like she'd danced along death's dagger and barely escaped with her life.
She almost froze again at the sight of five more like him crowding the hallway. Only Jace calling out to the stranger made her come unstuck.
She marched toward the desk and Ensign Waverly.
"I suppose I have you to thank for the timely interruption," Kira said mildly.
The woman's startle was barely perceptible. "I did as was required by my standing orders."
Kira's lips quirked. "Thank you, nonetheless."
Waverly's chin dipped. "You're welcome, Captain."
*
Graydon watched the woman stalk away. He glanced at one of his men. "Follow her."
Baran nodded and stepped away from the wall, Amila following, as they trailed the strange woman.
The rest of his warriors watched him with curiosity, their eyes alive with questions they wouldn't ask in the presence of these humans.
Graydon stepped into the small interrogation room. He grimaced at the space, instantly feeling a sense of claustrophobia. He didn't know how humans could stand such small spaces. It made him feel like he was in a metal box in danger of crushing him.
He put the strange woman and her fierce expression out of his mind. Not an easy task. Something about her warned him she would one day be important to him. At home, you could sometimes feel the coming of a storm when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. He got the same feeling when he looked at her.
Sometimes storms revealed hidden treasures, wiping away the old rot and replacing it with something stronger. Other times they washed everything away, leaving nothing in their wake but devastation.
He couldn't guess which type of storm this woman would bring, but he'd learned to trust his senses. If they indicated she was important, he'd listen.
Not many challenged him so blatantly. Odd to find someone capable of the feat here among the frustrating humans.
He scowled as irritation bit at him for the reminder. He clasped his hands behind him, well aware of how intimidating he would seem to the human and the other Tuann.
"Lord Graydon, I apologize for having to call you in for this matter," the human said, his voice scrupulously polite.
"Why have you?"
Graydon was a busy man. He didn't enjoy having his time wasted on petty matters.
The human grimaced. "I think it's better if I show you."
Graydon said nothing as the human bent to fuss with a device.
He glanced at the other Tuann, his expression severe. A few lowered their chins in unvoiced apology.
Why would they call attention to themselves in this way? While they weren't under his command, Liont had impressed him with his level-headedness, a necessary trait given what he and his people had recently faced.
A holovid started on one of the screens embedded into the walls of the small room. At first, Graydon didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking at. The video stream was of the beehive, the small boats moving from terrace to terrace.
Suddenly, there was an explosion on one of those sailboats, parts of it catching on fire as it began to lose altitude.
Graydon glanced at the others again.
They shifted. All of them were disciplined, showing few emotions, but Graydon caught the smallest slump of their shoulders indicating shame.
On the screen, the woman with the intense stare appeared. She bounded off her terrace and onto the sailboat. She disappeared into the cabin only to reappear seconds later carrying Ziva, Joule trailing her.
Graydon focused on Liont. "Explain."
The human paused the holovid.
"Ziva wanted to ride on the slow boat," Liont started. "Joule humored her."
Graydon reached for patience, knowing the other man wouldn't have started here if it wasn't important.
"Several of us stayed behind to haggle with the human owner of the slow boat." Liont spoke in human standard for the human's benefit. "Other humans began to act aggressively toward us. We were trying to calm them while Vera accompanied the children onto the slow boat. It exploded minutes later."
Grief touched Liont's face. Vera hadn't made it off.
Graydon bowed his head as a sign of sympathy. Liont and the rest had lost much recently. Any death hurt, but this one would burn given what they'd survived.
"Was it a distraction?" Graydon asked, switching to Tuann.
Liont hesitated. "It is hard to say. You know how these humans are."
Graydon's lips tightened. Yes, he did. They were a brash race intent on challenging those stronger than themselves. It made them difficult to deal with at times. They charged when they should run, and ran when they needed to hold their ground.
The human's expression turned thoughtful. "I'll have