Neph made a scoffing sound. “She is, and she won’t last. Finn doesn’t keep women.”
“I’m not his bed warmer. I’m not sleeping with him at all,” Jala objected, rather offended by his attitude.
Both Wisp and Neph looked shocked at that announcement. “I thought you just left that part out,” Wisp said quietly. “You mean you aren’t…” she began.
“No, we are just friends,” Jala said, cutting her off before she could finish.
“Well, this does change things,” Neph said in a lighter voice and leaned forward dropping his heavy boots to the floor. With a snap of his fingers, a mage light flickered to life on the table beside her and he seemed to be examining her closer. “Elder Blood, young, very pale aura. Ahh, a good girl are we?” he said, words staggered as if he were listing off the attributes of a new specimen.
“She does seem very nice, not snooty at all,” Wisp agreed. “I like her,” she added with a nod of her head and a smile.
“You would like a flea-infested mutt if it stumbled through the door,” Neph replied dryly.
Jala glared at him. “I think I will seek Sovann if I want lessons, so nice to meet you,” she said as she left the room. It seemed as though every hall had one. Though she thought Neph would be much easier to deal with than Madren. At least Neph didn’t seem to want her around.
She was halfway to her door when Finn’s door opened. He glanced at her expression and then back the way she had come and let out a sigh. “Neph being an ass?” he asked.
“He was,” she agreed in clipped tones.
“He will be until he gets used to you. He is Delveyan, and they are really not social. Kind of like the Firym, with a bad attitude,” he explained. He moved down the hall a bit toward her and leaned against the door frame. He was freshly showered and wearing fine clothes, she noted.
“About to go out?” she asked, plucking lightly at the collar of the black shirt he wore.
“About to ask you if you wanted to go get dinner. It’s Jail’s night to cook and he isn’t available,” he said. “I know a café not far that has an outdoor patio. We should be able to take Marrow there without too much trouble.”
“Give me a few minutes to change?” she asked, her temper cooled again. If it was just going to take time with Neph, she could understand that. She was more than willing to give him space and let him adjust to her presence.
“Take as long as you like, I’ll have a word with Neph while you do.” He pushed off the frame lightly and headed for Neph’s room. She watched him go for a moment and then went into her own room.
Why don’t you just admit you would like to warm his bed? Marrow asked her as he followed her in.
She froze in mid step and looked at the Bendazzi in shock. I would not, and I don’t know why you would say anything like that, she huffed and busied herself with choosing a dress. Marrow sat down behind her waiting patiently. She dressed quickly and resorted to using magic to tame her curls and on impulse used one of the jeweled hair nets. She studied herself in the mirror, pushing stray locks into place and adjusting the blue dress carefully. Satisfied, she moved to the table and dabbed on a bit of perfume trying to ignore the faint growling sound Marrow was making that sounded of laughter. “What?” She demanded at last.
He shook his massive head as if it were nothing. Just wondering why you work so hard to make yourself look perfect and add appealing scent if you aren’t trying to attract him.
She blinked at him and frowned. Maybe I’m trying to attract others, she sniffed in defiance.
Just what you need, another potential mate. Isn’t two chasing after you bad enough? Marrow asked, his deep voice thick with amusement.
I do not have potential mates, they are friends, she objected and shook her head. Shall we go, I’m rather hungry, and I’d rather get you some food before you start threatening beggars again.
Marrow gave a faint nod and followed her out the door. Finn must have been watching for her because he stepped from his doorway the moment she closed the door behind her. With a smile, he took her arm and led her from the hall. “Blue is a good color for you,” he said, stopping quickly and plucking one of the dainty flowers from beside the stair. Without missing a step, he tucked it in neatly behind her ear and led her off down the garden paths.
“I got word from Shade earlier, when we picked up my trunks,” she said.
“Mmph. Did he actually have anything worth saying?” Finn asked, his tone not holding much interest.
“He has more information on the Oracle, and we agreed to travel there on the first free day,” she replied.
He gave her a glance and a nod. “I’ll make sure I have nothing planned.”
