There was an odd mix of annoyance and pride in her voice. I half smiled. "How young?"
She hesitated. "She was twelve. Even at that age it was evident she was very gifted."
"So why wasn't she ever asked to become a custodian?"
Our footsteps beat a sharp tattoo against the marble floor, and the sound echoed in the hushed shadows that surrounded us. I half wondered if we'd wake anyone up. I knew from past experience that there were at least two dozen witches staying here at any one time, some of them permanent residents like Kiandra, and some, like Ilianna's mother, here only when rostered on for duty.
Zaira turned left at the end of the hall and started up some stairs. Lights flickered on as we approached, then went dark once we'd passed, and there wasn't a sensor to be seen.
Zaira gave me a quick but nevertheless shrewd glance over her shoulder. "She did begin training as a custodian, but her tenure was brief."
I knew that. I also knew she'd seen something that scared the hell out of her. "She has mentioned that, but she's never said why she left."
"No, she would not." We entered another hall. For a moment I thought that was the end of the conversation, but she surprised me by adding, "This place, and all the wisdom it holds, is not only protected by magic, but sometimes by steel and bloodshed. Ilianna witnessed a latter event and was too young to understand the necessity."
"She's not too young now."
"No." There was a smile in her voice. "But she is incredibly stubborn. I fear she will not come back to us until Kiandra leaves."
Meaning Kiandra was the one who had done the bloodshed, obviously. Still, it was odd. Ilianna wasn't the squeamish type; nor was she illogical. And she was certainly more than capable of understanding the necessity to sometimes use force to protect what was, basically, the spiritual home of witches here in Australia. There had to be more to the story.
"So what did she see?"
"That, I'm afraid, I cannot tell you."
I guess I had to be thankful she'd told me as much as she had, although it was certainly frustrating to pick up a little more knowledge and yet know there was a whole lot more to uncover.
We continued on down the darkened hall. This was an area I'd never been through before and, if it had been day rather than night, I might have slowed and had a good look around. As it was, I could barely see anything more than the darkly stained wood panels that lined the hall.