She had never been good in the classroom. She had never been bad outside of it. Teelas gone to Court, she said flatly.
She was summoned, yes.
But shes
She has not been summoned as a Hawk, he continued quietly. She will take her place among her peers in the High Caste.
Kaylin almost gaped at him. Teela? In the High Caste Court?
His expression made clear that there was nothing humorous about it, although Kaylin wasnt laughing. He nodded. The nod was stiff for a Barrani nod; they kind of epitomized grace.
Is she in trouble?
She may well be.
Why?
She failed, he said softly, to bring the nature of your mark to the castelords attention.
But he She stopped. Evarrim.
Lord Evarrim. You attracted his interest, he added softly. What have we told you about attracting the interest of a high lord?
Its lethal.
Yes. But not always for you. The disapproval in the words was mild, for Tain. She will be called upon to defend her oversight, he added.
Youre worried?
Tain shrugged. She owes me money.
Kaylin laughed. It was a bitter sound. Severns there.
I note that you havent tried to kill him since you returned to active duty.
She shrugged. It was easier than words. Everything about Severn had changed. And much about Kaylin, to Kaylins horror, had changed, as well.
What they hadwhat had driven them aparthad been the foundations upon which shed built this life; hed kicked them out from under her feet, and she still didnt know where to stand. Not where he was concerned.
But shed been given the opportunity to be rid of him. And shed rejected it, in the privacy of the Hawklords tower. There wasnt likely to be a second such opportunity offered.
Why is he on duty roster there?
Tain didnt answer.
Why am I not onoh. Never mind. She lifted a hand and covered the mark on her cheek. To Tain, it made no difference; she could have gouged a chunk of her face off, and hed still see it. Anyone born Barrani would.
It will be over in one way or another.
Over good, or over bad?
It depends, he said. His voice was the kind of guarded that implied imminent death. On the castelord. But shes a Hawk!
Indeed. The Hawks comprise many races, however, and the caste-law of the race has precedence in exceptional circumstances. As you would know, if youd paid more attention in your classes.
Exceptional circumstances: When either of two situations proved true. One: No other species was involved in the commission of the crime or its outcome. This was about as likely as the sun never rising or setting, at least in this city. Two: No member of any other species could be found who would admit that they had been damaged in some way by the commission of the crime in question. This, given the nature of the Barranis exceptionally long memory and their famous ability to nurse a grudge down a dozen merely mortal generations, was entirely too likely.
He cant make her outcaste. Shes already pledged to Imperial service.
The Lords of Law are pledged to the service of the Emperor. Employing an outcaste Barrani would not be in the best interests of any one of those Lords.
Marcus wont let
Kaylin. Let it go. As I said, it is a Barrani affair. Teela accepted the invitation. She has gone.
You let her go. She didnt even bother to try to keep the accusation out of her voice.
And had you been summoned by your castelord, we would have done the same.
Humans dont have castelords. Not like that.
No. Not like that. You couldnt. The span of your years is too short. Were it not for the intolerable speed at which you breed, there would be no humans in Elantra. He turned away, then.
And she realized, as he did, that hed slipped into High Barrani, and she hadnt even noticed.
Mouth set in a thin line, she worked her way over to Marcuss desk. He was, to no ones surprise, on lunch. On early lunch. She was certain there was some betting going on about the duration of the lunch itself.
But that wasnt her problem.
She began to leaf through the notices and permits on his desk, moving them with care, as if they had been constructed by a finicky architect whod been drinking too much.
After about ten minutes, she found what she was looking forthe writs or grants of rights given to foreign dignitaries.
CHAPTER 2
When Marcus came back from lunch an hour and a half later, he walked to his desk. The circuitous way. He paused in front of the schedule nailed to the wall, glared at the various marks made by the Hawks that were luckyor unluckyin their assigned duties, and added a few of his own. Although the schedule itself was an official document, this particular rendering of it was not; it was meant, or so office parlance said, as a courtesy. What he added was against the spirit of the thing, but he had a Leontine sense of courtesy; it wasnt as if hed drawn blood.
And if the Hawks didnt like what he appended, they could come crying. Once.
He stopped by Caitlins desk, and threw the mirror on the wall a thoroughly disgusted glare; like anything that made noise and conveyed messages, it never went off at his convenience. It had been dull and silent for the entire morning. If there was anything of import to be reported, the Swords and the Wolves were having all of the luck.
He had paperwork.
Oh, and Kaylin.
She was perched in the center of his chair, looking like a leather-clad waif, her hair pulled up in imitation of Caitlins, and with vastly less success; shed stuck a stick through its center, and hair had already escaped it in great chunks.
What, he growled, are you doing in my chair?
His chair was large; he was heavier than any of the humans he commanded, and wider by far than the Barrani. It wasnt his favorite piece of furniture; hed broken three chairs this year because of the shoddy workmanship of the craftsmen employed by the Halls of Law. Armrests were not meant to snap off that easily.
She appeared to be taking notes.
And, as was so often the case when she wasnt locked in a classroom, her concentration had shut out most of the office noise. His presence dimmed the rest. He could walk silently; as a hunter, he had to. He was seldom given the opportunity to use the skill.
When he was exactly behind her, he roared in her ear.
Papers went flying like loosed birds.
As she tried to catch some of them, she gave him a reproachful jab. As he was smiling, this was safe. Barely. But this was Kaylin; she hadnt the grace to look flustered or embarrassed. Not for the first time, he thought shed been born in the wrong skin; she was like a young Leontine kita female, at thatand very little unnerved her for long.
Then again, shed been under his care for seven years, and shed come as a youngling. If he hadnt been entirely protective in the normal Elantran sense of the word, he had protected her, and she took advantage of the fact without shame. Or notice.
