“They should not use it.”
“No? My lord did not think its use harmful; he said it was a sign of respect, or even reverence—and he believes that you are due that.”
“Does he?” Bellusdeo’s smile was weary; it held pain. “In the end, I failed them.”
“If we judge all of life only by one moment, perhaps. But we do not, and they do not consider you a failure. You are here. They are here. And they light these fires in your name. Come. It is difficult for me to greet you thus, and I would speak with you at greater length from the confines of a safer environment.” The red fire that was not hot and did not burn was reflected in the silver of her eyes, as if her eyes were mirrors.
Terrano was staring, openmouthed, at Tara. But to be fair, the rest of the cohort were staring only a little bit more discreetly.
“I am not Hallionne,” Tara, said, her voice serene. “That was not my function. It is true that the full range of my power is only available within the Tower proper, but the fiefismy domain—it is my duty to watch it, and to watch the borders. I see Ravellon no matter where I am; I see it no matter what form I take. I hear its Shadows, but they cannot reach you yet.” She bowed, once again, to Bellusdeo. “I can contain the voices of your compatriots, but they are unstable here. It is not good for them to be here.”
Bellusdeo nodded.
“And it’s good for us?”
“You, Chosen, are what you are. The place in which you stand does not change that. Bellusdeo is a known duality; she, too, is uninfluenced by her surroundings. But your companions are...” Tara frowned, and that expression was completely familiar. “They are fuzzy around the edges.” The last sentence was spoken in Elantran. “I understand what your Helen has done for her tenants, and I can do the same. I understand the reaction of Castle Nightshade to Annarion, but I think it unnecessary.”
“Why did Nightshade’s Tower react that way?”
“Because he could hear Annarion’s voice, and he believed—as I might once have—that it was a deliberate call, a deliberate beacon. My Lord is waiting, and he is perhaps not waiting patiently. He wished to come here himself.”
“And he didn’t?”
Tara smiled. “I judged it too great a risk.”
“He really does trust you.”
Tara looked surprised. “Of course.” She smiled and added, “Severn is also waiting. He came to the Tower. It is how I knew that you would come here.” She frowned. “Do not do that,” she said, to Terrano.
“It’s fine,” Sedarias replied, before Terrano could. Allaron was standing closest to Terrano, and he slid an arm firmly around Terrano’s shoulders.
“I don’t need hospitality—”
“It is not a necessity,” Tara told him gently. “But I do not think your friends are willing to part with you yet. There will be absence enough in the future.”
When they turned to look at her—Allaron still firmly attached to Terrano—Tara smiled. “I am not a Hallionne, but I told you: the fief is my domain. I do not hear all thoughts or all voices unless I listen carefully, but I am capable of something as simple as this. And here, your voices are much, much clearer.”
She turned and led them to the Tower.
28
Tiamaris and Severn were, as Tara had said, waiting. They were waiting in a room that looked suspiciously like one of Helen’s “isolation chambers,” and they were silent as the company entered the modest door Tara opened for them.
Terrano and Allaron were the first through the door, which took a bit of navigating, because it wasn’t really two people wide—not when one was Allaron’s size. Terrano looked disgusted and demanded that Allaron let go, but as Terrano would not promise not to make a break for it, Allaron didn’t.
Everyone else followed, Sedarias taking up the rear of the line as if she were mother hen and not captain of the cohort. To be fair to Sedarias, both Kaylin and Bellusdeo remained behind her, and although Kaylin wanted to be last through the door, the look Bellusdeo gave her at the implication that Kaylin’s presence at her back would be of aid should anything go disastrously wrong was probably only a little bit cooler than Dragon breath.
So: Bellusdeo entered last, all golden armor, all warrior queen.
Neither Tiamaris nor Severn seemed particularly relieved; they waited as if waiting for the entire cohort were an everyday activity. Tiamaris took on the duties of a host, and did so with grace and wit; Diarmat would have been proud of him. Severn lingered as Tiamaris and Tara led the cohort to less martial looking rooms, and he fell in beside Kaylin as she followed the line.
She stopped walking, allowing the distance between them and the rest of their companions to grow. Turning to Severn, she hugged him. She didn’t have words for him, because important words were often the difficult ones, but then again, he didn’t require them.
“Sorry,” she said, when she pulled away. “I didn’t intend to leave Elantra.”
“I know.”
“Someone should probably let the Emperor know we’re safe.”
