Cast in Wisdom (Chronicles of Elantra #15) - Michelle Sagara Page 0,162

behind us?”

“Not with ease. They will find it difficult to pass through it,” Starrante added.

“Not difficult enough.”

Kaylin turned toward the portal through which they’d arrived. She could see Candallar, flanked by Barrani Arcanist and human lord; his hands were turned, palm out, toward them, and something was writhing its way from the mounds of those palms through the portal itself.

Chapter 28

Severn stepped back; Bellusdeo caught him by the shoulder. “Not here,” she said.

He nodded and allowed the Dragon to breathe. Emmerian stood between the Hawk and the former queen, watching; Kaylin could see his back, but not the color of his eyes.

“That is an interesting weapon,” Starrante said as he worked. “I will ask you to use it with care here until we are more firmly established. Kavallac understands what has happened; the current stability of the library is due in large part to Androsse’s efforts. Kavallac was flexible in some ways, but...she disliked shifts in dimensions unless it was absolutely necessary.”

While he spoke, tendrils of purple and gray pierced the portal at his back. Kaylin realized that Candallar’s palms were pushing against it; Starrante had been right. They couldn’t gain access easily. Not the normal way.

Fire did not burn those tendrils, although both Dragons made a serious effort; Kaylin could have cooked food from where she was standing if the heat of those flames continued. It was Sedarias who grimaced and headed toward the portal.

Annarion said, “Not you.” He grabbed her by the arm; given her expression, Kaylin wouldn’t have dared. She doubted Terrano would have either, if he’d been present.

“What are you going to do?” Kaylin, caught at the side of Starrante, couldn’t easily navigate through the cage he’d made of his legs. She tried, and they tightened.

“It is not for you, Chosen,” he said softly. “The two who are arguing now might succeed.”

“Succeed?”

“You cannot see the shadows they cast,” he said without turning his head to face her. “I can. They remind me of my infant kin in the days at the dawn of time: they have their feet in many places at once, and with care, they might survive in all of them.”

“And me?”

“You are not what they are.” He raised his head. “But if I am allowed a vote, I would suggest that you allow Annarion An’Solanace to attempt to displace that magic.”

“And not Sedarias An’Mellarionne?” Sedarias demanded.

“No. Remain as anchor to the young man. It is my belief that you are more tenacious; what you claim, you will not let go of while you breathe. And if I do not understand them precisely, I see the webs and strands that bind you, each to the other.”

Kaylin didn’t know—would probably never know—what Starrante perceived. She didn’t see webs and strands; she knew that they shared True Names, but that wasn’t visible, either. But she thought he was right: Sedarias would be the best anchor anyone in the cohort had if they were tossed at sea.

Annarion didn’t draw his sword; he sheathed it. He displaced Bellusdeo, not Emmerian, and Bellusdeo gave him her spot at this small front, with a whisper that didn’t reach Kaylin’s ears. It did, apparently, reach Emmerian’s and Sedarias’s, judging by their reactions.

They didn’t respond. Before they could, Annarion reached out and grabbed the tendrils.

* * *

Caught between Starrante’s iron legs, Kaylin watched as Annarion dissolved. She felt Nightshade’s fear, but it vanished as he severed most of their already tenuous link; there were some things Barrani Lords did not share with anyone, and fear was probably at the head of the long list. He had not argued, had not attempted to make an argument through Kaylin; he had, as Kaylin had, remained silent.

Had Annarion been her baby brother, she wasn’t sure she could have done the same.

“Arbiter,” Sedarias said, the force of her voice denying the inherent politeness in using the title, “speed is now of the essence.”

Starrante understood. His chatter, such as it was, vanished as Annarion did. The only time he spoke, he spoke to Robin, and Robin’s replies were brief and muted.

They began to move.

Candallar’s palms were pressed flat against the portal, his mouth open, his eyes slits. Kaylin could see the upper edge of the portal waver, as if it were liquid; it didn’t break, but the undulations expanded. She had no idea if this would grant Candallar access to the library or not.

She turned to look ahead, rather than behind at the portal, squinting into the darkness with its flashes of moving light. Around Starrante, the