Teela said nothing; her eyes were a shade of gray blue.
Bellusdeo exhaled smoke with a bit of actual heat in it. Kaylin, she said, to make clear that her target of annoyance was not Teela, you can be forgiven your ignorance; it is remedial. It can be alleviated. Teela, however, has enough to deal with. Corporal, Sergeant, my apologies for intruding while you are so clearly busy. We will take our leave now, as Kaylin is expected to begin her interrupted patrol on Elani.
Teela actually chuckled. I feel almost sorry for Margot today.
5
What am I missing? Kaylin demanded, when they were safely quit of the halls and halfway to Elani. The word ignorance still stung; there were better ways to point to lack of knowledge, but given Kaylin wasnt terribly diplomatic on the best of days, even thinking that was kind of hypocritical.
Teela feels that the failure lies with her.
What?
Severn, Kaylins actual partner, was silent and steady. Small and squawky actually left her shoulder to sit on his for half the march, glaring balefully at Kaylin as he did.
I have not discussed this with Teela; I doubt shes discussed this with anyone. I am therefore guessing, based on some minor observation.
Skip the part where you imply that Im stupid.
I did not imply that; I implied that you are not observant.
Bellusdeo
You focus on your job. You focus on your home. Where it is necessary, you will focus on other things as they effect the former or the latter. Beyond that, however, you still feel that the world is somehow other, or foreign. She exhaled at Kaylins expression, and added, You know nothing about knitting.
Kaylin blinked.
I do not expect that you will know anything about knitting. But when you are wearing a sweater of some intricacy, I will unconsciously assume that you know something of what went into its making. Let us say I know something about knitting. Dont make that face, I chose this example for a reason. I have seen the same sweater you have seen, but I have marked the intricacies of stitch and design. I know that the sweater could not be made by, well, you. But I understand that it could not be made by me without painstaking effort. I assume, at times, that you will also see what I see.
You have been given such a sweater. Your concern is the cold, or laws of public decency. You dont care that its oversized. You dont care that it might be inappropriately heavy given the weather. You understand that it is clothing, and some clothing is better than none. You dont appreciate the quality of the sweater itself. It seems almost irrelevant to its function. I occasionally forget this. When someone wears such a sweater, it is, like most expensive fashion, meant to be a statement. No, it is a statement. Most people who make such statements are pretentiousbut not all, and regardless, even the pretentious understand what they think they are trying to say. You dont.
Were knitting, however, integral to your job, you would. You would see the stitches, the wool used, the dyes used on that wool; you would know what size the needles were, and whether or not different sizes were required to knit the whole. You are not stupid. You are, however, too narrowly focused. Better?
Im not sure.
Thats the best Ive got. She glanced over Kaylins head at Severn and the familiar.
What Bellusdeo was trying to say before she started on knitting, Severn then said, was that Teela considers the attempt an act of desperation and fear. If shes insulted at all, shes insulted because Canateland Tagrainedidnt come to her first. They didnt ask for her help. They assumed that the people threatening them held all the cards. Barrani are, at heart, snobs.
Teela is a Lord of the High Court. She has one of The Three. We all know this. But we also know Teela best when shes wearing the Hawk. If she werent in service to the Halls of Law, none of the Barrani Hawks would know her. Theyd know of her, the same way we know of the humans in the human caste court.
When Teelas wearing the Hawk, shes just like them. Or you. Or me. Shes a Hawk. The Barrani cant see someone who wears that Hawk as a power.
Kaylin opened her mouth and shut it again.
When they first started out as Hawks on the force, they were probably allowed to do so because they were consideredby their own peoplebarely better than your average mortal.
They havent considered that their ability to be Hawks was guaranteed by Teela as Lord of the High Court. Theyve had at least a decade to see Teela in action on the ground. They can no longer hold her in awe. They cant think of her as an actual power because she does exactly what they do. She even obeys a Leontine. She is not called Lord when shes in the office. That had to be a deliberate choice on Teelas partand Im not certain shes happy with the results.
