“He doesn’t bother anything. Please, he just helps me with small things and keeps me company. He isn’t dangerous and he has never killed anything or hurt anyone,” Zoelyn said quickly as she took a step in what she hoped was the correct direction to put herself between the High Lady and her only friend.
“Zoelyn, I have no intention of killing him for being a Blight. You don’t need to be so worried I promise you. As long as he is peaceful, so are we. As I said, I don’t believe in Undrae by birth,” Jala’s voice was soothing as she spoke and Zoelyn felt herself relaxing once more, simply from the sound of the High Lady’s voice.
“Seems to have better manners than Emily, too. She would have already told us to fuck off,” Valor observed with a smirk.
Jala nodded and smiled, her gaze flicking to the back of the ship. Eyes twinkling, she looked back to Valor and smiled wider. “Emily says exactly that in response,” she informed him and turned her gaze back toward Zoelyn. “So he doesn’t talk?” she asked.
“Not often,” Zoelyn answered with a shrug. “How did you even know he was here? I wasn’t even sure that he had followed me.”
“I can see Blights,” Jala explained with a wink and looked to Valor once more. “He doesn’t seem to be hostile. What do you want to do?” Valor shrugged and leaned back more fully against the wall. “Offer him a room at the house would be the polite thing to do. Between you and Emily if he chooses to step out of line he won’t make it far,” he suggested with a smirk.
“You are going to let him stay with me?” Zoelyn gasped, her eyes moving between the two of them quickly. No one in Arovan would have accepted a Blight so easily.
“We judge by actions, not blood. You will see when you get to Merro,” Valor explained with a grin and turned to look back at Shade. “So what did Jala ask you to do?” He asked casually as if the matter of a Blight on the ship were no longer of importance.
Zoelyn watched them both carefully, but their attention truly did seem to have moved on. She had expected an interrogation at the very least.
“Stop at one of the islands in the Black Sea on the way back to Merro,” Shade replied without hesitation.
“Why would she want to do that?” Valor asked, his grin widened and he turned his head to watch Jala as she crossed her arms and stared at the two men.
“Because she is a flaming nutter with a death wish,” Shade offered with a shrug.
“I am not the flaming nutter on this ship. I have never once destroyed a city with exploding goblins,” Jala clarified. “Ya? Well I’ve never won a battle because my enemies had to pee either,” Shade shot back sounding a bit indignant. “It worked, didn’t it?” Jala snapped, though there didn’t appear to be any true anger in her voice.
“So did the goblins,” Shade pointed out with a smirk.
“Thank the Divine you fell in love with me rather than him. Had the two of you had time to formulate plans together, I shudder to think what the world might have faced,” Valor sighed.
“Our plans do work, Valor. They are simply a bit unconventional,” Jala said with a sigh.
“So what is the plan this time?” Valor pressed, his dark blue eyes settling on Jala.
“I’m going to raise the Tevonale islands,” Jala informed him, her chin tilting upward as she spoke as if daring him to object. “So, essentially rebuilding a continent, then?” Valor asked, his voice still calm, but Zoelyn could see his eyes growing stormy. “The Blights will need a land to claim as their own if Shade succeeds in swaying them from Glis. Which he will succeed in,” Jala explained as if it was perfectly rational to discuss repairing a destroyed country.
“I don’t like it,” Valor grumbled. “Why can’t we simply set aside a territory in the Greenwild for them? That wouldn’t require risking your life using this much magic again.”
“I won’t be risking my life, Valor. I know exactly how to do this using the least amount of magic. It can’t be the Greenwild, or Gaelyn or any other place that borders another land. It has to be separate or they will be blamed for everything that goes wrong in the neighboring country and you know it,” Jala said quickly as she moved closer to him and took his hands in her own. “Think about it, Valor. Who else would give them the benefit of the doubt?”
“I don’t like it, but I see your point,” Valor sighed and pulled her closer to him. He nodded slowly and kissed her forehead. “I will concede to this on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Jala asked as she stared up at him with a look of adoration.
“The moment I sense you are draining yourself too far, you stop the magic,” Valor answered and watched her carefully as she shifted in his arms.
“But what if I’ve almost completed it and I have just another second or so to go?” Jala asked with a faint frown.
“Then I will knock you out to end the magic right then and there if you don’t look like you are going to stop the spell yourself,” Valor replied with a grin.
“Way to go, Valor. If the woman won’t listen, beat her. That’s a fine lesson to teach your son,” Shade cut in with sarcasm dripping from his words.
“I have to agree with Shade here,” Jala objected, pulling back a bit from Valor.
“Then I’ll politely ask Zoelyn to knock you out,” Valor amended with a slight chuckle.
“Uhh.” Zoelyn mumbled, shifting in her seat. Until the mention of her name she had been content to simply watch them. She could learn a lot about people by watching them and so far what she saw from the two of them gave her hope about her new home. Right up to the point that Valor brought her into the conversation.
“He is joking, Zoelyn. He wouldn’t ask you to do anything of the sort,” Jala assured her with a grin.
“If Jala was pushing herself too hard and risking her life, I would not only ask it. I would provide the club to hit her with,” Valor insisted and by the expression on his face and the look in his eyes Zoelyn knew without a doubt he wasn’t joking.
“Everything will be fine. I’ve thought this through,” Jala said with a sigh and pulled free of his arms as she wandered back to her seat.
“Oh, I have heard that before,” Valor groaned softly.
*