From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(2)

“What was it that broke her finally?” Jala asked, her gaze locked on the statue. Jala could understand the woman’s pain all too well. The night in Sanctuary after Finn’s death had been her own brush with madness. She couldn’t even guess how many Justicars she had killed as she vented her rage.

“I’m not sure if it was the strikes against her, or her own failures to stop them. The Veyetta were lords of darkness you see. They had a saying ‘The Shadows know all.’ That was actually House Veyetta’s motto. The shadows whispered to them and brought them news of their enemies. Despite that, Veyetta still suffered loss. Her son first, then later her husband. Despite her attempts, Death would not release their souls back to her, and unlike you, she was forced to accept their loss and her own failure. She never thought to challenge a Divine. She was arrogant, but not quite as arrogant as you.” He seemed amused as he spoke, despite the harshness of his words.

“You think I’m arrogant?” Jala asked, turning from the statue to meet his gaze.

“Undoubtedly, and more so than I’ve seen in anyone else in a very long time. You are truly a child of my line,” he replied with a grin.

“I call it determined,” Jala countered.

“Call it what you will. My question is a simple one. Can you win against Death? You’ve barely had time to train in your magics and while your skill is impressive, it is rough. She will not release his soul without a fight, Jala. You had guessed that, though, I’m sure.” There was no trace of scolding in his voice, simply a question.

“If I want Finn back, I suppose I had better win,” Jala replied softly.

“Not good enough. You risk three lives in this endeavor as well as an Arovanni, and while I’m not opposed to risks I am opposed to throwing lives away needlessly. Death is corrupt. You saw how the Rivasan boy returned, but others don’t. Death has either gone mad or has been seduced by your enemies. If you die, or Valor, or your unborn child, there is no retrieving the soul. You will be trapped here in the Darklands as countless other souls are. Death is not sending them back to the life stream or to their gods, as she should. There is no rebirth in death, only eternal darkness. Now I ask again, can you win?” He raised an eyebrow and waited for her answer.

“No, not alone, but with Valor I can,” Jala replied after a long moment’s consideration. The thought of being forever trapped in the Darklands was terrifying to her. She had, of course, known it would be dangerous to come after Finn, but the thought of actually failing hadn’t yet crossed her mind.

War nodded slowly and began to walk once more. “I suppose that will have to do. At least you have enough wisdom to know you shouldn’t attack a Divine in a fortified city alone.”

“Actually it was Valor that insisted on coming. Credit him with the wisdom. I was going to come alone,” Jala admitted.

“Jala, there are few enough people in this world that will give you a compliment. Accept them when you receive them, even if you don’t truly deserve them.” War chuckled at her with a faint smile. “Now, as to the second matter. Do you have any idea how much they have manipulated you, or are you only seeing the fringe of it all?”

“I’m not even entirely sure who you mean by ‘they.’ Are you speaking of the Fionaveir or the Aspects?” Jala asked. “If it’s the Aspects, I know they used magic on Finn,” she added with a bit of disgust.

“Let me paint a broader picture for you as to the current events and we will see if you can answer that yourself. I’ll lessen the fog on your mind for this, but do not over react. Serenity in the face of complications will get you farther than anger.” He paused and winked at her.

“That doesn’t seem like a very war-like attitude,” Jala pointed out mildly.

“On the contrary. The best commanders have the coolest heads. It’s those that lose their temper that generally lose the fight. What did you expect from the Divine of war, a bloodthirsty testosterone filled ape?”

“Well yes, actually,” Jala admitted bluntly.

War snorted in amusement and shook his head. “Not from me. It’s nearly impossible to force me to lose my temper anymore, but Lutheron has come close this time.”

“Lutheron? The Fionaveir?” Jala cut in. She had her own grievances with Lutheron for the mind block he had saddled her with as a child.

War snorted again louder and shook his head. “He is so much more than that, but I will explain it later. For now, let’s look at what they have done so far. The patronage of Fortune as your guardian was a hoax. While Fortune may have actually guarded you as he could, it was arranged to mask your own natural abilities. Merrodin is a Bloodline that thrives on luck. The wish magic they held was the most powerful of their gifts, but not the only gift. You have the ability to manipulate the odds as much as Fortune himself does. If you can learn to use the gift, that is.”

“Why would they not want me to know that? If I’m truly their ally, surely that would help both of us?” Jala asked quickly before he could continue. They were walking by gardens now and the scent of the night blooming flowers reminded her of Firym. She closed her eyes a moment and inhaled while silently wishing she was back at that point of her life.

“They don’t want you to become too powerful to control. They have a healthy respect for my line, and you are not quite as far under their thumb as they would like. As to why they didn’t keep you closer to them, the only reason I can determine is that you couldn’t have close connections with the Fionaveir when you took over the Merrodin lands,” War explained with a shrug. “Now past Fortune masking your innate skills, we have other manipulations. Shade, for example. Did you notice how quickly they replaced him when it appeared there was mutual interest there? Do you have any idea why?”