“Ouch?” she repeated dryly. She kept her expression sweet with a faint smile and shook her head at him. “Finn doesn’t say ouch ever, Sovann. Not even when there is a sword stuck through his guts. Where is my husband?” she said in a voice that threatened more pain if he didn’t answer quickly.
Sovann paled considerably as he regarded her. Overall he had done a very good job of impersonating Finn’s appearance. The attitude as well as his attraction to Wisp had given him away, however. Sovann was so different from his brother in personality that they could hardly hold an extended conversation without one of them getting irritated and Finn never looked at other women.
“Answer me!” Jala snapped, tightening her grip on his hand. If Finn had gone through all of this trouble with the festival and his brother’s impersonation, then he was up to something she wouldn’t approve of at all - again.
“I don’t know where he is exactly, Jala,” Sovann began and then held a hand up in surrender as her expression darkened.
“Quit that! Finn is never cowed by me. If you must show a reaction, either laugh or look guilty and that will mimic him perfectly,” she snapped, turning her head to look around the square to make sure no one was watching them. “Now tell me how he talked you into this and it may give me an idea of where he is.” She felt her heart lurch painfully as her imagination created scenarios in her mind.
“He said to be ready for the signal and to stay on guard.” Sovann hesitated and she squeezed his hand painfully again to encourage him. “And he said that you couldn’t be involved in what he was doing in any way. that you must not be implicated with what had to be done,” he finished quietly.
“What signal?” she demanded. releasing his hand. Her breath was coming more quickly now as the created images in her mind grew darker still. By the gods. at times. an imagination was a curse. She reminded herself of all of the times she had worried needlessly and forced herself back to calm. With another faint smile. she raised an eyebrow at Sovann. still waiting for her answer.
He scratched at the back of his neck and shifted. The expression on his face suggested that he would rather be anywhere else in Sanctuary than where he was right now. It was an impressive display of guilt that she knew had nothing at all to do with his acting skills. “I don’t know exactly what it is supposed to be. When I asked him about it he laughed. You know Finn,” he paused and shrugged at her. “Isador was with him when he talked to me. I think it has to do with the Fionaveir somehow.”
She nodded and stood slowly. Looking around the crowd she searched for any sign of the Fionaveir. She had been sticking fairly close to Joseph and Jala had thought she was trying to recruit him. Now. she wasn’t so sure. Looking down at Marrow she sighed. “Where is Emily?” she asked quietly.
She didn’t want to be near the festival. She said putting so much food in one place was too much temptation, Marrow replied in an amused voice that clearly said the Blight hadn’t been speaking of the well laden tables.
Nodding, Jala searched the crowd again and her frown deepened. “Find Neph for me,” she said to Marrow and then turned back to Sovann. “Do try to not molest Wisp in that particular form. I know you two are growing more attached to each other but if you feel the need, please change your appearance.” Sovann’s face grew hot with the suggestion and he quickly looked away with a nod.
Marrow was already pacing through the crowd, his nose and ears twitching as he sought any sign of Neph in the mass of people. Jala followed after him, ignoring the few curious glances she got from individuals, and simply smiled in return as if all was well in the world.
The Bendazzi led her through the thickest of the festival and toward a small fountain. As the crowds thinned around her she spotted Neph leaning back against the side of the fountain using one of the festival lamps as a light to read by. He looked up at their approach and gave her a questioning look.
“I had guessed you would be half-drunk and dancing with your husband by this late in the night,” he said calmly and closed the book. He was dressed in noble’s clothes rather than his typical black leathers. Jala smirked at him, raising an eyebrow at the finery and nodded her quiet approval. His expression darkened a bit and he stood, looking down at her. “What?” he demanded, brushing at his tunic as if to smooth it.
She snickered and shook her head slightly, then glanced back toward Sovann before speaking quietly to him. “That’s not Finn. That is Sovann, pretending to be Finn. Finn is apparently off doing something dangerous somewhere without telling me.”
“Finn is being an idiot and water is wet. What’s your point?” Neph said dryly, though he was studying Sovann’s impersonation from across the square now. He gave a grudging nod in that direction and looked back at her with an almost bored expression.
“My point is, I need you to locate him, so I know where he is being an idiot at,” Jala snapped. “You are more discreet with scrying than I am and I don’t want to give him away with my heavy handed use of magic,” she added in a calmer voice.
A pulse of magic washed over the city in a wave as she fell silent. Jala looked around slowly trying to figure out what had just happened, and then followed Neph’s gaze upwards. They both stared in wonder as the sky cleared of the crimson clouds. Above them twinkled thousands of stars that they hadn’t seen in well over a month. Her eyes widened as the truth of the sight fully dawned on her. The Barrier was down. They were free to leave the city. A loud explosion from the inner city sounded and she snapped her head in the direction in time to see a wave of flames crest high in the air.