“Only if you promise you will try to get along with Shade,” she warned.
He frowned and rolled his eyes. “I promise I won’t hurt him,” he agreed with disgust.
“I didn’t say ‘don’t hurt him,’ I said ‘try to get along,’” she corrected stubbornly.
“That would be like asking Marrow to play tag with a lamb and not take a bite,” he argued. “You wouldn’t ask that of him, would you?”
“It’s not quite that drastic,” she objected.
Finn gave a snort of laughter and glanced at the Bendazzi. “I’m buying you whatever kind of meat you want for that,” he said with obvious amusement.
“For what?” Jala asked, unsure if she liked Marrow speaking with others or not.
“He offered to consider Shade a lamb,” Finn answered with another chuckle. “I’ll play nice as long as he does, Jala, you have my word,” he added, noticing her frown.
“I’ll hold you to that, Finn,” she warned.
“Hold me to whatever you like,” he replied with a roguish smile.
Chapter 20
Sanctuary
The café he had chosen for dinner sat between the Arena and the Greensquare, Sanctuary’s largest park. Finn led them to a table in the back, out of the main sight of the road, in an effort to avoid the continued stares at Marrow. It would seem the sight of a Bendazzi was enough to stop even the hurried bustle of Sanctuary. Their waitress, a soft spoken blond with a pretty face, did her best to ignore Marrow as she took the order, but Jala didn’t miss how quickly the woman retreated, nor did she miss the warm smile she had for Finn.
“Are there any waitresses in Sanctuary you haven’t bedded?” she asked conversationally. She leaned back in her chair and inhaled the fresh air as she watched the park behind him. Late summer had left everything bursting with life. The flowers were in full bloom, and the trees were a canopy of every color of green the mind could imagine. Occasionally she would see people in the park as they paused to stare openly at Marrow. With a disgusted snarl, the Bendazzi moved fully under the table.
Finn seemed to consider the question for a very long time, idly tapping his fork on the table as he did so. After a pause of at least three minutes, Jala sighed. “None in this quarter I don’t think, nor in the Avanti quarter, either. The rest, yes there are plenty of waitresses that are sorely neglected,” he replied with a smirk, apparently deciding her sigh had been a sign of impatience. It had, in fact, been more of a sigh of contentment. The day was beautiful, and the company was good. He gave the blond a wink as she sat down their drinks and a small plate of a fried food Jala didn’t recognize. Leaning forward a bit, he took a piece of the food and dipped it in a sauce before popping it into his mouth.
“What is that?” Jala asked. She had tried to determine the answer herself from the shape of the fried objects but was coming to no clear conclusions. There didn’t seem to be a uniform shape of the food, other than lumpy.
“Ondathi,” Finn answered after a quick swallow and took a drink from his ale. He selected another large piece from the plate and seemed to notice her lack of comprehension at his answer. “It’s a type of snake from the Scarlet Jungles. The sauce is a pepper blend,” he clarified, before dipping the second piece and continuing his meal.
Jala eyed the food
skeptically and decided she could wait for the main course. With a frown, she realized Finn had ordered that as well and wondered what exactly he had gotten for them to eat. If it were another version of snake, there was a good possibility she could find a nearby street vendor.
“Just try it,” he urged with a smile.
“I prefer food that doesn’t crawl, thank you, though,” she declined with a slight shake of her head. He gave a slight nod and tossed a piece of the meat to Marrow. The Bendazzi showed no hesitation whatsoever and snapped the morsel out of the air before it had dropped more than two inches. She raised an eyebrow at Marrow then looked back to Finn. He gave her a shrug. “If you aren’t going to be adventurous, he might as well get your share.”
She barely noticed his words. Her eyes were following a small group of people that seemed to be heading their way. Their clothes had caught her eye as she turned back to Finn. They wore bright, vivid colors, making the flowers of the park seem pale in comparison. Of course, it was possible they simply wanted a table at the café, but the more she watched the more it seemed they were intent upon Finn. “Finn, which house has yellow and orange as their colors?” She asked in a low voice. Not all of them were dressed in yellow and orange, but the first three in the group were. Over her time in Sanctuary, she had come to realize most of the High Houses had very limited wardrobes, usually just in the colors of their house. She knew all of the sigils but the colors seemed to jumble in her mind. The only one she could say she knew for sure was Morcaillo’s blue and silver.
