Kaylin almost shrieked.
“Sedarias isn’t happy about it, but you probably guessed that. She says you should go home. Whatever you were carrying, she wants Helen to assess. If it can’t be removed, you’re going to have to put off the meeting with the Consort.”
Easier said than done.
I do not advise that, Ynpharion said.
He might be right—I’ve picked up something I can no longer see, and until Helen gives the okay, it might not be safe for the Consort. You wouldn’t want to put her at risk, would you?
Ynpharion gave the equivalent of a mental snort. He didn’t disagree.
As smoke cleared and the ruins of a border building came into full view, Bellusdeo stood in the partially melted streets. The street, like the building, was tinged gray, the colors faded, as all colors were in the border zones.
But the Dragon that stood in front of the building was a lambent, burning gold. As Kaylin watched, she transformed, her wings folding, her neck and body shrinking, as if flesh wasentirely mutable. Kaylin looked away. She’d seen Dragons shift before, but it never became less disturbing.
Teela was standing beside Bellusdeo. The shift in size made the distance between the two greater than it had been, but Teela chose to close that gap. Bellusdeo was facing either Kaylin or the drummers gathered in a loose formation around her; it was hard to tell which.
If Kaylin had had any doubts, Bellusdeo herself dispelled them. She marched toward the Norranir cluster and passed through them, dwarfed in size but clearly in command. They moved. Only when she lifted a hand did the drumming stop, dying into silence and the sound fire made when it consumed things.
Mandoran stood beside Kaylin. He had an expressive face for a Barrani, and expressions flashed across the contours of his eyes and lips; clearly the cohort was silently arguing on the inside of his head. Well, silently where Kaylin was concerned. Probably for the best.
Bellusdeo’s eyes were blood red—not a surprise. But her voice, when she spoke, was modulated, steady. The rage and the fury her eyes implied didn’t touch her tone.
Oh. This wasn’t the Bellusdeo Kaylin had known for most of their time together. It was one of the sisters.
“We’re going to have to talk,” the gold Dragon said.
Kaylin nodded.
“An’Teela?”
“As you are aware, we are in the midst of complicated investigations. We did not expect the attack today.”
“No. I am told that the fieflord of Nightshade was involved.”
“He was attacked first. He is currently recuperating in an undisclosed location.”
“I see.” Bellusdeo opened her mouth to speak and shut it again with a snap. Kaylin wondered if the inside of Bellusdeo’s head was as noisy, now, as the inside of Mandoran’s. Or Teela’s.“An’Teela has informed me of parts of the investigation, and we’ve chosen to help where we can. Our part will be in the fiefs and in the border zones.”
“The border zones,” Mandoran said, “are outside of the protective influence of the Towers.”
The Dragon smiled. “They are the edge of the fiefs, yes. But if random Barrani Lords—” her tone saidcockroaches“—can survive in the border zone, so can a Dragon or two.”
Kaylin winced. “Leave it with Teela—it’ll do less damage.”
“No one lives in the border zone.”
“You’ve never been poor enough or desperate enough to know that that’s not true.” Kaylin folded her arms.
“Kitling,” Teela said before Kaylin could continue. “Terrano was injured. Barrani were here. They managed to evade us, but we’ll lose time if we argue. Go home to Helen. Terrano believes that he might understand some small part of what ails Nightshade now. He’ll need you at home to test it.”
Kaylin had whiplash. “Does that mean you’ll pursue and leave the Consort to me?”
Teela stiffened.
Clever, Ynpharion said, which wasn’t usually a good sign.
“We’ll talk about this later.” Teela turned on her heel and began to walk toward the Bellusdeo border.