From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(29)

Bridgette blinked, looking first to Sovann then to Neph, and shook her head slightly. “No, I’m afraid this is it. Pardon, but did you say he isn’t here? We were informed that Lord Valor left the city of Sanctuary for this land over a week ago. We set sail the very day the word was received.” She spoke politely, but Emily could hear dismay clearly in her voice.

“I’m afraid he is in hell at the moment. Who is in charge of the knights currently and why aren’t there a thousand?” Neph replied, ignoring her distress as well as the expression that crossed her face with his newest words.

“I suppose I would be in charge at the present time. Most of the division requested reassignment when they learned what our orders were to be and who would be in charge. Given the current state of unrest in Arovan most preferred to remain fighting at home. The three hundred and forty-seven left in this particular division are the less desirable, I’m afraid,” Bridgette explained, looking desperately toward Sovann as if she hoped he would show some sign of superiority over Neph and take control of the conversation.

“Less desirable? Explain.” Neph snapped, his eyes flashing back to her.

“The craven, the lazy, the dishonored. May I ask exactly who you are and what exactly you mean by Lord Valor is in hell?” Bridgette said with a bit of bite to her own voice.

“Oh, this could get good,” Emily whispered to Neph, whose expression darkened further.

“Which are you?” Neph asked, raising an eyebrow and ignoring her questions completely.

“Pardon?” Bridgette replied sharply.

“Craven, lazy, or dishonored? Which are you?” Neph asked, speaking slowly as if to a thick witted child.

“Dishonored I would suppose, I left my position with my own regiment to join this one. I’m afraid my superiors were not pleased and my current rank reflects that displeasure,” Bridgette snapped in response as she shifted her position to rest one slender hand on her hip, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Neph. “Now my answers if you please?” she said in a voice that was close to demand.

“My name is Nephondelvayon. I am currently in control until High Lady Merrodin returns from her quest with Valor in hell,” Neph replied sweetly, then turned his attention back to the knights.

“Of course. A Delvay. That explains it,” Bridgette sighed and relaxed her posture as if there was no point in fighting any longer.

“I’ll ignore that remark,” Neph grumbled, still searching through the knights as if looking for a familiar face. “You say they are mostly culls. Can you name three in that mix that are worth their salt?” Neph asked in an almost conversational voice.

“Savy, that’s the woman holding my horse currently. She is probably the best lance among them all. Noble. That would be the dark haired man just behind her, and Foster, the blond man on the black mare three ranks back,” Bridgette answered without hesitation.

“Why are they in this mix if they are worth their salt? What vices do they have?” Neph asked, his gaze moving from figure to figure as Bridgette spoke.

“Savy was caught trading her personal favors for favors from the Supply officer. Noble has a gambling problem and Foster’s mouth works much better than his ears do,” Bridgette explained with a bit of a smile.

“What’s your vice? Why would you ask for this assignment? Are you craven and wanting escape from the Blights?” Neph asked letting his eyes fall on her once more.

“You are such an ass,” Emily whispered to him as she watched fury flash across the Lady knight’s face. To her credit, though, Bridgette regained her composure quickly. Emily grinned and nodded with approval. Neph hated it when people wouldn’t rise to his remarks.

“My vice is loyalty. If you are asking why I’m here, I owe my armor and knighthood to Valor. I am here to serve him,” Bridgette explained stiffly.

“From what I’ve seen, Valor is much better at getting women out of armor than putting it on them,” Neph replied with a smirk.

A spark of emotion flashed across Bridgette’s face but it was gone too quickly for Emily to identify it. Clearing her throat the knight nodded slightly and let out a short breath before speaking again. “I heard that he had become a raving drunk and spent more time whoring than fighting. I thought it was rumor, however. There is truth to that gossip, then?”

Neph shrugged slightly and glanced at Sovann before answering. “I think I’ve only seen him raving a couple of times. As to whoring, well I don’t think any of them were actually charging him for sex. Had they been charging, I doubt he could have afforded a gold bit for his horse or all of his pretty clothes.”

Bridgette nodded but kept all emotion from her face as she looked back toward the waiting cavalry. “Well, I suppose I will see for myself upon his return. Until then, I will accept you as the commanding officer. What orders do you have, Sir?”

“You’ve shown me the best three. Now show me the worst three.” Neph said, moving to stand beside her, his attention on the knights once more. Apparently he had decided that he wasn’t going to get a rise out of this woman and had given up pursuit of it.

Surprisingly, once Neph figured out he couldn’t get under your skin with his words he was actually fairly easy to deal with. That fact had taken Emily until very recently to figure out.

“Jesson. He is the slender man near the wagons. He is violent and has several charges against him that could never be proven. Nob. He is the rather large man also by the wagon…” Bridgette’s voice trailed off as she leaned a bit to get a better look at the man she was speaking of. “He appears to be eating a ration of horse grain,” she continued, sounding baffled. She shook her head slightly and sighed. “He isn’t violent but he is quite thick and very lazy and usually drunk. I’m amazed he is still allowed in armor but I think he has become somewhat of a mascot for the disgraced. The last would be Tessa. She is the one closest to Jesson. They are friends for a reason. Jesson is a jackal and she is a viper. They work well together.”