From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(42)

Jala paused and looked back at him. “Did you just say you both watched me bathe?” she asked in a dumbfounded voice.

“I didn’t, but I could have. I don’t know if he did, but he could have. It’s just good knowledge to have in the future I suppose,” Valor replied.

Jala nodded and shrugged. “Even had there not been a shadow screen and the area had been well lit, I still would have bathed. I feel twenty pounds lighter now and ready to face whatever may come,” she said and was surprised to realize it was the truth. She was less than half a day from facing Death and a fortified city held by demons and she wasn’t concerned in the least. Vaze would deal with Davrian; the Forgotten would deal with the demons. That left only Death for Valor and herself. In comparison with how it had seemed at the beginning of their quest, this was actually going to be easier than either of them had thought.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t wait for Fiona?” Valor asked looking back at Vaze before he actually mounted.

“We don’t need her as a guide and she won’t be helping in the fighting,” Vaze pointed out with a shrug.

Valor nodded slowly and climbed onto the horse behind her. “Which way then?” he asked as Vaze picked his pack up from ground and swung it onto his back.

Looking up, Vaze smiled slightly and shook his head. “Oh, I’m afraid I don’t have time to give an actual walking tour, Valor. Listen close both of you. I will open the shadows for travel. Ride through after me. I will engage Davrian. Jala, call the Forgotten once I have, and allow them to assault the city first. Once the gates have been breached, ride hard for the center of the city. You will find her there. Don’t wait for me, I will follow to help if I can, but do not wait. You can’t afford to risk the Forgotten losing the fight and missing your opportunity. You cannot face Death and her host of demons at once. You must engage her while the Forgotten are still fighting. You will not be able to kill her; she is Death. You will be able to weaken her though and that is when you strike. Take Finn back and leave the Darklands with all haste. Understood?”

“Understood.” Jala agreed and felt a flutter in her stomach. It wasn’t fear she realized with a faint smile. It was excitement and anticipation. They were so close to their goal now. She glanced back as Valor whispered something and raised an eyebrow at him. “What was that?” she asked curiously.

“A prayer.” Valor replied with a shrug.

“To who?” Jala asked, turning to face him fully with a look of astonishment on her face. She had never heard Valor pray or even show reverence toward any of the Aspects.

“To you, for you, I’m not really sure how to explain it,” Valor said with a shrug. “You are Divine blooded so it can’t hurt.”

Jala stared at him for a long moment, then blinked and shook her head. “Well, uh, I suppose you are right, it can’t hurt,” she said after a long pause and turned back in the saddle again to find Vaze watching them both with a bit of a grin.

“It would seem Valor paid particular attention to our talk,” Vaze said with a salute to Valor. “Long live the Hai’dia. They are a clever line and the world would be a poorer place without them. Good luck to you both. May we meet again under the sun.” He bowed with a flourish to the pair of them. As he stood, he drew the swords from his back and brandished them in front of him in a graceful arc. The shadows before him seemed to thicken as they slowly wove into a tunnel. With another brief nod to them, Vaze stepped into the center of the swirling mass of shadows and disappeared.

“Valor, is failure still your biggest fear?” Jala asked as the knight guided their horse toward the tunnel at a swift trot. Her heartbeat had increased and she could feel her blood pumping strongly.

“More than ever,” Valor answered quietly as the shadows enveloped them.





Chapter 8





The Darklands





“Behold Despair, capital of the Dark Lady’s domain.” Vaze gestured toward the massive walled city that stood in the distance. “Not really sure if that is the name she gave it, but that’s what the shadows call it.”


Jala nodded absently, her attention fully focused on the city before them. The walls surrounding it were so large that they seemed more like a cliff looming against the horizon. If not for the soft glow the city was emitting, she doubted she would have been able to see the walls at all. Their stone was as black as the rest of the Darklands. She had given up trying to fathom what was creating the glow beyond the wall. She somehow doubted it was the customary lights that most cities held. Her eyes were now riveted instead on the sea of dead that seemed to surround the massive gates. Thousands of spirits milled as they waited for entrance to the fortress city. She had expected the gates to be sealed with a barrier. She just hadn’t expected a barrier of the dead.

“How big is the city?” Valor asked softly.

“Not as big as Sanctuary, but larger than any other city in the Sunlit world. If either of you have second thoughts, now is the time to act on them. Once we pass this point, there is no going back,” Vaze said, looking between the two of them.

Jala shifted in the saddle to look back at Valor. He met her gaze and shook his head slightly. Nodding, she shook her head at Vaze. “No, we’ve come too far to turn back now. We will finish this,” she said and looked back toward the city. “Are those the dead of Glis?”