The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey (24 page)

“No, Lutheron did,” he answered and quickly
told her the story when she raised an eyebrow in question. He kept
it as short as possible, knowing she would hear the more detailed
version once they returned to the hold. He wanted to keep his
attention on the booth far below them where Jala sat with
Morcaillo’s son. He hadn’t liked this arrangement at all when they
had arrived. He knew Mythandar Morcaillo from beyond the barrier
and had never cared for the man and doubted his son was much
different. From what he had learned in his time in this prison,
there were two types of Immortals locked here: those that would
fight at the slightest provocation, and those that provoked the
fight. Mythandar was the latter of the two. Though he did it so
subtly he was rarely connected with the actual fight.

Isador smiled as he finished and gave a nod
of approval. “Well done. I’ll have to bring him a bottle of some
fine vintage when we return home.”

“How has she been?” he asked.

“Breathless with wonder and quite taken with
the boy,” Isador replied with a sigh.

“Was that Sovaesh’s boy fighting when I came
in?” he asked. He had only met Sovaesh on a few occasions, and
despite the fact that Sovaesh was the hired knife for the Avanti,
Isador found the man likable enough. Well, as likable as an
assassin could be, anyway.

“It was, and I was surprised they gave him
the victory, he dropped his swords and resorted to brawling,”
Isador answered, her gaze already locked on Jala once more.

“Whatever it takes I suppose,” Charm replied
with a shrug. “How many threats have you counted so far?”

“Three that have been giving her dark looks,
and several that are more curious than I would like. It’s natural,
though, I suppose. They don’t know her, and she is obviously Elder
Blood,” Isador replied. “Avanti, Rivasa, and Nerathane for the dark
looks,” she added after a moment.

“No real surprise there,” Charm said. The
three houses she had mentioned were reacting exactly as he had
expected. Avanti didn’t like being surprised or anything that might
be a threat, Rivasa didn’t like anyone, really, and Nerathane were
typical of the dragon blood and disdained everything that didn’t
obviously have dragon blood.

“I’ve been thinking I might get a bit closer
with those three in my off time,” Isador commented and shifted her
position slightly.

Charm raised an eyebrow. “How so?” he
asked.

She shrugged. “Play dress up a bit and start
paying way too much for drinks at the places they favor.” She
shrugged again. “If I talk sweet to them and flatter them, the
Avanti at least will accept my presence in enough time, and after
watching Jala for the day, I think we are going to be here for a
while.”

“That bad, eh?” he asked with a sigh.

Isador shook her head. “No, it’s not like
that. The girl isn’t stupid. She is actually quite smart, from the
rate she learns. She is just so trusting and innocent. Even when
she gets her power, I’m not sure she will know when to use it,” she
clarified. Charm nodded his understanding and she continued. “So I
think I’ll do a bit of casual spying on those I think will give her
the most difficulties and let you worry about spying on the rest of
the city.”

He smiled and nodded again. “As you like,
Milady. I trust your judgment, and if that is the way it’s going to
be I’m going to leave you to watch her. I want to know what the
NightBlades are up to.” He rose slowly to a slight crouch.

Isador looked up at him with a frown. “Don’t
get yourself killed. I don’t want this assignment alone,” she
cautioned.

“They won’t even know I’m there,” he promised
and left her to guard over Jala.

They passed the next few days in a blur.
Mornings she would study with Madren whose attentions sadly enough
hadn’t slackened. Fending off his fumbling flirtations took as much
time as was devoted to learning, but she gritted her teeth and
tried her best not to let it bother her. She was quickly learning
the Bloodlines and their strengths, and she told herself it was
worth the trouble. So far, magic had been the only thing she seemed
incapable of learning from him. No matter how simply he tried to
explain it, she couldn’t seem to master even the simplest of
casting. Considering she was to be training first circle this was
going to be a huge problem. Shade seemed to have faith in her
though so she kept trying daily only to be disappointed with the
results. Her mornings so far while helpful, were frustrating on
several levels.

