Page 4 of Cast in Atonement

Angry Bellusdeo, however, was still intimidating, so it made good sense to try to avoid her.

Hope had pulled himself out of his lazy, wet-blanket slump across Kaylin’s shoulders, and stood, wings folded, on the right one as Helen opened the door.

Kaylin got a face full of red-eyed, furious Dragon. It was almost a surprise when Bellusdeo opened her mouth and didn’t roar in her native tongue. Or breathe fire.

“What happened?” Kaylin asked, as she moved toward the angry Dragon.

“Karriamis,” Bellusdeo snarled, a little bit of fire framing the name she spit out. At least it wasn’t Emmerian. “Karriamis is the heart of a Tower—his concern is supposed to be Shadow!”

“Karriamis is—or was—a Dragon, dear,” Helen said, voice gentle. “But you are the captain of the Tower.”

Bellusdeo’s eyes didn’t get any less red as she turned to Helen, whose expression was apologetic—but firm.

“I am the heart of this house,” Helen continued. “I keep my tenants safe. I guard my perimeters. I was not created with the ability to choose my tenants—the Towers were. But I made some alterations, and I can choose now. Kaylin is my tenant. In theory, her role in my life is similar to your role in Karriamis’s life. But we certainly disagree about some things. If it were up to Kaylin, she would wake up in the morning in just enough time to run out of the house in a panic.

“I believe breakfast is an important meal; I wake her and she eats breakfast. She could order me to stop.”

“And you’d obey?” Bellusdeo asked, a hairsbreadth before Kaylin could.

Helen’s smile was sweetness itself—and it was her only answer. No, of course she wouldn’t obey.

“My dear, if Kaylin truly commanded me, I would have no choice. It is the same with Karriamis and Bellusdeo—but he is cunning. He, as I, will do everything within his limited power to maintain control over himself. In my case, I simply chose the right tenant. And in his, he chose the right lord.”

Helen’s Avatar froze, her eyes becoming obsidian spheres as they did when something demanded too much of her attention.

“Imelda?” Helen said, her voice sharper, harsher than her intent. She turned from Bellusdeo and the conversation they’d been having as if both were irrelevant, her eyes going to the dining room’s door.

Mrs. Erickson stood in its frame. At her back, close enough to grab her and drag her to safety if necessary, was Mandoran. Terrano stepped through both Mandoran and Mrs. Erickson to stand in the hall. His eyes were blue, and they’d become larger than the Barrani physical norm. Sanabalis, Kaylin couldn’t see, but maybe he thought it beneath his dignity to crowd around the door when there was no chance he could walk through it.

“Imelda, what’s happened, what’s wrong?” Helen moved toward the old woman who was clutching the frame of the door, as if it was necessary to support her very slight weight.

Kaylin had turned as well and froze.

Mrs. Erickson was crying.

Bellusdeo’s eyes shifted color, darkening. Whatever had frustrated her so much that she’d stormed her way to Helen was set aside; she knew what the color of Helen’s eyes meant. Danger. Fear.

Terrano stepped into the hall to allow Mrs. Erickson to enter it; she didn’t. Her arm trembled and her tears continued to fall. Only when Mandoran gently caught her lifted arm, prying her fingers from the doorframe and offering the physical support the frame had provided, did she move.

She was staring at Bellusdeo. Her gaze never left the gold Dragon.

It was enormously awkward to attempt to introduce the former roommate to the current one, given the circumstances. Kaylin had been—and still was—certain that Bellusdeo would like Mrs. Erickson, but the weeping changed the nature of their first meeting. Instead of being polite and comfortable, it was raw and uncomfortable.

Bellusdeo didn’t shed tears in public. Tears left other people feeling helpless—like they should be able to do something, but had no idea what, and anything they tried might make things worse, not better.

Kaylin understood this, because she felt that way herself.

Mrs. Erickson attempted to get her tears under control, and mostly failed.

“Imelda?” Helen approached Mrs. Erickson, glancing at Mandoran, whose arm was around the old woman’s shoulders.

Mrs. Erickson shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she finally managed to say. It took her three tries. She lifted a hand and attempted to wipe the tears away.

“This is Bellusdeo,” Kaylin said, feeling far more awkward than she should have. “She used to live with us, but she has her own home now.”

The Dragon snorted.

“And, Bellusdeo, this is Mrs. Erickson. She’s living with us now.”

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