What about her status? Shes a Dragon, so shes technically a Lord of the Court.
That is true only in mortal terms. She is notas Diarmat has been at pains to point outa Lord of this Court. She has not offered the Emperor an oath of fealty; nor has she agreedin a binding fashionto abide by the laws he hands down.
She spends most of her free time with me, Kaylin replied. Im a groundhawk. She probably knows the law better than anyone who isnt.
You misunderstand. Humans are not, of course, required to take such a binding oathI believe they would not survive it. Bellusdeo has not been required to do so. Lord Diarmat correctly points out that she therefore poses a risk to the Court. He stopped at a smooth, flat wall. It was unadorned; Kaylin suspected it was actually a door.
The Arkon barked a sharp, harsh word and proved her suspicion correct; a part of the wall simply faded from sight. What lay on the other side of it was a disaster. It made Kaylins desk at its worst look pristine and tidy. Hells, it made Marcuss desk look well-organized, which Kaylin would have bet was impossible.
The Arkon noted her hesitation. Is there a difficulty?
Just how important is all the paperthat is paper, isnt it?
Parchment. Some paper. There is also stone and a few shards of smooth glass. I trust that you will disturb nothing while you are here.
How?
He raised a brow; his eyes didnt get any more orange, which was a small mercy.
Theres stuff all over the floor. Theres stuff all over the chairs. I probably cant put a foot down without stepping on something.
Then do not, as you put it, put a foot down. He gestured.
The hair on Kaylins arms and the back of her neck rose in instant protest.
Do not, he said, in a more severe tone of voice, make me regret my foolish and sentimental decision to take pity on you and provide you some form of refuge.
Folding her arms across her chest, she walked into the room; her feet touched nothing. Neither did the Arkons.
Not to be suspicious or anything, she began.
You do not think me capable of either sentiment or pity?
Not much, no. Not for me.
His smile deepened. As you point out, Private, Bellusdeo did spend most of her free time in your presence. You have not, however, been in the city for the past month and a half. She has therefore had no anchor. No friends, if you prefer. In the last two weeks of your absence, she has spent a greater portion of her time in the fief of Tiamaris, speaking with the refugees there. When she chooses to enter the fief, she is met by one of the Norannir.
That would be Maggaron.
The Emperor does not consider Maggaron to be a suitable guard in the fiefs; Lord Tiamaris, however, is. She has acceptedwith poor gracethe Emperors wishes in this regard.
What happened?
She has taken to flying in the restricted air-space above the fief of Tiamaris.
Its not Imperial land.
No. She has pointed this outat length. You might have recognized one or two of the words she used, if you were paying attention. She has, however, come close to the borders of the fief once too often for the Emperors comfort.
The Norannir live on the borders.
Indeed. She has taken pains to point this out, as well.
Hes going to isolate her! The Norannir are the only other friends she has in this city!
The Arkons smile was softer, and infinitely more pained. They are not her friends, Kaylin. They were once her subjects. She is not merely a Dragon to them; she is akin to a living god. Bellusdeo has her vanity. She has her pride. But she, like any Dragon, understands her role in their lives. She does not go to them for their sake, but her own. They remind her of who she once was.
There is altogether too much in the Palace that reminds her of what she now is.
Kaylins arms tightened. And what, exactly, is that?
A displaced person. She is very much the equivalent of the Norannir. You think of her as a Lord of the Court, and you have some rudimentary understanding of the political power that title might give her. She lives in the Palace, and not in the mean streets of the fiefs that border Ravellon. She has food, should she desire it, and clothing; she has money. But the Norannir have more freedom than Bellusdeo now does.
Why are you telling me this? Why not say this to the Emperor?
Do you think I have not? His eyes shaded to a color that was more copper than orange. Kaylin couldnt remember what it meant, shed seen it so rarely. In fact, shed seen it only once: in Bellusdeos eyes. I have told the Emperor that Bellusdeo cannot live in a cage. He does not intend to cage herbut regardless, he does. She is too valuable to risk. We have already seen how close to disaster we came.