The afternoons were a different matter
entirely and were mostly spent with Shade at the Spring Games. He
had taken her to the Joust and to the Archery, but it was the other
attractions that she enjoyed the most. They had contests of every
sort, from craftsmen displaying their skills to bards battling with
songs. The crowds were thick and the spirit of the place was so
jovial, it was hard to believe Shade’s words about the hostility
between houses. She saw every sight the city had to offer during
the day, and in the evenings, she would sit with him and the twins
while they enjoyed the bard’s music or a street play.

Tonight, however, there was no Shade because
he had to attend dinner with his father. The twins had, of course
gone with him. That left Oma, Madren, and Jala as the sole
occupants of the rooms. Oma was nowhere to be seen, and she had
absolutely no desire to seek out Madren, who had been especially
bad this morning, spending more time trying to discuss how many
kids she would like to have than trying to teach her anything. It
was getting easier to understand why Leah had broken his nose. She
had considered it more than once today. Only the fact that Shade
said that hadn’t stopped his flirtations, kept her from it. So she
sat in her room to avoid him, and had long ago passed into
boredom.

She stared at the door for a moment and
realized that no one had told her not to go out, she mused. Before
she could change her mind, she stood and quickly changed into the
purple silk dress that had become her new favorite, and donned the
silver coat she wore daily. She gave herself a quick look in the
mirror and smiled at the reflection. Her hair fell in a wild tangle
down her back, which suited her mood just fine. She crossed the
room quickly and swept out the doors and into the night with her
steps taking her quickly toward the market. She enjoyed seeing the
displays the craftsmen put up, and if she were lucky she could find
a vendor with blackberry tarts.

She was finishing off her second tart and
making her way through the thick crowds toward music, when she
heard the first of the commotion. She slowed her pace and began
making her way slightly off to the side of the street away from the
majority of the traffic. It sounded like voices raised in anger.
She’d been to the festival for the past three nights, and had only
seen a couple disturbances, and they had been little more than
drunken yelling with no actual fighting. She noticed the crowds
thickening a bit in front of one of the bars, and in a fit of
curiosity, moved closer, as well. The general mood of the whole
night had been so jovial, this new turn seemed almost an
intrusion.

“Just admit it, you bastard!” A man yelled
from the center of the circle.

“I can’t admit what I don’t remember. Now
look, you are disrupting the fun for everyone.” The answering voice
sounded almost bored with a thick lazy drawl. She gently pushed her
way to the front and saw three men circled around another. They
held themselves tense, obviously seeking a fight. Their target she
realized with a start was Finn Sovaesh. He was dressed in a fine
dark suit tonight, a far cry from his arena wear, and he looked as
dashing as a High Lord. While he looked amused and sounded bored,
she could see his attention was not actually on the men, but
looking past them. She followed his gaze and noted the two
Justicars watching with obvious interest. She looked back to the
three men and wondered who had gone through so much trouble to set
him up. She could tell the three weren’t going to back down as well
as Finn could. She frowned and considered the crowd around them.
She was sure Shade wasn’t going to like what she was about to do,
but if the man was going to get exiled she thought he should at
least be guilty.

With a sigh, she cleared her face of
curiosity and tried her best for a look of polite outrage. She
shifted her shoulders back slightly and stepped out of the circle.
“There you are, Finn Sovaesh, you were supposed to meet me at the
café over an hour ago, and I find you here.” She tried to pour as
much indignity into her tone as she could. She sniffed and looked
meaningfully behind him to the bar. She tried to ignore the fact
that the Justicars were now watching her as much as Finn, and
strove to maintain her act. If she acted the part well enough,
maybe the thugs would believe she was actually someone of
importance.

Finn regarded her for a bare second before
responding smoothly. “So sorry, love, these gents wanted to have a
chat with me and wouldn’t listen when I explained I hadn’t the
time.”

