“Defensive about shoes, aren’t we,” Finn replied with a barely suppressed chuckle.
“I don’t make the fashion rules here. I try to live by them, but I certainly didn’t make them. I’m perfectly happy with no jewelry or annoying strappy sandals,” she said, rolling her eyes.
He glanced down at her legs and back up to her face with a smile. “They are rather appealing though, you have to admit.”
“That’s because you don’t have to lace them on each morning and make sure none of the straps are crooked,” she countered.
“Barefoot is better,” Emily added quietly from somewhere behind them.
“I don’t know if I would go that far Emily. It’s been some time since I wandered barefoot,” Jala said with a slight chuckle. Turning back to Finn she smiled and let out a long sigh. “I missed you last night. Sleeping alone is impossible now,” she said quietly.
“I couldn’t sleep last night. I spent half of the night driving Valor insane and the rest of it driving Sovann insane,” Finn admitted.
“I think I got a few hours of rest early this morning,” she said with a shrug and instantly regretted the line of conversation. It brought images of Hemlock and a vial of blood to mind, the first and hopefully last secret she would ever keep from Finn. “Where is the Merrodin Hall? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.”
Finn motioned ahead of them with his free hand and flicked a finger in the direction of another path. “We take a left up there at the crossroad and it’s not too far past that,” he explained. “It’s not too far from the Morcaillo hall actually, so you shouldn’t have any trouble adjusting to it.”
“What made them decide to move there?” she asked, grateful that he hadn’t noticed the abrupt topic change.
He shrugged the free shoulder and grinned at her. “You are out of the closet now, Vezradesh. It’s time that we all started treating you like High Lady Merrodin. That means proper housing and a few other changes, but you will see what I mean when we get there,” he said cryptically, drawing a look of suspicion from her.
“I don’t want my friends to treat me differently,” she objected.
“The only one that is truly irritated is Neph, but I’m sure he will voice his complaints when we get there,” Finn replied with a snicker.
“Why is Neph upset with me?” she asked carefully watching his expression.
“You will see,” Finn replied.
*
Jala stared up at the door, her gaze locked on the sigil carved into it. It was obvious the door was new. The former symbol of Merrodin had been two eagles in flight. This however was a beautifully rendered Bendazzi crouched low as if to pounce. Moving closer she ran a finger across the image admiring the attention to detail the artist had used. There was certainly no mistaking what it was and by the way the wood had been bleached it reminded her of Marrow.
“I take it you approve?” Finn asked from just behind her.
She glanced over her shoulder and smiled warmly at him. “It’s beautiful. It looks so much like Marrow …,” she trailed off and slowly lowered her hand. “It’s perfect in every detail,” she finished and pushed the door open. The interior of the hall smelled strongly of fresh flowers and she inhaled deeply. “So much better than the musty smell of the Hall of Justice,” she said faintly.
“You can thank Wisp for that. I assure you, Val and Neph had nothing to do with the flowers,” Finn said with a smile.
Movement at the corner of her eye stopped her before she could reply. Looking up she saw Marrow running down the hall toward her. Her face broke into a smile once more as she knelt to greet the Bendazzi.
“Slow down Marrow,” Finn commanded, as the Bendazzi grew closer. “Marrow, slow down!” he repeated with more force when it was obvious he was being ignored.
“Marrow!” Jala exclaimed as the Bendazzi plowed into her, knocking her back on her butt. Laughing, she scratched behind his ears and tugged lightly at the ruff of fur around his face. “I missed you too.”
If you ever consider doing something that stupid again I’ll take your legs off at the knees. His voice was a deep rumble in her thoughts. His concern and relief washed over her like a tide.
“I’m sorry I worried you so much,” she whispered back to him and pressed her forehead against his own. “I didn’t like being away from you either,” she assured him.
“Marrow you are an oaf. You could have injured her,” Finn scolded, the anger in his voice causing her to look up in bewilderment.
“Finn, I’m fine. He just knocked me back on the carpet,” she said in a calm voice. “Into the new carpet at that. It’s actually very soft,” she added as she pushed herself up and looked back down at the dark purple flooring.
“He should be more careful,” Finn grumbled, shaking his head at the Bendazzi in disapproval. “Don’t threaten me, cat,” he warned narrowing his eyes slightly.
Jala raised an eyebrow and looked between the two of them. You threatened him? she asked Marrow, mentally guessing she was more likely to get an answer from her familiar.
I told him to quit his whining and that you are fine, and if he wants to scold me like an animal, I can start acting like an animal. My first priority would be to use his closet as my litter box, Marrow explained, sounding far too pleased with himself.
Biting her lip to keep from smiling Jala looked down the hall and back to Finn. “Are the others already in bed?” she asked.
He exhaled a deep breath and shook his head. “No, they are waiting to see you,” he answered and nodded his head toward the back of the hall. “In your sitting room, actually.”
“I have a sitting room?” she asked.
“And private kitchens. No more sharing our kitchen space with the rest of the hall. You have a private laundry too, though I think most of us use either magic or a laundress for our clothing,” he replied.