The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(108)

“You don’t know that is what I was going to say,” Jala shot back indignantly though in fact it was exactly what she was about to say to him.

“Ahh. Well, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that you were about to make a suggestion that wasn’t idiotic, then. What was it you wanted from me, Jala?” Neph replied sweetly his blue eyes glittering with mischief.

“I was about to inform you that you are in charge of feeding my cat and mucking the stables,” Jala informed him dryly.

“Still better than training whores to cast firebolts,” Neph agreed with a smile.

“I wish you would stop calling them that,” Jala sighed.

“Would you prefer disease infested,” Neph began, but Jala smacked him before he could finish. His face broke into a grin and he winked at her. “Slowly but surely we are getting a bit of life back into you. I’d rather see your temper than your depression.”

“You are such an ass, Neph,” Jala sighed but smiled faintly as she spoke. Shaking her head slightly she looked back around the table once more her eyes lingering on Jail. “Is it true Jail? Do the Avanti truly hold your homelands?” she asked.

“They do,” Jail said with a nod and a smile.

“Why are you smiling?” Jala asked in genuine confusion.

Jail’s smile widened and he winked at her as he stood carefully from the table and moved to stand beside her. “They hold my lands. That is true. There is one thing they haven’t considered however. Tell me what you see, Jala,” Jail said as he bowed deeply before her and dropped to his knees his head hung in submission.

“I see you groveling before me. Jail, get up this instant,” Jala said quickly as she reached to pull his arm. Her vision blurred for a moment and she stared hard at the dagger pointed directly at her throat. Jail stood in the same spot he had when he had first approached and there was nothing about his posture that suggested submission at all.

“The Avanti have forgotten that what our eyes see is not always the truth. A Mind mage is a very dangerous opponent. You may believe you have won, but that’s only because they want you to believe it,” Jail said softly as he slowly put his dagger away and then lifted both arms out to his sides his hands held open showing that he held no weapons. “It was a demonstration, nothing more, Valor,” Jail said carefully as he stepped cautiously forward.

Blinking in confusion, Jala leaned back in her chair to see Valor’s dagger pressed firmly in the small of Jail’s back. “It’s OK, Valor,” Jala said, her eyes widening.

“Demonstrate on Neph next time, Jail,” Valor said softly as he flipped his dagger back around and replaced it in its sheath.

“It was poor judgment on my part,” Jail said neutrally and bowed his head in apology to Valor. “I’m sorry to alarm you. I meant no harm to her.”

“It’s fine, Jail. I see your point as far as your country goes. I believe you are right and Avanti has underestimated your people,” Jala said with a nod, her gaze flicking once to Valor and then back to Jail.

“Good thinking there, Val kill off the Mind mage that just helped you,” Neph said with a sigh and shook his head at the knight.

“He had a dagger to her throat, Neph,” Valor shot back with anger building in his voice.

“And he wasn’t cutting was he?” Neph returned hotly.

“Oh for the love of the Aspects, both of you shut the hell up,” Madren broke in stunning everyone at the table into silence. “Every time you two are within five feet of each other you bicker like old women,” Madren said with a sigh and looked back to Jala with a smile. “Please continue,” he urged seeming utterly oblivious to the dumbfounded stares he was getting from everyone in the room.

“Uh…” Jala began lamely and then shook her head quickly and grinned. “Completely unexpected, but thank you, Madren. Actually I was just getting to the point of needing to speak with you anyway. I need you to fill as many mana stones as you can as quickly as you can. I will be breaking the curse on Goswin in three days,” she said as her grin faded.

“Just like that, eh? In three days I’m going to do something that no one has been able to do in decades,” Neph said with a smirk.

“If she says she is going to do it, then she will,” Valor snapped, his gaze moving from Madren back to Neph.

“Stop it,” Jala cut in holding a hand up in front of both of their faces. “I’m in between your bitchfest and I don’t want to listen to it,” she said firmly as she placed a palm firmly on both of their faces and pushed them back farther into their chairs. Pulling her hands back, she looked down at her palm and then back to Neph. “You bit me,” she said dumbly and glanced up at him.