“I’d accept that apology, Neph. Do you know how many men in Sanctuary would give their left nut to say Jala dropped to her knees before them? Of course no one will blame you if you embellish the story a bit when you retell it. A person could add so many tawdry details to that kind of story.” Shade observed in obvious amusement.
The silence of the room deepened at his words and Neph glared daggers at the man before rising from his throne to move quickly to Jala’s side. Still silent he took her gently by the arm and pulled her to her feet. “Never feel you have to grovel before me again, Jala. I deserved your treatment and there is nothing to forgive. You accused me of a crime I was guilty of, nothing more can be said of it.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace as he spoke. “Merro will always be considered an ally of Delvay. If not for the actions of High Lady Merrodin we would not be sitting here today.” He declared loudly to everyone in the room as he stepped back from Jala and smiled down at her.
Neph seemed to notice Valor for the first time then and Zoelyn watched as the gentle smile on her brother’s face slowly withered. Letting out a deep breath he bowed his head in Valor’s direction. “Lord Hai’dia I know you are expecting me to return the children of Arovan to you today, but I regret to inform you that two of the ones rescued are not in my keeping. I would be happy to tell you where they are, but Shade has refused to explain that to me. He left the city with them as well as some two hundred rescued slaves and did not bother to bring them with him when he returned.”
All eyes moved to Shade at Neph’s words and Zoelyn could see the furrow on Jala’s brow even from the distance she stood at. To his credit Shade looked perfectly relaxed despite the attention that was now riveted on him.
“Shade?” Jala asked in obvious confusion. Her full lips drew into a frown and she glanced at Valor and then back to Shade as if she thought perhaps she had misheard Neph’s words.
“Does it really matter where they are? The two hundred were commons and the girls that are missing were fat with child. It’s not as if their families would have welcomed them back anyway.” Shade returned casually as he dropped his feet to the floor and stretched is arms in apparent boredom. “I’m a bit more interested in the fact that we need to visit the Blights. I fail to see why a few missing slaves merits this much attention.” He added in annoyance.
“Two hundred people is more than a few missing slaves. Delvay does not believe in slavery. Those people were refuges to us.” Neph snarled in response and Zoelyn could see the anger tearing through her Brother’s patience. If Shade didn’t answer soon Neph would resort to violence and she knew it.
“I find myself rather interested as well.” Jala said quietly as she studied Shade intently her eyes lingering on his fine clothing.
“I sold them. I realize that you and Neph consider it dishonorable, but honor doesn’t repair my ship or put clothes on my back. Unlike the two of you I don’t have the luxury of drawing on a treasury when I need something.” Shade replied flippantly and waved his hand as if to move the conversation past something he obviously found trivial. By the reaction of the gathered hall though he was the only one that found the matter trivial, angry murmurs had begun to fill the room with his first few words.
“You what?” Neph demanded in outrage. The vein in his forehead was indeed pulsing Zoelyn noted with growing alarm, and by the expression on Jala’s face the High Lady wasn’t far behind Neph with her anger.
“You sold children of Arovan?” Valor gasped in complete bewilderment. Unlike his friends Valor looked more aghast than angry, and seemed to be holding his composure far better than his wife.
“They were commons!” Shade returned with anger edging his own voice. He rose from his chair and took a single step toward Jala and glared down at her. “Do you honestly expect me to live like a pauper and beg for scraps from your table Lady Merrodin?” He demanded in an outraged voice. “It will be some time before the Blight’s have enough treasury built up for me to survive on. If I am going to govern them properly I will have to have funds to draw on.” He continued and shook his head at both of them in apparent disgust.
“What?” The word burst from Jala’s mouth with such force that it was barely coherent. Magic roiled off of her in angry waves, and the Bendazzi behind her looked ready to attack. Shade was on treacherous ground, and he seemed to be the only one that didn’t realize it.
“Oh please let him shut up now.” Zoelyn whispered. Dray had stiffened beside her at Shade’s words about governing the Blights, and she knew she was the only one in the room that was feeling the slightest bit of sympathy for Shade. When he had spoken with them privately she hadn’t understood what he meant when he asked for no one to defend him. Now she understood perfectly and it was taking everything she had to remain silent despite her earlier agreement.
“How exactly do you expect to control those creatures without me, Jala?” Shade demanded and held up a hand in front of him to show her the rings covering his fingers. “Do you see that signet? That is a true House Morcaillo ring. I threw my own away when I left home, but I managed to scavenge this one off of my Mother’s corpse when I killed her. It’s fortunate that she was in Rivana. This gives us the extra edge we need to control the Blights, and through them we should be able to kill off my Father. With him dead I can turn control of the Blight’s over to you and take my rightful seat as the High Lord of Morcaillo.”
All color bled from Jala’s face and her eyes widened as she shook her head in disgust. “I don’t want to control them.” She hissed as she shook her head more violently at Shade. “Is that what you think I’ve been doing?”