“It won’t be if we can just figure out how silently to repair it,” Wisp countered.
“I say we just announce who she is and bugger them all. This secrecy shit is getting old,” Neph grumbled, leaning back once more to rest his weight on his arms. Of all her friends, Neph was easily the most intimidating. Jail was larger and more heavily muscled and Finn had a quick temper, but Neph had mastered the art of scowling to a fine perfection. That, combined with his dark leather armor and sharp tongue, made most stay clear of his path.
“It’s been two weeks since we agreed to keep the secret. Are you truly out of patience already?” Jail asked, shaking his head at Neph in what might have been disgust.
“You are losing her attention again. I can see her gaze drifting back to pretty boy,” Neph motioned toward Jala and she blushed.
“Sorry,” Jala mumbled and sat up, rubbing her face. Marrow shifted behind her and stretched. “It’s just …, I’m sorry, I don’t know what exactly it is. I’m just having trouble concentrating,” she gave Jail a weak smile and shrugged.
“You are in love, that’s what it is. Everything else is secondary as it should be,” Wisp chirped happily and beamed a smile at Jala. The bright gleam in Wisp’s green eyes drew an answering smile from Jala. Wisp was always in a good mood. It was impossible not to feel better when the Fae was around.
“A goofy smile most of the time, difficulty focusing, (which I might add you already had a terrible time with), and daydreaming. Yes, you are most definitely afflicted,” Neph said in a tone that suggested he thought it might be contagious. Jala watched him, half expecting him to scoot farther away from her.
“Love is not an affliction,” Wisp snapped and kicked Neph lightly.
With a loud clearing of his throat, Jail once again captured her attention and she grinned at him. “Please ask again. I promise I will pay attention. I am fully focused now,” Jala said with a bit of chagrin.
“Who in Sanctuary holds the most power? I mean the world, not the city,” Jail repeated and leaned back, giving her time to think.
Crossing her legs under her, Jala folded her hands in her lap and considered the question. It was a loaded question, she knew. There were so many ways to answer it. Since they had returned to the city two weeks ago, these sessions had become a routine in the mornings. On every free day, Jail would sit and help her catch up on her classes and ask her random questions and she was beginning to figure out how to best answer him. It wasn’t one simple answer Jail was looking for. He wanted her to consider the question more than anything else.
“It’s the goblins. Little do we know they are about to take over the world,” Neph said dryly.
“And you shall be the king of them,” Wisp rose and bowed mockingly in Neph’s direction. “Hail, the Goblin King,” she called loudly as she dropped back to her prone position in the grass.
“You mock now. Just wait, little girl,” Neph warned with a smirk.
Jala tried to fight back a smile and forced herself to ignore their banter. With a deep sigh, she locked her gaze with Jail’s. “I want to say the High Houses, but that’s too obvious and it’s the cheap answer that anyone would give. You aren’t looking for the common answer here. You are looking for my answer.”
With a slight nod, Jail motioned for her to continue. “And your answer is?”
“My answer is that it changes too quickly to judge accurately. It isn’t simply the houses that hold power in Sanctuary. The mercenaries hold power, the Fionaveir hold a sort of power, and the merchants hold power. It shifts by the hour depending on countless things. Something as simple as a rumor can shift power in Sanctuary.” She paused, frowning, and gave another shrug. “If I absolutely had to say one thing that holds power above all others all the time, I’ll say the commons. They outnumber us and they provide our food. While they are not strong magically, without them we would suffer,” she said finally, not even pausing for a breath as she spoke.
Jail seemed to consider her words and gave her a weak shrug. “We can make food with magic, though it does have side effects if eaten too long. And while they do outnumber us, most High Lords could kill an entire country with little effort. The only thing that stops them is the fear of other High Lords taking advantage of their temporary weakness from using that sort of power,” He countered.
“True, and that is what gives the commons power. If we had to do everything they do with our magic we would all be drained and at risk,” she replied with as much confidence as she could muster. In truth she was beginning to doubt her own theory.
“Well, considering how bloody many commons there are, most of the food they supply, they eat. In Delvay, we don’t have many commons. They are generally too weak to survive in the mountains,” Neph added.
“I would say personally it’s the Aspects,” Wisp said looking up from her map.
“The Aspects have power with the commons, but when it comes to the High Houses they are just another challenge. Most High Lords don’t spare them a second thought. They are here for the commons,” Jail objected mildly.
“It’s me. I have the most power in all of Sanctuary. Tremble before me,”
Jala looked up sharply to see Finn grinning down at her. She hadn’t noticed the swords had stopped ringing or even heard him approach. Smiling up at him she shook her head. “I have to disagree,” she said with a raised eyebrow.