Page 163 of Cast in Atonement

“Evanton briefly let me know that things have returned to normal in the garden, or a variant of normal. He expects you to visit when you are mobile again.”

That sounded less promising. “He wants me to visit the garden?”

Bellusdeo coughed. “The Keeper and the green appear to have had a bit of an argument after you passed out. Mrs. Erickson was trying to be peacekeeper.”

“Did she even understand what they were saying?”

“She understood what Evanton was saying—he got quite salty. But I think she understood how the green felt. Possibly because she was still wearing the crown, or at least that’s what Teela thinks.”

“And the end result is I have to visit Evanton?”

“It’s the compromise.”

Kaylin thought about just going back to sleep, but she was no longer tired; she was slightly anxious, which never made for good sleep. But it seemed unfair that the green and the Keeper had an argument, and the brokered peace was on Kaylin’s shoulders.

“I thought you’d prefer that, over having Imelda put into more danger.”

Kaylin exhaled and nodded; it was true. Mrs. Erickson was a civilian, an elderly woman with a very kind disposition—one Kaylin, and most of her friends, lacked. Yes, it was better if Kaylin had to cope with an angry Keeper and a disgruntled green. But Kaylin suspected that both the Keeper and the green wouldn’t take out irritation on Mrs. Erickson. Kaylin felt she was fair game. Ugh.

“Did Terrano reappear?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Bellusdeo replied. “Mandoran’s waiting to talk to you about Terrano.”

“He’s safe,” Helen told Kaylin, both gently and quickly. “And unharmed.”

“Then why isn’t Terrano waiting to speak with me?”

“He can’t. He suggested—again—that Sedarias allow the cohort to include you as one of its members.”

“Sedarias would hate that.”

“Indeed. She wasn’t the only person to argue against it, but even if she had been, the cohort operates on consensus in matters of grave import. Teela was also against it, but for different reasons; Sedarias fears for the safety of her chosen family. Teela fears for your safety.”

“Kaylin is part of Teela’s chosen family,” Bellusdeo pointed out. “If I were offered the same opportunity, I would reject it utterly. The very idea of having to hear Terrano in the back of my thoughts whenever he feels like holding forth gives me hives.”

“Do Dragons even get hives?” Kaylin asked, as she swung her legs off the bed and started to look for clothing.

“We did when we were children.” Bellusdeo’s eyes were gold. She rose from the chair she’d been occupying—clearly one that Helen had created for Bellusdeo, as it wasn’t a normal part of Kaylin’s room—as Kaylin got out of bed. Kaylin met her gaze and held it.

She hadn’t talked very much with the eight sisters, but she knew they were somehow with Bellusdeo because Bellusdeo seemed different. Not bad different, just...not the same.

The gold Dragon reached for Kaylin’s hands; Kaylin put dressing in day clothing on hold. “I think you, and the green, did what you could to help me. To help us. I cannot put into words how much gratitude I feel to both of you. And to Mrs. Erickson. If she hadn’t been here, if you hadn’t taken her in, I would never have known. My sisters would have been trapped, in isolation, for eternity.

“Mrs. Erickson helped them—and that helped me. But I was a little bit...overfocused. It’s probably a good thing my Tower is a sentient building—I’m not sure he’d’ve survived that focus, otherwise.”

“What do you mean?”

“I may have lost my temper. He considered the dead to be dead; they were irrelevant to the living. I disagreed.” Her eyes flickered orange, but the orange didn’t remain. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “And I was right. I intend to enjoy that immensely when I return to the Tower.”

“You’re—you’re whole now? You’re what you should have been?” Kaylin wondered if, when she’d first helped Bellusdeo to find her True Name, she could have done things properly if she’d understood how Bellusdeo’s name should have been built. She’d done what she could at the time, but in her ignorance, she’d done half the job. Bellusdeo clearly didn’t hold it against her. Neither did the sisters.

But maybe Bellusdeo would have been in better shape if Kaylin had been able to intervene properly. If Kaylin had known then what she knew now.

“If you are going to blame yourself for our prior state, don’t. If you hadn’t done what you did at the time, I, too, would have been lost.” Bellusdeo’s smile deepened. “That’s not the real reason, though. Guilt bores me, I’ve lived with it for so long. As for us?

“What Kavallac described isn’t quite what we have. Maybe because we were apart for so long. Or maybe it’s because of the Outcaste’s interference. I can hear my sisters as distinct voices—we’re like a council of Bellusdeo. The seams are strong—but they’re definitely there. Maybe they’ll fade with time.”

“It must be really noisy on the inside of your head about now.”

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