There was a core of silence where Nightshade habitually resided on the inside of her thoughts. She’d become accustomed to this; Helen generally kept those whose names she knew out of the house. Under Helen’s roof, Kaylin could guard her thoughts because, unless Helen considered it useful, the name-bound couldn’t communicate with her. Helen never kept Kaylin from initiating contact. She didn’t keep a response to the attempt beyond the walls of her house, either.
But Nightshade didn’t answer, damn it all.
Someone rapped at the door. Mandoran shouted Kaylin’s name.
Fully dressed, Kaylin walked across the comfortingly creaky floor and opened that door. Helen had been right; Mandoran, accompanied by Allaron, stood on the other side of the frame.
“Let me guess,” she said as Hope settled onto her left shoulder. “Terrano’s missing.”
Mandoran opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it again. “...We’ve lost contact with Terrano.”
Kaylin looked up at Allaron, necessary because he was significantly taller, as opposed to the usual Barrani taller. “You might as well go get Annarion.”
Allaron was briefly confused.
Mandoran wasn’t. “You can’t reach Annarion’s brother, either.” It wasn’t a question.
“Got it in one.”
“I really wish you hadn’t said that.”
“Why? Nightshade was exploring the border zone. So was Terrano. Did Terrano come across Nightshade?”
“No.”
“Did he see what I described?”
“...Not exactly.”
“Why is everything always so complicated?”
“Hey, not our fault. We didn’t make the world.”
“I’m thinking that Terrano is awfully good at breaking bits of it.”
“Nightshade was there, too.”
“I didn’t say that Nightshade wasn’t good at it himself.” She shook her head. “Honestly, I think he’d’ve made a good member of your cohort if he’d been younger and sent to the green.” Before she’d finished speaking the words, Annarion appeared. He didn’t materialize, though—he came running full tilt down the hall of otherwise closed doors, each of which fronted one of Helen’s set of individualized suites.
“Sedarias thinks you should wake the Dragon.”
Kaylin didn’t agree. She managed not to say this out loud because she was certain that Bellusdeo was now aware that something was—once again—happening in the house.
“Teela says you should stay put,” Allaron added.
“Why are you glaring at me?” Mandoran demanded.
“I’m not.”
“I didn’t tell you because I know it’s a waste of words, and there are already far too many words floating around.” He turned to Annarion. “Kaylin’s not going to stay here. What Teela wants is irrelevant.”
A door down the hall opened, and the aforementioned irrelevant opinion joined Mandoran and Allaron. “We’d better move,” Teela said, voice low enough it was almost a whisper.
But another door opened as the words left her mouth. Bellusdeo was already prepared. This time, she hadn’t bothered with the normal clothing; she was in her full golden scale armor. Maggaron was with her.
“You weren’t possibly thinking of going out without me?” The Dragon’s eyes were gold.
“No, of course not,” Kaylin said. She agreed with Mandoran. There wasn’t much point in attempting to argue when the result was a foregone conclusion.
