“Careful isn’t in his nature,” Serralyn replied. “Not even Sedarias can force him to behave for more than ten minutes at a time. It’s a good thing he’s pretty hard to kill.” She said the last with a sunny smile.

“Sedarias might lose her temper?” the Consort asked, returning that smile. “When young, my older brother had a foul temper; it drove both my parents to despair.”

Serralyn’s brows rose. Teela’s did as well. The expressions were separated by laughter—Serralyn’s. Teela didn’t feel that speaking of the current High Lord in this familiar and familial fashion was in any way appropriate.

But if the Consort hoped to put Serralyn—and Terrano—at ease, it worked. Teela was stone-faced throughout, but made no attempt to argue against that ease; Kaylin wasn’t even certain she made the private attempt. On some level, and inasmuch as Barrani were capable of it, Teela trusted the Consort.

Kaylin trusted her as well, but had forced herself to accept that trust or no, the Consort was still a powerful Barrani woman. It was not wise to cross her, and if crossed, there were consequences. The Consort had attempted to cage and entrap the cohort.

Then again, the cohort, through Terrano, had tried to kill her, so...maybe they were even? Ugh, Barrani. Sometimes trying to untangle their interactions gave her a headache. Today, however, that wasn’t her concern. She hoped. She’d expected the Consort to ask that the investigation be shelved, and had braced herself for the anger that would follow the refusal. But Teela had taken the refusal in hand, and Teela had a weight and power in court that made the refusal make sense to the Consort.

And now they were following the Avatar of the High Halls down a hall that the Consort had never seen, to a room that maybe didn’t exist anymore, except in the building’s memory. Or a room that could be pulled out of the nebulous nothingness from which buildings worked.

“That is not quite the way it works,” the Avatar said. He then frowned. “You did not mention your Helen’s newest guests.”

“I had other things on my mind. Are they important?”

“Yes. Very.”

“Could you tell me why? Or how? Or...what they even are? They’re not like the words in the Lake.”

“No. They are not of and for the race known as Barrani.”

Maybe something good would come out of this visit. Kaylin was still not used to the idea that the High Halls was now a sentient building. “Do you know what they are?”

“Unless you wish to take the risk of transporting them here, I cannot be certain. I would not harm them, but I am uncertain that you could make that clear. I do not believe you would be in danger, but it is not yourself for whom you are concerned. And I consider it a risk.