“We didn’t doubt you would be released,” Jail replied with a chuckle.
“The only true doubt was who would be releasing you,” Neph added with a smirk. “I could have throttled Kadan when he showed up this morning. Had I been sitting on the council the day would have been much less stressful. Did he at least cast a vote for you?”
“It didn’t actually come to a formal vote, but I respect your brother for the way he conducted himself,” Jala replied carefully, guessing this was a touchy subject for Neph.
“Well he usually is very proper,” Neph muttered, his tone suggesting it was not a trait he admired in his brother.
“I expect things will get worse from here,” Jail warned her and glanced at the others in the room.
“Maybe not entirely,” Finn said with a smirk. “I heard an interesting bit of gossip while I was waiting outside the Halls for Jala. It seems Cassia has been called home by her brother. I’m not sure how long she will actually stay there, but for now, at least, we will have one less howling for blood.”
“Cassia is out of the city? Truly?” Jala asked looking over to Finn who was pouring drinks.
“Truly, so now all we have to worry about are her lackeys. That shouldn’t be too bad though, lackeys are generally easy to bully,” Finn replied with a shrug and moved to join her on the couch.
Once seated, he handed her a glass and she stared down in shock at its contents. “Tea?” she asked bewildered. It was the first time since she had met Finn that he had ever given her anything non-alcoholic.
“It was that or Firewater, unless, of course, you would prefer some of Valor’s wine. The brandy is in our room and still packed as of yet, I’m afraid,” he explained with a shrug.
Valor held his wineglass out in offering and she hastily shook her head. “No, thank you, Valor. I know how fortified your wine is. I would likely get drunk from the fumes from it. I was just surprised. Actually I prefer tea to wine most times,” she said with a faint smile.
“So what is next on the agenda?” Wisp asked, shifting her position on the couch to more of a perch in the corner.
“Proper housing in our district, I think. If we start near the gate ward we can work inward and should make fairly quick progress. Most of the buildings near the gate ward are fairly solid and only need repairs to be livable. It’s the ones closer to the docks that will have to be rebuilt entirely,” Jala said after a moment’s consideration.
“We are going to have a bit of a shift in training as well,” Neph began. Jala turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged. “It’s nothing you will object to I’m sure. From now on, three mornings a week you will be training with Rose on healing in the morning rather than with Sovann. And you and I will switch our training to the arena rather than in the garden. I think you are ready to actually hurl some spells rather than talking about hurling spells.”
“Really?” Jala asked, her excitement bleeding over into her voice.
“Are you that happy about learning more healing or the possibility of hurling spells at me?” Neph asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Do you really have to ask her that, Neph? Everyone gets happy at the prospect of hurting you,” Valor replied with a grin.
“I know I do,” Finn agreed with a shrug.
“The thought has never put me in a bad mood,” Jail added smiling at Neph.
“It’s the possibility of how much you can teach me and the healing classes, Neph. I have absolutely no desire to hurt you,” Jala assured him.
“Hmph! She doesn’t know him well enough yet,” Jail surmised with a grin.
“So the first free day we start on the housing. Valor, have you received the supplies from you brother yet?” Wisp asked, steering the topic away from teasing the already grumpy mage.
“They will be in storage by the free day, as I understand they are in the process of being shipped now,” Valor replied and dropped lazily into a chair. “You do realize, of course, while I am extremely skilled in a multitude of areas, carpentry is not one of them, right?” he asked Jala.
“I know how to repair leaks on a ship. That’s about the extent of my woodworking skills,” Finn said with a smirk.
“I don’t think any of us truly knows how to repair these buildings, but we can surely find skilled laborers to do it,” Wisp pointed out, her gaze flicking to Jala.
“That’s what I was counting on. I’m hoping I can hire a few supervisors from other districts and use Merro’s people for general labor,” Jala said.
“It’s worth a shot. If not we will come up with another plan,” Jail concluded.
“One last thing before we retire,” Finn said quietly and looked around the room. “Is Emily here?” he asked after a minute.
“She is. My skin has been crawling since Jala arrived in the room. It’s only that way when the Blight child is with her,” Neph answered.
“Marrow has suggested an idea to me but it needs Emily’s consent and Jala’s approval. I for one believe it is a very good idea,” Finn explained.
Frowning, Jala looked down to Marrow and then back to Finn. From the expressions she saw on the others in the room, they had no more idea what Finn was talking about than she did. “What idea?”
“He suggested that while we are sleeping, Emily and he could hunt the Blights infesting the city. He thinks they can at least thin down the numbers and possibly locate the hive,” Finn explained.
“But won’t they be horribly outnumbered?” Wisp objected, a frown creasing her delicate face.
“We won’t attack if we are outnumbered. It’s a good plan. I like it,” Emily said speaking up at last.
“I will never adjust to that,” Valor mumbled, taking a long pull off his wine. “When I was a child the saying was A good child should be seen and not heard. This whole heard and not seen is unnerving.”