Page 35 of Cast in Conflict

“So if one of you wanted to share your True Name with someone else, they couldn’t?”

“They could,” Valliant said. “But you understand why none of us want that.”

She did. She finished eating and rose. “I’ll leave you guys to talk about the Academia and its local legends. Try not to get in trouble.”

“You’re not going to talk to the Dragon?”

Bellusdeo was engaged in conversation with the chancellor. “No thanks. I just ate.”

Helen opened the front door before Kaylin reached it, and stood in its frame watching her as she made her way up the walk.

“You’ve eaten dinner, I assume,” Helen said.

Kaylin nodded. “Has everyone else?”

“Sedarias has not returned yet, nor have her companions. Mandoran and Terrano are in the dining room with Fallessian and Torrisant.” Kaylin had spent little time with the latter two; even in the larger group gatherings, they, like Valliant and Serralyn, tended to be silent. They were content to communicate with the cohort. And probably Helen. Kaylin was neither.

“Well?” Mandoran asked as she trudged into the dining room.

“I’ve eaten.”

Hope squawked, but the sound was muted; he seemed tired. Or lazy. I dislike the sound of Starrante’s voice; it is very poorly modulated.

Kaylin couldn’t exactly criticize him for this. “Did you two visit Candallar?”

Terrano nodded.

“Did you visit the Tower?”

Silence.

“Why are you glaring at me?” Terrano demanded.

“I want an answer.”

More silence. To Kaylin’s surprise, it was Torrisant, the definition of strong and silent, who answered. “They tried.” She had no idea whether or not this was true, but Terrano’s eyes were blue now.

“Together or separately?”

“Together. Separate wouldn’t usually matter, but Hallionne—and Helen—can usually separate us,” Fallessian replied, picking up the conversation from where Torrisant had entered it.

“He means I can prevent them from speaking through their name bond, dear.”

“It didn’t seem safe for either of them to enter the Tower alone. Terrano didn’t expect that it would be impossible to enter the Tower at all, and he’s sulking.”

These were more words than Kaylin had heard from Fallessian in the entire time she’d known him. Terrano had turned to physically glare in Fallessian’s direction, which was unnecessary; if Terrano was actually annoyed, Fallessian couldn’t avoid knowing.

Fallessian folded his arms.

Kaylin didn’t want to be in the middle of this argument. She’d seen the cohort’s arguments before; it usually ended up with some—or all—of them being sent to the training room in which all dangerous research was performed, and frequently ended with some of them disincorporating into splashes of livid color against the walls of that room.

But no, that wasn’t it. If the lack of corporeal cohesion was disturbing—and it was—that wasn’t what she wanted to avoid. She wanted to avoid a serious conflict between Bellusdeo and the cohort.

In the end, the cohort resolved their difficulties without murdering each other.

Bellusdeo wasn’t one of them.

Helen could only keep Bellusdeo—or the cohort—safe if they were under this roof; she had no control when they left home.

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