There’s more, she added, afraid to spook the two not-actually-ghosts.

I know.

I think they recognize your weapon.

He nodded. “Have you asked the questions you came to ask?”

Not yet—I don’t think they’d answer anything even if I did. They seem terrified of you.

He didn’t find this as surprising as Kaylin had. It made her wonder what he did in the meetings he couldn’t talk about.

The two ghosts weren’t going to be engaging in dialogue now. She recognized the look; they were afraid of Severn. It was normal—if not useful—to have people be afraid of Hawks, especially if those Hawks were Barrani. The Barrani Hawks did play by the rules the Halls of Law set out—but no one trusted Barrani, and if Kaylin were honest, she considered this rational and intelligent. But Barrani in Hawk tabards were Hawks first, Barrani second.

Regardless, they viewed Severn as if he were Barrani, and at that, a powerful Barrani Lord with the usual regard for the lives of others.

Kaylin exhaled. “He can’t see you. He can’t hear you. He can’t touch you.”

Hope squawked.

“Fine. He can’t touch you without deliberate intervention on the part of my familiar—an intervention I give you my word will not happen again without your consent. My partner’s not here to hunt ghosts. He’s not here to...do whatever it is you’re afraid he’ll do. He’s mortal, like I am, and like you appear to have once been.

“I came here because Mrs. Erickson knows Severn is my partner. We’re both Imperial Hawks. We work at the Halls of Law. The Halls of Law enforce Imperial Laws. If the law is broken, there are consequences.”

“What are your laws?” Darreno demanded.

“Do you have five hours?”

Almost bitterly, Amaldi said, “We appear to have all the time in the world.”

“You’ve been people watching for a long time, haven’t you?”

Amaldi nodded.

“So—you’re aware that you’re a ghost in an Empire—and a city—ruled by a Dragon, right?”

“Ghosts are dead people,” Amaldi replied. “We’re not dead.”

There had been functionally no difference for a long time, in Kaylin’s opinion. But she didn’t argue because Hope had bitten the young woman, and for a single moment, she had been as solid and real as any other citizen on the street. “I wouldn’t have guessed that. Neither did Mrs. Erickson. Mrs. Erickson sees ghosts,” Kaylin added.

“We know. Sometimes she talks to people neither of us can see—but we aren’t sure if they’re...in the same situation we are. We don’t know. And we don’t want to cause trouble for her.”

Kaylin nodded. “You don’t need to eat or sleep?”