"No."
And not just because Alexander and the rest would kill her.
"Is that all you can say? No?" Asanth challenged.
Kira's primus washed away the irritation and anger she might have felt before it could fully manifest. Cold pragmatism replaced it.
It was dangerous to allow her primus to remain close enough to the surface to affect her emotions like this. Created for battle, the primus was Kira's alternate form. It was stronger, faster. More resilient than her current one. Very few Tuann had the power or lineage to awaken one. Probably a good thing. The primus was utterly conscienceless. A being without remorse or empathy. Whose only drive was killing.
It took years of training to control. Even then, Kira was reluctant to let it out of its cage, only using it as a weapon of last resort.
Normally, she would have stuffed it down by now, but she was in desperate need of the respite it could give. Without it's help, she might still be stuck in her own mind. A willing victim of her grief.
The Tuann were powerful, but they possessed one weakness. The bonds they formed with others. Cut those bonds, damage them in some way and their mental state was affected. Some went a little mad. Like Kira when she lost her Curs. Others let themselves wither. They faded away a little more each day until finally their hearts stopped.
The primus protected her from either of those outcomes. At least in the short term.
A reckoning was coming. But hopefully not before she'd saved Jin and Elena.
"Your children don't want a relationship with you. What part of that is hard to understand?" Kira asked, the words colder than they would have been without the primus's influence.
Asanth lifted his head off his hand as watchfulness replaced his lazy expression.
Interesting. Kira had expected anger.
The anticipated explosion came from a different direction as Kashori's Overlord slammed a hand on the table in front of her. "Watch yourself, Roake."
Oh, right. Kashori's Overlord had lost a child in the Sorrowing too.
"No," Kira whispered.
The woman standing behind Asanth's Overlord bristled, her gaze training on Kira as one hand went to the weapon concealed in her synth armor.
Harlow held a hand out between Kira and the woman. "Easy, child."
Kira's gaze flicked in his direction. "You don't get to call me that anymore. I passed my adva ka."
Even by Tuann standards, she was considered a full adult.
"You will always be a child to me," Harlow returned.
Kira kept her soft snort to herself as Harlow stared Kashori and Asanth's Overlords down.
"We're here to discuss the connection between the attack on the adva ka and the subsequent revolt during the soul bound's trial," Harlow rumbled. "Not to rehash the fate of our lost children."
Asanth leaned back in his chair, crossing a foot over his knee to signal agreement. Kashori's nod was stiff as she drew herself upright.
A beat passed before Harlow settled himself into the only other empty chair at the table. Kira took up position behind his left shoulder. A sign of fealty and support.
Kira's attention snagged on Luatha's Overlord. A cousin from the maternal side of Kira's family. And the only other individual besides Harlow with a direct connection to Kira's bloodline.
Liara's expression seemed to ask if Kira was okay. Kira didn't react to the question as she looked away again, her glance bouncing off Roderick, her cousin's Marshal. The mood in the room shifted as the proceedings began.
"The emperor appreciates the Houses' interest in this matter," Eurus started.
"That's all very well and good, but Asanth is more interested in knowing how he plans to deal with these attacks," Asanth drawled.
Eurus inclined his head. "An investigation is already underway."
A rumble of dissatisfaction came from Kashori. "You already know who is responsible. House Votair."
"Yes, they do seem to be the instigators," Eurus agreed.
While he was talking, Kira's attention wandered around the table. She found it interesting—and a little concerning—that Danai's Overlord was missing. From what Harlow had mentioned, the Overlord had departed for his territory immediately after the events that had taken place during Jin's trial.
His absence could prove a problem. She wasn't certain how much he knew about Elena's connection to her—or if he'd been present when her niece was teleported into Tsavitee territory. The moments before—and directly after—had been chaotic. Kira didn't know who had been present or what information they'd managed to glean.
"We can't ignore the fact that the attack on the trial came at the hands of Tuann from different houses," Eurus continued.
Kashori sent him a distrustful look. "You can't believe that had anything to do with us."
Eurus' eyebrow lifted a minuscule amount as he focused his unsettling red eyes on the other Overlord.
Asanth propped his cheek on his hand with a bored expression. "Helena, let the man finish before you jump down his throat." The overlord gave Eurus a thin smile of warning to tread carefully. "Go on, Eurus. You were telling us how you think our Houses have rebelled against the emperor."
There was a long pause as Eurus met Asanth's hard gaze. "The facts speak for themselves. Members of several sub houses of Danai, Kashori, Asanth, and even Luatha participated in the insurrection. To say nothing of several minor houses who aren't represented here today."
Asanth shrugged. "Our House is massive. How are we expected to keep track of all the little sub houses in addition to our own members?"
Eurus's expression looked like it had been chiseled out of granite. "The major Houses have a long standing practice of using the minor and sub houses under their umbrella to exercise their will when—how should I put this—they wish to appear innocent."
Asanth and Eurus stared at each other. Asanth was the first to look away, his lip curling in a halfhearted sneer.
"Does anybody else find it suspicious that Roake is the only House missing from that list?" Helena asked.
One side of Harlow's lips twitched upwards in a microscopic smile that might as well have been a giant fuck you to Kashori's Overlord.
Helena's eyes widened in insult.
"Yes, well, Roake seems to have been alerted to the possibility of trouble and completed a top to bottom investigation of their House and all sub-houses in the months prior to the adva ka," Eurus said with a glance at Harlow.
"So nice of him to share that information with the rest of us," Asanth drawled.
Harlow's expression remained stoic as he held the other Overlord's gaze.
"Our intelligence suggests Luatha did the same," Eurus spoke, dispelling the rising tension.