The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(213)

“I fail to see what good that will do, Jala. If we are both about to fight to the death beside you,” Neph grumbled his eyes narrowing as he watched her.

“You won’t be, Neph,” Jala said softly, her throat tightening with the words. Raising her hand she brushed away the tears that refused to remain hidden with the back of her hand and smiled at him sadly. “Some of Delvay survived, Neph, and you are going back to them. I won’t let you throw your life away here when you could return to your people. My son will need allies like Delvay in the future, Neph, and I depend on you to stand by him when he needs you as you always have for me.”

“And how, exactly, are you planning on my getting to them, Jala? I said I would stand by you to the last breath.” Neph’s voice grew hoarse as he rose from his chair, his hands planted firmly on the table top as he glared at her in defiance.

Swallowing heavily, Jala lifted her chin and shook her head at him. “You can’t, Neph. I won’t allow it. You are the Lord of Delvay and despite your sharp tongue you are one of the best people I know. Please do this for me, Neph. It will be easier if I know I’m not leaving my son to face the world alone,” Jala pleaded and let out a ragged breath as she turned to face Vaze. “You will take him to his people. Given that you are the one that informed me of their survival, I assume you know where to find them.”

“I would rather stay and fight,” Vaze objected quietly.

A sob almost broke past Jala’s lips but she forced it back. “And I would rather know that you live to appear from the shadows to save my son as you have so many times for me. I would spare everyone here if I could, Vaze, but I can’t. It has not been easy to choose to send either of you away, but I must. The two of you have a place beyond Merro and I trust you both. Please don’t make this more difficult.”

At her words, Neph sank back into his chair with tears filling his pale blue eyes. “Damn you, Jala. You are the only one in this world that I can say I truly love and you expect me to just walk away and let you die?” His voice was thick and filled with more emotion that she had ever seen in him.

“No, Neph. I expect you to walk away knowing that I fought until the last breath to change this wretched world we live in. I expect you to stand by my son against the atrocities and finish building what we started. Finish my dream for me, Neph. Make this world a place where our children can live in peace,” Jala said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Turning to Sovaesh, she wiped her eyes once more. “My orders for you are simple to say, but will be quite difficult to accomplish, I fear. I want you to free Blue from the Rivasan encampment. I know how good you are at rescuing prisoners, Sovaesh. Use your talents tonight on someone more worthy than Cassia and save Blue. Get her as far from here as you can and return to Merro. I charge you after that to protect your Grandson at all costs. I cannot tell you exactly where Sovann has hidden him, but from Merro you should be able to locate him.”

“As you say Lady Bendazzi. I swear it will be so,” Sovaesh said with more formality that she had expected. Standing, he bowed deeply to her and smiled. “Finn chose well when he chose you. You have my respect for what you are doing and that isn’t something given lightly.”

Jala smiled faintly and nodded to him. Turning back to the others she let out a long breath. “I would like a few minutes alone with Valor, please,” she asked quietly. Neph rose and moved to her wrapping his arms around her in a firm embrace. “Delvay will always stand by Merro, Jala. I promise you. You are like a sister to me and you are asking the hardest thing you possibly could of me by telling me to leave. I will, though, and I promise you I will hate myself for doing so, but I will,” he whispered in her ear before pulling back from the embrace. Leaning forward, he kissed her lightly on the forehead and let out a ragged breath. “Kick nine colors of shit from the bastards, Jala,” he said as he backed away, his gaze moving to Valor. “Good luck, Arovan. I hope you get your vengeance on the bastards. I promise you I will never let Rivasa forget this day. Delvay will punish them eternally for this.”

Valor nodded and watched them leave before turning to Jala. “I truly hope you aren’t going to try to send me away as you did the others.”

“You said you would always stand by me. Why would I even bother trying to send you away,” Jala said softly as she met his gaze.

“Always,” Valor promised.

Shaking her head, Jala crossed the short distance between them and rested her head against his chest. “I don’t have orders for you, Valor. I just need you by me to see this through. Having you close gives me strength, I think.” She let out a ragged breath and buried her face farther into his tunic. “I am so terrified right now. Everything was falling into place so beautifully, and now…” Her voice trailed off as her throat tightened. “We almost had it, Valor. We were so close to happily-ever-after,” she whispered.