The Emperor's Wolves (Wolves of Elantra #1) - Michelle Sagara Page 0,47
unusual. But if that is the case, anything you require you have already taken. And anything Elluvian requires, he has not. No,” he added, “I would never subject the Tha’alani to the interior of a Barrani mind. I feel there is a reason we all have minds of our own. As I said, you may stay and be of use. If you dislike dust, clean. The well is down the road, to the left. There are cloths in the kitchen. The bucket is stronger than it looks.”
“It looks like it leaks.”
“Do you really think that is my concern at the moment?”
He wasn’t the one who’d be carrying the water. Given the presence of angry Barrani, however, Severn shook his head wordlessly and went in search of water.
* * *
Severn had time to find the well, to return to the store—Evanton had kindly not locked the door in his absence—and to find cloths; he had time to consider the cobwebs and also time to find a broom. He even had time to, as Evanton had put it, make himself useful; the use had not unearthed any objects of apparent value to the junior Wolf. He doubted that he’d find anything, and even if he did, doubted he could afford it.
When Elluvian returned to the storefront, he returned alone. “Do not give me that look.”
“Where’s the old man?”
“The old man is lording it over his damn garden. We’re to show ourselves out.”
“We don’t have keys.”
“If you think that petty thievery is a concern, you have failed to understand Evanton.”
A casual glance around slightly cleaner shelves followed. “What do you expect Evanton to know?”
“It’s not what he personally knows that’s relevant. It’s what he refers to as his garden. We call it the Keeper’s Garden, and Evanton, the Keeper. It houses the heart of the elemental forces, and when they are in a reasonable mood, they will condescend to speak with us.
“Only one of the four speaks in a way we can understand.”
“You spoke to the one who can.”
“Yes.” Elluvian sounded annoyed. “And I will owe the Keeper a future favor, or the communication would not have been allowed at all.”
Severn thought of the flash of blue light, the crack of thunder, the anger of dark Barrani eyes. He then nodded. Those eyes were, if anything, darker; in the lack of sunlight they looked almost black. “You know who we’re hunting.”
“There are complications.”
Severn nodded. Where Barrani were involved, the bigger surprise would be lack of complication. As he rinsed his hands in water that was now almost the color of Elluvian’s eyes, he said, “Hostages or rank?”
“You have been talking to Helmat.”
“Rosen, actually.”
“At the moment? Rank. The one thing you will understand before you graduate: the Barrani do not take hostages.”
“Rosen said—”
“Rosen fails to appreciate what a hostage is. If mortals were hunting the Barrani, they might take hostages, because they could believe that the mortal in question could be swayed to stay their hand. I am not mortal. There are very, very few who could be used as hostages against me—and frankly, if my quarry were foolish enough to even make that attempt, there would be nothing left of him for us to hunt; what is important enough to me is important to a great many powerful Lords of the High Court.”
“Where are we going?”
“We are not going anywhere. You, however, will return to the Halls of Law.”
* * *
“Have you ever heard the phrase ‘don’t kill the messenger’?” Rosen asked, as Severn lingered by her desk.
“Not in those exact words.”
“Well, I advise you to repeat those exact words. Helmat is not going to be happy. Did En say where he was going?”
Severn shook his head.
“Helmat’s orders to En were that you were to tag along with him. You heard the orders?”
Severn nodded.
“If you’re here, you’re not tagging along with him. I expect you’re going to get very specific orders once Helmat clears a bit of hostility.” At Severn’s expression, she added, “Swears his head off.”
“You want me—me, new, on probation—to tell Elluvian—Immortal, Barrani, probably a mage—what to do?”
“I can see how that might be a problem for you,” Rosen said, with reluctant sympathy. “To be fair, no. But Helmat will. There are orders. There are requests. En chose to confuse the two, and he can deal with the fallout of that. You, however—on probation, as you pointed out—don’t have that option. He’s going to make it clear that his orders are not guidelines.”