Kaylin couldn’t actually see the cohort member but wasn’t particularly surprised. She’d’ve bet most of the money she had that he’d find a way to tag along.
“Are you certain you don’t wish me to attempt to confine him?”
“I’m a Hawk. I can’t just throw someone in jail for a crime they haven’t committed yet. If he really does something stupid, the rest of us can discuss it later.”
“Because then it won’t be illegal, metaphorically speaking?”
“More or less. Terrano?”
He appeared. His eyes were normal eyes, and he looked very pleased with himself. “We’d better run,” he said, almost whispering. “Sedarias is about to charge down the stairs in a fury.”
Severn was waiting by the time they reached the bridge—and Terrano had set up an impatient jog almost the moment they’d crossed Helen’s fence line.
“I wasn’t kidding about Sedarias,” he said when Kaylin gave him a look.
“I don’t particularly care whether or not she comes.” Not, strictly speaking, the entire truth, but she couldn’t see the harm in it.
“Teela does,” he replied. “Sedarias and Bellusdeo aren’t a great combination. The Dragon’s fine with Teela, more or less. She actually likes Mandoran—but Mandoran doesn’t want to leave Annarion.”
Kaylin nodded.
“I’m not sure she cares for me—but I don’t ruffle her scales.”
“You can’t ruffle scales. Trust me.”
“Fine. But she doesn’t have feathers, and you know what I meant. And if I stay in between a couple of planes, her breath passes through me.”
“Teela doesn’t want you there either, does she?”
“No,” he replied, all smiles. “She’s threatened to break a leg—mine, just in case you were wondering. But she’s not the boss of me, and Serralyn thought Imightbe helpful.”
Kaylin considered tripping him but decided against; she could see Severn in the distance.
Don’t let me stop you.
I’d try, but I suspect he’d pass through my foot without even noticing it was there.His smile was more felt than seen; he was too far away for that. But she recognized his stance immediately.
Why wouldn’t she? They’d been partners in both boring, mundane daily patrols and very difficult situations for a while now.
“What is Teela trying to find?” Severn immediately turned to Terrano. She could see through his body, but he didn’t become completely invisible.
“I’m not sure. She’s looking in the border zone for traces of the mage that must have cast the concealing spell. It was big enough Kaylin could feel it from the air, but it wasn’t a physical barrier. She’s worried about what Helen said—and the fact that there’s clearly some collaboration between Barrani and humans in the use of the border zone. The discovery andalmost-subjugation of the Academia are evidence of at least Barrani research done there. From what Killianas has said, new students were being added over a long period of time. If the investigation had been in human hands alone, they’d’ve all died of old age.”
“Why is she so fixated on Barrani involvement in this?”
Terrano winced. “She’s getting pissed off. She really,reallywants you to take a hike for the next five decades.” At Kaylin’s expression, Terrano shrugged. “Look, you’ve known her for longer than you’ve known me, right? But I’ve shared a home with you for longer than she has. Even if you decided to follow her advice, you’re a walking disaster. You trip into thingsall the time. At least if we’re with you, you might not land in trouble without a bit of support.”
“Meaning you think I’m in trouble no matter what.”
“Well, unless you can tell the Consort to get stuffed, don’t you think so?”
Ynpharion was instantly enraged.
“No, I can’t, as you well know. Teela knows it, too. Since you’ve enraged someone who can shout at me on the inside ofmyhead, tell me what Teela’s doing.”
“You know her mother was murdered, right? And most of her mother’s kin?”
Kaylin nodded, her expression grim.