The people who are threatening them, however, are powers, in Tagraines and Canatels minds. They didnt come to Teela first because they felt, viscerally, that she was just another Hawk. They didnt trust the protection she could have offered. Thats why shes insulted. And I believe she holds herself responsible for their attempted assassination.
Because she knew things were getting political, Kaylin said, after a more thoughtful pause, and she wasnt prepared.
Severn nodded. The Barrani Hawks have already been used.
Against Moran, though.
It doesnt matter. Its recent enough that she knew they could be used. She didnt shore up her own defensesand part of those defenses would be providing protection for the Hawks. They were threatened because she was too caught up in the concerns of her cohort.
Kaylin thought that was hugely unfair.
Im not agreeing with her assessment, Severn continued. My agreement wont matter to Teela one way or the other.
Id suggest you stay out of it, Bellusdeo told him quietly.
Severn glanced at Bellusdeo. We need information.
Teelas a Lord. Leave the information gathering to her.
Teela is a Lord, he agreed. Severn could agree as if agreement were irrelevant. But a Lord doesnt enter the warrens. A Lord doesntevermeet with outcastes.
Bellusdeos eyes had shaded to a gold orange. Kaylin intervened. Teelas met with Nightshade before.
Not under her own instigation. Her tabard and her choice of employ protects her in such situations. While the High Court does not consider the Halls of Law a suitable place for the Barrani nobility, they have all sworn oaths of service to the Eternal Emperor.
She remembered what Candallar had said, and nodded.
Teelas interactions with Nightshade are considered, by the Barrani, to be a direct result of her tabard. Were she not a Hawk, she would not have met with him. Teelas enemies are Lords of the High Court.
Kaylin nodded, thinking. The Barrani Hawks met with Candallar. They probably didnt meet him by accident. Either he was told to approach them, or they were told to approach him. Do you think they left the East Warrens and headed into his fief with an offer of some sort? Or do you think he already had an offer on the table and left the fief to meet them?
Either would work, he replied, in his neutral tone. If the Hawks crossed the Ablayne, there are bound to be witnesses.
Theyre from the warrens. Theyre not going to talk to us.
Theyre not going to talk to Hawks, no.
Corporal, Bellusdeo said, in a sergeants tone of voice. Teela is no doubt waiting for Canatel to regain consciousness to ask him.
He has a vested interest in giving her the answer she will find most acceptable, Severn countered.
Its none of our business.
Its not, Severn agreed. Until the cohort descends from the West March. Weve got six weeks, if they travel overland the way we did. And he clearly intended to use those six weeks to their full advantage. Although I believe Mandoran is attempting to talk them out of it.
No one listens to Mandoran, Kaylin pointed out.
He chuckled. Thats certainly how Mandoran feels. But Helen is concerned. She cannotand would notrefuse to house them; shes your home and you wouldnt.
Kaylin opened her mouth.
Severn spoke before she could. Shes a building, Kaylin. Shes sentient. She has will. Shes made choices that were physically almost ruinous for her in order to maintain some sense of her own autonomy. You think she did that to buy her freedom.
She did.
Yes.
And no, Bellusdeo cut in. Severn fell silent, allowing Bellusdeo to carry the rest of the conversation. She bought a measure of freedom. She injured herself so that she had a measure of choice. But her choices are, and have always been, confined. She is a building. She was created to be a building. Her sentience was bound into her nature. It is not that different from youor me, or Teela. There are things we might want to do that our actual existence does not allow. You cannot live forever, no matter how cautious you might choose to be. Not, she added, that you ever choose to be cautious.
Helen is a building. She is your home.
Ill tell her she can say no.
She knows the likely outcome of thatand it is an outcome that affects you directly. You want them under your roof because you trust Helen to minimize the danger, both to them, and from them. But Helen, I think, is less certain about that ability, precisely because of the choices she made in the distant past.
But they will not stay in Tiamaris, and it is a disaster to even think of placing them in Nightshadeand those are the only two Towers that might, just might, be able to do what Helen is afraid she cannot. She exhaled steam.
