The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)(87)

“I think a dagger might work better than a candlestick,” Seth said quietly with a wink to Zoelyn. Stepping forward he cleared his throat quietly. “Does that mean she should stay out of Delvay as well, Neph?” Seth asked loudly, bringing silence to the room once more. All eyes shifted to him and Seth smiled. Holding out both hands he shrugged in a mockery of apology. “Just curious, because it is the same principle. Delvay never formally acknowledged Merro as an ally. You did. There is of course the same problem with Legacy as well. Surely she can’t take the child to Delvay anymore than she can to Seravae, and leaving him here is simply not an option.”

Neph stared at Seth with fury written on his face, but the logic of Seth’s words left him silent. Zoelyn could see the desire to snarl written all over the Delvay’s face, but the Demon had trapped him. There was no way he could continue to object without sacrificing aid to his own country in the process.

“If I don’t help Seravae right now, the wrong faction will win in their civil war. I need Sirena to lead there. She is Ash’s mother, and with her on the council we would have another vote in our favor,” Jala began in a more rational voice. She inhaled deeply and forced Neph to meet her eyes. “I know I am taking a risk, but if Sirena loses, they will move on Arovan next. I will lose a potential ally as well as Arovan for being too cautious. If Nerathane hadn’t moved, I would have left it alone, but with Dragons involved I have to act,” she finished and dropped into a chair at the table at last. Leaning forward, she covered her face with her hands for a long moment before slowly looking up at Neph again. “It’s Symphony’s place to stop this, but she isn’t doing anything. I have no choice, Neph.”

“I just don’t understand why you always have to be the one doing it,” Neph said quietly as he joined her at the table. His expression was one of pure defeat.

“Because no one else will,” Valor said softly, speaking for the first time since they had gathered in the room. He moved forward to stand behind Jala and the neutral mask he had been wearing faded away showing the sadness he had been hiding. “They are too weak or they just don’t care. Either way, no one is moving. Jala is right, we have to do this.”

“And if you both die in the process?” Jail asked quietly.

“Then they will be slightly delayed on their return home, but they will return, I assure you,” Seth answered firmly. “There is too much that they must do to allow them to rest in peace.”

“And once again we have to trust you,” Neph grumbled.

“Only Jala has to trust me. The rest of you can cry yourselves to sleep every night and chew your fingernails in frustration. It hardly matters to me,” Seth replied with a smirk.

“I trust Seth,” Jala repeated quietly as she stood once more from the table. “Even if he is working for his own interests now rather than mine the goal is the same. Keep Legacy safe,” she added with a shrug to Neph. “Seravae will be taken care of in a week at most. By that time Vaze should be returning from Delvay and we will have the information we need to attack there. That only leaves the Blights to handle and hopefully Shade is making progress there. If we work swiftly we can have this all finished before the council in Sanctuary.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Jail said with a shake of his head.

“Nothing worth doing is ever easy, Jail, and we are saving a world. It won’t be easy, but it will get done,” Jala replied with a faint smile. Her gaze rose once more to meet Zoelyn’s eyes. “You will be staying with Seth longer than last time. A week here is five weeks there, but you will be safe.”

“It gives her more time to learn,” Seth offered with a wink and a nod toward the door. “Let’s gather Legacy and the mountain of toys I’m sure he will want to take. By the time we are done with that, Jala should have her affairs in order here.”

“Be careful, Jala,” Zoelyn murmured as she followed Seth from the room. The day had definitely not turned out as she expected. Jala going to battle dragons, and five weeks in the Darklands. It was enough to keep her awake for days with worry.

“Jala can handle the dragons. There are only two full-blood dragons in Seravae right now. The rest are half-bloods,” Seth assured her as he closed the door behind them.

“I swear you read minds,” Zoelyn mumbled with a faint shake of her head.

“I read expressions and yours screams concern. I had to guess which you were concerned about, though. It could have been Jala, or it could have been five weeks of my company. I chose the answer that was less insulting to me,” Seth explained and gave her a devilish smile. “By your answer, though I was right and you no longer fear my company.”

“I didn’t say that. You are still frightening,” Zoelyn objected quietly.

“Ahh. But from the look on your face in the garden when you saw my messenger, it’s frightening in a good way. Perhaps exciting is a better word,” Seth smiled at her and her breath caught again. It wasn’t the same expression as the one he had used in the council room. It was as if he had two different smiles entirely, one that he showed the rest of the world, and one that was for her alone.

“Maybe,” she whispered and swallowed heavily. “We should get Legacy,” she added in a slightly louder voice, hoping her words would drive his attention elsewhere. She truly had no desire for him to see her blushing.