Thank you Emily. I feel better knowing you are here. You will have to explain your problems to me later. Once we have Finn back, that is. I didn’t know there was anything wrong, Jala replied as Madren and Jail rode to her side.
“It will take time to remove the wards from the gate,” Neph warned as he raised his hands to begin casting.
“We don’t have time Neph,” Jala snapped, her attention turning fully to the mage. She had kept constant vigil on her link with Finn and the frustration and anger she was feeling from him was setting her nerves on edge.
“It doesn’t matter if we have it or not, Jala, it will take time to do,” Neph snapped back, a spark of his earlier anger showing again.
Frowning at his back, Jala eyed the gate and then shook her head defiantly. It might take time to do this neatly, but she didn’t have time for neatness. Summoning her power she leaned back in the saddle. With a deep breath she activated the stones in her palms that Sovann had given her as a wedding gift. She had never actually used them before. It was a secret she had been saving for when she needed extra strength. Right now, she needed the extra strength. Faint light began to emanate from the stones, showing through her skin in subdued colors. With a snarl she unleashed the summoned power in a wave of raw magic. The stone of the gate cracked and grated violently as her magic washed over it like a storm fueled tide. Pulling on her reserves again she summoned a force bolt and used the activated stones to amplify the spell.
“Jala, what the hell are you doing?” Neph demanded loudly.
She ignored him completely as she cast the bolt toward the gate. Fragments of stone and dust exploded outward as the wards surrendered to her assault. Kicking her mare in the sides she rode into the dust cloud, trusting that the others would follow.
The streets beyond her district were a war zone. Everywhere she looked there was fighting. In the distance she could see flames rising from the market district. Yells sounded at her appearance, but she didn’t spare a glance to see who it was. The fighting grew thicker as she drew closer to the Halls of Justice and still there was no sign of Finn. Through the bond she could feel his frustration and anger and prayed to Fortune that it was from being delayed.
“Jala, we can’t get the horses through that,” Valor said as they turned down another street to find the way blocked by the thickest fighting yet.
Jala snarled in frustration as she scanned the streets frantically for another way. Even Marrow wouldn’t be able to get this crowd to clear. The bloodlust was up too high for them to see the Bendazzi as anything other than something else to kill. From the press of things she couldn’t even tell who was fighting. The Justicars were easy enough to locate with their stark white cloaks but the rest looked no more than a common mob.
“Send the horses with Jail. We will take the alleys and try to avoid most of this,” Neph said after a long moment and Valor nodded his silent agreement.
She had to fight back the urge to argue. They were right and she knew it. She dismounted and handed the reins up to Jail.
“Good luck,” he whispered to her.
“We will meet you near the arena, I doubt there is much fighting there,” Neph told the Mind mage as he handed his reins over as well.
“Don’t worry about this one. She will just cause you trouble. If she follows you, good. If not I’ll buy Finn another horse,” Valor said as he turned the grey mare loose and headed for the nearest alley.
Jala watched the mare bolt and gave Jail once last look. “Good luck to you, too,” she said quietly and turned to follow Valor.
The alleys were filled with trash and bodies but blessedly free of fighting. She stayed close behind Valor, her urgency pressing him to keep a quick pace. Finn’s frustration was bleeding through into her own mind and she found herself snarling and grumbling at every snag or delay.
“We are almost there,” Valor assured her as she let out another curse behind him.
“I know and I’m sorry. It’s his frustration as well as mine that you are hearing. I think the fighting must have him trapped in the Halls,” she replied trying to keep her voice from sounding snappish. That, in itself, was growing more and more difficult. A low pain was beginning to fill her head and she wondered if it was from the earlier casting against the gates. She had never released so much raw power at once before, though she didn’t feel drained at all. Now was not the time to mention it, however. Neph would want to check her over and she didn’t want to delay any further.
Valor led them around the last corner, sticking close to the side of the building. The square surrounding the hall was as thick as any battlefield. These fighters were not a common mob though. She could see the tattoos clearly on the men and women that were locked in deadly combat with the Justicars here.
The fighting hadn’t reached the Hall itself yet, and two solid rows of Justicars stood guard there as well as Devron Rivana and a good portion of what was left of his guard.
“There is no way. There are too many of them,” Neph warned, trying to pull her back into the alley.
Valor, however, was frozen in place, his eyes locked firmly on two Justicars standing near the doors. She recognized them at once as the men that had been holding Chastity on the dais. Valor drew in a long breath and uttered something quietly. His armor shifted slightly taking on a glimmer that had nothing to do with the fading sunlight. He held his hand out to the side and a helm appeared in it. Glancing back at her he motioned for her to follow Neph. “He is right, the odds are bad here,” he said quietly, before pulling the helm on and buckling it in place.
“Valor you can’t possibly be considering fighting. That is suicide,” Neph hissed.