“Why was he turfed out?”
Teela pinched the bridge of her nose. Bellusdeo suggested Kaylin speak in Barrani, or High Barrani. “Which part of ‘above your pay grade’ isn’t clear? I can repeat it in all of the languages you know, and three you don’t. I am certain that Bellusdeo could repeat it in her native tongue—”
“That’s illegal without permission—”
“And suffer few ill consequences.”
“East Warrens was Canatel’s beat. His and Tagraine’s. Candallar was there—invisibly, by the way—to meet them.”
“He said so?”
“He said he was visiting friends.”
“Of course he did.” Teela cast one backward glance at the unconscious man on the cot. It was not a look of loathing; it was not a look of anger.
“What happened?” Kaylin asked.
“Tagraine and Canatel had an argument. They came to blows in the office. I invited the Barrani to the West Room to discuss, among other things, self-control. In retrospect, this was unwise.” Her smile was grim, but genuine. “It was clever,” she added, as if to explain her expression. “Only Barrani were present, as they must have known would be the case. I did not get far into my ill-tempered lecture before Tagraine attempted to kill me. With a dagger,” she added.
What was Teela not saying?
“Canatel attempted to stop Tain from interfering. Canatel was injured. Tagraine died.” Both her voice and face were devoid of expression.
This was not exactly the story Kaylin had heard. She knew better than to trust gossip for accuracy, but... “Canatel didn’t try to kill you? He didn’t help?”
“He attempted to come to the aid of his partner.” Teela’s glare was ice and steel.
Bellusdeo cleared her throat. “Candallar.”
“That’s not the direction I expected the politics to travel. I have limited access to fieflords. In theory, so does the rest of the Court—but the rest of the Court does not serve as Hawks, with the legal boundaries necessitated by that office. I was...unprepared for that avenue of pressure. Did you attempt to engage him?”
“She threatened to arrest him, if that helps,” Bellusdeo offered.
Teela covered her forehead with her left hand. “Of course she did.”
“He seemed surprisingly conscious of Imperial Law,” the Dragon continued, “and entirely unintimidated by it. He did not ask Kaylin for either information or concession; I believe he was distracted.”
“By the presence of a Dragon?”
“By the confirmation of the presence of a Dragon within the Halls of Law.”
That was not the same thing, and Teela knew it.
“On the other hand, if his contacts were Hawks, it is not entirely surprising he would have that information. Nor are the Hawks the only way that information might reach him; the Hawks themselves might speak with members of the High Court, and the High Court is, of course, very aware of my existence.”
“You are much more likely to survive involvement in my life than Kaylin is,” Teela said. “But the arcane bomb that would have ended your life was thrown well away from both the Halls and the High Court.”
“I would not be certain that my involvement in your affairs would be the cause of another assassination attempt. Nor,” she added, as Teela opened her mouth, “could the Emperor be. How much of a concern is Candallar?”
“He’s a concern. Whatever pressure he put on Tagraine—and I won’t know until Canatel wakes—he’s just a lever.”
“Do you have any idea who might be pushing that lever?”
“Some vague suspicion. I know Canatel’s family. Candallar was made outcaste for purely political reasons; he did not attempt to harm the Consort. Nor did he engage in illegal activities involving other races—at least not until he was forced to flee and found himself at home in the fiefs.”
“And he wants?”
“I would guess he wants to be repatriated. He wants to be forgiven.”
