Cast In Deception

“I was not informed of her presence there,” was the bland reply. It implied that he wished to remain ignorant. Ignorance, after all, had its uses. “At ease, Private.”

Given his eyes, ease was impossible, but she did relax her stance.

“What is happening?”

“I’m not Barrani, sir.”

He turned, then, to Bellusdeo. “Lord Bellusdeo, I am aware that you are not Barrani, but you have experience with both politics and assassination attempts. In your opinion, what has caused this...conflict among my Barrani Hawks?”

Bellusdeo’s eyes had shaded into a more natural gold. Orange deepened the color, but she was not struggling to contain Dragon rage. “You are aware,” she said, “of Teela’s companions.”

He nodded.

“I believe the political difficulties involve them.”

Kaylin wanted to kick her. She also wanted to continue to breathe. She said nothing, but, because she was Kaylin, was not entirely silent about it.

“And the fieflord?”

After a much longer pause, Bellusdeo replied. “I admit that I do not understand your fiefs or their lords. I understand their function; I understand why they are considered a distasteful necessity. I do not, however, understand why the lords of the Towers themselves are left to almost random chance. Were this my city, we would have chosen those Lords ourselves, and we would have had strict criteria by which to do so.”

Judging by expression, the Hawklord agreed. He was not, however, he Emperor. “I am not a scholar. My understanding of Shadow and its nature is pragmatic, but it is not deep. If you wish to discuss the nature of the Towers, it is to the Dragon Court you must look. But in my superficial and meagre understanding, the Towers have a sentience of their own. It is said that the Towers choose. Private Neya and Corporal Handred were present when the Tower of Tiamaris adopted its newest Lord; perhaps they will shed some light on the subject.” But not now, his tone implied. “Corporal Danelle was not forthcoming when questioned.”

“The assassin in question—”

“The incident in question involved the corporal, yes. She is not, I am told, in the infirmary to finish the job she started, or is said to have started. The Barrani in question is technically alive.”

“Technically, sir?”

“I expect we will receive a writ of exemption at any moment that will excuse his attempt to assassinate one of my Hawks. I have been told that the mirror network has been somewhat compromised, and not all of our messages are currently arriving. And no, Private, you are not considered an expert in the mirror networks; we have put in an official request for the oversight of an Imperial Mage.”

“That’ll take three days, sir.”

“It is a pity that the Imperial Mages are so heavily overburdened with official business that we are required to wait, yes.”

“You expect a writ of exemption?” Bellusdeo said. It was on the tip of Kaylin’s tongue, but she bit it. She could practically taste blood.

“I expect a writ and a demand for remand of custody, yes.”

Kaylin had expected a writ of exemption. She had not considered what most frequently happened when such writs were exercised: the criminal ended up as a conveniently packaged corpse on or near the steps of the Halls of Law. She paled. “So...we have three days to figure out what the hells is going on?”

“Given it involves Barrani, politics and a fieflord, I would guess that three days will not be nearly enough time. Three days is also not an exact measure. There is some possibility that the Imperial Order of Mages will, in fact, consider the demands of the Halls of Law a serious emergency, and rearrange their pressing schedules to accommodate us.”

Kaylin snorted.

“You will not be patrolling the warrens again.”

“Sir. Does that mean we’re back to Elani?”

“The duty roster is otherwise in the hands of the sergeant. I expect the difficulties with the Barrani to be resolved before the writ arrives. Did Candallar give any indication of what he wants from his involvement in this murky affair?”

“No, sir.”

The Hawklord’s eyes narrowed.

“He did, however, point out that while he’s outcaste—he is outcaste—he still retains citizenship in the Empire. His oath of loyalty to the Eternal Emperor has never been retracted or disavowed. And he probably understands the Imperial Laws at least as well as I do.”

“Interesting. Is there a reason this was relevant to your discussion with him?”

“She was threatening to arrest him and drag him back to the holding cells,” Bellusdeo replied. “He pointed out that this would be an unlawful detainment.”

“Very interesting. He is correct in this case. I assume no such attempt was made?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. Dismissed.”

* * *

Teela was, according to Caitlin, still in the infirmary. Tain, however, had drifted back to his desk, where he sat stiffly, blue-eyed and grim. Grim wasn’t necessary; Kaylin had seen Barrani with eyes of midnight laughing. But not often.

