Page 14 of Cast in Conflict

“But not the Emperor.”

“His hoard is by far the most ambitious I have seen,” Emmerian replied. “He does not wish Bellusdeo to live in misery. Lannagaros has often offered his counsel, but Lannagaros has been extremely busy these past few weeks, and it is unlikely he will be less busy in the immediate future. He is happy,” Emmerian added. “Bellusdeo knows this.

“Lannagaros has found the Academia he thought destroyed by the necessity of the creation of the Towers. He is home. Bellusdeo is not home; her home was destroyed by the Shadows at the heart of Ravellon.” Emmerian exhaled. His eyes remained orange, but there was an odd shade blended in with that orange that Kaylin didn’t recognize. “I have seen her fight,” he said, voice soft. “It is when she takes to the skies—or adopts her draconic form—that she seems to burn with a sense of rightness.”

This made no sense to Kaylin, who had certainly seen more of Bellusdeo in combat than Emmerian had.

The home Bellusdeo had built for herself had been entirely destroyed by Shadow, its people lost, the remnants of the civilization she had ruled abandoned so that some of them might survive. “Do you want her to take the Tower?” Kaylin asked.

Emmerian did not answer.

“Fine. If I get seconded to Bellusdeo, however indirectly, I get paid, right?”

“Is everything money to you?” Terrano asked.

Mandoran kicked him. They had both been waiting for Kaylin in the dining room, which was her usual retreat when she wasn’t in her room. Emmerian had been seen to the door.

“Are you guys serious?” she demanded, grateful that they’d waited, because if they hadn’t, she’d’ve had to hunt them down.

“About what?” Terrano asked, while Mandoran replied, “Hardly ever if I can help it.” Their words were distinct, but there was a lot of overlap.

“The Tower.”

“It’s Sedarias,” Mandoran said, grimacing. “What do you think?”

“I’m thinking I hope Sedarias spends a lot of time at the High Halls in the very near future. I know that Candallar’s Tower liked Candallar. I think it’s the reason he wasn’t killed until he tried to kill the Academia’s students.

“Were any of you guys with us when we talked about what lay at the heart of the Tower?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nightshade’s Tower was built around one of the Barrani Ancestors. Tiamaris’s Tara wasn’t. Castle Nightshade is a murderous, hostile place. Tara is not. It’s the same with the Hallionne, except for the murderous and hostile part. I don’t know what the base of the Tower—let’s call it the heart—was. I think the Arkon said that Candallar’s Tower was once named Karriamis.”

“Does it matter? Karriamis was attached to Candallar, who was Barrani.”

“I’m not sure any of the twelve of you—except Teela—would be considered Barrani by a Tower.”

“That’s not your problem, is it?”

“Technically none of it’s my problem—or it wasn’t until Emmerian.”

“You don’t want to pick a side?”

“I want to know what you two think. This is obviously a Sedarias idea, with a tiny touch of Terrano on the side.”

Terrano looked offended. “I spent centuries jailed in a sentient building—you think I want to go back to that?”

“Yes, actually.”

He grinned; Mandoran laughed. “If it’s any help,” the latter added, “I’m totally against it.”

“How many of you are totally against it?”

“Does it matter?”

“It does. I’d like for the cohort and the Dragon not to be engaged in mortal fights in the fiefs—where Imperial Law doesn’t rule.”

Mandoran’s grin faded. “I’m totally against it,” he repeated. “So I thought, if you were stuck tailing the Dragon, I’d accompany you.”

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