Page 42 of Cast in Conflict

The sword vanished. Only when it was gone did Emmerian dwindle in size and shape; he wore indigo armor, streaked in a black that gleamed.

“She is going to be so pissed off at him,” Kaylin told Terrano.

“Maybe I can hide with Emmerian,” Terrano replied. “Sedarias is furious.”

“With you?”

“Maybe?”

The sleep that had been interrupted by the conflict had fled to another continent.

“Are they done now?”

They had better be, Hope said. He wasn’t sleeping—or slumping, which was probably more accurate—either. He was alert, and if small, transparent lizards could look furious, he did. She had rarely seen Hope angry. Annoyed, yes. Irritated, yes. Possibly outraged or shocked. This was different.

Helen was more worried than angry, but Helen felt responsible for the safety of her guests.

Kaylin was neutral. She wanted what Helen wanted: everyone to get along like civilized people. Or a variant of civilized that included far less Barrani etiquette.

“We will not repair to the dining room,” Helen said, in a voice that could be heard by anyone standing in the long, wide hall, “until we are certain we are all calm enough to speak.”

Squawk.

“Especially you.”

Calm enough to speak took surprisingly little time, given the presence of Teela’s sword and a livid member of the Dragon Court.

Helen’s Avatar had joined them all; she was wearing obsidian armor, and it matched the color of her eyes. This seemed to suggest to the cohort that silence was golden.

“They are not being silent in the traditional sense,” Helen said. “This is not the first time that there has been conflict among my guests. You are all aware of the danger inherent in losing your tempers. All of you. Were you to have had this discussion anywhere else—in the fiefs, in the streets—any part of Ravellon that had been sleeping would be wide awake.

“Annarion.”

Annarion was corporeal; the entire cohort now was, although it had taken far longer than the transformations of the Dragons.

He nodded, less grim than chagrined. “Please accept my apologies,” he said, bowing deeply to Helen.

Terrano, true to his word, remained with Kaylin. Mandoran detached himself from the general group and joined them.

“Serralyn and Valliant are still in the Academia, right?”

It was Mandoran who nodded. Barrani didn’t require sleep, but on occasion, looked like they should revisit that concept. This was one of those occasions. “Serralyn wasn’t really worried. Valliant was, but she managed to talk him out of storming Helen.”

“Serralyn wasn’t worried?”

Mandoran shrugged. “Helen wasn’t about to let any of us kill each other.”

“What started this?” Kaylin kept her voice low out of habit; it wasn’t going to stop the cohort from hearing her or being aware of her. It wasn’t going to stop the Dragons, either.

“Terrano wanted to discuss—”

“I meant, what started the actual fighting?”

“Terrano’s discussion was the top of a very steep incline.” He grimaced.

“And that led to this?”

“Indirectly. Look—you weren’t here, and you were lucky to miss it. Take my word for this.”

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