Blood, Honor and Dreams (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #2)

“That’s what Shade calls him. Are you going to answer my question?” Emily was watching her closely her expression still holding suspicion.

“Clean ones, beyond that I don’t care. If you don’t like dresses that’s fine with me as long as the clothes are clean,” Jala said and frowned. “Please don’t call him that, he really isn’t an asshole. It’s just that Shade and Finn don’t get along well at all,”

“Why not?” Emily asked, her expression all innocent curiosity.

“Why don’t I run you a bath and after you are dressed I can explain. I have to meet Sovann soon so I really don’t have much time this morning.” Jala moved across the room as she spoke and opened the door to the bathing room. With a quick flick of her hand she filled the tub with steaming water. Her reservoir of magic was getting built up enough from use that she barely noticed the missing power from the spell. With a wave of her hand she motioned for Emily to approach. Taking a closer look at her new charge she realized water alone wasn’t going to cut it. With another wave of her hand and quick cast spell, a majority of the filth disappeared from the child. The Blight froze in her tracks and looked down at herself as Jala stared on in shock.

“What?” Emily said as she looked back up and noticed Jala’s slack-jawed face.

“I’ve never seen something so dirty a simple cleaning spell didn’t take care of it on the first try,” Jala muttered in amazement. “I’m sorry. It’s just … Oh never mind. Go on, get in the tub. I’ll get my soap for you.” Shaking her head, she moved to her assorted essentials that she kept separate from Finn’s belongings and picked up a bar of lilac soap and a sponge.

With both weapons in hand she returned to the bathing room and froze again. The Blight was sitting in the middle of the tub looking less than pleased and the water around her had turned a frothy brownish gray color just in the short time she had been immersed. “Uhh, let’s just freshen that water a bit,” Jala said slowly and dismissed the water, filling the tub with fresh clean water.

You won’t need to fill a stone tonight. By the time you get that creature clean you are going to be out of magic, Marrow said with a bit of disgust.

She is only a child and we have no idea of knowing how long it has been since she bathed last, Jala said gently into the Bendazzi’s mind not wanting to insult Emily.

I’m going to go with never as my guess and continue pondering why I couldn’t smell her. From the looks of her I should be able to smell her half way across the city.

“That stinks,” Emily said, pointing at the soap and wrinkling her nose.

Jala bit her lower lip to keep her expression neutral and glanced down at the soap. “It’s all I have, unless you want to use Finn’s soap. It doesn’t really have much of a scent to it,” she said with a shrug.

“No, I don’t want asshole soap,” Emily replied and snatched the lilac-scented bar from Jala’s hand. She examined it closely turning it one way and then the other and raised it to her nose sniffing it again. Abruptly, her expression changed to one of disgust and she let out a snort as if to clear her nose. “Why would you use this?” she asked in dismay.

“Because to me it smells good. And please don’t call Finn that,” Jala replied patiently and took the soap back from the Blight. Dipping it in the water quickly she ran it over the sponge a couple of times and then began rigorously scrubbing the child’s head. She tried in vain to ignore the various bits that fell from the child’s hair and settled instead for trying to not identify what they were.

“Do you have to do that?” Emily objected, trying to squirm away.

“Yes, I do, though I think I’m going to have to use magic to get the tangles out. How long has it been since you brushed your hair?” she asked, still working the majority of the filth from the brown locks.

“Brushed?” Emily asked in dismay.

“Well, that would explain that,” Jala said with a sharp nod and added more soap to her assault. She stepped back after a few moments and rinsed the soap from her hands. Nodding her head in approval she smiled at Emily. “Now dunk and rinse it out,” she said with a motion toward the water.

“What?” Emily said eyes going wide in alarm.

Nodding Jala smiled sweetly again. “Just hold your breath,” she said quickly and placed a hand on Emily’s head, pushing her under the water quickly. Two hands shot out of the water, clawing frantically for purchase and a sharp pain shot down Jala’s right arm. She let go of the child who came up sputtering indignantly. Leaning back against the wall Jala raised her arm to see blood flowing freely down her wrist. The talons had missed the artery there, but not by much.

“I’m sorry,” Emily said quietly, her chin resting on the edge of the tub as she stared at Jala in dismay.

“It’s my fault. I scared you,” Jala said with a slight shake of her head. She watched the blood continue to well for a moment and wished in vain that she regenerated like Finn. “I was just in a hurry. Go ahead and finish cleaning up while I wrap this.” Turning she left the room and nodded with approval at the sounds of splashing water from the other room. She hadn’t been sure the Blight would listen and continue bathing but apparently the child was.

With a sigh she fished her old blue dress from her trunks and tore strips of material from it. Finn healed so quickly he didn’t keep medical supplies on hand and she didn’t have anything else to use. There was of course the option of asking one of the others in the hall but she didn’t really want to explain to anyone about the Blight just yet.

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