The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(9)

“I don’t trust Jail. I’ve never been able to determine if his mind-work on me was entirely in my best interest or if he had another agenda. I was in line for redemption that would have been followed by promotions in the knighthood before he tampered with my will. I have forgiven him for it though. What I lost is questionable. What I gained was a priceless friendship,” Valor said quietly. “I don’t trust Wisp much either but that’s probably being racist. She is Fae and they are sneaky. I truly haven’t spent enough time around her to know if she is or not, though. I don’t trust Neph, but you can. He swore an oath to you and he would rather eat his own boots than break his word. Sovann, I do trust, perhaps even more than I trusted his brother. Sovann has a rare trait that very few in Sanctuary possess – integrity. He cut all ties in his homeland because he couldn’t abide by their behavior.”

“You answered exactly as War did. He told me to watch Jail and Wisp and form my own decisions,” Jala said as she began to gather the blankets and fold them for travel. “Val, can I ask one more question? You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.” She glanced over at him as she folded the blanket across her arm.

“Let me do that and you get dressed. And yes, you can ask another. Even if it’s something I don’t want to answer, at least it ends this damned silence we have been living in,” Valor replied as he took the blanket from her and began to gather the rest of their gear.

“If you are disgraced in Arovan, why did Lord Arovan give you a commission to lead a thousand of his knights?” Jala asked.

Valor snorted in what could have been amusement. “That was Elijah’s way of flexing his political muscle. He helps both of us that way while retaining the true power over his troops. By giving command to me, he ensures they will never be used against his land, not that Arovan knights would fight against their home. He also gives me a chance to redeem myself out of sight of those that would like me to fail in that. On the other hand, he helps you without openly helping you. A thousand trained knights is a handsome gift and will raise quite a few eyebrows. If a faction that opposes me asks, he will say he granted them to you. If a faction that doesn’t approve of you asks, he will say he granted them to me,” He explained with a faint smile.

“Clever,” Jala acknowledged with a nod. Her mind worked over the logic as she tugged on the chain mail over her leather tunic. “Does he give lessons in politics?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“He does within Arovan. I learned from him,” Valor replied with a shrug.

“What was the position you were in line to receive, Val?” Jala asked, her curiosity pushing her to test his limits.

“I was being groomed to be Lord Commander of the Knights of the Phoenix. I would have been second in command within a year, and by now I would be the Lord Commander. It’s a bit of a tradition in my family. My Brother is the Lord Commander of the Knights of the Griffon, though he spends more time playing bodyguard to Micah than he does commanding his knights. There were certain difficulties, though, hence why I was in Sanctuary,” Valor answered with a hint of tension to his voice. “It’s not a good subject for now. Sometime I’ll explain it, but not now please.”

“As you like,” Jala agreed, watching him for a moment before returning to the buckles on her armor. With every question Valor answered, he created two more in her mind. They could wait though. She would have plenty of time to ask later.





Ink black darkness enveloped the ground before her. Jala inched forward, cautiously trying to ignore the loose gravel under her boots. She could see no sign of the path Valor assured her was there. Swallowing heavily she let out a long slow breath and turned back to look at Valor. He was leaning against the side of his horse watching her, though his face was too shadowed for her to read his expression. By his posture he seemed as calm and relaxed as he did in the gardens of Sanctuary.

“I don’t see a path at all,” she whispered, hoping her voice wasn’t quavering too much. The thought of dropping down over the ledge into complete darkness had her throat dry and her heart hammering.

“It’s about three feet down, you should be able to see it.” Valor replied as he pushed off the horse and moved to stand beside her. Gravel skittered under his plate mail boots sending small showers over the cliff edge. He glanced at Jala and then motioned over the side once more. “Right there, see.” He pointed below them and looked back at her.