He swallowed and washed the Ondathi down with another drink of ale and glanced over his shoulder. “House Rivasa,” he answered in the same low tone. “And it would appear they want to have a word with me. How perfectly annoying.”
“So you finally decided to come out of hiding, did you?” the lead man snapped the moment he was within earshot of their table. He was thin, almost dainty in appearance, with dark hair, and skin so pale it seemed unhealthy to her eyes. His yellow silk shirt hung off him in graceful waves, the cuffs and collar both lined with lace while his pants were a bright orange. The gold belt he wore, hung heavy around his waist with twin blades hanging from the belt. The delicate basket weave hilts and narrow blades made them seem more accessory than weapon to Jala. She watched him as he stopped just out of reach of Finn and seemed to strike a pose. As she watched him, she wondered how often he had practiced the stance in his mirror. He stood with one hand propped elegantly on the hilt of the basket weave sword, the other pointing at Finn in accusation. His chin was up, his expression arrogant, and overall to Jala’s eyes, he looked the perfect fool.
Finn casually popped another piece of food into his mouth and regarded the newcomer with disinterest, not bothering to reply. His gaze flicked past him briefly and apparently not finding anything of interest went back to watching the brightly attired Rivasan.
A small crowd stood at the man’s back, at least six or so men that Jala didn’t recognize and one woman she did, Cassia Avanti. Cassia stepped forward, the silk of her red gown swishing gracefully as she moved. “You will regret the insult you dealt me, Finn Sovaesh,” she proclaimed in a high, clear voice, drawing attention from those on the street as well as the park, to her obvious satisfaction. Her pose, too, seemed rehearsed as she stood before Finn with a look of outrage on her perfect face. Her hair was, as always, flawless, and the glimmer of rubies rose from every point Jala could see.
Finn’s gaze traveled to Cassia briefly, and he smirked and gave a gentle shake of his head. “I highly doubt that, Cassia.” With almost a yawn, he lifted his ale mug and took another long slow drink, still watching the man.
“You have insulted the lady’s honor and then hid yourself,” the man proclaimed as if he had been given a cue for his lines. “I demand you answer for it.” With a flourish, he dropped a large white coin down onto the edge of the table closest to Finn and looked quite pleased with himself. The growing crowd gave a murmur at this, and a few pushed closer for a better look.
Jala glanced at the coin in confusion, and then back up to Finn who seemed rather amused. “It’s an Arena coin. He wants a duel,” Finn explained as he picked up the coin and turned it slowly over in his hand, examining it. “And it only has six marks cut in it,” he added as he set the coin back down. His gaze left the man and flicked to Jala. “Which, of course, means this idiot has only been in six duels since he came to Sanctuary.” He looked back at the young man who was quite obviously offended at being called an idiot, and looked ready to throw a fit. “Are you sure you want to get cut up for something as fleeting as Cassia’s honor?” Finn asked, the amusement still showing on his face. He glanced toward the crowd and gave a sigh as if realizing there could be only one answer. Jala had drawn the same conclusion. With this many witnesses to the drama, the only thing the Rivasan could do was to push the fight. Anything else would make him seem weak.
“How dare you!” Cassia gasped, her exclamation drawing excited murmurs from the spectators on the street. Cassia whirled on Finn in a swirl of crimson skirts. “My honor is the honor of House Avanti. How can you dare question it when your own father serves mine loyally?” she demanded. With a sniff of pure distaste, she moved to the Rivasan and clutched his arm as if in desperate need of his strength.
