The woman frowned at her, her eyebrows drawing down in suspicion. "What about him?"
Kira exhaled. She'd already pulled the trigger. Might as well see where it went.
"He's myseon'yer."
The woman and her partner glanced at each other before looking Kira over.
Kira knew what they saw. A woman of average height—maybe a little short for a Tuann—wearing clothes that no Tuann would ever be caught dead in.
Although they were on guard against Amila and Noor, they'd already discarded Finn as a threat for the same reason.
Kira had always known most Tuann didn’t consider her intimidating. She'd seen Graydon and those he viewed as his peers. She lacked their stature and no amount of training would give her their muscle mass. Her delicate bone structure and gray-purple eyes didn't help that impression.
No, it was only after people spent time with her particular brand of crazy that they realized the true awesome of Kira Forrest.
"You? You're hisyer’se?" the woman asked, not hiding her skepticism.
"Yup, that's me."
Though Kira was betting Wren regretted his decision by now.
Too late. No take-backs.
"Then you must have a token," the woman said.
Kira stared at her blankly for several seconds before she remembered. "Oh, right."
Kira balanced Jin as she stuck one hand down the neck of her hoodie. Her fingers brushed metal, and Kira withdrew a necklace chain attached to a medallion. A creature Kira didn't recognize was stamped on its front. On the back was the crest of Roake—the coiled body of alu-ong, its fangs bared and its mane flared.
Kira held it out to the woman. With apparent reluctance, the stranger took it from her, holding it up so she and her partner could examine the markings.
"It does look like his sigil," the man whispered in Tuann.
The woman turned it over several times as if trying to spot any discrepancies.
"Why is there a hole in it?" the woman asked.
Kira shrugged. "Easier to keep track."
"Why would a respected commander like Wren take someone like you?"
"Perhaps you should ask him."
Kira was sure he'd like that. The woman and her partner, on the other hand, might not enjoy the outcome.
The woman's eyes flashed. "Maybe it's fake."
Next to Kira, Finn bristled. If he'd been an animal, he would have puffed up to double his size in affront.
The oshota, perhaps not realizing the danger they were in, sneered.
Kira shook her head at Finn. As entertaining as it'd be to watch him teach these two a lesson about the perils of making assumptions, she was already in enough hot water.
She nodded at the medallion and held out her hand, making agive memotion. "You want to give that back now?"
The woman frowned, holding the medallion closer to her torso as if to guard it.
Don't do it,Kira warned the woman silently.
