The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(3)

“Let me paint a broader picture for you as to the current events and we will see if you can answer that yourself. I’ll lessen the fog on your mind for this, but do not over react. Serenity in the face of complications will get you farther than anger.” He paused and winked at her.

“That doesn’t seem like a very war-like attitude,” Jala pointed out mildly.

“On the contrary. The best commanders have the coolest heads. It’s those that lose their temper that generally lose the fight. What did you expect from the Divine of war, a bloodthirsty testosterone filled ape?”

“Well yes, actually,” Jala admitted bluntly.

War snorted in amusement and shook his head. “Not from me. It’s nearly impossible to force me to lose my temper anymore, but Lutheron has come close this time.”

“Lutheron? The Fionaveir?” Jala cut in. She had her own grievances with Lutheron for the mind block he had saddled her with as a child.

War snorted again louder and shook his head. “He is so much more than that, but I will explain it later. For now, let’s look at what they have done so far. The patronage of Fortune as your guardian was a hoax. While Fortune may have actually guarded you as he could, it was arranged to mask your own natural abilities. Merrodin is a Bloodline that thrives on luck. The wish magic they held was the most powerful of their gifts, but not the only gift. You have the ability to manipulate the odds as much as Fortune himself does. If you can learn to use the gift, that is.”

“Why would they not want me to know that? If I’m truly their ally, surely that would help both of us?” Jala asked quickly before he could continue. They were walking by gardens now and the scent of the night blooming flowers reminded her of Firym. She closed her eyes a moment and inhaled while silently wishing she was back at that point of her life.

“They don’t want you to become too powerful to control. They have a healthy respect for my line, and you are not quite as far under their thumb as they would like. As to why they didn’t keep you closer to them, the only reason I can determine is that you couldn’t have close connections with the Fionaveir when you took over the Merrodin lands,” War explained with a shrug. “Now past Fortune masking your innate skills, we have other manipulations. Shade, for example. Did you notice how quickly they replaced him when it appeared there was mutual interest there? Do you have any idea why?”

“Shade? He is my friend, or was, anyway. I will admit, when I first arrived in Sanctuary I was attracted to him. He lost my interest when he left us to rot in Rivana. I understand why he did it, but it didn’t earn him any of my respect,” Jala explained.

“Imagine your drive to fix the world combined with Shade’s desire to change things. He never could while under Myth’s thumb, but married to you as High Lord Merrodin he would have answered to no one but you. Combine that with the fact that he is a very powerful Changeling and the two of you become a force that no one wants to deal with. So they formed a soul bond with a dashing young man that had a very short life expectancy. Even before meeting you, Finn Sovaesh was courting Death daily. Understand better now?” He looked over at her with a raised eyebrow and motioned to a bench near the gardens.

Jala nodded and took a seat. “You are saying they sacrificed Finn to me to occupy my heart long enough for them to get Shade out of the picture.” She spoke hesitantly, not wanting to accept that Finn had died for something so petty.

“Essentially. Notice Shade joined the Fionaveir? So ironic eh? I promise, Lutheron didn’t factor in your trip to the Darklands, though. You are supposed to be mourning right now.” He clicked his tongue against his teeth and shook his head at her in a mock scolding. “Arrogant child, don’t you know how to properly follow plans?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I won’t be their puppet any longer,” Jala declared firmly.

“Good to hear. Now all we have to do is teach you to recognize intrigue. I am going to ask you a delicate question now. Please try not to get too upset. If your emotions rise, you will wake. How well do you trust your companions? They swore fealty so quickly to you. Did they mean their vows or are they part of the puppet show?”

“I don’t want to doubt any of them, but you are right. They did swear fealty quickly and before they truly had a chance to know me. I had wondered at that, but I thought it was for Finn. But now Finn is dead and they still stand by me. Are you saying that my friends are not truly friends?” Jala asked, her stomach clenching at the thought. She forced her emotions back to calm and let out a slow breath.