The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(45)

“You are such an egomaniac,” Fiona snapped again. “Worse than before, and I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Wait, you’ve been here before?” Jala asked, dumbfounded.

“And you were actually willing to come back?” Valor added sounding just as incredulous as she was.

“It’s been eight years and this place isn’t nearly as tedious for me as it has been for you two. That’s good though. Had your progress been faster I wouldn’t have been able to get here in time. As it stands, it was a near thing. You are about two days from Davrian now,” Vaze explained.

“Are you saying Valor couldn’t handle it?” Fiona asked with a smirk.

“I’m not really sure that I could have handled it cleanly. Davrian is a legendary warrior that is centuries old. I’m a twenty-five year old tourney knight,” Valor cut in before Vaze could reply.

“You could have,” Jala said quietly. She had seen Valor’s determination and courage, and there was no doubt in her mind that if she needed Valor to accomplish something he would.

Fiona looked up at her sharply and opened her mouth to reply, but Vaze’s hand clamped down over her mouth before a single word could be formed. “Eat your tarts before they get cold, Jala. There are two in that bag in case you are in a sharing mood,” Vaze ordered and then looked to Valor. “I’ve brought supplies. How long since you’ve had a decent meal?”

“Decent? Well, we left Merro around forty-three days ago so I’d say about forty-four days,” Valor answered and leaned back against the side of his horse.

Vaze nodded quickly, his hand still clamped over Fiona’s mouth. The woman was glaring at him coldly enough to freeze the blood in just about anyone else. Vaze, however, ignored her completely and motioned with his free hand toward the rock he had been perched on. “Set up a small camp over there and we will eat. There are a few things we need to talk about before we go on,” Vaze offered and then glanced to Valor once more. “You have water as an element, don’t you, Valor?”

“Yes,” Valor replied, sounding a bit confused with the abrupt topic change, but Vaze simply nodded and motioned them both off toward the rock before pulling Fiona aside for an apparently private discussion.

Shrugging, Valor took the reins and led Valorous to the rocks and helped Jala dismount. “How well do you know him?” he asked quietly as he glanced toward Vaze once more.

“Are you asking me if we can trust him?” Jala asked as she pulled one of the tarts from the bag. Just the smell of the food was making her mouth water. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten anything other than dried beef. She started to offer the other to Valor but he had turned away, back toward the horse.

“Essentially. Can we?” Valor asked as he untied the blanket from the saddle and dropped it to the ground for her to sit on.

“I don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t seen him since I was twelve, but the memory I have of him is a good one. Do you remember when…” Jala paused as her mind registered what she had been about to say. Swallowing her bite of tart she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and cleared her throat. “Do you remember just before we found Finn in the Justicar’s hall, outside, when I grabbed my head?” Jala asked, the image of Finn lying in a pool of blood branded freshly onto her mind.

“I remember, “Valor said quietly and from his expression he was focusing on the same fragment of that moment as she was.

“That was from a mind block coming down. Lutheron, another of the Fionaveir had placed it there to make me behave. Vaze objected to it and encouraged me to keep standing up for myself. That was the last time I saw him,” Jala explained.

“Ahh. But that’s because I’m not seen when I don’t wish to be. It wasn’t the last time I saw you though, Curly. I did check on you,” Vaze said as he walked over and leaned against one of the rocks. “Forgive my delay. That was a bit of Fionaveir business that I thought she should be apprised of, given that we are her namesake. She is checking on something for me now and should return soon. In the meantime, let’s see about getting you some food cooked.” He moved away from the rock once more and shrugged a bag from his shoulder and dropped it to the ground lightly. Crouching down beside it he began to pull various items from it and sort them on the ground beside him.

“I mean no offense, but I find your arrival rather suspicious, so forgive me if I’m slow to trust and hesitant to eat the food you offer,” Valor said quietly, his eyes locked on Vaze’s every movement.