From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(8)

“He does within Arovan. I learned from him,” Valor replied with a shrug.

“What was the position you were in line to receive, Val?” Jala asked, her curiosity pushing her to test his limits.

“I was being groomed to be Lord Commander of the Knights of the Phoenix. I would have been second in command within a year, and by now I would be the Lord Commander. It’s a bit of a tradition in my family. My Brother is the Lord Commander of the Knights of the Griffon, though he spends more time playing bodyguard to Micah than he does commanding his knights. There were certain difficulties, though, hence why I was in Sanctuary,” Valor answered with a hint of tension to his voice. “It’s not a good subject for now. Sometime I’ll explain it, but not now please.”

“As you like,” Jala agreed, watching him for a moment before returning to the buckles on her armor. With every question Valor answered, he created two more in her mind. They could wait though. She would have plenty of time to ask later.





Ink black darkness enveloped the ground before her. Jala inched forward, cautiously trying to ignore the loose gravel under her boots. She could see no sign of the path Valor assured her was there. Swallowing heavily she let out a long slow breath and turned back to look at Valor. He was leaning against the side of his horse watching her, though his face was too shadowed for her to read his expression. By his posture he seemed as calm and relaxed as he did in the gardens of Sanctuary.

“I don’t see a path at all,” she whispered, hoping her voice wasn’t quavering too much. The thought of dropping down over the ledge into complete darkness had her throat dry and her heart hammering.

“It’s about three feet down, you should be able to see it.” Valor replied as he pushed off the horse and moved to stand beside her. Gravel skittered under his plate mail boots sending small showers over the cliff edge. He glanced at Jala and then motioned over the side once more. “Right there, see.” He pointed below them and looked back at her.

Jala frowned at him and leaned forward once more. The same darkness greeted her. “All I see is darkness, Val. If there is a path there, I’m not seeing it.”

Valor seemed puzzled for a moment, then a look of utter disbelief crossed his face. “By the gods, Jala, you don’t have night vision do you?” he asked, his tone incredulous.

“What?” Jala asked, returning his look of confusion.

“You have been in here for weeks without being able to see at all?” Valor asked, still sounding bewildered. “I think I would have gone insane by now if I couldn’t see what was around us.”

“Wait.” Jala began. She glanced over the edge again then back to him. “You mean you can actually see through this? You have been able to see the entire bloody time?” she asked, her voice rising a bit louder than was safe.

Valor nodded and shook his head at her again. “That’s love. There is no doubt about it, Jala. Not only are you crossing hell for him, you are doing it blindly,” he said in amazement.

“I can see short distances, a few feet or so, and then it gets murky. If that path is really three feet below, I should see it, I think,” Jala replied, a bit defensive. She looked back up at him, her eyes narrowing a bit. “How far can you see?” she asked.

Valor shrugged and motioned a hand to the left of them. “There is a large rock formation over there that has been annoying me since we stopped. It’s a perfect place to hide for ambush so I’ve been keeping an eye on it. That’s about forty feet away, I’d say. A little beyond that it starts getting hazy, like heavy fog I suppose.”

Jala stared in the direction he indicated and nodded slowly. It was all one mass of shadows to her. She couldn’t even see the outline of a rock formation. “Well, I suppose it’s good that one of us has an idea of what’s around us. I’ll admit, I’m jealous, though. I’ve been skittish the entire way because of the blindness. Well partly because of the blindness. I suppose it’s fair to admit a lot of my nervousness stems from the fact that we are in the bloody Darklands. It makes me feel a bit better about myself to understand why you are so calm, though. I feel like less of a bloody coward.”

“Jala you are one of the last people in the world I would consider a coward. Most women I know are afraid to go into their backyard at night. Wisp was formerly the strongest woman I’d ever seen, but I don’t think anything would convince her to walk into hell, no matter what was to be gained,” Valor assured her.

“One might argue that’s insanity, not bravery,” Jala pointed out with a short sigh. Her eyes were roaming the shadowed cliff once again. If she could just get a glimpse of this path maybe her stomach would settle a bit. “Speaking of insanity, you really want to ride down this?” she asked, looking back up at him.

“It can be done. I promise you that. It really only comes down to one thing,” Valor said quietly and watched her.

Jala waited for him to continue, but realized after a few moments he wasn’t going to without her asking. “And that one thing is?”

“Do you really trust me?” Valor asked, one slender silver eyebrow arched in question. He held her gaze; his blue eyes searching her own for any sign of doubt.

“Does my trusting you really apply to my trusting your horse’s agility?” Jala countered, not flinching from the gaze.