To Kaylin’s mild surprise, Terrano had joined the group activity, although his reading contribution wouldn’t immediately be added to the group’s store of knowledge. Allaron still loomed over him, like a friendly giant, ready to grab the nearest limb should Terrano choose to flee.
Kaylin wore the pendant that Emmerian had brought for her. She was afraid to lose it, although Helen usually knew where she’d put things down.
“Yes, I do. You have a visitor,” Helen added.
“Severn?”
“Yes. He’s almost at the door.”
Kaylin rose, although Helen was perfectly capable of letting Severn in and telling him—helpfully—where to go.
“That bad?” Severn asked when the door opened and he got a face full of morning Kaylin.
“Probably worse. Well, yesterday was. Today—knock wood—hasn’t been so bad. But it’s early.”
“Another argument?”
Kaylin nodded. “Another argument, another dissolution of physical form. Right now, though, we’re reading Diarmat’s various reports about parts of the Barrani High Court and their political interactions.”
Severn whistled. “Not light reading.”
“No—but oddly boring in places. You want in?”
He smiled.
“You don’t think those reports are going to tell you anything you need to know.”
“I’m aware of the Barrani High Court and the families that comprise it in its current composition.”
Sometimes Severn’s answers were doors or windows, things that could be opened and looked through. Sometimes they were walls. This was a wall. As if to emphasize this, Severn said, “I’ve brought clothing suitable for dinner—is there somewhere I should leave it?”
“In your room, dear.”
Kaylin did not point out that Severn didn’t have a room, because obviously he now did.
“He could leave things in your room, if you’d prefer?” Helen asked.
Did she? And even if she did, did he? “No, it’s fine. Is it upstairs in the main hall with the rest of our rooms?”
“Yes—it’s the door with the wolf mark.”
“If it makes you feel better,” Severn said as he headed toward the stairs, “I’m not Teela or Tain. I’m not moving in.”
“They’re not here permanently, either. You might as well stay while they do.”
He stilled. “You think you need the support?”
“I’ve got Helen for support. But...company that understands whereI’mcoming from might be nice.”
After breakfast, Kaylin was assailed with a completely unfamiliar thought: she owed Diarmat an apology. She’d thought him the most condescending, harsh teacher she’d ever have the misfortune of meeting. He now had competition.
Sedarias was a ferocious drillmaster. When learning weapons, Kaylin was fine with bruises and the occasional sprained wrist or ankle. Etiquette on the Sedarias scale was like being screamed at by sergeants, but worse; there was no opportunity to alleviate any of the resulting humiliation and resentment by trying to beat another enterprising trainee in the drill yard.
Bellusdeo, however, didn’t find Sedarias nearly as annoying as Diarmat. Kaylin couldn’t understand why, but thought, less than charitably, it was because Sedarias was only rakingKaylinacross the figurative coals. To be slightly fair, it wasn’t only Kaylin. Mandoran and Terrano also came in for a fair amount of heat and invective, and Sedarias had astonishinglygoodLeontine pronunciation.
“Look, the Consort knows what Kaylin’s like,” Mandoran finally said when they started hour two—or eighty, in subjective time. “By all accounts, she accepts it. Kaylin’s only mortal; she can use that to her advantage.”
“And so will the Consort,” Sedarias practically spit. “She will use everypossibleweakness to her advantage. Imagine that she’s decided against us. She might approach the Halls of Law or the Human Caste Court in her offense. Andeven ifshe does not choose to do so, it puts the option in her hands.
