Cast in Peril. Michelle Sagara

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      “Demonstrably.”

      “…How many others are likely to try to kill her?”

      “After the Emperor’s visit? Only the suicidal. We’re immortal, not invulnerable.”

      Kaylin frowned. “How do you feel about her?”

      Teela’s eyes narrowed. “That is an unwise question.”

      “Which means you won’t answer.”

      “Which means I will answer.”

      Kaylin lifted a hand. “I don’t want to hear it.”

      “Then, next time, don’t ask. It wouldn’t trouble me—at all—if she died. It would not have troubled me at all had the attempt on her life been made in any other location. Or rather, had it been made while she wasn’t dogging your footsteps like a foolish, bored child. The Dragon Court already shadows the High Halls, as it shadows all of our kind; what need have we of more of them?”

      “Teela—”

      “We serve the Emperor.”

      “I don’t think he’d consider your opinion appropriate service.”

      “No, he wouldn’t. Bellusdeo has two points in her favor. She apparently likes—and respects—you, something that most of the Immortals of any power or significance fail to do, and she has, purportedly, argued at length with both the Captain of the Imperial Guard and the Eternal Emperor himself in an attempt to elevate your stature.”

      “How do you know that?”

      “I am part of the High Court, of course.”

      “Which is never allowed anywhere near the Imperial Court. You’ve got a lot of spies in the Palace?”

      “Kitling, please.”

      Kaylin allowed—barely—that it had probably been a naive question. “But I don’t think the High Court cares whether or not she likes or respects me.”

      “Ah, I wasn’t clear. She has two points in her favor where my opinion is concerned. Neither of those points will hold much sway where the rest of the High Court is concerned, but I’m sure you’re aware how much I care.”

      “You wear the Hawk.”

      “Exactly.” Teela grimaced. “No one was happy when word of her arrival reached the High Court. It’s been somewhat tricky for the Barrani Hawks, but as one of the few who is also a Lord of the Court, it’s been trickier for me. The others simply remained outside of the reach of the High Court.”

      “They can do that?”

      “They know the mortal city quite well. Yes, they can. It’s not considered politically wise in most circumstances, but given the probability that they would be required to spy on Bellusdeo in the best possible case, it was prudent.”

      “You went to Court.”

      “I did. I am not particularly afraid to deny a request that has no merit. Bellusdeo is a Dragon, and it is probable that if she survives, there will be young Dragons again, but I cannot see that as a material threat in the near future. The heart of the fiefs is a greater danger, and the Emperor is, in my opinion, critical if we wish to keep the Shadows in check. Evarrim does not agree; he feels all that we require are the Towers, now active.” Her frown was cool and slow to develop. “The Dragons and the Barrani are not at war, at the moment. But war has oft been our state in the past, and it is clear that it is a possibility in the future, as well. Fewer Dragons, in that case, would work to our advantage.”

      Kaylin said nothing very loudly.

      “You asked, kitling.”

      It was true. She had. And she pretty much hated the answer, even if it didn’t surprise her. But she didn’t—and couldn’t—hate Teela for it. And why? Because Bellusdeo was a power. She was immortal. She had once been Queen. Hating Bellusdeo wasn’t in any way the same as selling gods alone knew how many helpless and powerless people to an Arcanist.

      The small dragon nudged her cheek with its head; she ignored him until he bit her earlobe. “Can you just promise me one thing?” she said when she had stopped her very Leontine cursing and had covered one ear with her hand.

      Teela lifted a brow.

      “Can you hold off on the whole war thing until after I’m dead?”

      Chapter 8

      Fittings for Barrani clothing were definitely not the same thing as fittings for uniforms. For one, there was no Quartermaster. There were Barrani, but they appeared to have been vetted by Teela, because they treated Kaylin with abject—and genuine—deference. Kaylin found that, more than anything else in the Halls, truly unsettling, because Teela didn’t even seem to notice. Kaylin did. She usually noticed the exchanges between those who had all the power and those who had none; she’d been on the zero end of the scale for a majority of her life, and in her case, old habits died hard.

      These Barrani—two men and two women—also failed to notice the small dragon that was nesting, at the moment, in Kaylin’s hair. The dragon, on the other hand, didn’t seem to find this troubling.

      “What, exactly, is disturbing you, kitling? Has someone poked you with a needle?” Teela’s tone was cool and regal, although her eyes were green. She spoke Barrani, not Elantran.

      “Just—nothing. Nothing.”

      “If someone is clumsy enough to injure you, even in so minor a fashion, I will deal with it.”

      Kaylin wondered if Teela had said this on purpose, because Teela was perfectly capable of being deliberately cruel. “I can deal with it myself,” Kaylin said stiffly, this time in Barrani.

      “Ah. So you merely desire permission?”

      “Teela—”

      The Hawk lifted a hand. “Endure for a moment or two longer,” she said. “I will not have you presented to the rest of the Lords who have chosen the pilgrimage in inappropriate attire; as befits your station, you are expected—by title—to know better. If you fail to do so, it is not upon you that their derision will fall.”

      That stopped her cold. “Upon you?”

      “Very perceptive. If they insult you while I am present, I am bound by custom since I have claimed you as my kyuthe to defend you. It is therefore unlikely to occur, and if it does, it will be because an enemy of my kin wishes to engage me.” She smiled. Her smile was slender and very sharp. “I have no reluctance whatsoever to rid the Court of my enemies or the enemies of my line, but I wish to do it on my own terms. I would rather not reward them with a challenge over something as trivial as your attire; if they seek to provoke me, let them at least be creative.”

      Kaylin exhaled the rest of the breath she would have used for more angry words. “I’m never going to understand the Barrani.”

      “You needn’t sound so morose, Lord Kaylin. They are unlikely to understand you, either.”

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