“And Severn?”
“He is also of interest. He is not Chosen, but he, too, emerged from the Tower. It is Severn’s ownership of the unusual weapon he wields that makes him significant—and resented. But much of that enmity is centered in the West March. If the Lady did not obviously favor you, he might be more visible, but there is something about Lord Severn that evades notice.”
“And not me.”
“You are not a quiet presence, no. Even when you are silent, you almost seem to be quivering in place, as if you might burst into action at any moment. You are protected, to a certain extent, by An’Teela; she is, to you, what An’Tellarus was to me in my early tenure. An’Teela is even more infamous than An’Tellarus, but not, in my opinion, more dangerous.” He exhaled. “Yvonne was discovered in the West March—by Lord Severn.
“You may wish to discuss this with him—but not here. Not anywhere in the High Halls. You are aligned with the Consort; she is political, because she holds that position. But you are also aligned with the Lady, who is not political. She is both of those people. She cares much for the High Lord and the Lord of the West March. It is not clear to most of the court why she cares for you, but your political relevance is minor, and your Marks might be of use to her.
“It is your visit to the heart of her quarters, so close to the Lake,that is of interest. And I assume that your interest in Yvonne arises from that. Yvonne will not, and would never, harm the Lady; even if we were born in the West March, it is here, at the seat of our people’s power, that we are wakened. She has not met the Lady; her position is far, far too low for that.
“What do you intend?” Here, his eyes grew bluer; they weren’t as dark as Teela’s had been, but much closer.
“She intends no harm to Yvonne,” Severn said when Kaylin failed to answer. Kaylin’s failure was tied up in her own sense of both duty and loyalty; she was torn. She did like Yvonne. But fractured as their friendship had become, she felt a sense of responsibility for the Consort, the Lady. She’d wanted to meet Yvonne to assess the level of threattothe Consort, and the level of entanglement; to find out if Yvonne was a credible, useful weapon that could be wielded against one of the few Barrani Kaylin actually liked, cohort excepted.
“I do not command Yvonne, although in theory I have that right. And I believe An’Teela has returned with An’Tellarus’s reply.”
An’Tellarus’s reply was permission. Yvonne, in theory, required it.
“An’Tellarus accepts your invitation,” Yvonne said, speaking so quietly it was almost hard to hear her; there were small chimes, invisible to the eye beyond the fall of leaves, that sounded periodically—and they were louder.
The invitation hadn’t been extended to An’Tellarus, but the cohort had guessed—correctly—that An’Tellarus would come as guardian, even if that was An’Sennarin’s technical role.
“She doesn’t think it’s a good idea to have Ollarin come with us.”
Teela nodded. “An’Sennarin is too new, and too untested. And An’Mellarionne resides with you. An’Tellarus has reached an age where she has proven herself in combat and politics;she can go wherever she wants. She has ways of making clear both her alliances and her affections; it is her affection that is dangerous to cross.
“An’Sennarin does not have that luxury. If he is in the presence of An’Mellarionne and no blood is shed, assumptions about his alliances will be made. Sedarias’s enemies are many—far more than Sennarin’s. An’Sennarin has done much to cleanse his line, and to shed the alliances his previous lord nurtured. He has not done enough, but he has only had decades in which to do so.
“Sedarias has had months.” Teela exhaled. “An’Tellarus is no fool; she knows. It would be best for all concerned if she did not insist on chaperoning Yvonne—but she does insist. And in her position, I would insist as well.”
Yvonne flinched, but didn’t argue.
Kaylin agreed. Sending Yvonne on her own would be like sending Serralyn to a meeting of the Lords of the High Court on her own. It was never going to happen, no matter what preferences were expressed. Terrano would follow her even if every other person had reluctantly given way.
“Did An’Tellarus demand a different date?”
Yvonne shook her head. “She said the day is up to me.”
“Will you visit tomorrow, then?”
Yvonne nodded.
The Lady wishes to see you again after tomorrow’s meeting with Yvonne. Yvonne should join you.Ynpharion spoke formally. He’d been listening in—of course he had—but hadn’t interrupted once.
Does the Lady need to send a formal invitation? Or can we just arrive?
Arrive. The High Halls will know, and a formal invitation will be noted.
What if Yvonne doesn’t want to visit?
Kaylin could feel Ynpharion’s frustration, but he kept it out of his words. The Lady must have been listening.If she is summoned, she will accept the summons. But a formal summons would draw even more attention to her than she has already received; the Lady wishes to avoid this,if at all possible.
Soit’s unofficial.
It is both unofficial and of the highest priority. The Consort asks, but does not command, that you allow me to observe the visit to your home.
Kaylin shook her head.There’s too much that’s likely to come up that could get messy—An’Tellarus is coming, and she’s not a person who likes anyone else to be the center of attention. Sedarias will be there, and you know what Mellarionne is going through—it’s just going to be too tangled. The Lady doesn’t have Mellarionne’s best interests at heart, if she considers Mellarionne at all.