Arkon Kaylin froze, and only in part because the muted draconic voices had risen in volume. Please tell me this argument has nothing to do with my moving out.
You are not, that I recall, fond of unnecessary dishonesty. He took a seat. It was the only seat in the room that seemed to have enough exposed surface to sit on. If Bellusdeo can be said to have one friend in the Empire, it is you. She found your absence far more difficult than either sheor youhad imagined she would.
She said this?
Of course not. He winced; it took Kaylin a couple of seconds to realize it wasnt because of anything shed said. Unlike her, he could understand every word that was being said. Or shouted. You have made it clear to Bellusdeo that life in the Imperial Palace does not suit you.
Not in those exact words, no.
Refrain from repeating the exact phrasing.
Because Kaylin loved her job on most days, she did.
You intend to find another domicile?
Yes. As soon as I can. When he lifted a brow, she thought of the job she lovednone of which included pandering to annoyed Dragons. On the other hand, survival often did. Look, there are people who would kill to live in the Palace. Im certain of it. But theyre the people the Hawklord goes out of his way to prevent me from meeting. Everything in my Palace roomseverythingcosts more than the clothing on my back. I feel like I should bathe before I step foot through the door.
I cant leave or enter without an inquisition. I have to deal with Imperial Guards on a daily basis for no other reason than that I live here.
They are there for the protection and security of our guests.
Fine. But I dont want to be a guest in my own home. I want to be able to live there. Bellusdeo is a Dragon. When she dons Court dresses, they fit her and look good. She understands the powerful. She has power. Im a groundhawk. I can barely make ends meet on my cruddy pay. Im not in her classand I know it.
I came from the fiefs. I work on the streets. I dont belong here, and I cant be happy where I dont belong.
You are a Lord of the High Court.
The Barrani High Court, and you know damn well I dont have to live in the High Halls.
You have visited them before.
I visited them with Teela.
And the difference?
She grimaced. There was a difference. She wasnt certain what it was. Teelas a Hawk.
And the difference?
She grimaced. There was a difference. She wasnt certain what it was. Teelas a Hawk.
And Bellusdeo is not.
Bellusdeo would never swear the oath the Halls of Law require.
No. Lord Teela did?
Lord Teela doesnt give a damn about nonbinding oaths. Theyre just words, as far as the Barrani are concerned. There is no way Marcus would ever allow Bellusdeo to join the Hawks.
Ah, yes. Your Sergeants famous mistrust of my kind. His eyes, however, shaded toward gold. He clearly found Marcus amusing. Your Teela understands the High Court, and she avoids it where possible. But if you enter that world, she enters it beside youand she warns others, by presence alone, that there are consequences to any actions they might take against you. Bellusdeo cannot do that, here. And she is aware that she lacks that ability; the Palace is not her home. It is not an environment with which she is familiar, or over which she has ultimate control.
Still, she tries. She targets Diarmat with the full brunt of her outraged disdain. Her outrage, he added, is genuine. She feels your marks are not accorded the respect they are due. She does not fully consider the advantage in being underestimated and I will say, now, that there is a distinct advantage to you, in my opinion. She feels a debt of gratitude to you.
I didnt do anything for her gratitude. I did it because...because....
Oh, do continue. Im certain it will be fascinating. You did it because thats what anyone would do?
Kaylin shrugged. It was a fief shrug. Fief shrugs, on the other hand, were not a language with which the Arkon chose to be familiar.
You grew up in the fiefs. You are aware that you are lying. Even if you arent, there are very fewI can think of almost no onewho could do for Bellusdeo what you did. She would have died there. His gaze slid off hers. I am not certain, at this moment, that fate would not be preferable in her mind. Yes, the discussion in progressand to my mind it will be some hours before it is doneinvolves both your residence and hers. He closed his eyes. She is in pain, Kaylin. She is grieving. For us, the grief is long past; it exists only in echoes, when we turn our thoughts to the past.
For Bellusdeo it is new. It makes her reckless. More reckless, he added, as if this were necessary. You see her as a Dragon, which is fair. You will age, you will die; she will live forever. She is favored by an Emperor we still consider it wise that you never meet; she is given leeway that would be granted no one else. All of this is true. It is not, however, the only truth.
