Page 130 of Cast in Conflict

“So...worried?”

I am uncertain. I have far more knowledge about many, many things than you will likely ever possess. He spoke without pride. But what you did for Sedarias, I could not do. Nor could Helen.

“She could have.”

No, Kaylin, she could not. What bridged the gap between you and Sedarias was your personal experience and your willingness to expose it. The living, as Helen knows, change. Mortals change very quickly; immortals less so. But as you have seen with Tara, change can and does happen.

“Are you worried?” She spoke as quietly as she possibly could, but suffered no hopeful illusion; she was certain Bellusdeo could hear her.

No. Not yet. But we have not yet arrived.

The Tower of Candallar no longer looked like a standing column of rock. It had lost the impressive majesty of height, although it was taller than any of the surrounding buildings. It hadn’t lost the look of an entirely natural outcropping of rock, but where before it had been a craggy, rising column, it now resembled a cave.

Kaylin tried not to complain; it was clear that the cave entrance—girded with flickering torches—was the only possible entrance, and it waited like an invitation. Then again, so did plants that trapped and devoured insects.

Bellusdeo approached the cave entrance and then turned back toward Kaylin. “It is, as you suspect, a portal.”

Kaylin closed her eyes and thought of the Emperor. “I’m not staying behind.”

Bellusdeo did not insist, and Kaylin didn’t point out that she was by the gold Dragon’s side at Imperial command. They both knew it, and Bellusdeo didn’t need to be annoyed or irritated by the Emperor right at this moment. “If you will not be sensible, come. Take my arm.”

This was not how it was supposed to go. But sentient buildings didn’t particularly care about hierarchical manners and customs. Kaylin, mindful of the fact that she could traverse Nightshade’s portal without ill affects if he personally escorted her—by arm—into his castle, had some hope that this entrance wouldn’t be as unpleasant as portal entrances generally were.

Sadly, Karriamis was not Castle Nightshade. She was grateful for the anchor of Bellusdeo’s arm because she had to close her eyes to move, and the Dragon’s grip was strong enough that she could allow herself to be dragged in the right direction. Portals weren’t always particular about their connections from one place to the next.

It took Kaylin ten minutes to recover enough to stand on her own two feet, but Severn quietly replaced Bellusdeo, offering Kaylin the brace of an arm at her back and beneath her own arms until she could breathe without almost throwing up.

Sorry.

Don’t apologize.

Can I apologize if I throw up on your shoes?

He appeared to think about this. Maybe.

She laughed. She felt the strength of his arm, envied his ability to ignore the disorienting shift of a portal’s passage, and found her own feet again.

Karriamis was waiting in person when Kaylin emerged from her unpleasant fog. He stood in front of a large arch that had no doors. Emmerian stood by Bellusdeo’s side, but one step behind, as if he intended to leave no doubt who was in command here. Mandoran, however, stayed beside Kaylin, his hands behind his back, his expression neutral. His eyes were a very dark blue.

Bellusdeo’s were orange with flecks of red; Emmerian’s were orange, with flecks of gold.

Karriamis’s were black; there were no white bits. He surprised them, or at least surprised Kaylin; he bowed to them all. “My apologies if the color of my eyes discomfits you, Corporal. It is not what you are accustomed to unless there are difficulties at home.”

She couldn’t hear Nightshade, but could imagine what he’d say. She didn’t think he would ever consent to enter Karriamis, even if he trusted its captain.

“No, he would not. But I would not extend that invitation. He is captain of perhaps the most difficult person it has been my displeasure to meet; I cannot imagine being confined in one place has done anything to improve Durandel’s extremely regrettable disposition. If Lord Nightshade is naturally suspicious, it is no wonder; I consider it a minor miracle that he has held the Tower for so long.”

“Durandel saved his life,” Kaylin said quietly.

“I am astonished.” If the Dragon Avatar didn’t look astonished, he did look surprised. “I would not have thought he could show even that much care.”

“I believe they have a partnership, and if Durandel is as difficult as you believe, he might not wish to train another suitable candidate.”

“Most would not survive the training. It says much about Lord Nightshade that he did.” None of it, by his expression, good.

“I don’t think many people would necessarily survive yours either,” Kaylin said.

“That was not training,” Karriamis replied, his voice more pleasant than his expression. “It was a simple test. Ah, no, it was a complicated test. Many tests among your kind are pass or fail. This was not entirely that. You experienced something similar when you first entered the Tower of Tiamaris.”

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