Free The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes by Melissa Myers

expression. “I could go after her,” he
offered finally. “I know the Darklands better than anyone living
that I know of.”
    “Absolutely not. She has made this mess. I
can’t risk losing you over it as well,” Lutheron grumbled. His
temper seemed to be cooling.
    “Actually, whoever killed the Sovaesh boy
started the mess,” Vaze corrected, his dark eyes locked on
Lutheron.
    “Ridiculous. People die. That doesn’t mean
you go traipsing off into hell to collect them when they do.
Chances are if they go to hell when they die they don’t bloody well
need to be brought back to life,” Lutheron snarled.
    “That is a very good point,” Shade agreed
quietly, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room.
    “Shade, shut the hell up,” Charm hissed, eyes
flicking back to Lutheron with a meaningful look.
    “She has very little chance of success
alone,” Vaze pointed out quietly.
    “Then we have to factor her out of future
planning. I regret it, Vaze, I truly do, but she made the choice,”
Lutheron said in even tones. His anger had apparently passed as
swiftly as it had risen.
    “What do you need of me that is more
important than Jala Merrodin?” Vaze asked, his voice level, but
holding a hint of warning in it. His posture had changed too, Shade
noted silently. The warrior no longer lounged. Instead, he stood
rigid with every muscle coiled as though he expected a fight.
    “I expect you to secure the city. There are
Blights running loose within the bounds of Sanctuary. I expect you
to kill them. I’d give the task to another, but they would die,”
Lutheron replied with faint smirk. He knew he had won the argument
with those few words.
    Letting out a long sigh, Vaze nodded slowly
and relaxed against the wall once more. “As you say, Lutheron. Do
we have a location for them?”
    “No, which brings me to another matter.
Charm, I had planned to send you to help the Merrodin girl. That
was before I realized what a fool she was. Now I will keep you
close to help someone that is more worthy of your skills. You and
Shade will both be assigned to guard and help Symphony when she
arrives. Shade, I understand you have more practice with the Blight
form. Is it true they can sense their kind when they draw near?”
Lutheron spoke with a calm authority and it seemed the matter of
helping Jala would be forgotten.
    “You know, I could go in Vaze’s place. I’m
not irreplaceable to the Fionaveir and Jala is a friend of mine,”
Shade offered. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground by
ignoring Lutheron’s question completely, but he wasn’t willing to
let the topic of Jala simply slide away so easily.
    “No, you are needed here. Now can you sense
the Blights?” Lutheron said with a bit of irritation.
    “No, I can’t. I’ve heard they can sense each
other but I haven’t figured out how they use that particular skill.
I can camouflage and that’s about it,” Shade answered bluntly
allowing a bit of his own irritation to seep into his voice. He
understood leadership well enough, but Lutheron wasn’t so much a
leader as he was a tyrant. The man simply refused to listen to any
logic other than his own.
    “Then you will accompany Vaze on his first
hunt to see if you can master it,” Lutheron said with a nod and
then looked back to Charm as if in dismissal. “You will stay by
Symphony as much as she will allow it. Watch everyone that speaks
with her and take notes of what they speak about. There is a
question of trust in the Fionaveir right now and I don’t want
Symphony being fed lies. If you see anything questionable, make
note of it and inform me at your first opportunity. When she
dismisses you, ensure that Shade is there to take your place. In
the Blight form, of course, and unseen.”
    “Wait! You want me to watch her without her
knowing I’m there?” Shade objected, stepping closer to the table as
he spoke.
    Lutheron looked back toward him with
annoyance gleaming in his dark eyes. “For her protection,