Jala watched the spectacle with a raised eyebrow. Cassia had missed her calling. Had she chosen to be a lady of the stage she would have sold out plays. The crowd around them was thick now, and Jala was grateful Marrow had chosen his hiding spot well. This little display hardly needed further excitement added to it, and she was content to remain a shadow here. It seemed a bit much to her all around, the idea of dueling over Finn calling Cassia a bitch. He might as well be punished for proclaiming the sky blue. She hid a smile at the thought. This hardly seemed the appropriate time for smiles, though she noticed Finn was smiling as if this were a wonderful joke. He didn’t look the least bit disturbed at the drama or of the crowd. Of course, he was likely used to crowds. Finn Sovaesh was quite popular in Sanctuary.
“You insulted my lady in defense of this peasant whore and dare to question her honor to my face?” Rivasa demanded, his tone rising in pitch to nearly a screech. He clutched the apparently wounded Cassia to his side and glared at Finn with a stare that could wilt flowers.
The amusement drained from Finn’s face and he casually knocked the white coin into the dirt at the man’s feet with a flick of his wrist. Still silent, he removed a black coin of the same size from his own pocket and dropped it on the table. “I don’t fight for blood. It will be a black coin or nothing. Pick it up or apologize to Jala. Your choice,” Finn said in a flat, cold voice.
Jala’s gaze was locked on the black coin. She didn’t know what the colors meant, but she could easily see the marks that ringed the coin’s edge. There was barely a free space left to notch on it. She glanced up from the coin, realizing the area had grown deathly silent. All eyes were locked on the young Rivasan lord to see if he would pick up the black coin. Finn’s eyes were locked on him as well. All warmth in the dark green depths had vanished. “What does the color of the coins mean, Finn?” Jala asked, barely above a whisper, not wanting to be the one to break the hushed silence, but sure it was important.
“White is to first blood. Black is to the death,” Finn answered, his gaze never wavering. “Are you going to pick it up, or apologize, Devron?” Finn asked.
Jala noticed the waitress returning with their food, but the woman froze at the sight of the confrontation and hurried back into the café. Jala watched her go, praying that she wouldn’t send for the Justicars, before looking back to Devron Rivasa.
Devron glanced down at Cassia and gave her a smile. “Your honor shall be restored, Milady,” he assured her and picked up the black coin. “Set your time and I will see you on the field,” he said to Finn, his voice filled with contempt.
“Now,” Finn answered simply, and stood. Jala quickly clambered to her feet as Finn tossed coins down on the table to pay for their
uneaten meal, and stalked off toward the Arena.
“Now?” she asked quietly as she hurriedly caught up with him. The crowd must have noticed Marrow then from the exclamations and curses behind her. She glanced back to make sure that the Bendazzi was not having difficulty and placed a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Wait a moment, Finn.” Finn paused until Marrow was beside them and continued on, Jala keeping pace beside him. “Why now? And do you really only fight to the death?” she asked again, adding the last question as an afterthought.
“Usually only to the death, and now because he pissed me off,” Finn answered as he pushed open the lower arena doors with far more force than needed. The doors banged heavily against the stone walls of the tunnel. She flinched at the noise and hurried after him, his boots ringing with heavy echoes as he crossed to the Arena floor. “Valor will meet me here as my second,” he explained as he stopped abruptly at the end of the tunnel.
“You need a second?” Jala asked, unsure. Her eyes roved over the thick sand of the arena floor just beyond them, and her throat tightened a bit. The idea of Finn fighting to the death unsettled her.
“It’s a formality. He will serve as witness, though we will no doubt have a large enough crowd I won’t need that, and if I die he will see to my body,” he answered and leaned back against the wall.
“If you die?” she whispered, her voice catching slightly. “Is that likely?”
His gaze flickered to her and a hint of amusement returned. “No, it isn’t likely,” he answered in a level tone without hesitation. His posture was tense and she could see the muscles in his arms, rigid as if he would willingly do battle on the spot. There was no question that he was ready and willing for the fight.
“Why didn’t they follow us? Do you think he might change his mind?” she asked hopefully. The tunnel behind them was still empty with no sign of Devron or Cassia or the lackeys that had surrounded them.
“He will come in from the other side and is likely looking for an Arena Judge at the moment,” Finn explained.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Bk 1 In Shades of Grey Page 28
