Threshold of Annihilation (The Firebird Chronicles #3) - T.A. White Page 0,80
once. She regretted that an action she'd taken had destroyed that.
Amila’s chin dipped in acceptance. "I'll see you soon."
Lightness spread through Kira.
Amila winked. "Find us if they give you too much trouble."
Not waiting for Kira’s agreement, Amila strode in Noor’s wake.
Too late it occurred to Kira that she had no idea where Elena was, and it wasn’t like she could ask Wren’s people.
If they didn’t already know about Kira’s niece, she wasn’t going to be the one to inform them.
Nor was it feasible to search the grounds of the residence. Her encounter with House Asanth made it clear how precarious the balance of Tuann peace was.
Kira had no desire to start fights left and right.
Auralyn strode on. "Follow."
"A woman of few words. Remind you of anyone?" Jin asked.
"Why are you looking at me when you ask that?"
He snickered as they started after Auralyn. "I don't know. What could be the reason?"
Kira shook her head as they moved through the secondary gate, getting their first unobstructed look at the residence where the Tuann were staying.
Greenery encroached everywhere Kira looked, the straight lines of the building softened by the many plants.
Large windows took up many of the walls. The tint on them offered privacy to those inside, allowing them to look out while not allowing visitors to see in.
It was a nice defense feature, Kira had to admit.
It left her wondering if it also had heat-shielding capabilities that would prevent someone with infrared equipment from pinpointing the bodies inside.
The layout was blocky, like someone had taken several rectangle containers and welded them together. Some rectangles lay on their sides, while others stood vertical. Still more were stacked one on top of the other in inventive ways, creating the numerous balconies.
There wasn't much of a transition from outside to indoors as they stepped past a pair of columns. Tall trees with large fronds reached toward the ceiling.
There was no door to knock on as they moved into the entryway, the coolness of the building embracing them.
A stairway led up to their left, and there was a large area with seating overlooking a small garden to their right.
Auralyn ignored all of this, steering them deeper into the house.
"I don't suppose you have any showers around here?" Jin complained.
Auralyn's pace slowed as she regarded Jin. "Didn't you say water was your mortal enemy?"
"What's your point?" Jin asked
Kira's mouth twitched as Maksym squinted at him.
"Won't water destroy your circuits?" Maksym asked, curious.
The sound Jin made was rude. "What type of cobbled together, second rate drone do you mistake me for?"
Kira's shoulders shook as she tried to suppress her amusement. It would be less funny if Jin wasn't serious.
"You're not going to talk sense into him," Kira advised. "Mainly because he has no sense."
Auralyn hummed, looking askance at Kira. Whatever her thoughts, she kept them to herself.
Maksym pointed to one of the ponds visible outside the windows. "Why not use one of those?"
“Do you know how unsanitary those things are? Who knows what kind of bacteria are in there? Not to mention the fish. The Haldeel grow deadly varieties in their ponds. How will you make it up to me if one tries to take a chunk out of me?”
"That's what you're afraid of? Being eaten?" Maksym didn’t hide his skepticism.
"Of course not. Those low creatures couldn't even scratch my casing, but that doesn't mean they won't try."
In Jin logic, everything made sense. It was everyone else who had trouble following.
Kira listened, not interfering, more interested in seeing how these oshota of Wren's handled her friend. You could learn a lot by how someone interacted with those they perceived as lower in status.
Most people had some sense of self-preservation. They wouldn't knowingly antagonize a person who was equal or stronger than them—but introduce an entity they thought they could get away with bullying and you saw their true character.
Knowing their reaction would shape how Kira and Jin approached their time with the Tuann.
Jin was pushing the envelope a bit, but sometimes that was when you got the best reactions. Better to know now what they thought of Kira and Jin rather than get stabbed in the back later.
Of course, as always with Jin, there was some level of truth behind his actions.
He really did want a shower to wash off the muck, and he really did think the pond unsanitary for his needs.
Right now, the knowledge that his beautiful casing was smeared with unknown organic material was probably driving him crazy.