“Barrani children are not raised with that phrase,” Teela told her. “It won’t have the same weight it does in the office.”
Bellusdeo’s rumble enclosed the words, “Stand back.” Kaylin had seen this transformation often enough that she had a good idea of how much space “back” meant; Teela caught Annarion and Allaron and pulled them out of the way. Maggaron didn’t move.
“This is abad idea,” Kaylin told the gold Dragon.
“Really? Why?”
“That’s unkind to Kaylin,” Teela said, before Kaylin could dredge up an answer that wouldn’t make things worse. “You know well why.”
Bellusdeo shrugged, a ripple of motion that traveled the length of her back. “You’re not trying to stop me.”
Teela shook her head. “I like you. I don’t generally care for Dragons for obvious reasons. If the Dragon species has been whittled down to five—six, including yourself—it makes no material difference in my life. If the species remains at that number for the foreseeable future, it will not upset the balance of power.
“Some might argue that your disappearance here would be to our advantage in the long term. If you choose to be careless, if your decisions put you in the way of harm, it might prove useful.”
Kaylin was outraged.
Annarion dropped a hand to her shoulder but said nothing.
“And you have no chance of personally stopping me?” Bellusdeo asked.
“None whatsoever,” Teela replied, smiling. “But I would appreciate it if you did not involve Kaylin, because Kaylin stands even less of a chance and feels compelled to try.”
Maggaron climbed up Bellusdeo’s back. If Teela’s words upset him, it didn’t show—but Maggaron didn’t speak much. His native tongue was not Elantran.
Bellusdeo exhaled a small plume of fire.
“Can you hurry?” Annarion surprised them all by saying. “I think something’s gone wrong.”
Bellusdeo was halfway to Mandoran when Mandoran disappeared. Given the grim expression on Annarion’s and Allaron’s faces, Kaylin guessed that they could no longer hear him. They certainly couldn’t see him. She glanced at Teela, whose eyes were now on Bellusdeo. The Barrani Hawk’s expression was grim, but shaded more toward frustration and disgust than actual worry.
“Tell me,” she said, her throat elongated by her rising chin, “why I haven’t strangled him.”
“Beats me. I know why I haven’t.”
“You can’t.”
“Pretty much. You two think he’s gone to wherever Terrano went?”
“Probably. It’s the same—there’s no fear and just a faint hint of surprise, and then silence. Nightshade?”
“I was sleeping at the time. I have no idea how or where he vanished, and no idea what he was feeling. But...if he were actively fighting for his life before he blinked out, I think I’d probably know.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to catch Bellusdeo’s attention. “Don’t go higher!”
Bellusdeo had seen Mandoran’s disappearance. Inclination aside, she wasn’t stupid or reckless. And she had Maggaron with her; from what little Kaylin had seen, he was the steadying influence and possibly the only person present who could talk sense into her and have her listen.
Which, all things considered, probably wasn’t saying much. But she circled the area beneath which Mandoran had been drifting when he had disappeared.
“What do you see?”
“Border zone,” the Dragon replied. “It extends in all directions for as far as I can see. Which follows his comment about fog. I can’t see Nightshade. I can’t see Liatt. If I could go higher, I might.”
“Please don’t. Let’s try to follow the actual zone from the ground.”
“That didn’t stop Nightshade from disappearing.”
Fair enough. But at least they would all be together.
“What do you think the border zone is?” Teela asked as they once again resumed their march through theoretical backyards and the alleys made by the sides of buildings.
