Kaylin was uncomfortable, and Helen knew it. But her house had a mind of her own; she was willing—even happy—to be Kaylin’s home, but home had never meant a total bleaching of her character. Helen’s desire tobea home was based on Helen’s concept of home. “Fine. It’s a connection. It’s saved me before. I hate it,” Kaylin added, lowering her voice. “Because I grew up in his fief. If his fief were like Tiamaris, I’d feel differently. But it’s not just hate. It’s complicated.
“And itisa connection. Terrano suspects—actually I’m pretty sure it’s Serralyn who had the actual suspicion—that that connection might be useful. The namebond isn’t, and in theory, that’s more powerful.”
“It was Serralyn,” Terrano confirmed.
“I don’t know a lot about the Erenne mark, but I’m not makingmyselfbleed. There’s some connection. Teela couldn’tget through whatever the spell is. I couldn’t do it with the Marks of the Chosen.”
“You have not fully tried,” Helen said.
“Fine. I couldn’t do it with the knowledge I have. Better?”
Helen pursed her lips.
“Sanabalis has decided we’ve been approaching things the wrong way. He thinks it’s instinct, emotion, and probably desperation that governs the use of the power—at least in me. But...myinstincts, my emotions, and my desperation. I’m not sure if it’s true. I’m not sure how you teach someonemoreabout their own instincts.
“And it’s true I didn’t try to push through whatever defenses have been erected—but... it’s healing. On a visceral level, I don’t believe thatmyhealing functions that way. Doctors? Yes. Sometimes they have to cut or break things in order to reset the body. I’ve seen it in the Hawks, and in the infirmary. I’ve done similar things to what doctors do when healthy people were infested with Shadow and I arrived in time. But that’s not...” She grimaced. “I don’t think that would work here.”
“I will have words with Lord Sanabalis at a later date,” Helen replied. She clearly didn’t agree with the new approach. “No, I do not. Feelings, such as they are, are amorphous, and they are oft influenced by things that have very, very little to do with the task at hand. Prioritization of such things must be done with precision and care.”
Kaylin exhaled. “He has to wake up, Helen. He has to wake up for Annarion’s sake, if not for his own.”
Helen was obviously hesitant. She spoke after a longer pause. “Do you believe the Erenne mark can somehow achieve what the far greater power of the Chosen cannot?”
“No—but if Serralyn thinks it might help me get past whatever it is that’s sealing Nightshade in, we should at least try.”
Annarion said nothing, but Kaylin grimaced. Sometimes, when she talked to Helen, she forgot that anyone else was inthe room. Except for Terrano; it was hard to forget him. “I’m not upset about the mark,” she said quietly. “I won’t tell you how to feel about it—but you and Nightshade are never going to resolve anything if he dies here.”
Annarion exhaled. “It’s not just that. I told you: two war bands were sent to the fiefs. Teela is trying to determine who sent them. But that mark is a giant flag for people who want my brother dead. They’ll recognize it. They might not know more about its use than we do—but they won’t care. They’ll kill you to make a point. That’s not what the rest of us want—but if we move to guard you, we’ll get ensnared in politics we don’t fully understand.
“Teela is looking into that, as well.” He hesitated. “Can you maybe just... visit the Consort later in the week?”
Ynpharion was annoyed. He was not enraged. He considered Annarion intelligent, if a bit too casual.The Lady is also, as Lord Annarion put it, looking into the war bands. It is not simple to move war bands within the city itself. The fief of Tiamaris is closed to us; the fief of Bellusdeo is closed. She believes some cooperation from one of the fiefs must have occurred.
She does not want Lord Nightshade to perish. She reminds you that your meeting is tomorrow in the morning.
“Terrano—tell Teela when we fled over a dozen Barrani were coming out of the fief. I’m not sure she’ll want to run into them.”
“She already knows,” Terrano replied. “And actually, she’s in a bad enough mood I think she reallydoeswant to run into them.”
“I don’t think Andellen will.”
“Oh no, he’s perfectly happy to join her.”
Kaylin glared at Terrano.
“It’ll be okay. Torrisant and Fallessian followed her. Annarion wanted to go, but Sedarias didn’t want him there. On the other hand, Sedarias wanted to go, and Teela forbade it. As you can guess, it’s pretty bloody noisy on the inside of my head.
“To be clear, she doesn’t particularly care that they attacked Nightshade. He’s outcaste, after all. But she understands that Nightshade affects Annarion, and she’s afraid that it will affect you as well.”
Kaylin grimaced. “Meaning, she thinks it already has.”
“Meaning, she is deeply unhappy with the Consort’s request, yes. Look, I’d ask you to stay out of it, but we both know you’re worse than I am. You’re going to do what you’re going to do because you think it’s necessary.” He winced; obviously Teela or Sedarias didn’t find this amusing. “The thing is, you’ll probably even be right.”
With nothing resolved, they returned to the dining room.
Even if Kaylin accepted that the Erenne mark could be used, and she should attempt to leverage the connection it created between her and the fieflord, she had no ideahow. She’d never used it for anything, and if it hadn’t caused bleeding, she wouldn’t have noticed it at all.
“Serralyn’s going to ask the Arbiters. The former Arkon has no better idea—Dragons don’t have an equivalent. Kaylin?”