“Is Teela still in the infirmary?” she demanded.

“You’re expected to head out to Elani.” Which meant yes.

Kaylin folded her arms. Tain was seated; she could look down at him. It was Bellusdeo who spoke. “Teela’s enemies in the High Court are better prepared than you expected.”

“Characterizing them as Teela’s enemies is not, or was not, accurate. Sedarias is cunning, ambitious, and political in a way the High Court understands. She is not of the High Court; none of the cohort are. But were she, she would become a power to reckon with. Perhaps not in your lifetime, but perhaps at the end of it—and that would be meteoric in Barrani terms. But if their opposition is prepared to orchestrate an attack in the Halls of Law—where there are other races as possible collateral damage—it’s not a good sign. This won’t be the only assassination attempt; it’s merely the first.”

“You think they’ll attack Teela again?” Kaylin’s hands were fists.

“Teela is better prepared than the cohort. If the cohort arrives intact, it will be a small miracle. Or a large one. If they weren’t staying with Helen, I’d ask you to stay out of it.”

“You think she’d stay out of it if they weren’t staying with her?” Bellusdeo asked.

“I think the chances that we could keep the worst of it from her would be much higher, yes.”

“Oh, and assassination attempts in the Halls of Law would completely go over my head.” Kaylin folded her arms. She had never liked being treated as if she were stupid. And Teela was important.

“No one expected that.” Tain hesitated, which was unusual for Tain.

“Including Teela,” Bellusdeo then said, finishing the thought. “Who must be something of a political force herself if she can both retain her power at court and serve as a Hawk.” Kaylin knew Teela was a Lord of the High Court—but even that knowledge had been gained in the last year or two. She thought of Teela as a Hawk, and as a friend; sometimes as an older sister.

Tain did not reply.

The Dragon cleared her throat. “I believe I will visit Moran. I’m a Dragon, and I served as her bodyguard during the worst of the friction with the Aerian Caste Court. She will have a much harder time shutting her door in my face.” Her smile had long teeth in it. “I have Imperial permission to be in the Halls of Law. Moran is not my commanding officer. She can neither threaten nor command me.”

Kaylin wasn’t certain she wouldn’t bet on the Aerian, but said nothing.

* * *

Tain remained at his desk. Severn remained at Tain’s desk. Both suggested, with varying degrees of subtlety, that Kaylin remain there as well. Kaylin didn’t have time to argue, because when a Dragon made a decision—or when Bellusdeo did, at any rate—she acted on it immediately. The private had to scurry to keep up. If she followed in Bellusdeo’s wake, she’d be allowed in.

The old infirmary was still being rebuilt. In the weeks that had passed since a bomb had reduced it to splinters of wood, stone and glass, new floors and new walls had been installed, as if by magic. It wasn’t magic, of course; not yet. Magic would come later, when Moran had approved of the base rooms.

The conference room which had been the largest space available for emergency operations had been reclaimed by the Halls, but the infirmary itself had taken up temporary residence in a smaller set of rooms that were seldom used and more functional than a room that was essentially created to house a huge table and a bunch of chairs. They were less easily accessible, in part because they had been used as general storage. Kaylin didn’t ask what had happened to whatever was being stored here; that was the quartermaster’s problem.

The door was closed. The door was warded. Bellusdeo lifted golden brows in Kaylin’s direction, but touched the ward herself. Kaylin wasn’t entirely surprised when the door opened. She wasn’t surprised when a bristling Aerian with high, spotted wings stood almost in the frame. Nor was she surprised when the bristling wings folded as the Aerian caught sight of the Dragon. Slightly envious, but not surprised.

Moran’s eyes were Barrani blue. Her expression took a turn for the worse when she looked past Bellusdeo to see Kaylin.

“The private is my escort,” Bellusdeo said, in a perfectly friendly, perfectly bland tone.

“There is nothing here that requires the private’s attention, and a great deal that does not.”

Kaylin opened her mouth. Closed it. It was smarter to let the Dragon do the talking because Moran couldn’t do anything to the Dragon. Small and squawky, almost forgotten, lifted his head and batted Kaylin’s cheek with the top of it. He looked bored.

