Lord Kaylin, Edelonne said. Kaylin was almost surprised to hear her. Ynpharion’s voice had been absent in the earlier days of—of whatever forced name-bonding was called. She’d been aware of his fury and resentment, of his arrogance, of his contempt—both for himself and for her—but they’d both avoided exchanging actual words.
Edelonne’s interior voice had none of Ynpharion’s heat, none of his fire. Her voice was softer, thinner; Kaylin could easily imagine that she could, with no effort, fade into the background of everyday thought. Which this wasn’t.
The more familiar ire followed as Ynpharion joined his voice to hers.The Lady wishes to know where you are. She is not best pleased that An’Teela chose to join you.
She has you, Kaylin countered.
She is aware that An’Teela’s connection to the cohort is far more substantial.
“Mandoran.”
“Before you ask, the answer is no.”
“You don’t know the question yet!”
“You’re about to ask either Teela or me to go join the Consort. One: I don’t want to. And two: I can’t. Terrano said he was trying to ditch the test, right?”
“Teela’s already passed it. She can come and go—in theory—as she pleases, if she has the Consort’s permission. Which she does.”
“Teela,” Teela said, “is not going anywhere. You’re here. They’re here. Our enemies are here, or close.” She punctuated the sentence withKariannos, the great sword that appeared, given how she was waving it around, to weigh nothing. Her eyes shifted—literally—as they once again changed shape in her face. Nothing in their shifting color implied Barrani moods. “We’ve got Annarion. Finally.”
“Which we?” Terrano asked.
“Serralyn.”
“Is he—”
“He’s mostly fine. They’re approximately in the right place,” she added.
Terrano deflated. “Tell them to step back. No, sorry,askSedarias to have them step back.”
“To where?”
“To where we are now.”
“Given what happened to you? Sedarias doesn’t like it.”
“Tell her we’ve got Spike negotiating with the Tower.”
A beat. Two. “She wants to know what he’s using for leverage.”
I ask for concessions from the Tower’s core functionality. I have explained that these concessions are necessary if we are to serve in its stead.
Kaylin mostly followed the answer. “He’s telling the Tower—somehow—that we’ll protect the Tower and keep the cage around the Adversary closed.”
“And the Tower’s not demanding an explanation?” Teela said, mimicking Sedarias’s tone perfectly.
“I think theTowerhas all the explanation it needs. It let Terrano go.” She hesitated, and then said, “Can the rest of the cohort come to us?”
The answer was a qualified yes. It took time for all of the cohort to emerge; Valliant was last. Annarion was first. All of them had eyes that were similar to Teela’s in size and shape, but they retained their heights; their hair, the raven black of Barrani, was now shot through with the same colors that made their eyes so disturbing. Annarion and Allaron bore swords, as did Sedarias. The rest of the cohort had chosen—for the moment—to retain the use of both hands.
Were it not for Terrano, they would have been silent—but Terrano was of them, and Terrano could no longer hear their conversations. Or arguments. Allaron caught him as he stood by the edge of their formation, and drew him into its center, as if afraid Terrano would otherwise flee.
“Can you see An’Mellarionne?” Mandoran asked of Kaylin.
“No.”
Lord Kaylin.It was Edelonne again.The Consort bids me tell you that we are almost at the cavern.
