Vivi looked around the room. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"
"There are plenty of doctors and nurses here to take care of our patients. Let's keep you fresh for what you were brought to the city to d
o. I have a feeling this will be a marathon, not a sprint, so relax while you can," Marjoram turned her around to face the door. "Now scoot."
"Call me if you need anything, or if you have any questions," Vivi called out as she left with Etain.
"We will," Marjoram promised.
Vivi was anxious about leaving, but knew there was nothing more she could do. It could be hours before they saw any marked improvement. She allowed Etain to steer her toward the transport tunnel and instead of going down to Level One, he had them stopping halfway. She looked around. "What level is this?"
"This is the Unit Level. I want to show you my home." He took her hand and together they walked along the stone street.
They were just passing a large building when a small explosion surprised them both. Vivi's heart was in her throat until she heard male laughter. Seconds later, the twins ran from the building at breakneck speed heading toward the tunnel.
Etain was smiling as they watched the twins dive down the tunnel heading toward Level One. "They have certainly come out of their shell now that they have Kendrick and Meryn's support."
Vivi eyed the smoke coming from the large building. "Do you think anyone is hurt?"
Etain shrugged. "I'm sure any burns or missing limbs will be seen to," he pointed down the road. "Shall we?"
Missing limbs?
"Are you normally this cavalier about your fellow unit warriors' injuries or is it because you want to get me to the privacy of your home?" she teased.
Etain's eyes flicked back to the smoking building. "It's the unit house where some of the most trained witches, fae and vampires in our world like to relax. If something happens there they can't handle, then I'll get concerned."
"And you want to show off your house."
"And I want to show off my house."
They kept walking to the end of the long street. Vivi started laughing when she saw the castle. "Who on earth lives there?"
"Declan. Though in his defense, I think he was half joking when he requested a castle. Of course, the witches had to show off."
He stopped in front of what looked like a large tree house.
"It looks like the house was swallowed by the tree."
"Most of the fae warriors' houses look something like this. We got together and assisted each other when they were being built. It reminds us of home."
Vivi started to get excited. She had always wanted to play in a treehouse, but as she was especially susceptible to the sun, Hal had never built one for her. She did, however, have an amazing basement playroom growing up.
She looked up at him. "Can we go inside?"
His eyes were dancing as he nodded. "Of course. You're excited aren't you?"
Vivi walked past him toward the door. "Well, yeah. I've never been inside a tree house before."
Etain placed a hand on the small of her back and walked with her up the carved wooden stairs. "It's not a tree house."
Vivi stopped and looked up at him. "It's a house in a tree. Or a tree in a house. It's one of the most perfect examples of a tree house I have ever seen. How can this not be a tree house?"
Etain frowned. "Tree house sounds like it should be a tiny shed stuck on a branch for children."
"I am not changing my vernacular because you are insecure about your treehouse." She looked at the door. "Open says me!"
"It's 'Open Sesame'."