"The lenacht isn't a newborn in need of saving. If it chose Lathan, it means it agrees with our agenda."
Kira's eyes narrowed. "So, I was right. The forty three are trying to establish their own stronghold."
Pallas cast his gaze to the ceiling, as if asking for patience. "Not just the forty three."
"You plan to fold the wanderers into your ranks,” Kira guessed.
It made perfect sense. The forty three could use the wanderers as cover. They'd be able to form their own force without anyone the wiser.
"Clever, isn't it?" Pallas leaned forward with a sly expression. "The Tuann emperor even agrees with us. Lathan never would have made it off Ta Sa'Riel, otherwise."
No, Kira imagined he wouldn't have.
For all the Tuann's lip service of trusting the Mea'Ave, there was no doubt they'd take action if they felt threatened. The emperor might not oppose directly, but she could guarantee he had a way to influence events if he so chose.
The very fact he'd allowed Lathan into the adva ka in the first place supported that argument.
"Torvald Elden is a smart man. He understands—like we do—that the wanderers are an armed bomb waiting to explode. If he doesn't do something before it goes off, it'll be far too late."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It's rare for a Tuann to become a wanderer. Only a handful fall to that life every decade, but with how long the Tuann live—" Pallas trailed off to raise his eyebrows at Kira.
"A trickle can become a flood," she finished at his behest.
His smile was that of a teacher whose student had finally performed well. "And if that happens, the Tuann have a very big problem on their hands. The wanderers hold a lot of anger toward their former brethren. Much of it well earned."
Kira didn't interrupt as he paused.
"Not all who wander chose that fate willingly. They're the ones who were targeted by superiors." Pallas gave her a sly look. "I'm sure you can relate to that."
He was talking about the issues Kira had faced when she served Centcom. Not all of her superior officers had appreciated someone who looked as young as she did showing them up. It had led to several problems and given her a reputation as a troublemaker.
"Others were cast out because they walked to the beat of a different drum. They were pushed out. Then there are those from fallen houses. Your little friend, the one Selene seems so fascinated by, can tell you about that. It’s why he’s so desperate to become Overlord. The rest are born into the wandering life. They're never given a chance to become something else."
"There's always the adva ka," Kira pointed out, playing devil's advocate.
"Without training or resources?" Pallas gave her a look that said he didn't expect her to be this foolish. "No one can overcome those obstacles."
"Lathan did."
"Because he had me," Pallas snarled in a rare show of emotion. "I trained him. Picked him up off the streets and molded him into the warrior he wished to be."
He really did care for his yer'se, Kira realized. And the rest of the wanderers too, she suspected.
"But most of all, the forty three desire a home after all these years. You can understand that. Can't you, Kira?" Pallas said with a scorn that rendered her momentarily silent.
"Yeah, I can understand that," she said in a tired voice.
Who better to empathize than her? A person who'd found and lost more than one home. Kira would never begrudge another the chance to make their own.
"I'm so glad. I would hate for us to become enemies in truth."
"Me too," Kira confessed as the darkness swallowed Pallas's figure.
The shadows next to her stirred as Graydon dropped the synth armor's camouflage to join her.
"I thought I asked you to wait," Kira said.
