She swallowed heavily and finally met the Bendazzi’s gaze and shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to admit how much that hurt, even to you,” she said quietly, feeling her eyes go glassy again. “I love you, Marrow, but right now I can’t talk. So just please let me think for a while. I have to sort this out before I go back,” she finished quietly, her voice breaking a bit on the words. The Bendazzi bowed his head in acceptance and moved to the wall to lie down.
She brushed a hand gently across her stomach and tried to imagine what it would be like to raise a child in the world as it was now. Shuddering at the thought, she shook her head and moved to the bed. It was covered with a thin film of dust and the blankets were still rumpled. It was as if the room hadn’t been touched at all since her last night here. Waving a hand she cast a quick cleaning spell and crawled onto the down filled mattress. She curled on her side staring at the wall and tried to put her thoughts in order. Perhaps Finn was right. Maybe she should leave the city for safety. Images of the children in Merro’s district came to her mind as she considered the thought. When she had first started rebuilding the city, they had been so filled with despair, but now she could glimpse hope on a few of them. They knew she wanted to help them so they could see a brighter future. What would they see if she ran now and abandoned them to the mercy of the Justicars.
She lost track of time as she lay there in contemplation until the sound of the door opening brought her sharply back to her surroundings. A tall figure in a dark grey cloak moved into the room. The shadows seemed to envelop him as he closed the door silently. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the familiar garb.
“What do you want? I had thought our business was concluded,” she snarled. Hemlock was the last person she wanted to see right now.
The figure turned back toward her and slowly pulled the hood down. With a start she realized it was Valor regarding her with a slightly raised eyebrow. His hair was clean once more and held back in its usual thong and other than a large bruise forming on his cheekbone, he looked his normal immaculate self. He smoothed the front of his fine black tunic and flicked a glance to his grey cloak. It was obvious he wanted to say something, but hesitated.
“Valor,” she gasped, and felt the color drain from her face. What must he be thinking right now, knowing that I’ve had dealings with Hemlock she wondered with panic. “What are you doing here? What happened to your face?” The questions poured out of her as the knight calmly surveyed the room and then looked back to her. His expression was not the lazy smile she was so used to seeing on his handsome face. He seemed more somber and thoughtful.
His gloved hand rose to his face and gently traced the bruise and he shrugged slightly. “I had a discussion with Finn about which of us would come find you,” he explained calmly. Looking around the room once more, his eyes settled on a heavy cushioned chair. He crossed the room silently and dragged the chair back to the side of the bed with little effort. Removing the grey cloak he draped it over the dusty cushions and sat down lightly.
“Finn hit you?” she asked quietly, leaning forward for a better look at the injury in the faint light. It didn’t seem to be more than a bruise and a faint scrape, hardly worth summoning a healing spell for, and yet she was tempted to do so.
“I hit him harder,” Valor said with another shrug. “Neph is watching over him now and will stop him from leaving when he wakes.”
“You knocked him out?” she gasped, looking at him in amazement. Valor was Finn’s staunchest supporter and the thought of him striking Finn was unbelievable to her.
“It was better than allowing him to tear through the city trying to find you while he is hunted,” Valor reasoned.
“But the Justicars are hunting you too,” she pointed out, her eyes flicking to the grey cloak.
Valor smiled bitterly. “As much as I loathe Hemlock, being mistaken for him does have its advantages. If the rumors are to be believed, he appreciates that particular fashion statement. It supposedly keeps people guessing as to where the real Hemlock is,” he explained, the look of distaste plain on his face.
She nodded faintly and looked away from his gaze. There were too many questions in those dark blue eyes. “How did you know where to find me?” she asked quietly in an effort to turn the subject from the Assassin.
“There weren’t many places you could be. So I picked the one Finn was least likely to look in, and lo and behold here you are,” Valor said with a sigh. He reached a hand up gently and turned her chin forcing her to meet his eyes once more. “What did he do?” he asked gently. She shook her head silently in response and he sighed once more. “Well, I know he hasn’t cheated on you so that’s not it,” he began, and leaned back in the chair folding his hands on his lap. “A year ago, I would have thought Finn would be single forever and then he met you. Before we actually met, I would have sworn you had laid an enchantment on him to get him to fall so quickly for you. Now that I know you, though, I know it isn’t true. He loves you too much to show any attention to another woman, so what did he do?” he pressed. By the set of his jaw she didn’t think he would let the topic drop.