The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(202)

“You do look pretty damned pathetic when you think about him,” Neph said and shook his head at her. “You get all sad faced and your eyes get glassy with motherly concern. I have to focus on how bitchy you were in Avanti just to keep from puking from the sight of the sweet sentimental side of you,” he added with a smirk.

“Why do I like you so much?” Jala asked dryly, though she could feel the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“You got me there,” Neph replied with a snort of amusement.

“I find myself confused by it as well,” Valor added, rolling his eyes at Neph. “Your mother must have been a harpy beyond compare for you to end up so callous and emotionally stunted.”

“Emotionally stunted,” Neph repeated with a grin. “I like that,” he added with a nod of approval.

“There is something wrong with you,” Valor said with a slow shake of his head.

“What is that?” Jala asked, slowing her horse as she stared at a massive stone archway rising from both sides of the road. She could see the faint glimmer of magic on the stones, but she couldn’t tell what it was from their distance.

“The entry gate to House Hai’dia,” Valor replied with a smile.

“What are the runes?” Jala asked, as she pressed her horse forward once more.

“Protection and obscurity. From this side of the gate you can see nothing of the manor house or the area surrounding it.” He motioned to the low stone wall that ran from both sides of the archway through the fields beyond. “Notice how both fields on either side of the stone wall look exactly the same?” he asked and glanced toward her.

“It’s grass, Valor. How different can grass look?” Neph asked dryly

Valor simply smiled and continued riding until they reached the arch. Holding a hand up he motioned for them to pause and then he rode forward. His Arovanni slowed to a stop beside one of the pillars and Valor quickly removed his gauntlet. Leaning over the saddle he pressed his palm flat against the pillar. “Alexander Hai’dia,” he said softly as he sat back in his saddle once more. The pillar flashed with a blue light that swiftly faded back into the stone. Glancing back, he nodded for them to approach. “The wards are down for now and will stay down until we reach the house. I can reset them from there,” Valor explained.

“Alexander?” Jala asked staring at him in confusion.

“My birth name. Alexander Valor Hai’dia. My mother chose my first name. My father chose my middle name. It shows their difference in priority clearly, doesn’t it,” Valor said with a smile as he led the way through the stone archway. “I never use my first name and I doubt anyone beyond my mother even realizes that I have a name other than Valor,” he said over his shoulder.

“I don’t blame you for not using the first name,” Neph muttered and Jala elbowed him and shook her head with narrowed eyes. Neph grinned back at her and shrugged one shoulder in response.

Rolling her eyes, Jala turned her attention back to the road and stared at the beauty of the land around her. Her eyes were drawn to the house and she realized why Valor hadn’t complained about the size of the Avanti estate. His childhood home was even larger by her guess. Pulling her horse to the side of the road she stopped once more and simply stared down the gently sloping hill, trying to guess what it must have been like to grow up in a place such as this. The house itself was ancient in appearance with worn stones covered in ivy and blooming vines. It rose four stories to tower over the lake that spread between the road and the grass covered fields beyond. Turning, she gazed down to the statue of a rearing horse near the edge of the lake closest to the road. The entire sight was awe inspiring and spoke clearly of the power of Valor’s house. This was not the home of a minor lord. House Hai’dia was a power to be reckoned with and their home showed it clearly.

“You have been staring for a while now. Are you OK?” Valor asked quietly and she looked over at him with a faint smile.

“The entire village I grew up in could fit in your entry hall, Valor,” Jala said softly.

“That isn’t my entry hall. It is my father’s. Mine is in Merro,” Valor corrected.

Her smile widened and Jala nodded. “I stand corrected,” she said with a slight bow of her head.

“I don’t know about you, but I could use a hot bath and a warm meal in either order. Do you mind if we press on?” Valor asked as he watched the small army they had brought pass by, a few casting curious looks in their direction.