You even believe that to be true. Ynpharion does not know. I myself do not know. I have, as Farlonne has, some rudimentary knowledge; those at Court enjoy discussions about the foibles and follies of their less fortunate peers. It is a trait that is common among all those who live. You might ask the Consort. All others will answer in a way that suits their political purposes, to their advantage, and your knowledge of the Court would not allow you to glean fact from their answers.
I’m not sure it’s necessary.
Nor am I. It would not, given Sedarias’s current plan, harm Lord Bellusdeo to make a tentative connection with a Lord of the High Court. Lord Farlonne is considered the equivalent of an overearnest country bumpkin by much of the High Court; such a liaison would not immediately indicate a threatening shift of alliances.
Sedarias and her relationship with the Dragon, however, will. I would suggest that Bellusdeo remove herself from your home, but I understand that this is not a suggestion she would welcome.
I wouldn’t welcome it, either.
Yes. But you are not, in the Elantran phrasing, the boss of her. It is why she values you so highly.
It’s safer for her to be with Helen than to be anywhere else. The only place that would be safer would be Tara.
Yes. Tara is Tower of Tiamaris, and that is where what remains of Bellusdeo’s people live. If the Dragon intends to interact with the fiefs in any consistent fashion, Tara would be the home I would suggest.
I’m not even sure Tara would...Kaylin trailed off. She couldn’t even bring herself to think it.I’ll ask. But not now.
No. But Sedarias started to strategize before she left the West March. I believe she is capable of living outside of Helen’s boundaries, but not all of the cohort can—not without causing unforeseen damage to the rest of the city. The cohort is the greater threat to the city.
She wasn’t thinking about the city. She was thinking about Bellusdeo.
The border between Liatt and Farlonne was visually similar to the border between Durant and Farlonne. Farlonne’s Tower looked like the peak of a citadel, and Kaylin was almost certain that the lower end of the building would match what would be seen above the skyline.
Liatt’s Tower was different. If Durant’s was workmanlike to its height, Liatt’s was not. There was, about it, something that implied dreams. Or nightmares. Kaylin wasn’t certain what. It was certainly ostentatious; where Tara was white, Liatt was hues of silver and gold, but the gold did not reflect sunlight in a way that made it painful to look at.
Ah, no.
It was gold and silverinthe border zone. She could see its colors clearly. None of the other buildings had real color, just the hint of what their former color might have been when they’d been a natural part of the city. The Towers did not control the border zone. They were aware of the demarcations of their boundaries; they did not reach beyond them.
But they could still be seen here.
Kaylin frowned.
“What are you doing?” Bellusdeo asked as she slid off the Dragon’s back.
“I can see the Tower of Liatt,” Kaylin replied. “But we’re between Farlonne and Liatt; I should at least be able to see the Tower of Farlonne just as well. Severn?”
He dismounted, as well. His vision was better than Kaylin’s; always had been.
“Can you see them?” she asked as she turned toward what she assumed was Durant.
Severn was silent for a long beat as he narrowed his eyes.
“I can’t see Farlonne,” she continued, when he failed to answer. “I can only see Liatt. Or what I assume is Liatt—I’ve never been there in person.”
“I can’t see Farlonne. I can see Liatt.”
“But this is a zone between the two fiefs, right?”
It was Bellusdeo who nodded.
“Do you think the Tower we can see shifts when we enter the border zone from the other side?”
“There is a way to determine that without the endless theorizing.” The Dragon’s voice was a rumble, but it was mostly amused.
Entering from the Liatt side of the border, Kaylin could see the Farlonne citadel. She could no longer perceive the Liatt Tower.
“How much exploration did you do?”
