From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(41)
“What about Finn? Surely I can tell him.” Jala protested.
Vaze stared at her for a moment and then sighed. “Jala, I know you love him and I respect the hell out of Sovaesh for what he has made of himself with nothing to start on, but hun, let’s face facts here and be brutally honest. What is Finn’s common approach to problems?”
“Kill it,” Valor replied with a smirk.
“Or intimidate it,” Jala offered with a sigh.
“Not a whole lot of examination toward the nature of the problem though, eh?” Vaze shrugged. “A lot of times that is OK. In most issues it can be solved with that approach. It’s messy, but it works. In the case of determining the motives of the Divine, though, I suggest you use a bit more discretion in your choices,” Vaze finished.
“Can I ask one question?” Valor said quietly, glancing to Jala once quickly and then to Vaze.
“Feel free,” Vaze replied with a shrug as he began cutting strips of meat from the haunch and stacking them carefully on a trencher of bread.
“Magdalyn, whom I’m guessing was Jala’s mother, was from Goswin. Does that mean Jala is related to Madren?” Valor asked quietly, taking care to avoid looking at Jala as he asked.
Vaze snorted in amusement and bit his lower lip to keep a smile from forming. “As funny as that would be to say yes. No, they are not related. Magdalyn’s mother was a refugee from Gaelyn, actually, and raised in Goswin. Twice damned, I suppose.”
“It wouldn’t have been that bad. At least Madren would have stopped flirting with me,” Jala sighed. “I feel sorry for him. I really do. He is always so scared and it’s obvious how lonely he is. I know what it’s like to be lonely. Granted, I didn’t handle it quite the same as Madren does.”
“Well now that we have the suspicion hopefully out of the way and you understand why I’m here. May I explain why I asked if you had water as an element, Valor?” Vaze began as he set the meat carefully down by the fire and wiped his hands.
“I’ll admit I was rather curious,” Valor said with a raised eyebrow.
“Because you have both been in here for over forty days without a bath and while I am used to rough crude warriors you both reek. Not trying to be rude but it’s the god’s honest truth and if you can manage the water, I can manage the shadow screen that will allow you both to bathe very close to this camp so you aren’t in danger from the denizens of this plane,” Vaze said looking up at them.
“Are you serious?” Jala asked, leaning forward hopefully.
“I’d rather do that than use arcane magic to clean you and tell Death right where we are. The shadow magic is innate as is his elemental magic. It shouldn’t trigger any alarms at all. With the way you both smell currently, the demons will know when you are within a mile of the city. Not only will it improve your mood to be clean, it will help with the element of surprise,” Vaze said with a shrug and pulled a set of clean clothes from his bag holding them up before her. “They will be big, but they smell like soap rather than blood and bile,” he offered.
Valor smiled at her expression of hope and stood, slowly looking around. Selecting a place near the rocks he wove his hands in an intricate circle and the wind around him picked up slightly. Nodding with approval he focused again and drew his hands upwards slowly. The air in front of him shimmered slightly and water began to seep upwards through the ground to pool in the funnel of air he had shaped. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated. The water began to swirl slowly and then faster until the bottom of the make-shift tub was darker than the top. Pulling his other hand slowly downward he drew the darker water out of the pocket of air and then allowed the swirling motion to subside. Steam rose from the water as he motioned her toward it. “Purified and heated.” he said as he sat down once more.
“Thank you so much,” Jala breathed, moving toward the water quickly.
“Hey,” Vaze called behind her. Turning to look back she barely caught the package he threw to her. “Soap and such. Enjoy the bath.” Vaze explained as the shadows around her began to thicken blocking out the campsite from her view completely.
She could hear them speaking softly but paid no attention to what they were saying. Since they had entered the Darklands she had only been able to sponge bathe a few times and that hadn’t been any time recently. Their water supply had become too low for such niceties, and while there was water in the Darklands, neither she nor Valor was inclined to drink it. As far as bathe in it…the thought of stopping for a bath had never even crossed her mind until Vaze had suggested it. There simply hadn’t been any place that seemed safe enough, until now. The knowledge that both Valor and Vaze sat only a few feet away gave her the security she needed to simply slide into the water and close her eyes. All fears had fled her mind as Vaze had explained everything to her. Not even the impending fight with Death seemed too much anymore. After all, as Vaze said, conflict was her birthright. It would all be over soon. Within a day or two she would be back in Merro and Finn would be raised. She allowed herself a faint smile and sunk lower in the water. “Just a bit longer, Finn, and we will have you out of there,” Jala whispered.
“You know I don’t really know why I feel inclined to point this out now, other than perhaps so you understand in the future. But you do realize Vaze sees through Shadow screens as easily as I do water and air right? So that little bit of privacy you just had wasn’t truly private at all,” Valor said softly as he helped her back onto the horse.