Kira tried to split her attention between the two.
"Although the quorum’s official celebration won’t be held for several days when it has reached its conclusion, we’d like to invite you to a small banquet tomorrow on Almaluk as a token of our esteem.”
"It's Elise. They caught Elise."
Kira went still, feeling like she couldn’t draw breath as the rest of Lieven's words descended into a mass of sound as the world froze around her.
Sensing her disquiet, Odin rushed to assure her. "I've examined all the feeds. It's her. I'm sure of it."
Kira ducked her head to hide the movement of her lips as she spoke in as silent a voice as possible. "Where?"
"I'm tracking them now. From what I can tell, they're heading to Almaluk."
The same place this banquet was going to be held.
Seeing a watchful look descend on Lieven's face because she hadn't spoken in so long, Kira smiled, her lips feeling stiff. "We'd be honored to attend."
At that, Raider frowned at her in surprise.
He knew how much Kira detested such things. Normally she would refuse unless forced.
"One question," Kira started. "I hear you apprehended the person responsible for the attack. What is going to happen to them?"
Kira very much doubted it was actually Elise they'd caught, but she couldn't take the chance she was wrong.
Lieven gave her a probing look, no doubt sensing some of her feelings. "We can discuss that tomorrow night at the banquet."
In other words, unless she attended, she could forget setting up a meeting with the culprit.
Well played, Lieven. Well played.
With that, he strode in the wake of rest, leaving Kira standing with a bunch of Tuann who had a plethora of questions she didn't want to answer.
Graydon's warm palm landed on the small of her back as he guided her in the opposite direction, his oshota and Wren falling in around them. Raider trailed in their wake.
Graydon leaned close. "I think you owe us some of those answers now."
Kira didn't answer for several steps.
"Not here. This isn't the sort of thing that can be discussed in such a public setting."
Not when it came to matters as delicate as this.
"Later then."
Left with no choice, Kira nodded.
The inflexible set of Graydon's jaw told her arguing at this stage would only hurt her cause.
She only hoped they delayed the interrogation until she'd rid herself of the remnants of thelu-ong’s saliva.
*
To Kira's eternal regret, her worst fear played out.
She'd barely stepped inside the Tuann residence when she was intercepted by Yukina.
"With me now."
