“I’m not talking about us. I’m talking about Teela’s companions. Were they headed here?”
There was a marked hesitation before Orbaranne said, “Yes.” Her eyes widened. “You did not learn of the incident from the Consort.”
“...No. We learned about it from Annarion and Mandoran.”
The Lord of the West March tensed. “How did you come to learn about this from them?”
“They live with me.” Her gaze narrowed.
“Your pardon again, Lord Kaylin. You have been remarkably silent since your departure. This is the first time I have heard your thoughts so clearly since you returned to Elantra.”
“But the name. The True Name...”
“Yes. But I do not hold your name; you hold mine. It is fine,” he added, to the Avatar. “I surrendered the name willingly, and all she has ever done with it is preserve my life.”
“My house doesn’t let a lot through her protections.” But Helen was willing, on occasion, to let Nightshade in, both literally and figuratively. Kaylin wondered why, then, and she didn’t like the immediately obvious answer, because there was no way anyone intelligent would trust Nightshade over this man.
The Consort bids me remind you, Ynpharion suddenly said, that the Lord of the West March is a power. You believe, because he would never have raised his standard against his brother’s, that he is decent and honorable. And measured against the rest of his kin, that is even possibly true. These last words were said with so much distaste it was a wonder he bothered at all. But he is a power. Very little occurs within the West March without his knowledge.
But not nothing, Kaylin shot back.
No. She is not saying that her brother is responsible for the mishap. She is, however, saying that she believes it is possible he could be.
Can’t she just ask him?
Yes.
And?
She would have to do it through the regular channels. She has been attempting to contact him since word of the possible disappearance was carried to her. He has failed to reply.
Maybe he’s too busy because he considers it an emergency?
There are very few emergencies that would cause him to deliberately ignore his sister. Or so she believes.
You believe it, too.
Yes, perhaps. My life would be immeasurably more comfortable if you were not in it, but the Lady would find your death or disappearance unexpectedly upsetting. Therefore, treat your life as if it has value.
Kaylin really disliked Ynpharion.
“Your house?”
“Yes. Her name is Helen. She’s not a Hallionne; for one she’s much smaller. But she’s as close to Hallionne as any building I’ve ever lived in.”
“Are you perhaps living in a fortelesse?”
Kaylin shot a glance at Bellusdeo, who shrugged. It was a High Barrani word, given inflection and pronunciation, but Kaylin had never heard it before.
“I would say yes,” Orbaranne interjected. “But if so, the nature of the building is unusual.”
Kaylin decided that discussion of Helen’s faults, flaws or strengths was not on the table. Talking about Helen this way made her feel slightly disloyal.
“I see.” The Lord of the West March began to pace. Fair enough; it was what Kaylin unconsciously did when she was thinking. But Kaylin was a private, not a ruler. “How did you arrive? Or rather, what was your perception of events?”
“We went to the Keeper’s Garden, at the direct request of the Keeper himself.”
His eyes darkened a shade, but they were already blue. “Does he regularly make such requests?”
“Not regularly, no. Only when he has information he wants to share.”
“And he had information about this cohort.”
“No.”
“I begin to see why some of my kin find conversation with mortals so vexing.”
Given that the Barrani form of verbal directness involved weapons or armies, Kaylin thought this a tad unfair. “He said that the elemental water was upset. I don’t know how much you know about the Keeper’s Garden—”
“I understand what it houses.”
“The elemental water was...upset. Evanton—the Keeper—thought that the water would talk to me in a way that would help him make sense of her upset.”
“And?”
“She did talk to me, sort of.”
“It told you to come to the West March.”
“Not exactly, no. She brought us here. She grabbed us and brought us here. The Consort has been in communication with the Hallionne—I think perhaps with all of them—and asked them to house me and my companion.”
Barrani brows rose slowly and deliberately. “I am certain my sister did not ask the Hallionne to house a Dragon.”
“Not exactly in those words, no. But she said companion, and Hallionne Orbaranne felt that Bellusdeo—oh, sorry. Bellusdeo, this is the Lord of the West March. And this is Lord Bellusdeo, of the Imperial Dragon Court.”
Bellusdeo bowed. It was a stunning, graceful motion that made her appear almost Barrani. If Diarmat could see this, he’d either be gratified at the success of his lessons, or enraged that she chose not to make such perfect gestures when she was clearly capable of it.
On the other hand, if Diarmat could see this, Kaylin would be a pile of smoldering ash for her absolute failure to start with the proper introductions, so perhaps it was for the best.
The Lord of the West March tendered a bow as elegant and graceful as Bellusdeo’s, which the gold Dragon appeared to take as her due. If he was ruffled by this, it didn’t show.
“Anyway, Bellusdeo accompanied me to the Keeper’s Garden. She was with me when the elemental water, uh, intervened.”
“And at great cost, to the water,” he said softly. “It has been a long, long time since we have seen such a direct intervention, and it is never done for something as simple as war.”
War did not seem that simple to Kaylin, unless by simple, he meant stupid. She kept this firmly to herself. Or tried. “This has happened before?”
“Yes. But Lord Kaylin, it was done at the command of a sorcerer. It was not done by the volition of water alone.”
“Believe that we didn’t ask the water to dump us here.”
His smile was slight, and it vanished as he glanced at the Dragon. “I do. The Hallionne has her concerns, but in this particular case, they are unnecessary. My concern, however, is not. Why did the elemental water bring you here?”
“Can we back up a bit?”
“Pardon?”
She switched to High Barrani. “Do you understand how the water brought us here?”
“Ah. Yes, and no. I have little personal experience with summoned water. As most of my kin, I am adept with fire, and with earth. Water is more elusive. My sister, however, is adept at speaking with the water when it proves necessary. And no, Lord Kaylin, I do not believe my sister responsible for your arrival. Had she been, she would also be here.”
“There was no water, where we arrived.”
“There was. There is no water there now, unfortunately.” The Lord of the West March and the Hallionne shared a glance.