The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(179)

“I can’t find Valor,” Jala breathed, her words choked.

Emily moved forward, her head shifting one way and then the other ears twitching as she sensed the air. This way. He is wounded, Emily said quickly as she moved forward deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels.

“How wounded?” Jala demanded trying to keep her voice low despite her panic.

He is bleeding. I can’t tell you more than that, Emily answered quickly, her head low to the ground as she ran.

They passed two more dead knights and what remained of a warhorse before the sound of fighting rose once more in the tunnels.

“Bloody die already!” Valor’s voice echoed off the tunnel ahead accompanied by the ringing of steel.

Not bothering to waste time on caution, Jala sprinted forward, her magic already rising as she rounded the corner. Valor stood with his back to a wall facing off against one of the mercenaries and the massive creatures they used as mounts. The creature was limping heavily, nearly dragging one leg behind it. Turning at the sound of her approach it snarled and charged.

The faint flicker of black caught her eye as Emily launched herself fully onto the creature’s head, her hind legs raking viscously down its neck. A blur of white passed, Jala on the other side as Marrow joined the fight, and Jala turned her full attention to the mercenary. Her choices of spells were limited with him standing so close to Valor. She couldn’t risk anything hitting the knight. From the looks of him he was already too wounded. She settled on a spell and focused on the man’s armor. It was mismatched chain and plate, but it would suffice. Within a breath the armor had changed from the dull grey to glowing red as the metal heated with her spell. The mercenary fell back, dropping his sword, a strangled scream rising in his throat as the metal shifted from red to white and began to melt, fusing to the man’s skin.

Pushing off the wall, Valor drew his sword up for a deathblow as pain shot through Jala’s back. Stumbling forward she whirled searching for her assailant as another gash opened down her side nearly gutting her. “Blight,” she screamed to Valor as she fumbled for her glasses. There was no way she would reach them in time though and she knew it. Another slash tore across her neck and she managed to pull back just enough to save herself from a slit throat. A grunt of pain erupted behind her, but she couldn’t spare a moment to glance back to Valor. Her fingers finally closed around the glasses and she tore them from her pocket, spinning back again and hoping she was dodging the right way. She had limited ground to move, though, with the Bendazzi still fighting the Warrens creature and Valor apparently still fighting behind her. Red hot fire exploded through her stomach as she finally managed to get the glasses on her face. Numbly she stared into the face of the Blight just inches from her own before slowly dropping her gaze to the clawed hand that was buried in her guts. The creature smiled at her his face, so perfectly human, as he slowly retracted his claws from her stomach.

“Jala!” Valor’s hoarse cry rose behind her as the Blight shook its head at her sadly and brought its claws down hard across her face.





“Here, drink this,” a soothing voice whispered above her. Eyes still closed, Jala allowed herself to be lifted as a cup was settled against her mouth. Cool liquid touched her lips and she struggled to swallow. The liquid burned down her throat and Jala coughed in protest. She felt the bed shift beneath her as someone stood.

“Is she going to live?” Jexon’s voice rose softly from somewhere nearby and Jala struggled to force her eyes open.

“Kendry did quite a bit to heal her before she ran out of energy. With me attending her though, not a chance in hell.” The voice no longer held anything soothing about it. “The Bendazzi is out. Do you want to finish him or shall I?” the man asked, his voice sounding eager.

“Go ahead. I have no interest in the beast,” Jexon replied in a bored voice.

“No,” Jala said desperately as her eyes finally obeyed. Her limbs felt sluggish beneath her as she struggled to sit up. Blinking to clear her vision, her eyes sought frantically for Marrow. A tall slender man with a charming face stood over the sleeping Bendazzi, a slender blade held at the ready. “No,” Jala repeated, the word choking as her throat tightened.

“You shouldn’t be able to move that much with the dose I gave you,” the man scolded mildly as he dropped to a crouch and plunged the dagger into the back of the Bendazzi’s skull. Pain shot through her as the link with her familiar was severed and Jala fell back on the bed, her chest heaving. The man moved to stand over her, the dagger still in his hand. Leaning down he casually wiped the blood on her nightgown and smiled coldly at her.