If you want to do paperwork, he said, sitting on the sparse inches of desk that werent covered by paper, you could have volunteered.
Would it get me out of those damn lessons?
No.
Overtime pay?
No.
She shrugged. Well, then. I guess Im not stupid.
His roar was mostly laugh. Many humans found differentiating between the two difficultor at best, unwise, as the cost of a mistake was highbut Kaylin didnt labor under that difficulty.
Which was good, considering how many other difficulties she had. He held out a hand, and she dropped the papers shed picked up across his palm. He glanced at them, and then back at her face. Youre suddenly interested in diplomats?
She shrugged. Had to happen sometime.
Then you guess wrong. You are stupid. His dark eyes narrowed slightly. These appear to be Barrani, he said. He had the satisfaction of hearing her curse. In Aerian. He wasnt entirely conversant with Aerian, but, like any good Hawk, he knew the right words.
Flight feathers dont fit, he replied calmly. He looked over her head, his eyes snapping into their habitual glare. What are you looking at? You dont have enough to keep you occupied?
To a chorus of mumbles, which were a type of applause if you were stuck behind a desk for any length of time, he turned back to Kaylin. You heard, he said flatly.
Tain told me.
If Tain told you, he also informed you that any interference on our part would not be appreciated.
She shrugged. There are a lot of lords and ladies in that bundle.
There always are. His fangs appeared as he drew his lips over them. Do not get involved in this, Kaylin. But shes a
She has her place. You have yours. At the moment, theyre not the same. When she met his glare, and equaled it, he let his shoulders fall; theyd risen, as had his fur. Given the snit the mage left in, youve probably managed to buy yourself a couple of days.
You didnt put me on the duty roster.
Observant girl.
Is it because of the damn mages?
No. I take my orders from the Lord of Hawks.
Then why
I used the word orders, Private. Try to pay attention. He reached out with a claw and drew it across her cheek. The gesture was gentle. Youve been marked. Youve already caused enough grief for this lifetime. You can wait ten years until I retire and give the poor fool who takes my stripes hell. Lord Evarrim has written, did Grammayre mention this?
No.
Then he probably thought it best you didnt know. I dont.
Good. He shoved her to one side and sat; the chair creaked. Hed managed to split leather twice. Do not mess with the Arcanists.
Sir.
How many Festivals have you patrolled?
Officially?
Or unofficially.
Enough. The fact that she was evasive meant that some of those patrols had occurred while her life was rooted in the fief of Nightshade. Shed been a child, then. And she probably hadnt been there to preserve the peace or prevent a crime.
Good. You are aware that a few unscrupulous men
A few? Very few people did sarcasm as well as Kaylin.
Very well, if you insist on being picky. A few competent and unscrupulous men work under the cover of the Festival crowds for their own ends?
Sir.
Good. In all of your many colorful descriptions of High Caste Barrani Lords, did any of them include stupid? No, sir.
Good. Lord Evarrim is not a stupid man. Hes not a man, sir. Thats enough, Kaylin.
Sir.
If he is aware of your presence in the streets, it is likely that he will take the opportunity to interview you. As weve now denied his pleasant request three times, hell be composing less pleasant requests, which are often misunderstood by little Sergeants like me and here his voice did break in a growl and mislabeled as threats. It isnt as if he hasnt asked politely, after all.
Have you ever been to the High Court?
No.
You think of it as a place of refinement and unearthly beauty.
No, sir! I
He lifted a paw. Inspected it for invisible splinters. Let her splutter for a few more minutes. It is beautiful in exactly the same way the Emperors sword is beautifulit is a work of art, and it is usually drawn for only one purpose. You do not want to be present when the blade is exposed.
Sir.
Good. You will sit this Festival out. And before you start whining, may I just point out how many Hawks would switch places with you in a second?
Yes, sir. She sounded deflated.
He wasnt fooled. Give me the notebook, Kaylin.
She didnt spit; this was an improvement over her thirteen-year-old self. But it took her a minute to find the notebook, which, given it was clutched in her hands, was an accomplishment.
As she began to walk away from the desk, he said, If you access Records for this information, Ill have your hide.
Yes, Marcus.
She accidentally met Severn just outside of the Quartermasters hall. Where accident had much to do with a bit of careful deduction, the information on the duty roster, and a damn boring wait.
The fact that hed nursed her to health after saving the lives of many orphaned children had made an impression; enough of an impression that Kaylin had chosen to avoid him in every way possible for the past couple of weeks.
If he noticed, he gave no sign. But that was Severn all over. After all, hed joined the damn Wolves and waited for her to find him for seven long years, watching from gods only knew which shadows, a window into the past.
She wasnt fond of windows. For one, it encouraged thieves, and for two, it made heating a small room that much harder.
But she could look at him, now. She could stand beside him without feeling guilt about the fact that he hadnt yet died. Or, if she were being truthful, that she hadnt killed him.
He raised a brow as she slid off the long bench that discouraged loitering. Kaylin. His tone of voice told her pretty much everything she needed to know.
She fell into step beside him; he was practically gleaming. Official armor fell off his shoulders like a curtain of glimmering steel, which is pretty much what it was. The Hawks wore surcoats; he hadnt bothered to put his on. Like Kaylin, hed grown up in the poorest streets of the city, and like Kaylin, hed had no parents to rely on. No one to tell him how to dress, and when, and why, for a start.
No one to dress his wounds, to tell him to avoid the streets of the fiefs at night; no one to tell him how to avoid the men who preyed on children, or pressed them into early service.
Like Kaylin, hed learned those lessons on his own.
Youve seen your assignment? he asked her. He had to look down, and it irritated her. There should, she thought, be strict height limits on entry.
Yes.
I heard a, ah, rumor. Its true.
You dont know what it is yet.