She turned her glare to the men and to her
amazement they looked chagrined. “I sincerely hope you are done
chatting because I’m sick of waiting.” She glared a moment longer
and had to suppress a smile as they wilted before her faked anger.
With a whirl, she turned her attention fully back to Finn. “Do you
expect me to starve?” she demanded, her voice imperious.

“Of course not, Milady. If you gentlemen will
excuse me, I owe the beautiful lady dinner.” He stepped smoothly
around them and took her arm. With the skill of a dancer, he led
her through the crowds and well out of sight before speaking. “I
don’t know who you are, but I owe you, and I’ll be happy to buy you
dinner at whatever café you prefer,” he said quietly.

She gave him a smile and beamed inside. She
still couldn’t believe that had worked as well as it had. She gave
her amulet to Fortune a slight squeeze and let out a happy sigh.
“No need for that, I’ve had two tarts and couldn’t eat another bite
if I wanted,” she replied. She had expected him to release her arm
once they were away from the scene, but he held it still in a light
grip and had slowed his pace to a leisurely walk.

“Well not tonight then, perhaps another,” he
offered.

“Perhaps,” she agreed, though she doubted she
would ever accept. It seemed as though he was guiding their path,
but she had no idea toward what. She began to wonder if she should
have helped him after all. There was a chance she had just placed
herself in a very bad position.

“You obviously know my name. Might I have the
pleasure of yours?” he asked.

“Jaladene,” she answered simply, her
attention focused on their surroundings and trying to guess what
destination he had in mind. Her happiness at her recent success was
rapidly fading. She didn’t think she knew the city well enough to
predict where they were going. They were moving away from the
market district, and that was the one she knew the best. “I really
should be getting back.”

“Relax, you are perfectly safe.” He sounded
amused.

“Where are we going?” She asked, still
unsure.

“You won’t let me buy you dinner, so I
thought I’d get you a drink instead. It’s the least I can do,” he
replied smoothly.

“What if I’d rather just go home?” she asked
with a raised eyebrow.

“We could do that, but I’ve only just met
you, and I’m not sure it would be proper. But I’m game if you are,”
he replied easily.

She felt her face turn red and sputtered a
bit. “I didn’t mean with you,” she objected fiercely.

He laughed and gave her a grin. “I was
teasing you,” he assured her. “Here we are.” He motioned ahead of
them, and she looked up to study the three story building in front
of them.

She had noticed it the first night in the
city for the beautiful mural of dragons on the wall. A gilded sign
hung over the door with the words “Dragon’s Nest” carved in elegant
scrawl on it. She could hear faint music coming from inside, and
the lights in the windows were soft and inviting.

“Are you going to let me buy you that drink?”
he asked after a moment.

With a sigh, she gave a slight nod. Shade
wouldn’t be back for hours, and she didn’t really want to go home.
It would be nice to have some company, and he didn’t seem to be as
bad as Shade had made him sound. “Just one,” she agreed and
followed him up the steps into the beautifully decorated inn.

He led her to the second floor and to a
corner table, and then pulled the seat out for her. She paused for
a moment, unsure. No one had ever actually pulled a chair out for
her before. She sat slowly, and he gently pushed the chair in and
sat opposite her. “So you are a first year, right?” he asked once
seated.

“How did you know?” she asked with a raised
eyebrow.

“Just a guess. I would have remembered you if
I’d seen you before, and you are about the right age for the
Academy, I think,” he replied.

“How can you possibly tell my age? Everyone
that has even a hint of Immortal blood glows with youth,” she
objected.

“Ahh…but not when you look in their eyes. You
do have beautiful eyes, by the way. I’ve never seen violet eyes
before,” he returned.

She felt herself blush slightly and was
immensely grateful when the waitress arrived to take their order.
Finn looked up at her with a charming smile. “We will have a bottle
of Essence wine please, and on my tab.” She nodded her head in
answer and turned quickly to go.

“So, how old did her eyes say she was?” Jala
asked with a smirk.

“Twenty-seven,” he answered smoothly. “That
doesn’t count, though. She told me with her lips four nights ago,
so it’s cheating.” He gave her a smile and a wink.