Do you have Terrano?
Yes. The answer was curt. I am uncertain, however, that I will have him for long.
What?
Hurry. Against my better judgment, I am attempting to preserve his life.
17
Fear for Terrano eclipsed intelligent precautions, and Kaylin picked up the pace, sprinting down the hall. She had never been good with geography, and the building was like a maze to her inexperienced eye, but she had good ears, and she could follow the sound of Barrani voices as if they were money.
She tried, once, to tell Bellusdeo to go back to their room, and decided she’d rather face hostile, armed Barrani. Bellusdeo was a Dragon; she could take care of herself. And could probably take care of most of them, if it came to that. They were no longer in the safe space of the Hallionne, but that meant nothing was restraining Bellusdeo.
And even as she thought it, she felt uneasy. This was the heart of Barrani territory in the west. It had existed through three different wars. She slowed enough that Bellusdeo careened into her, which did nothing for the ability of either of them to remain on two feet.
Only the Dragon cursed. Kaylin got to her feet as a distant roar raised the stakes.
Kaylin.
I’m coming. I was hoping to leave the Dragon behind. She picked herself up and sprinted the rest of the way.
*
The Barrani were prepared for Dragons.
Unfortunately, a Dragon wasn’t what they were facing, although the creature that towered above them in the courtyard certainly had the right form. He was the first silver dragon Kaylin had ever seen, and his wings—both of which were raised—were longer from end to end than even Bellusdeo’s. His scales were not the same shape as any other dragon with whom Kaylin was familiar, but anyone could have been forgiven for making the assumption. His eyes, however, were all wrong; they were Hallionne eyes. Terrano eyes.
Familiar eyes.
Without thought, Kaylin pushed past the spears and shields of the second rank of Barrani guards; past the swords and shields of the first rank. Lirienne was not a human lord, or at least not a member of the human caste court. When he joined a fight, he led from the front.
And he was, as he had said, attempting to preserve Terrano. Terrano even looked as if he required the aid.
“Cut that out right now!” she shouted.
The silver, shimmering dragon’s jaws snapped shut as his head swiveled toward her.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
I...am saving you.
“You are not saving me! I’m not in danger here!”
“I think that’s vastly overstating the case,” the gold Dragon said. To Lirienne’s credit, the nearest Barrani did not immediately reverse the direction of their weapons and attempt to skewer her. And given the color of their eyes, that wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Kaylin tried—very hard—to remember how little her life was going to be worth if something happened to Bellusdeo. Yes, it wasn’t her fault. No, she wasn’t stupid enough to drag Bellusdeo to the West March intentionally. Regardless, she was the one who was going to be ash.
Even as she shouted, the shimmering serpent form began to dwindle.
“How did you even get here?” she demanded.
The dragon did not immediately answer her question; instead he became a much smaller, and much less solid-looking creature. Her familiar.
“If you’re doing that so you don’t have to answer, I’m not going to be impressed.” She held out her arm. “If it’s all right with you—” she said, in Elantran “—the guard can put up their weapons.”
Hope flew to her shoulder and settled there. He squawked and bristled at Terrano, who was still cowering behind the Lord of the West March. He was the only person who was now cowering; at Lirienne’s signal, the weapons were, as Kaylin had asked, put up. She noted that they’d waited for his command. Fair enough; in their position, she’d’ve done the same.
Squawk.
“I’m sorry,” Kaylin said, to the Barrani at large. “Can someone tell me what, exactly, happened?”
The Barrani looked to their Lord, and Kaylin joined them. He bowed—to Kaylin.
He then bowed to Bellusdeo. “My apologies for disturbing your rest, Lord Bellusdeo,” he said. “It has been far too long since one of your kind has accepted the hospitality of a Lord of the West March.” He then dismissed the greater part of the men who had gathered in the face of this emergency. Greater part, however, did not mean all.
“Is your familiar now under your control?”
As much as he ever was. “Yes.”
Terrano, however, now kept the Lord of the West March and Bellusdeo between himself and the small dragon. “He’s not.”
“He is.”
“He’s not.”
Kaylin exhaled. “Hey,” she said, to her shoulder. “Whatever you’re doing, cut it out. You’re scaring him.”
Squawk. Squawk. Squawk.
Kaylin exhaled. “Bellusdeo?”
“He feels that Terrano is an enormous threat to your safety. He apologizes for the landing; he apologizes for antagonizing your kyuthe and his men. He was focused entirely on preservation of your life.”
“Does he look like he’s attacking me?” she demanded.
Squawk. Squawk.
“He points out, in fairness, that it doesn’t look like he’s threatening Terrano, either. That is not, by the way, the name he used.”
Great. “What was the name he used?”
“I don’t recognize it. I’m sorry. It’s clear to me that he meant to indicate Terrano, and it’s equally clear that there is some derogatory connotation. More than that, I cannot decisively say.”
Fine. “Whatever you’re doing, stop it now.”
Bellusdeo lifted a hand before the small dragon could reply. “He’s going to insist that Terrano stop first.”
Kaylin wanted to shriek in frustration. “Fine. Terrano, stop whatever the hells it is you’re doing.”
“I’m not doing anything!”
Kaylin exhaled slowly. She remembered Mandoran and Annarion, and she reminded herself that Terrano was not anchored to this particular life the way the other two were. Annarion had had no idea that he was calling out to the Shadows, either. And it had still been a disaster that had cost lives.
In a lower and more reasonable tone—she hoped—she said to the familiar, “Look, he’s like Annarion and Mandoran.”
Squawk.
“Fine, he’s like them but worse. I can’t see what he’s doing. Neither can Lirienne or Bellusdeo.” Lifting her head she said, to the Lord of the West March, “Is there anything like Ravellon in the West March?”
“No.”
“Are there Shadows in the West March?”
“Lord Kaylin, there are Shadows everywhere. But there is no concentration of their power in a like fashion; Ravellon is unique.”
Good. “I don’t think he’s doing anything on purpose. And I don’t think terrifying him is going to make him stop. If it’s all instinctive, it’s going to make it worse.”
Squawk squawk squawk.
“He does not entirely believe that it is instinctive. He is, however, willing to entertain the possibility, given prior experience.”
“Terrano,” Kaylin said quietly. “What do you think you’re doing?”