22
When Yvonne and Teela had been gone for long enough that no words from this platform would reach them, Ollarin turned to Severn. “It’s good to see you,” he said, his eyes a lighter blue, his lips folded in a smile that would have sat well on Yvonne’s face. “You’ve been well?”
“I’ve been busy, but should have made time. I’ve seen Yvonne,” he added in what was, for Severn, a shockingly apologetic tone.
“No one cares what an insignificant servant does; everyone watches a new lord,” Ollarin said, nodding. “I assume you did not visit in the uniform you are now wearing.”
“No. Yvonne left on errands for An’Tellarus, and I met her outside the High Halls. But the court itself has been more openly hostile in its various faction wars—and the Emperor has noticed.” There was no warning in the tone, but the words carried it anyway. “Yvonne wasn’t involved, before.”
An’Sennarin’s eyes became a much darker blue, the transformation instant.
“What does this invitation mean?”
Severn fell silent. Kaylin was silent because she was so surprised by the interchange.
What should I say?she asked.
You may tell him the truth; I don’t believe it will harm either Yvonne or the Consort. It may be of aid. Ollarin is, and has always been, beloved of the elemental water. It was why he was pressed to come to the High Halls, and why, in the end, almostall ofhis kin died when he attempted to refuse. He ispowerfulin his own right. But he does not wish to conquer; he will use his power only in defense of the very few remaining people for whom he cares.
And Yvonne is one of them.
Severn nodded.Answer as you please. I don’t think, even if he considered you a genuine threat, he could kill you with the tools he has at hand.
This wasn’t a promising response. “How much do you know about Yvonne’s activities outside Sennarin?” she asked, countering his question with a question of her own.
An’Sennarin was silent, as if asking himself the questions Kaylin had asked Severn. It wasn’t Kaylin whose opinion he trusted here. It was Severn. She bit back curiosity; she wanted to know how Severn knew Ollarin.
“She is of my family line; I have adopted her. I am aware of some of her activities—but if An’Tellarus chooses to have Yvonne participate in activities that would not usually be considered dangerous, I am not always informed beforehand.”
“So she doesn’t need your permission.”
“In theory she does. But you have met An’Tellarus, and if you haven’t spent long in her company, I am certain Severn has told you all you need to know. I owe her my sanity, if not my life. I owe her Yvonne’s life as well, indirectly; it was An’Tellarus who took Severn to the West March in search of Yvonne.
“There is some danger to Yvonne when she is not within the High Halls, but I have reason to believe while she is, she is safe. She is safe within the Sennarin quarters; she is safe—possibly safer—while she serves An’Tellarus. But she is not as we whorule must become.” These last words were said softly, syllables wrapped around an endless bitterness. “And she liked you.”
“You know about the test of the Lake,” Kaylin said, words flat.
He didn’t even blink. “It is not what you think it is,” he replied, acknowledging the statement. “I, as Lord, did not instruct or demand that she submit to the test of the Lake, which is the custom in the High Halls. The Barrani have oft viewed the position of Lady as a political position—or what could be a political position should that power come into the hands of their familial lines.
“Perhaps you will not believe this, but the Lake reached out to Yvonne. I do not know how. The Lake is not the water—but it was the water that informed me. Yvonne can touch the water, but she does not hear its voice so clearly as I.”
“When?” Kaylin had a sinking feeling about this.
“Within the past month.”
“Does An’Tellarus know?”
Ollarin hesitated for one breath, as if breath could not be drawn. “She suspects, yes. Yvonne is not skilled at prevarication; she finds An’Tellarus intimidating. There is a reason An’Tellarus invited you to visit her quarters shortly after your meeting with the Lady.” He exhaled. “The reason An’Tellarus has retained power for centuries is her lack of predictability. I do not know what she suspects or expects—but neither do her enemies. Inasmuch as I trust any living Barrani, I trust her with Yvonne’s safety.
“I have enemies An’Tellarus does not have. But I am not considered a weakness of An’Tellarus’s. No one of power believes that they can strike at An’Tellarus through me. People of power might otherwise believe that they can strike at Sennarin through Yvonne.”
And they wouldn’t be wrong.
“Her interest makes clear that there is risk involved in thatapproach; Yvonne has attended An’Tellarus at public gatherings, and An’Tellarus has made clear that she views the West March urchin with affection.” He grimaced at the last sentence.
Kaylin frowned. “Am I known at court?”
“Of course you are known. You are both Lord of the High Court and mortal. You are Chosen, to those who care about the old ways and stories; the Marks on your skin, where revealed, cannot be denied. What can be denied is the relevance of those Marks, but the Arcanists view you with... caution, which implies that the Marks have power.”