Something in her tone of voice caught Kaylins attention, and she stopped walking in order to catch Bellusdeos. It took the Dragon half a block to notice, but she did reverse course. The Emperor does not yet know about the cohort and their imminent arrival. According to Annarion, Ill have six weeks in which to smooth over future difficulties.
The politics of the High Court, when it comes to the internal hierarchy of Barrani lords, has been largely irrelevant to his concerns. An attempted assassination at the Halls of Law will not be.
Kaylin winced. And youre living with me.
Yes. The Emperor is confident of Helens ability to protect me from the immediately lethal: arcane bombs, for one. I am uncertain that his confidence will remain intact with the addition of eight Barrani would-be Lords of the High Court. In the worst case, I expect that I will be invited to return to the palace. The orange of her eyes made clear just how welcome that would be.
* * *
It was not a surprise that the Hawks ended up at Evantons shop. It wasnt intentional, but Evantons shop was part of their beat, and Grethan had appeared at the window to wave as the Hawks patrolled.
Is he in? Kaylin asked Evantons apprentice. Her familiar immediately leapt off her shoulder onto Grethans, whoas alwaysseemed delighted to have him. Hope had always liked the Thaalani apprentice.
I thinkIm not certainhes expecting you.
Good or bad?
Hes been absentminded, but not grouchy, if that helps. I think hes in the garden. Ill tell him youre here.
* * *
They gathered around the kitchen table in the cramped, small space. Kaylin understood that the cookies Evanton offered were a type of bribe, and truly didnt care. She also drank the tea he made. He wasnt having enough of a bad day that he was willing to drink any himself, which was probably a good sign. Then again, with Evanton, it was hard to tell.
I have had the opportunity to speak with the elemental water this morning, he now said.
The cookies lost all taste. And she told you to speak to us?
I am not sure that she is the appropriate pronoun, but I will endeavor not to criticize.
Try harder, Kaylin thought. What did the water have to say?
I would consider it mostly irrelevant to you in different circumstances. He was not in a terrible mood, but was obviously feeling testy. Kaylin, however, understood this test, and she could pass it, if not with flying colors, at least with passable grades.
One bushy brow rose as he considered her. Very good. Teelas confederates areas I believe you must now knowleaving the green. The heart of the green is concerned.
Kaylin nodded, but had to bite back the obvious how do you know this that wanted to leap out of her mouth. He wouldnt answer and it would annoy him, which meant there was no possible gain.
The water believes they will travel between Hallionne, making use of the portal paths to avoid unwanted attention. You are expecting visitors?
Kaylin hesitated; Bellusdeowho treated Evanton with far more respect than most mortals didstepped on her foot. Yes. What does the water want from me?
I do not believe the water intends to command you in any fashion, was the slightly defensive reply.
Fine. What do you want?
Id like you to stay out of trouble, if thats at all possible.
Something I can actually do.
This pulled a smile from the older man. He looked worn, tired, and entirely more fragile than he had when shed first met him. He didnt look any older, though. I would like to make certain that Teelas friends are staying with you. Helens intervention to date has been both fortuitous and necessary, especially with regard to Annarion. That young man has an unfortunate temper.
Kaylin blinked. Annarion?
You cannot hear him.
No. Hes generally the quiet, reasonable one.
A terrifying thought. Evanton exhaled. His actionsover which he does have some controlare quiet and reasonable. But he is in pain, Kaylin, and when he leaves Helenon the rare occasions he doeshis anguish can be heard. It can practically be felt.
And Mandoran?
Mandoran does not have that effect.
You think the others will?
That is the question. The water does not hear as I hear. The heart of the green hears more. The Hallionne in which Teelas friends have made their home since your intervention, hears all. There has been much discussion, and much concern shared. I believe that at least two of the visitors would have voices as loud, as detrimental, as Annarions were they to be left to their own devices. They do not need to break the law you have made it your life to uphold, he added. No conscious choice is required.