Kira had had enough of this conversation.
She lengthened her stride, hoping to leave him behind. As was always the case with Graydon, he moved to match her, keeping up easily.
Defeated, Kira resigned herself to having to deal with Graydon for a bit.
"Your exhibition with your niece was quite interesting," Graydon said.
His statement was slow to register, but when it did, Kira sent him a searching look. "You weren't there."
She would have known. Graydon carried this almost raw magnetism that was nearly impossible to miss. If he'd been in the training room, she would have picked up on it. She wouldn't have been able to help it.
Graydon regarded her steadily, his thoughts unreadable. "I have my ways."
Kira's eyes narrowed as she considered him. His ways, her ass. "You’re having me watched."
She glanced around, her eyes lingering on Finn before she dismissed him as a possibility. The past weeks had convinced her of his loyalty. If he ever betrayed her, it would be because he considered her a danger to the Tuann’s survival and the universe in general. He wouldn't throw away the gains he'd recently achieved to be Graydon's eyes and ears.
"Did you really expect anything else?" Graydon asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Not really. No. In his place, she'd have done the same to a known flight risk.
She and Jin would have to be more careful. Right now, she fully intended to work with Graydon on the subject of Elise, but there were still secrets she didn't feel comfortable revealing.
The need to have an escape route was as embedded in her DNA as the color of her hair.
Graydon and Kira descended the stairs to the first floor.
"I see Joule wasn't lying. You really are back," Devon said, leaning against a doorway as they approached. Spotting Graydon by her side, Devon gave him a serious nod. "Seon'yer."
Kira gave Graydon a considering glance. "Really?"
His appointment as Devon'sseon'yermade perfect sense, considering what she suspected about Devon’s lineage.
"You must be pleased," Kira told Devon.
He nodded once. "It was an unexpected reward."
Graydon brushed Kira's shoulder as he focused on hisyer’se. "How did your preliminary race today go?"
Pride registered on Devon's face as he came to attention. "I qualified for the next round."
Kira was impressed. While the early rounds of the preliminaries weren't exactly impossible, especially for those of her level, they weren't easy either. You needed skill to reach the next stage.
"What position?" Graydon asked.
"Second."
Not bad. It would allow him to advance, but because he was second, he wouldn't draw too much notice from the other competitors.
If Kira hadn't been forced to extraordinary lengths by her awful start, that's the rank she would have targeted as well.
"There was a racer in the round after me that was very impressive. She used the same maneuver on the tower as the racer from yesterday."
Kira didn't move for several seconds, knowing she was the racer from yesterday that he was talking about. "Is that right?"
Devon's brow furrowed before he gave a hesitant nod.
"Did you get the name?" Kira asked.