I understand that the loss of your home was due to her presence. Believe, Kaylin, that she understands this, as well. If you do not resent her for the lossif you do not speak against her companionshipshe will go where you go.
You...want me to move out with her.
No. I feel it prudent to advise you that her presence will make your life far more difficult than it might otherwise be. I want her to move out with you. I am of the opinionat the momentthat the benefits that accrue will go in one direction; I am awareas you areof the risks that move entails. If Bellusdeo does accompany you, the Imperial Treasury will cover a large portion of your rental costs.
Kaylins arms tightened, but she said nothing. Shed been able to afford her one-room apartment, even with Bellusdeo as a roommate. She wasnt so flush with money that money itself was irrelevant. But...she really didnt like the idea. At all. She hasnt even asked me, you know.
I know. She will not ask if she cannot argue the Emperor around; it would be too humiliating.
And having a screaming fight that an entire palace had no choice but to hear wasnt? I dont want my home surrounded by bloody Imperial Guards.
The Arkon raised a white brow.
I mean it. I dont want home to be a jail.
Bellusdeo will have a security detail.
I apparently have a security detail, if by that you mean Imperial spies. I cant stop them from watching my every move. I just want to pretend that they dont.
Why?
Dragons. Ugh.
And your other demands?
Kaylin had none. She felt guilty, because one of the things shed been so looking forward to was having a place of her own again. Shed had nothing when shed come from the fiefs. But shed had hope for the futurewith the Hawks, within Elantra. What hope did Bellusdeo now have that was similar?
Yes, she heard herself say.
You will consider it?
She nodded. The small dragon, silent as cloth for most of the interview, raised his head and batted the side of Kaylins cheek with it.
Good. I now have work to do.
* * *
Midwives guild? Clint asked, as Kaylin trudged up the stairs of the Halls of Law.
Dragons, was her curt reply. If the midwives had kept her awake through the small hours of the night, shedve had something useful to show for the lack of sleep.
If you dont want to see Dragons, Tanner told her, I suggest you avoid the office for the next couple of hours.
Why?
Bellusdeo is there.
She hadnt been in the apartments they shared at the palace when Kaylin had dragged her butt out of her rooms in the morning.
Alone?
No. Lord Sanabalis is with her. So are six of the Imperial Guard. The color of Barrani eyes in the office is almost midnight blue.
Could this day get any worse? Thanks for the heads-up. Kaylin considered turning tail and finding breakfast, but she didnt have much money on hand.
Youre going in?
Troublell find me when I leave the office if I dont; I might as well get paid for enduring it.
* * *
The Imperial Guard always set the office, as a whole, on edge. Caitlin didnt mind them, but they were so stiff, so officious, and so smugly superior, Caitlin was an island in the Halls. Bellusdeo was standing to one side of Marcuss desk as Kaylin entered the office. Kaylin glanced, once, at the duty roster, saw her namebeside Severnson the Elani beat, and allowed herself to relax. She wasnt late. Yet.
She didnt, however, see Severn.
Sanabalis was standing to one side of Bellusdeo; his eyes were a very clear orange, and if Dragons didnt physically require sleep, he looked like he could personally use a week of it. The Imperial Guard were like breathing statues.
Private, Marcus growled. His sense of smell had probably alerted him to Kaylins presence, as there were too many tall people between them for her to even see him, seated as he was at his desk, and behind the perpetual stacks of paper that girded it. She couldnt see the color of his eyes, but the tone of her rank pretty much gave it away. The Imperial Guard moved to allow her through.
She stood at attention in front of his desk andas expectedhis very orange eyes. She saw that he had reflexively gouged a few new runnels in the surface of that desk. Clearly, it hadnt been a pleasant interview, whatever its subject.
Your services are apparently being seconded by the Dragon Court.
Standing at attention didnt allow for the usual facial tics or gestures that indicated dismay. It was the only good thing she could say about it.
You are apparently not content living at the Palace.