“It is likely that Valor only knows stories from after Seth’s death. He became much more brutal after he died. The part that is important here is what he did in life,” Vaze’s voice echoed from the shadows and Jala whirled to face him.
“How long have you been in here?” Jala demanded, her eyes narrowing. Seeing him in Kithvaryn’s rooms had been a shock. Knowing he was spying on her was infuriating. Her feelings were still mixed when it came to Vaze. Part of her hated him for what he had done to Finn, and the other smaller side wanted desperately to keep him close for the simple fact that he was her Uncle.
The shadows faded a just enough for her to make out the look of sadness on his face. “You truly hate me now don’t you Jala?” Vaze sighed.
“How could I not after what you did to Finn. Did you even check on him after you sent him back to hell?” Jala demanded, her voice cracking a bit on the words. It wasn’t true. She didn’t entirely hate him. She wasn’t even sure it was truly hate instead of simple anger. Her emotions were guiding her words now though rather than logic. “I can’t check on him you know. I’ve tried. I managed to cut her strings on him, but I couldn’t get him out of there again,” she admitted her voice thick.
“I did check on him, Jala. You did save him from being a puppet. He is free of the Dark lady now, but he is beyond either of our reach. I’m sorry, Jala. If I had seen any other way I wouldn’t have done what I did,” Vaze said as the shadows began to thicken around him again. “I’ll go, Jala. I had no intention of upsetting you. I just wanted to make sure Seth was here with peaceful intent. Given that he had Legacy, I assumed he was, but I have a hard time trusting good intentions in anyone.”
“Wait,” Valor broke in before Vaze could leave. “What did you mean about it was important what Seth did in life?”
“He was the first slave that Dashara freed in her rebellion. He is quite possibly the biggest enemy the Avanti have. The only reason he hasn’t destroyed them before now is because he was on a very short leash. I do believe that has changed now though, and he will have more freedom to act in the future. Funny how history repeats itself, isn’t it?” Vaze’s voice grew fainter as the shadows darkened around him until the last words were barely a whisper.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jala asked, but Vaze was already gone from the room. Or at least she thought he was. The man was sneaky enough he could have been standing directly behind her for all she knew. Sighing she looked to Valor who simply shrugged in confusion.
“I have no idea. The sun is already coming up, though, so I don’t think we have time to ponder it now. It would be best to get what sleep we can before Kithvaryn summons you,” Valor said in a weary voice. He crossed the room silently and looked down at Legacy, a look of concern on his face. “He seems fine, but what about Wisp and Jail?”
“Seth said they lived. Beyond that I don’t know and I don’t think I can contact them from here. Not with the amount of magic I have left anyway. I believe a mental link across that distance would be quite draining,” Jala said with a frown of her own. Carefully she lifted her son into her arms and rested her chin gently on the top of his head. “I can’t believe how much I missed him,” she sighed. Her worries and frustration seemed to fade a bit just from the contact with the child. Legacy stirred in her arms and her frown changed to a faint smile.
“I’d give just about anything to see that look on your face all the time,” Valor said softly as he leaned back against the bedpost watching her as she rocked her son in her arms.
“I’d love to be able to tell you that I would smile more often, Val, but Legacy is about the only thing I have to smile about,” Jala sighed and felt the weariness of the past few days wash over her once more. “I believe I will take your advice, Val, and sleep while I can. Thank you for checking on me.”
“Always,” Valor said softly as he turned for the door.
“Maybe one day I will find more to smile about,” Jala said softly as he opened the door. She wasn’t sure exactly why she had spoken the words. Maybe it was to reassure him, or maybe it was simply wishful thinking. Life had to improve. Surely it couldn’t always be filled with frustration and sorrow. Wrapping her arms tighter around her son she exhaled softly, her breath stirring the wispy strands of his red hair.
“I’ll wait patiently for that day then, Jala. Goodnight,” Valor replied as he stepped into the hall.
“Goodnight, Val,” Jala replied despite the fact that he was already gone. Carefully she set her son back down on the bed and moved to close the window. “Good morning rather,” she sighed as she stared at the lightening sky. “One day, no one will be trying to kill us. War will not be looming. The entire world will not be in chaos and we will get a full night’s sleep every night,” Jala whispered to her son as she climbed into the bed beside him. “I promise,” she added through a yawn and pulled him close to her side.
Chapter 23
Merro
Pain lanced through her body as her eyes slowly flickered open. Morning sunlight shone brightly through the window, blinding her momentarily. Blinking slowly, Emily tried to sit up, but only managed to flop over on the floor as her body refused to respond to the commands she gave it. The coppery tang of blood was still thick in her mouth and no matter how hard she tried to summon the memories of the night before, they eluded her. Aside from Seth. That, she could remember with painful clarity.
“What the hell are we going to tell Jala?” Wisp demanded from somewhere nearby. Emily tried to speak but her mouth refused to form the words and all she managed was a guttural mumble that not even she could understand.