Teela appeared in the door frame behind Moran. “Why are you here?” she asked.

“It was here,” Bellusdeo replied, although Kaylin was pretty sure the question wasn’t aimed at the Dragon, “or the East Warrens.” Kaylin couldn’t see Bellusdeo’s expression, but the bland, cheerful, neutral reply was like a red flag.

Severn had probably made the smarter choice. Tain’s desk was safer. But Kaylin had really wanted to see Teela for herself. She’d wanted to be certain that Teela was whole.

It was the sergeant, not yet retired, who said, “The East Warrens. Marcus sent Kaylin to the East Warrens.” Clearly she had not been informed, and while the duty roster was not her responsibility, she knew it was a Barrani beat. Her glare traveled down the hall, as if she were considering offering Marcus a few choice words herself.

“I was, of course, with her.”

Moran folded her arms. “Come in,” she told the Dragon brusquely. She ignored Kaylin entirely and Kaylin followed like a shadow.

* * *

“You met Candallar. In the warrens.” Teela was now lounging on a chair so bare it should have been uncomfortable. To her left, in one of three beds in the small room, a Barrani Hawk slept. Since Barrani didn’t need sleep, he was probably unconscious. Or wishing he were.

It was Canatel. He was, like Teela, a corporal. He’d been part of the Hawks for as long as Kaylin could remember, which really only meant about eight years. In Barrani terms, that was a blink of the eye.

“This is well above your pay grade, kitling. It is not for you.”

“How many people are descending on my home in the near future?”

“If I have any say in it?” Teela exhaled and stood, losing the studied nonchalance of chair lounging. “You’re certain it was the fieflord?”

“I’ve never met him. Severn was certain.”

More Leontine followed, but it was soft. Clearly Teela trusted Severn’s opinion.

“Why is Candallar involved?” Kaylin asked, as Bellusdeo said, “Candallar is outcaste, yes?”

Teela only answered the Dragon’s question. “Yes.”

“Does he happen to be related to any of the cohort? Because I’ve got one furious fieflord visiting my home at least three times a week, and I think I could do without another one.”

“You would rather he visit your home than encounter him elsewhere. Candallar noted your mark?”

“Nightshade’s mark? Yes.”

“Good.”

Kaylin thought she’d take the nearest seat, she was so shocked. “Good? You still hate him for putting the mark there!”

“Yes. But it will serve as a warning to Candallar, if a warning is required. He is not Nightshade.”

“Nightshade is more powerful?”

“He was, before he was removed from the High Court. There is a reason he possesses one of The Three.”

And a reason, Kaylin thought, wanting to smack herself, that Teela possessed one as well. Three swords created to fight Dragons. They were called The Three; the capital letters were practically pronounced. Had she never really considered that they weren’t just handed out randomly?

“Candallar is younger?”

“We are all ancient compared to you. Candallar is younger. He was of the High Court. He took, and passed, the Test of Name.”

“Why was he turfed out?”

Teela pinched the bridge of her nose. Bellusdeo suggested Kaylin speak in Barrani, or High Barrani. “Which part of ‘above your pay grade’ isn’t clear? I can repeat it in all of the languages you know, and three you don’t. I am certain that Bellusdeo could repeat it in her native tongue—”

“That’s illegal without permission—”

“And suffer few ill consequences.”

“East Warrens was Canatel’s beat. His and Tagraine’s. Candallar was there—invisibly, by the way—to meet them.”

“He said so?”

“He said he was visiting friends.”

“Of course he did.” Teela cast one backward glance at the unconscious man on the cot. It was not a look of loathing; it was not a look of anger.

“What happened?” Kaylin asked.

“Tagraine and Canatel had an argument. They came to blows in the office. I invited the Barrani to the West Room to discuss, among other things, self-control. In retrospect, this was unwise.” Her smile was grim, but genuine. “It was clever,” she added, as if to explain her expression. “Only Barrani were present, as they must have known would be the case. I did not get far into my ill-tempered lecture before Tagraine attempted to kill me. With a dagger,” she added.

What was Teela not saying?

“Canatel attempted to stop Tain from interfering. Canatel was injured. Tagraine died.” Both her voice and face were devoid of expression.

