To Helen, Kaylin said, in a much quieter voice, “Is this the room Teela entered?”
And Helen said, “Yes.”
Teela was nowhere in sight.
“She is,” was Helen’s grim reply. “She’s with the boys. Those flashes of color you thought of as argument? She’s one of them.”
* * *
Tain stepped into the room, Kaylin practically hugging his back. He hadn’t drawn a weapon, but both of his hands were lifted. To Kaylin’s eye, everything was a blur of color, and none of that color was Teela. Or Mandoran or Annarion either, if it came to that. “Are they even here?” Kaylin demanded of Helen.
“Yes.” As she spoke, some of that color shifted, becoming less of a flat, moving splash against stone as it did. Kaylin was suddenly reminded of Annarion in Castle Nightshade and was glad that she hadn’t bothered to eat much.
“Guys,” she said, raising her voice to be heard. There wasn’t much sound in the room if she stopped to think about it, but something about the kaleidoscope of color implied shrieking. “There isno wayyou are going to theHigh Hallslike this! There’sno wayyou could evenentera Hallionne in this shape or form!”
The slowest of the racing colors recombined; they came together in a way that resembled Annarion, had he been sculpted by someone who wanted to suggest his form artistically, rather than render it realistically. Even his eyes—which were very blue—did not look solid or whole.
“Your brother is coming to visit,” she told him. “And I’d really appreciate it if you’d give Teela back—Tain is about to explode.”
* * *
It took another five minutes before Annarion resembled his usual, breakfast-room self. Teela emerged more quickly, but her color was off. Kaylin would have been gray or green; Teela was simply pale. Her eyes were the same shade of midnight that Annarion’s were. Mandoran did not coalesce.
Tain was at Teela’s side the minute her feet were solid—and it was her feet that took shape last. In all, it was disturbing; it was not something that Kaylin had seen Teela do before, and she had a very strong desire never to see it again.
“Look, I appreciate that you guys had to learn how to talk to, and live in, a Hallionne. But Teeladidn’tand she isnot cut out for this. You’re guests here. I’m happy to have you. Mostly. But this has got to stop.”
Mandoran lacked a mouth to reply.
“No, he doesn’t, dear, but I don’t think I’ll repeat his answer.”
Kaylin folded her arms. To Annarion she said, “Your brother will be here soon. Anything you can do to become more solid would probably be good.”
“Ohgreat,” Mandoran said, speaking for the first time. “Tell him we don’t want visitors.”
Kaylin’s arms tightened. “If this is what you do when you’re upset or worried, you’renevergoing to become Lords of the High Court. I doubt they can actually kill you—but they can make you all outcaste if you push it.”
Bellusdeo dropped a hand on Kaylin’s left shoulder. Small and squawky curled his tail around her neck. He didn’t lift a wing to bat her face, and he didn’t press it over her eyes, either. If he could see Mandoran as he was, he didn’t feel it was necessary for Kaylin to see him, too.
“If you’re all outcaste, you’ll never take that Test. You won’t make it past the front doors.”
“They cantryto stop us.” Mandoran’s disembodied voice again. The splashes of flat color across the room’s walls moved as he spoke. It was not comforting.
“Kaylin,” Helen began.
“Theywilltry. But you’re not the people they’ll put pressure on first. Maybe you’ve got no friends and no living family. Maybe you’ve got family, and they don’t want to give your stuff back. But Teelahasfriends. Shehasallies. They’ll start there first, because they don’t have a choice. They’ve already started.
“Teela may be part of your cohort, but she’s lived in the High Halls for centuries, on and off. She’s the wedge in the door. She went to the green, and she returned. She fought Dragons. She did it well enough that she has one of the three damn swords.
“If they can kill her, they’re free to shut you all out.”
Tain cleared his throat. Teela locked her hands behind her back, which was unusual. She really did look terrible.
“This is theonlyplace you can afford to do this—and it’s hard on Helen. If you couldpleasepull yourself together, we can have the rest of this discussion.”
“Whatrest?” Mandoran demanded, not really budging. Or not really staying still; the colors were practically vibrating.
“Your cohort,” Kaylin snapped back.
