“I’m sure she will be OK,” Jala offered, though she had been worried about the child herself all day.
I do not care for the feeling of being trapped. Adjusting to the city was hard enough when it wasn’t a cage for all of us, The Bendazzi’s voice was a low growl in her mind and agitation coursed through their link.
“I can’t say that I care much for the thought either,” she admitted, pausing in front of a mirror to look at herself. The skin on her right side was bright pink on her shoulder and face. Turning her head from side to side she examined the extent of the damage to her hair and sighed, the mulberry curls were singed badly and much shorter on the right side. She frowned at the reflection, she knew she could fix the skin with a simple healing but she wasn’t sure about the hair. Pulling lightly on the magic she repaired the discoloring to her skin and turned toward the bath tub. If it was only her hair damaged perhaps Finn wouldn’t be too upset. Slipping into the hot water she leaned back and closed her eyes trying to ignore the agitated Bendazzi as well as the other concerns gnawing at her mind. She focused on her link with Finn and found anger and concern. At least she knew he was alive.
Are you well? Is the duel over? she asked him hoping the mental link wouldn’t distract him if the fight wasn’t over.
There was no fight. It was a trap. The Justicars were waiting at the Arena, though Valor and I both managed to evade their attention. I’m not sure what grounds they were planning to arrest me on but I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough, Finn answered.
Are you safe now? she asked him, her eyes fluttering open. She sat up in the tub awaiting his answer and silently calculated how quickly she could get to him if he wasn’t. With a long sigh she realized she didn’t even know what part of the city he was in. She rubbed a hand across her face and chewed on her lower lip.
For now, Valor is getting the horses while I gather things from the hall. We will be on our way to you shortly, Finn answered seeming a bit distracted.
Don’t worry about our things, Finn. We can get new things, she replied her concern growing. If the Justicars realized he wasn’t going to show at the Arena, the hall would be the next place they looked. Every minute he wasted there was another minute they had to catch him.
I’ll be there soon, Vezradesh, he assured her and she felt the link between them drop.
With a silent curse she let herself sink back into the water and closed her eyes once more. “If you have ever loved me at all Fortune, bring him safely to me,” she whispered.
Chapter 20
Sanctuary
Emily watched silently as the red clouds enveloped the city. She didn’t know what it meant, but the sight of them was not a reassuring one. They were the color of fresh blood in places and the deeper red of drying blood in others. Neither was a sign of good fortune she decided.
Movement ahead of her drew her attention back to her quarry. She had noticed the Blight on the way to classes this morning, and had left Jala with Finn and Marrow to pursue it. She didn’t like the thought of them hunting at the Academy. That was simply too close to her own dwelling for comfort. There was no way she could allow this one to claim this territory. It would bring others and then keeping Jala safe would be impossible. The only thing to do was kill it before others showed up.
Finding a place to kill it was proving difficult. She had been following it for most of the day and, so far, opportunity hadn’t presented itself. There were simply too many witnesses on the Academy grounds. Every time she had drawn close enough there had been someone walking down a path, or sitting in a garden, and now even more people were filing out of the buildings to stare up at the sky. She fought back the urge to snarl her frustration and continued tracking the creature. There had to be some place she could ambush it.
She had been within range several times and she knew it sensed her as well as she sensed it. Paranoia rose in her briefly as she considered that thought. It was possible the Blight was leading her into a trap. Did it know she was defective? She hesitated in her steps and the creature gained distance on her. With a silent snarl she quickened her pace and continued the stalk.
Though she hated to admit it she really didn’t like hunting without Marrow anymore. The Bendazzi’s silent presence beside her was reassuring, and she tried not to focus on how much she missed him right now. It was better that he was with Jala, though. Perhaps they knew why the clouds were bleeding. She had more faith in Marrow keeping Jala safe than any of her human companions. The nightly hunts with Marrow had proved to her time and again how formidable the Bendazzi truly was.
Commotion near the stables drew her attention and she turned to see Valor riding hard out of the stable leading both Finn and Jala’s horses behind him. The young knight’s handsome face was drawn with worry and his long silver hair was in disarray. She had never seen Valor looking so out of sorts. The knight was usually quite impeccable in his appearance. Her steps slowed as she watched him race the horses down the path toward the Merrodin hall. She looked up at the swirling red clouds once more and then back in the direction Valor had disappeared. The urge to follow him was almost as strong as her desire to track the Blight and she slowed further as the decision warred in her mind. He had seemed frantic and the way he rode suggested an emergency. Perhaps Jala needed her.