This was not exactly the story Kaylin had heard. She knew better than to trust gossip for accuracy, but... “Canatel didn’t try to kill you? He didn’t help?”

“He attempted to come to the aid of his partner.” Teela’s glare was ice and steel.

Bellusdeo cleared her throat. “Candallar.”

“That’s not the direction I expected the politics to travel. I have limited access to fieflords. In theory, so does the rest of the Court—but the rest of the Court does not serve as Hawks, with the legal boundaries necessitated by that office. I was...unprepared for that avenue of pressure. Did you attempt to engage him?”

“She threatened to arrest him, if that helps,” Bellusdeo offered.

Teela covered her forehead with her left hand. “Of course she did.”

“He seemed surprisingly conscious of Imperial Law,” the Dragon continued, “and entirely unintimidated by it. He did not ask Kaylin for either information or concession; I believe he was distracted.”

“By the presence of a Dragon?”

“By the confirmation of the presence of a Dragon within the Halls of Law.”

That was not the same thing, and Teela knew it.

“On the other hand, if his contacts were Hawks, it is not entirely surprising he would have that information. Nor are the Hawks the only way that information might reach him; the Hawks themselves might speak with members of the High Court, and the High Court is, of course, very aware of my existence.”

“You are much more likely to survive involvement in my life than Kaylin is,” Teela said. “But the arcane bomb that would have ended your life was thrown well away from both the Halls and the High Court.”

“I would not be certain that my involvement in your affairs would be the cause of another assassination attempt. Nor,” she added, as Teela opened her mouth, “could the Emperor be. How much of a concern is Candallar?”

“He’s a concern. Whatever pressure he put on Tagraine—and I won’t know until Canatel wakes—he’s just a lever.”

“Do you have any idea who might be pushing that lever?”

“Some vague suspicion. I know Canatel’s family. Candallar was made outcaste for purely political reasons; he did not attempt to harm the Consort. Nor did he engage in illegal activities involving other races—at least not until he was forced to flee and found himself at home in the fiefs.”

“And he wants?”

“I would guess he wants to be repatriated. He wants to be forgiven.”

“But—”

Both the Dragon and the corporal turned toward Kaylin. “But?” Teela asked.

“But it’s the High Lord who decides, isn’t it?”

“In theory, yes. In practice? No. I do not believe the High Lord is behind Candallar’s movements.”

“You say that like you have some idea who is.”

“No, kitling, I don’t. I have some idea of who isn’t.”

“Why would they do this?”

“Tagraine? Canatel?”

Kaylin nodded. At heart, this was the only question she needed answered. The politics and malice of Barrani who were not Hawks was like rain or heat; it existed outside of the Halls.

“I can’t speak for Tagraine. I can’t speak for Canatel—he cannot speak for himself at the moment. And I should not tell you even this much. But Canatel has a sister. She is older, and she is a Lord. She is, however, a very, very minor lord whom most feel survived the Test of Name because the sheer terror of it drove her to mindless—but ultimately pragmatic—flight. She is surrounded by Lords of greater age and far greater power, be it economic, political, or as is generally the case, both. Had she never taken the Test, she would not now be in danger.”

Kaylin raised a brow, and Teela exhaled. “They would have to find her. Many of the Barrani who are of the High Court do not make their homes in the city.”

“And the ones who aren’t do?” This made no sense to Kaylin.

“It is frequently where the landless poor among the mortals dwell.”

“Teela, if rumor has any truth to it, Canatel tried to kill you.”

Teela said nothing; her eyes were a shade of gray blue.

Bellusdeo exhaled smoke with a bit of actual heat in it. “Kaylin,” she said, to make clear that her target of annoyance was not Teela, “you can be forgiven your ignorance; it is remedial. It can be alleviated. Teela, however, has enough to deal with. Corporal, Sergeant, my apologies for intruding while you are so clearly busy. We will take our leave now, as Kaylin is expected to begin her interrupted patrol on Elani.”

Teela actually chuckled. “I feel almost sorry for Margot today.”

