Threshold of Annihilation (The Firebird Chronicles #3) - T.A. White Page 0,72
world turned upside down while she wasn't looking?
Graydon's eyes danced at her mistrustful look. "There are conditions, of course."
"Of course," Kira bit out.
How could she not have guessed?
"You're not to make a move without me. No going off alone. No keeping secrets."
His gaze was firm with no room for negotiation.
Kira wondered if that look worked on other Tuann.
"I can't promise you the last one," Kira said. "There are things I know that affect the safety and wellbeing of others. I can't reveal their secrets without their permission."
Graydon waited a long moment before inclining his chin. "That is acceptable."
Kira watched him carefully, not sure if she trusted this magnanimous version of the Emperor's Face. Where were the demands? The rules? This was downright understanding of him.
Graydon's smile widened. "You're not the only one privy to secrets that could move empires. We all must walk a delicate balance."
It was likely as close as Graydon would get to admitting he had secrets of his own he couldn't—wouldn’t—divulge.
"Then we're agreed," Kira said.
Graydon straightened, the movement somehow predatory. It was enough to make Kira's insides tremble as he brushed past her.
"Yes, we'll work toward our goals together." Graydon stopped next to her, saying those last words directly into her ear.
Kira shivered at the barely restrained growl in his voice.
Why did Kira have a feeling he had placed an entirely different meaning on that sentence?
*
The privileges imbued by rank were made clear during Graydon and Kira's departure. No one tried to stop them as Kira grabbed Jin and they left the conference room. The corridors they passed through as they retraced Kira's steps were empty, not a Haldeel peacekeeper in sight.
If not for Kira's certainty the Haldeel were watching every move they made, she'd have thought they were making a grand escape.
They arrived at the entrance. The Haldeel peacekeeper from before waited there along with two Tuann Kira didn't recognize.
Taller than Graydon by a few inches, the male Tuann had the same powerful build that said he'd spent a lifetime honing his body into the perfect weapon.
A hood with some type of field masked his face, making his features impossible to decipher.
At first glance, it was tempting to assume he was one of Graydon's people from the matte black armor he wore. The protective way he hovered beside the woman, as if ready at any moment to lay down his life in her defense, told Kira that wasn't the case.
The only explanation for why the man was wearing synth armor exclusive to the emperor’s people was if the woman was another of the Emperor’s Faces.
Kira examined the woman with renewed interest. Where Graydon reminded her of a savage storm, containing the potential to annihilate everything in his path, the woman was his contrast in every way.
She was like a winter's night. Calm, still, a biting chill emanating from her. She didn't wear the synth armor Kira had come to expect among high-ranking officials of the Tuann.
Instead, she was clad in the same intricate style as the Haldeel. Her outfit was built in layers. She wore a silvery, flowing skirt and a cream-colored under top that were overlaid by a dark blue robe fitted with a wide silver belt. It was followed by another sheer robe that hung loose around her body. More intricate by far than the peacekeeper's outer garments, the material was luxurious, a silver pattern shimmering among the darker blue.
It was elegant and not at all suited to moving quickly. If the woman was attacked, it'd be almost impossible to defend herself.
The woman held a kind of beauty that you couldn't help but admire. Hair as black as the void of space was gathered in an intricate tail down her back.
Her eyes were serene as she watched Kira and Graydon's approach.
To Kira's surprise, there was a thread of tension in Graydon at the sight of the woman.
The Haldeel ignored the others to sweep Kira a partial bow. "Za na ri, my superiors thank you for your great service."
The waiting Tuann looked with interest at Kira.
She was no less startled.
The most common form of address for the Haldeel was za. If they were feeling especially polite or grateful, they'd throw in an extra syllable making it—za na.
To be called za na ri was surprising.
It was one of the politest forms of address—denoting a respect and acknowledgment that was almost unheard of when speaking to members of an opposing race. To Kira's knowledge no human had ever been called that.