He looked up sharply from a lily he was dismembering and grinned. “No, I get along with Honor fine, almost as well as I do Valor. That’s not at all what I was thinking about.” Shrugging, he left off with the plants and tossed the mutilated stalk aside. “I’ve heard some rumors the last week or so and it’s got me wondering.”
“What kind of rumors?” she asked.
“High Lord Blackwolf is summoning people from Sanctuary to help in defense of Glis. High Lord Delvayon is calling his swords. It just doesn’t seem to be a very good time to be a small fish. I’m trying to figure out how to build your power quickly,” he replied letting out a sigh.
“Our power,” she corrected.
He shook his head and smiled at her. “Your power. I want nothing to do with politics. I’ll help you with whatever I can, but I don’t want the power at all,”
“They aren’t just rumors, Finn,” Valor cut in, turning to walk backwards as he spoke. “That’s why we have to get this done now. It won’t be long before Arovan is pulling people back home as well. My brother hinted, the last time we spoke, that father might recall me. Things are bad in Glis,”
“What’s going on there?” Jala asked, looking between the two of them.
“From what I understand, no one really knows. Some say Kali has created a new threat, others blame Rivasa or Nerathane,” Valor said with a shrug and paused in step for them to catch up. “I hear that most of Gaelyn’s commons are dead and people are disappearing from Glis now,” he said in a near whisper as he fell into step beside them.
“I heard the same. I don’t think its Rivasa or Nerathane,” Finn replied.
“Who is Kali?” Jala broke in, confusion clear in her voice.
“Kali the mad. Kali the cruel. Kali the wicked,” Valor chimed, giving the words a musical quality. He grinned wickedly as he spoke as if the words were forbidden ones.
“She is a geneticist that is a bit off in the head,” Finn replied and swept his gaze around the garden as if he expected her to appear. To see the two of them acting nervous just talking about someone was a bit shocking to Jala. She had yet to see anything that scared Finn and Valor didn’t seem too different in that respect.
“That’s putting it mildly. She is what the stories would call a mad scientist. She abducts people for spare body parts. She creates monsters to try to kill us off,” Valor said, his tone low and ominous. He motioned toward Marrow and spoke even quieter. “She created the Bendazzi, the only predators on Sanctuary that the people of Glis cannot find affinity for. She created the serpents and most of the countries lost their naval forces not long after.”
“She is the boogie man for immortals,” Finn cut in and rolled his eyes at Valor. “Really, for those kinds of stories we should be sitting around a campfire. Kali is mostly reputation. People tell their children scary stories about her and the fear of her grows from that. I sincerely doubt if she is as bad as the stories make her sound.”
“Why are all of those people by the stable?” Jala asked, pausing in her steps. Both Finn and Valor stopped and looked ahead at her words, the matter of Kali completely forgotten. There were perhaps twenty in all and laughter rippled through the crowd. She couldn’t see what their attention was on from where they stood, nor did she know anyone there.
“That’s Wesler and Tombrey closest to us, both Avanti lordlings. This is not something we want to approach,” Valor said after a moment’s consideration.
“I see Nigel standing on the left. I can ask him quietly what’s going on,” Finn offered, motioning toward a dark haired man standing amidst three or four brightly dressed women.
“I’m telling you we don’t want to approach this, it’s bait,” Valor repeated, his tone filled with warning.
“Bait?” Jala asked, raising an eyebrow.
“There is gossip going around that Shade left Cassia for you, and then you refused him so he left Sanctuary completely. Cassia is in an outrage over it. She doesn’t play well with those she considers rivals,” Valor explained.
“I’m hardly a rival of hers, beside I’m married to Finn now. That should prove I’m not a rival,” Jala objected, shaking her head.
“Are you really expecting her to use logic?” Finn asked with a chuckle. “No, sorry, that’s just not Cassia’s way of doing things,” Taking her arm gently he pulled her off of the path to approach the stables from the back. “Val is right though, better to avoid this,”
“Nothing good at all when Cassia is involved. She is a vindictive bitch even when there is no reason to be vindictive,” Valor agreed.
Casting another look toward the crowd, Jala nodded slightly and followed Finn. More laughter rippled through the crowd but she noticed not everyone was laughing. A few looked disgusted. Fighting back her curiosity, she focused her attention on the ground and made herself keep pace with Finn.
“I don’t know where he is,” a familiar voice wailed from inside the circle.
“Finn, that was Madren,” Jala said, freezing in place.
Nodding slightly, Finn tugged on her arm again. He turned to look at her with a frown as she held her ground. “And it’s not our business. I don’t even like Madren, Jala,” he said with a hint of pleading in his voice.
“I personally despise the little worm,” Valor said calmly.
More laughter erupted from the crowd and Jala pulled her arm free of Finn. “He helped me in the Tolanteer,” she reminded him.
“And we didn’t truly need the help. Have you already forgotten his drugged candy, his midnight serenades, him watching you sleep?” Finn asked with a heavy sigh.
“No, I haven’t forgotten, but regardless, I will not just ignore Cassia tormenting someone who has tried to help me. Even if it is Madren,” she said, returning his frown.
“Please don’t do this,” Finn said quietly. There was pleading in his dark green eyes.
“Finn has it right here, Jala, it’s not our business,” Valor said, taking her other arm and attempting to help Finn move her.