for that?”
“I was not, as you must be aware. The politics of the court were ever the bane of my existence, and his confirmation as relevant as any other.”
Her brows rose, her expression softening slightly. “And my lord?”
“Lord Corvallan was of interest to us only because of his closer association with Teremaine.”
“It is not a close association that he has personally cultivated. Teremaine has done work for Mellarionne in the past, and the work has never risen to the attention of the Emperor.”
“Until now.”
“Until now.”
“Where is Lord Corvallan?”
“He speaks with An’Mellarionne,” was her cool reply, “having finally received the audience he has waited for far too long.”
Cassandre did not care for An’Mellarionne, Severn thought. Then again, it was likely she cared for no Barrani, possibly not even the husband to whom her fate was tied by marriage. “But I suppose we must thank you.”
Elluvian stiffened.
“Were it not for your first visit, I doubt that the meeting would have yet taken place.” There was no hint of gratitude in her tone.
“We are who we are, Cassandre. We must take advantage of even the most unpleasant of condescensions, where it is possible to do so.”
For one moment, her eyes lightened, although their color remained martial. So, too, Elluvian’s. “That was ever your skill, your art. Very well. In my considered opinion, Teremaine is unlikely to survive your inquiries.”
Elluvian nodded, as if Teremaine were now irrelevant.
“Even were An’Sennarin not to hear about your inquiries, it is highly likely that they would come to nothing. An’Mellarionne has endeavors I’m certain he would wish to protect. Nothing Teremaine says, of course, would implicate An’Mellarionne directly; there is a reason that Teremaine has long been considered a reliable associate.
“But none of our kin can be reliable forever; all it takes is one small slip. Lord Corvallan will, of course, obliquely discuss the difficulty; I am uncertain that the information would reach An’Mellarionne so quickly, otherwise.”
“I am not, for reasons that cannot be divulged.”
“Why, then, are you here? It has been a very trying few days, and I ask you not to lay further burdens at our feet, perhaps in remembrance of what we once shared in the distant past.”
“Corvallan is not implicated in any of this,” Elluvian replied. “Nor will he be.”
Her gaze fell on Severn and remained there.
“It is a caste court matter,” Severn said quietly. “And the caste court is no province of the Wolves; the caste court exemptions are written into the laws we have sworn our lives to uphold.”
Her smile was less practiced as she offered it to Severn. Of course it was. Severn was a mortal youth who could not, in her estimation, harm her at all. Only his placement as one of the Emperor’s Wolves could cause complications, but those complications were not of grave concern. Elluvian, however, was.
“You must take care to keep yourself both safe and alive while you are here,” she said, her tone almost fond. “It is the only way to ensure that the caste court exemptions are irreproachable.”
Severn nodded. In spite of himself, he liked her, liked the sound of her voice, liked the cool smile and the color of her eyes. She was, as all Barrani were, beautiful.
Beauty, however, was a tool like any other in the hands of the Barrani. He wondered, briefly, how they saw themselves.
“I have prepared some information,” she said. “Which I will deliver to you when you feel it is time to leave.” Another smile, this for Elluvian, touched her lips; it was not, in any way, kind or warm. “And I believe that you will be departing soon; you are to meet An’Tellarus in less than an hour.”
Elluvian’s sigh was theatrical; his smile was warmer than Cassandre’s. “You were always the best among us,” he said. Severn thought he meant it. “And your ability to charm even the snakes, stopping them a moment in their path, has not diminished in the slightest.”
“Ah, but it has, Elluvian. In days past, those snakes that stopped died instantly without causing harm. If it will be of any comfort—and I know it will not, but feel obliged anyway—An’Tellarus does not bear you any ill will.”
“At present. Her moods are capricious, and her wrath unpredictable.”
“It is why she has always been feared. Even those who are dedicated to our fall are less dangerous because they are focused and predictable. I am curious to know what you have done to merit this much of her attention this time.”
“And perhaps she will tell you. She