Everything seems very strongly stated here in the west. The climate, the landscape, the plants and animals. Nothing is dull or colorless." She glanced at the huge conservatory clock and gave a start. "I'd better get back to my suite. It's very late."
"I'll walk you back."
"No, no, that's quite all right," she protested quickly. "I wouldn't want you to go out of your way." "It's not out of my way. My suite is in the same wing as yours. Lady Avylyn graciously assigned it to
me this morning."
"Oh."
Gryph took some satisfaction from the fact that she couldn't find anything else to say to that. Sariana, he was learning, was rarely at a loss for words.
They walked in silence down the long gallery of the wing in which their chambers were located. At Sariana's door they came to a halt and Gryph reached down to touch the hidden spring mechanism. The door opened on its silent hinges and Sariana stepped inside. She started to turn, a polite farewell on her lips, then stopped abruptly as her attention was caught by something inside the room.
"Oh, no!"
Gryph was inside the room at once, scanning the interior with a practiced eye. "What's wrong?" "The scarlet-toe. It's out of its cage." Sariana hurried forward to examine the empty gold cage. The
tiny door stood open. "How could it have gotten out? I'll have to find it. I can't possibly go to sleep knowing there's a lizard running around my room."
"Scarlet- toes are very clever," Gryph remarked. The alert tension that had gripped him when Sariana had cried out in dismay vanished. He took a good look around the room while Sariana darted about anxiously looking in comers and under chairs.
The ornate bed was suspended from the ceiling by four heavy chains in the typical western fashion. It hung a half meter above the floor, but it was impossible to see under it because of the bed drapes.
The walls were painted a warm yellow, the elaborate architectural details picked out in white and gilt. High, arched windows looked out over the gardens toward the river. There was a fine cabinet finished in black enamel and decorated with a flower motif. A couple of suspended chairs and a writing desk completed the basic furnishings. A doorway on the other side of the room led into what Gryph knew would be an ornate bathroom. Westerners loved ornate bathrooms. The wealthier the family, the more exotic the household baths.
"We've got to find it," Sariana said, glancing inside an empty vase. "I can't go to sleep in here unless I know it's back in its cage. Here, Lucky. Where are you. Lucky?"
"Scarlet- toes are harmless, Sariana. You don't have to worry if we don't find it." "Easy for you to say," she muttered as she began to check all the tiny drawers of the writing desk.
"You're not the one who has to sleep in a room with a lizard."
"The real danger is to the scarlet-toe," Gryph pointed out as he went down on one knee beside the bed and swept aside the drapery. You might accidentally step on it when you got out of bed in the morning."
Sariana groaned and opened another drawer. "What a horrible thought."
"Yeah. Especially for Lucky." Gryph bent down to look beneath the bed and saw the flash of red gems in the shadows. "Ah, here we are."
Sariana slammed a drawer shut and hurried across the room. "You found it?" Gryph settled back on his heel. "It will be easier for you to catch it than it will be for me. I told you this
morning, they like females."
"You're serious, aren't you?" Sariana looked ruefully resigned.
"I'm afraid so." He waited, curious to see what she would do.
"Well, I can't leave it where it is. It will drive me crazy all
"I'll walk you back."
"No, no, that's quite all right," she protested quickly. "I wouldn't want you to go out of your way." "It's not out of my way. My suite is in the same wing as yours. Lady Avylyn graciously assigned it to
me this morning."
"Oh."
Gryph took some satisfaction from the fact that she couldn't find anything else to say to that. Sariana, he was learning, was rarely at a loss for words.
They walked in silence down the long gallery of the wing in which their chambers were located. At Sariana's door they came to a halt and Gryph reached down to touch the hidden spring mechanism. The door opened on its silent hinges and Sariana stepped inside. She started to turn, a polite farewell on her lips, then stopped abruptly as her attention was caught by something inside the room.
"Oh, no!"
Gryph was inside the room at once, scanning the interior with a practiced eye. "What's wrong?" "The scarlet-toe. It's out of its cage." Sariana hurried forward to examine the empty gold cage. The
tiny door stood open. "How could it have gotten out? I'll have to find it. I can't possibly go to sleep knowing there's a lizard running around my room."
"Scarlet- toes are very clever," Gryph remarked. The alert tension that had gripped him when Sariana had cried out in dismay vanished. He took a good look around the room while Sariana darted about anxiously looking in comers and under chairs.
The ornate bed was suspended from the ceiling by four heavy chains in the typical western fashion. It hung a half meter above the floor, but it was impossible to see under it because of the bed drapes.
The walls were painted a warm yellow, the elaborate architectural details picked out in white and gilt. High, arched windows looked out over the gardens toward the river. There was a fine cabinet finished in black enamel and decorated with a flower motif. A couple of suspended chairs and a writing desk completed the basic furnishings. A doorway on the other side of the room led into what Gryph knew would be an ornate bathroom. Westerners loved ornate bathrooms. The wealthier the family, the more exotic the household baths.
"We've got to find it," Sariana said, glancing inside an empty vase. "I can't go to sleep in here unless I know it's back in its cage. Here, Lucky. Where are you. Lucky?"
"Scarlet- toes are harmless, Sariana. You don't have to worry if we don't find it." "Easy for you to say," she muttered as she began to check all the tiny drawers of the writing desk.
"You're not the one who has to sleep in a room with a lizard."
"The real danger is to the scarlet-toe," Gryph pointed out as he went down on one knee beside the bed and swept aside the drapery. You might accidentally step on it when you got out of bed in the morning."
Sariana groaned and opened another drawer. "What a horrible thought."
"Yeah. Especially for Lucky." Gryph bent down to look beneath the bed and saw the flash of red gems in the shadows. "Ah, here we are."
Sariana slammed a drawer shut and hurried across the room. "You found it?" Gryph settled back on his heel. "It will be easier for you to catch it than it will be for me. I told you this
morning, they like females."
"You're serious, aren't you?" Sariana looked ruefully resigned.
"I'm afraid so." He waited, curious to see what she would do.
"Well, I can't leave it where it is. It will drive me crazy all
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