Severn offered Yvonne a surprisingly sympathetic grimace. He sat only when Yvonne did. He clearly knew the young woman.
“Why did you wish to see us?” Teela asked.
“Strictly speaking, it was not you I wished to meet with, An’Teela. It was Severn and his companion. But I am aware that you visited the High Halls to attend the Consort. There is a faint miasma in the air—of politics and folly; they are not always the same. Severn.” Her expression lost its faint, smug smile and became something far more serious. “I have been asked to deliver a message, should you come this way.
“Frankly, it was difficult not to be offended, but given the source, I agreed. And now, I am almost chagrined. I did not expect to see you at all; I have been informed that you are no longer considered a part of Elluvian’s team.”
He nodded. “I no longer work directly under Elluvian, for the most part.” He wasn’t comfortable here, but the level of discomfort was so minor it might have been familial. And this woman had called herself his aunt.
An’Tellarus gestured, and a scroll appeared in midair, floating gently in front of Severn’s face. “Elluvian is cautious, when he can be bothered. There is a reason, however, that the message was left with me and not Elluvian.” Her expression was now grave.
Severn lifted a hand; the scroll case fell, almost heavily, across his palm.
“I am not apprised of the contents. The case was not of a mind to allow me to tamper with it and evade injury.”
Meaning she’d tried.
Kaylin frowned and looked to Yvonne. Yvonne was sitting beside Severn, but she had been constantly glancing at Kaylin, to look away in a hurry when their eyes met. She was nervous—possibly because of Teela. An’Tellarus’s interaction implied strongly—to Kaylin—that Yvonne wasn’t in danger from that quarter. There was something about Yvonne that made her seem young to Kaylin.
Something about her that made her seem safe to be around—something that couldn’t be said for most Barrani. The Consort had said that there were three recent tests; she had mentioned a name. Yvonne.
Kaylin was certain that this Yvonne was the one who had passed the Lake’s first test.
10
Severn was utterly silent in response to her certainty.
Given the color of Teela’s eyes, Teela shared Kaylin’s belief. This Yvonne was probably the threat to the Consort’s position.
“You come from the West March?” Teela asked in oddly accented High Barrani.
Yvonne’s eyes grew greener, although blue was still the predominant color. “I do. I’m sorry—I’ve been trying to learn the names of the many Lords of the High Court, and some of their history. I knew of you—you wieldKariannos. You’re the first of your line.” She spoke with genuine respect, even awe.
“My maternal family was of the West March,” Teela told Yvonne. “The High Halls is a very different place.”
Yvonne nodded.
“In my youth, I preferred the West March,” Teela continued, smiling. There was an ocean of pain beneath the surface of that smile. “But if one is to gain power among our kin, it is here.”
“...if one wants power,” Yvonne murmured.
Teela exhaled. “You were at home in the West March.”
“I was. But my only remaining friend is here, in the High Halls. He’s adopted me, and An’Tellarus is teaching me.”
“Or trying,” was the dry addition. “Yvonne is young. Thecustoms of the West March are, in the absence of war, more pastoral. But this is not the first time she has been strongly affected by Barrani politics. She has not yet learned how to express wariness in a suitable way. Clearly,” she added, criticism in that tone.
“Perhaps she trusts her instincts, An’Tellarus. I am in the company of two mortals, after all.” Teela’s tone was neutral.
“And were she mortal, that would be fine; she is not. Why are you so interested in her? I perceive it is not interest in either me or the plans I might have.” There was a touch of warning in An’Tellarus’s question.
“Why are you so interested in her?” Teela countered.
“I have been asked—as a favor, from one lord to another—to see to etiquette lessons and to familiarize Yvonne with the structures that underlie the High Court. I considered the request with care and decided that a different tutor would not suit the purpose. We all learn from our various mistakes—but only if we survive them. Our youths were not always kind to the ignorant.”
Yvonne flinched at the word and lowered her head; Kaylin found both of her hands curling into fists.
She means no harm, Severn said, interior voice both urgent and quick.