With a speed she hadn’t yet mastered, he stripped the tack from the gelding and led him to one of the stalls a few down from Valorous and led him inside.

“Tie your mare to a post, Neph. I’ll handle her next,” Valor called as he finished with her gelding. Glancing up at her he smiled. “Magic keeps the area clean and provides them with food and water. It is a lazy approach but the horses never lack for anything this way,” he explained as he stepped from the stall.

Jala nodded and watched as the small company of knights began stabling their own mounts. Even with the amount of soldiers she had brought, there looked as though there would be plenty of room to secure their mounts either in the stable itself or the fields beyond.

“Bridgette, help settle the others that are unfamiliar with Arovan, and select a few riders to go on scout patrols in the morning,” Valor called as the woman finished tending to her horse.

“As you say, commander,” Bridgette responded with a quick bow of her head. Turning, the woman left the stables, barking orders by the time the doors closed behind her.

“You can go on into the house, Jala. I’ll be in shortly,” Valor said quietly as he pulled the saddle from Neph’s mare.

Nodding, Jala walked past him and paused at the far end of the stable, her eyes on the horse that stood in the shadows there. She had missed it when they first entered. The animal raised its head slightly and watched her and she realized with a start that it was an Arovanni. The only other one she had seen other than Valorous.

“Well, it looks like at least one other person is here,” Neph said quietly as he stopped beside her and stared at the horse.

Jala nodded slightly, her eyes locked on the horse. Something about the creature made goose bumps rise on her arms.

“That’s Rage. Though he hasn’t lived up to his name in years. He was my sister’s horse,” Valor explained as he paused beside them.

“Chastity had a horse named Rage?” Jala asked in shock. The woman she had met in Sanctuary had been calm and logical. She doubted the woman even knew the definition of rage. Even when Chastity had been dueling Valor in the Darklands she had been composed.

Valor shook his head as he opened a door just beyond the Arovanni stalls. “My older sister. She died before I was born. Her name was Tempest. According to the stories, Rage brought her body home after she fell in battle against Seravae and he has stood there ever since. Some of the small folk claim he is waiting for Tempest to be reborn. Personally I think he is lost without her and doesn’t know what else to do beyond wait where she always left him,” Valor explained, then nodded through the door. “Come on. I’ll show you a picture of her on the way to the kitchens.”