5

“What am I missing?” Kaylin demanded, when they were safely quit of the halls and halfway to Elani. The word “ignorance” still stung; there were better ways to point to lack of knowledge, but given Kaylin wasn’t terribly diplomatic on the best of days, even thinking that was kind of hypocritical.

“Teela feels that the failure lies with her.”

“What?”

Severn, Kaylin’s actual partner, was silent and steady. Small and squawky actually left her shoulder to sit on his for half the march, glaring balefully at Kaylin as he did.

“I have not discussed this with Teela; I doubt she’s discussed this with anyone. I am therefore guessing, based on some minor observation.”

“Skip the part where you imply that I’m stupid.”

“I did not imply that; I implied that you are not observant.”

“Bellusdeo—”

“You focus on your job. You focus on your home. Where it is necessary, you will focus on other things as they effect the former or the latter. Beyond that, however, you still feel that the world is somehow other, or foreign.” She exhaled at Kaylin’s expression, and added, “You know nothing about knitting.”

Kaylin blinked.

“I do not expect that you will know anything about knitting. But when you are wearing a sweater of some intricacy, I will unconsciously assume that you know something of what went into its making. Let us say I know something about knitting. Don’t make that face, I chose this example for a reason. I have seen the same sweater you have seen, but I have marked the intricacies of stitch and design. I know that the sweater could not be made by, well, you. But I understand that it could not be made by me without painstaking effort. I assume, at times, that you will also see what I see.

“You have been given such a sweater. Your concern is the cold, or laws of public decency. You don’t care that it’s oversized. You don’t care that it might be inappropriately heavy given the weather. You understand that it is clothing, and some clothing is better than none. You don’t appreciate the quality of the sweater itself. It seems almost irrelevant to its function. I occasionally forget this. When someone wears such a sweater, it is, like most expensive fashion, meant to be a statement. No, it is a statement. Most people who make such statements are pretentious—but not all, and regardless, even the pretentious understand what they think they are trying to say. You don’t.

“Were knitting, however, integral to your job, you would. You would see the stitches, the wool used, the dyes used on that wool; you would know what size the needles were, and whether or not different sizes were required to knit the whole. You are not stupid. You are, however, too narrowly focused. Better?”

“I’m not sure.”

“That’s the best I’ve got.” She glanced over Kaylin’s head at Severn and the familiar.

“What Bellusdeo was trying to say before she started on knitting,” Severn then said, “was that Teela considers the attempt an act of desperation and fear. If she’s insulted at all, she’s insulted because Canatel—and Tagraine—didn’t come to her first. They didn’t ask for her help. They assumed that the people threatening them held all the cards. Barrani are, at heart, snobs.

“Teela is a Lord of the High Court. She has one of The Three. We all know this. But we also know Teela best when she’s wearing the Hawk. If she weren’t in service to the Halls of Law, none of the Barrani Hawks would know her. They’d know of her, the same way we know of the humans in the human caste court.

“When Teela’s wearing the Hawk, she’s just like them. Or you. Or me. She’s a Hawk. The Barrani can’t see someone who wears that Hawk as a power.”

Kaylin opened her mouth and shut it again.

“When they first started out as Hawks on the force, they were probably allowed to do so because they were considered—by their own people—barely better than your average mortal.

“They haven’t considered that their ability to be Hawks was guaranteed by Teela as Lord of the High Court. They’ve had at least a decade to see Teela in action on the ground. They can no longer hold her in awe. They can’t think of her as an actual power because she does exactly what they do. She even obeys a Leontine. She is not called Lord when she’s in the office. That had to be a deliberate choice on Teela’s part—and I’m not certain she’s happy with the results.

“The people who are threatening them, however, are powers, in Tagraine’s and Canatel’s minds. They didn’t come to Teela first because they felt, viscerally, that she was just another Hawk. They didn’t trust the protection she could have offered. That’s why she’s insulted. And I believe she holds herself responsible for their attempted assassination.”

“Because she knew things were getting political,” Kaylin said, after a more thoughtful pause, “and she wasn’t prepared.”

Severn nodded. “The Barrani Hawks have already been used.”

“Against Moran, though.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s recent enough that she knew they could be used. She didn’t shore up her own defenses—and part of those defenses would be providing protection for the Hawks. They were threatened because she was too caught up in the concerns of her cohort.”