The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)(43)

“Unf*ckingbelievable” Shade muttered as the newly risen islands shifted and seemed to pull closer to the small mass of land they stood on.

“Nothing is unbelievable with Jala,” Valor replied quietly. At first, he had been watching the progress of rebuilding as much as they were.

Now his eyes were only for Jala and Zoelyn knew he was monitoring her magic reserves.

“Do you love her or worship her?” Shade asked dryly and shook his head as the islands around them began to radiate with a pale violet light. At first, it was a dim glow that trailed along the cracks where the newly risen land was connected, within a breath, however, it had grown so bright that Zoelyn turned away and shielded her eyes. The groaning that had filled the air for the last few minutes died off abruptly and it seemed as though Sanctuary itself was holding its breath in the silence.

Zoelyn raised her eyes just long enough to glance at Jala. The air around the High Lady was filled with hundreds of tiny runes and the magic surrounding her was so thick that tendrils of her wine colored hair were rising around her as if she was immersed in water. Jala’s pale face was calm and her eyes were closed and yet she was easily the most terrifying thing Zoelyn had ever seen in her life. The woman was wielding more magic than Zoelyn had ever dreamed possible, with as much effort as a normal person drew breath. With just a fraction of the magic Jala was using, she could level a city.

The air tightened around her and Zoelyn lowered her gaze once more as the bright glow increased yet again. She could hear Shade muttering muffled curses and what sounded like praying from Valor. Squeezing her eyes shut, Zoelyn held her breath as the air around her exploded with a brilliant flash of light and then all was dark once more.

Slowly Zoelyn relaxed and marveled at how tense her body had been without realizing it. Even her jaw had been clenched. Her eyes opened and she stared in complete disbelief at the grass covered ground around her. Trees dotted the landscape for as far as she could see to the north, while the ground just behind her was covered with lush grasslands such as the fields in Arovan. Minutes before, she had been mere feet from the Black Sea and now there was no sign of the ocean or even a beach.

Valor smiled faintly and turned slowly to look at Shade. “I love and worship her; only a fool would do otherwise,” he said softly as he moved to stand just behind Jala.

The ground surrounding the High Lady was still barren rocks, but everywhere else brimmed with life. There was no longer any sign of the curse that had been upon Tevonale and Zoelyn swallowed hard at the thought. If the High Lady could remove a curse from an entire continent, there might be hope that she could remove the curse from Zoelyn.

“I think that came pretty close to my limits,” Jala said weakly and it was only then that Zoelyn realized the High Lady was no longer simply holding her staff, she was supporting herself with it. Jala’s hand rose to her face and she brushed at the pale skin under her nose and frowned as it came away with gold blood on it. “Very close,” she amended.

“Too close,” Valor agreed as he carefully wrapped an arm around her back. “You did a beautiful job, though, Jala, and now we are one step closer to repairing the world. You never cease to amaze me, love,” he added as he gently turned her back toward the spell hawk.

“The cities are back as well. The Blights will have homes here, Shade. Tell them that when you speak with them,” Jala murmured, her voice sounding feeble compared to the vibrancy the woman had possessed earlier. Her feet seemed to tangle beneath her for a moment and it was only Valor’s arm around her that kept her on her feet.

“Is she all right?” Shade asked Valor softly as the two of them moved passed him.

“She is fine, Shade. Have faith in her. She is just tired right now. I think she has earned that right,” Valor replied with a smile. He glanced around at the newly rebuilt land one last time as he helped Jala up the stairs. His smile widened as he turned to look at Zoelyn. “Welcome to House Merrodin, Zoelyn. That look of amazement you wear on your face right now will become far more common than you might expect. With Jala, miracles are simply part of the average day.”

Zoelyn nodded slowly, unsure what to say. Her attention returned to the land and the full meaning of Valor’s words. Dominic had never been able to ease her curse. He had even gone so far as to bring his mentor, Rose, from Sanctuary to see her. Rose had said it would take a miracle to release Zoelyn from whatever dark magics were upon her, and now for the first time in her life those words didn’t mean impossible.

“You coming, Zoey?” Shade asked and she glanced up quickly to see him standing in the doorway of the ship. She had been so absorbed in her own thoughts she hadn’t noticed him move.

Nodding quickly, Zoelyn moved to the ship and took the stairs two at time. Her body brimmed with energy and her heart was filled with hope. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she actually had something to look forward to. If Jala Merrodin could change the world in one night, helping a single person would surely be a simple matter. All she had to do was prove to Jala that she was worthy of the help.





Chapter 5





Merro





“Badger is ruling the city to the south that you built. This is to be the new capital of Merro. Jala has named it Vezradesh,” Vaze explained as the shadows fell away from them. Morning light was just beginning to fill the sky, but the city before them was already bustling with life.