“Trying not to die?”
She almost laughed. He unfolded slowly, his eyes darting to—and away—from her shoulders, where the familiar was now in residence. “Look, you’ve spent a lot of time—compared to Annarion and Mandoran—figuring out how not to live in the real world.”
He bristled. “I live in the real world.”
“Fine, if that’s what you want to call it. It’s not a world that the rest of us can live in.”
“You’re living in it now!”
Kaylin.
What?
I believe it is unwise to agitate him. I do not understand what your familiar fears—but it is clear that the fears are not entirely unfounded.
What are you going to do with him, then?
I? I am going to ask him to remain within Alsanis.
Like that’s going to work!
I believe that he will accept the offer, given the appearance of your familiar.
It’s not the first time they’ve met. She stopped. Thought a bit. “Terrano.”
He looked at her. His eyes were like the familiar’s eyes, but as she watched, he struggled to realign them with Barrani appearance. “The last time we saw you—my familiar and I—you were kind of trying to kill us all.”
“You were going to kill us first!”
“I don’t think my familiar cares what I was doing. He’s more concerned about what you were doing, because he doesn’t necessarily think there’s much reason for you to have stopped.”
Terrano looked annoyed. “We’re no longer prisoners. We’re not trapped in the Hallionne.”
“The Consort had nothing to do with that, though, and you were willing to kill her.”
He shrugged, uncomfortable.
“You were trying to undermine—or destroy, in the worst case—the Hallionne.”
“We were trying to rewrite them. And we’re not the only ones who made changes.”
“I didn’t make changes to the Hallionne.”
“You made changes to their brothers.”
“It wasn’t the same thing!”
The Lord of the West March cleared his throat. Loudly.
“Look—we need to know what you were planning in as much detail as you can remember, because we’re not at all certain that some of the people you were intriguing with aren’t responsible for this mess.”
“This mess?”
“The rest of your cohort going missing.” To the familiar she said, “Can he stay in the Hallionne?”
Terrano said, “Yes.”
She gave him the side-eye.
“I don’t hate Alsanis,” he continued. “And he didn’t hate us. But he couldn’t give us what we needed because of the way he’d been written. And frankly, I’ll be safer in Alsanis than I will here.” He glared at the familiar. The familiar glared back.
If it’s all the same to you, Kaylin said to Lirienne, I’d be a bit happier if Bellusdeo was a guest in the Hallionne, and she won’t go if I don’t.
I am not certain that Alsanis will view it the same way. Historically, the Hallionne were our last resort against the Dragonflights.
But Orbaranne—
My sister appealed to her directly.
Can’t she appeal to Alsanis the same way?
Alsanis and Orbaranne are not the same. Understand, Kaylin, he added, gentling his voice, that the Hallionne were created to fulfill the same essential functions, but they are not identical beings. You are a Hawk, yes?
Since this was obvious, she nodded.
Are you identical in temperament to your fellow Hawks? Are you physically identical? Are your goals—outside of your duties to the Halls of Law—the same?
No.
It is analogous to the situation with the Hallionne. Orbaranne is, where she can possibly be, amenable to my family. Alsanis might not be as amenable.
Why?
My father, and the constituent High Court of the time, sent the children to the regalia. They interfered with the customs of the green, and the effect has been felt for generations. The children survived, but Alsanis was isolated from that moment on. It is only since your intervention, Chosen, that he has been able to entertain and house guests—but after centuries of avoidance, people are still reluctant.
That wasn’t your fault, though. And it wasn’t the Consort’s, either.
No. And he is aware that the Consort of that time was against exposing the young to the regalia. Nonetheless, it was done, and it is possible Alsanis will be...cool to our attempts to ask for a similar exception.
Kaylin spoke some heartfelt Leontine. Bellusdeo, perhaps feeling slightly uncomfortable in the stronghold of a people who had every reason to hate Dragons, and might have already supported attempts to assassinate her, said, “Your pronunciation is lacking.”
Kaylin accepted this. Unfortunately, Bellusdeo then chose to demonstrate the correct pronunciation. She was right—hers was much better. It was also much louder, because she’d used a Dragon voice.
The familiar squawked loudly in her ear, which was still ringing from the Leontine which Kaylin now hoped the somewhat more remotely raised Barrani wouldn’t actually understand.
Lirienne chuckled. I would think the fact that she is a Dragon is of far more concern.
Kaylin shrugged. They’re yours. They serve you. You wouldn’t have brought us here if you thought you couldn’t protect her.
This surprised him. I better understand my sister’s concern, kyuthe. You are far, far too trusting. He signaled. The last of the guards thinned in number until only one remained—a man with midnight blue eyes, but a pleasant expression. He bowed to both Kaylin and Bellusdeo.
“You wished to visit the fountain,” the Lord of the West March said. “I have taken the liberty of instituting some precautions while you do so. I assume that after you have finished there, you would like to be escorted to the Hallionne Alsanis.”
Kaylin nodded.
Terrano, utterly silent until that moment, said, “Can I just wait here and go with the two of you?”
Every intelligent instinct Kaylin possessed screamed no, very, very loudly. Before she could give voice to a politer, less visceral response, Bellusdeo said, “Yes.”
Terrano gave her the side-eye. “Does she speak for you?”
“Frequently,” the Hawk replied. To the Lord of the West March, she said, “Can we see the fountain now?”
*
The courtyard in which the fountain was housed was immaculate. And empty. Kaylin knew that the elemental water ran through it because it was the elemental water that controlled entrance into the heart of Lirienne’s territory. As she neared the fountain’s stone base, she told her familiar to go sit with Bellusdeo.
Squawk.
“I mean it. I’m not Barrani; I can’t pay attention to more than two things at once.”
Squawk.
“I trust Lirienne. I don’t trust the rest of the Barrani I haven’t laid eyes on yet. And frankly, Terrano’s attitude toward Dragons is a touch on the hostile side.”
“I like her better than your familiar,” Terrano volunteered.