Flames from the burning buildings lit the streets in a hellish glow. Jala gingerly stepped over a blood-covered corpse, her eyes scanning the empty streets for anything living. They seemed to be the only thing still moving in this part of town, however.
Ahead of her Marrow paused to sniff the air and then continued apparently satisfied. His muzzle and sides were stained red with blood. That, combined with the firelight glinting on his gold eyes, made him seem a creature straight from nightmares.
I doubt I look much better, she mused, and glanced down at her torn and blood-stained dress. Her hair had been in wild tangles since the ride from her district and hung in tangles matted with blood now.
“I think we can consider that dress ruined,” Valor said quietly, apparently having noticed her self-inspection.
“It’s going to take you a year to get the blood out of the filigree on your armor,” she replied in the same quiet tone. He snorted in bitter amusement and kept walking. She had lost count how many people they had killed after she had sent Neph and the others on to Merro.
From what she could tell it had been their fighting that had turned the tide of battle for the Fionaveir. When they left the inner city the fighting was all but done with, the Fionaveir showed as the clear victors. It wasn’t enough, though. Despite how much rage she had vented on their enemies, her anger still burned hotly.
“How much farther?” Valor asked.
“I wish you would take off that helm when we aren’t fighting. You sound like you are talking through a tube,” she sighed and motioned ahead with a hand. “Two more streets, perhaps. Marrow showed it to me once before, but Finn said to leave it be.” She wished now she had ignored Finn then and killed Hemlock when she had the chance. Of course, she doubted she would have had the spine to do it then. Lutheron had all but crippled her with the barrier he had ordered Remedy to put on her mind. She glanced aside at Valor as he pulled his helm free and tucked it under his arm. “Thank you,” she said with a slight nod.
He shrugged in response and glanced around the streets. “Is Emily still with us?” he asked.
“I am,” Emily replied from ahead of them. “Watching for my kind. With this much meat available and so much blood in the air there is sure to be a feeding frenzy somewhere. I want to make sure we don’t walk into it,” she spoke just loud enough for her voice to carry back to them. It was one of the few times Jala had actually heard her speak aloud in the past few weeks and the voice no longer held any hints of a child.
“I appreciate your efforts, then. I have no desire to walk into a Blight feeding ground,” Valor replied with a nod in the direction that Emily’s voice had come from.
Jala smiled, knowing the Blight was no longer anywhere near that area. Emily always moved after she spoke and usually in the last direction you expected her to be in. For all they knew the Blight was behind them now.
Almost there and I sense nothing in the area. Most of the corpses I see belong to our enemies. So either all of your people went to your homeland or they are very good at hiding, Marrow said as they turned another corner.
We will hope they went to my homeland and aren’t hiding in this mess. I think half the city might burn by morning, she replied, her eyes going once again to the flame-lit horizon near the inner city.
“I can’t believe the entrance to his lair is in your district,” Valor muttered. His eyes were roving over the buildings they had spent the past month repairing.
“Lair, that sounds so perfectly ominous,” she said with a smirk.
“What should I say, cozy abode?” Valor asked dryly, flicking a glance in her direction.
“How about grave?” she suggested and he actually smiled as he nodded. It was a bitter smile with no warmth to it at all but that seemed the only kind either of them was capable of now.
They both slowed to a stop as Marrow paced up to the transport stone and looked back at them. The area showed no signs of fighting and other than the smell of smoke in the air it seemed as peaceful as any other night.
Valor looked from the stone back to her and raised an eyebrow. “Well, how shall we proceed?” he asked calmly.
“I’ll go in first, the rest of you follow,” she replied in the same calm voice.
He shook his head and thumped a gauntlet against his breastplate. “Walking body shield. I go in first, you follow with Marrow and Emily behind you,” he corrected.
“Well why did you even ask, then?” she replied dryly and waved a hand forward toward the stone. “By all means then, Sir Body Shield,”
He smirked and pulled his helm on again. “Give me one minute and then follow,” he said as he moved toward the stone.
I will go in with him. He will never notice I’m there, Emily said and Jala nodded silently with a smile. She wasn’t overly worried about Valor anyway, with the heavily enchanted suit of armor he wore he was invulnerable to most weapons. Knowing that the Blight child was with him, however, removed all concerns. It would take something very impressive to kill the two of them in under a minute. After that, whatever they were facing would have to deal with her and Marrow as well.
Valor paused just before activating the sigil and looked around him. “If you are going in with me Emily, stay to the left. If it’s tight confines and I have to fight I don’t want to strike you by mistake,” he said quietly and then touched the stone.
Can he sense her? Marrow asked, sounding dumbfounded.