had to retreat when she nearly bit someone’s hand off. Her dependency on you concerns me a little. It could make it difficult to bond her to a rider.”
Silence stretched on in the wake of Falka’s words. Tauran’s confidence suddenly wavered. Accusing a Sky Guard general was a serious offense that Falka’s personal affection for him might not spare him the consequences of. Did Tauran even want to accuse him? Falka had been the father Tauran had yearned for in the aimless years after he left home.
But then Tauran remembered the sight of Kalai curled up in bed, trembling and weak.
“Tauran?” Falka’s hand was heavy on his shoulder.
“Sir,” Tauran said, voice rough as gravel. “May I have a word with you?”
Falka’s smile faded. “You look concerned. What is it?”
“In private.”
Falka led Tauran up the stairs, not to his office, but to his personal quarters. Tauran’s body felt stiff as he walked, like he’d forgotten how to move naturally. The back of his neck prickled unpleasantly. He rubbed it, but it didn’t dispel the feeling.
Falka let him inside, closing the door behind them. The feeling of being trapped rose inside Tauran, but he knew it was a ridiculous thought. The door wasn’t locked. He could leave any time.
Falka leaned against his desk, hands in his jacket pockets. He regarded Tauran, waiting for him to speak, and Tauran realized he had no idea where to start.
Tauran chose the safest topic he could think of, although none of them felt safe, given the circumstances. “Have you found a replacement for the saddle maker?” He folded his hands behind his back to keep from fiddling. His leg ached, throbbing slightly out of sync with the beats of his heart.
“Not yet. It was unfortunate,” Falka said. He looked genuinely troubled. “He was worth a lot to us. I thought highly of him, once. I know you liked him, too. We can’t risk another event like Broken Wings.”
Tauran nodded, slowly. He considered asking about the old archivist, but he couldn’t think of a way to ask that wouldn’t place Kalai’s actions in question, as well. Instead, he said, “I spoke to Kalai. He told me he’s been experiencing bad reactions to the medicine you gave him.”
Falka’s brow furrowed. He took a crystal decanter from the desk and poured the golden contents into a glass. “Really? I wasn’t aware.”
Tauran studied his face for a long moment, then played his card, adopting the most casual expression he could. “I made him throw the rest of it out. It didn’t seem to do him much good, anyway.”
Falka’s gaze shifted to Tauran’s, for a moment betraying a flicker of alarm. Then he reigned himself in. He put the decanter back down, but didn’t take the glass. “You don’t think it would benefit him to give the pills more of a chance?”
Tauran swallowed. If Falka knew what was in the pills, he would also know what quitting them suddenly would do to Kalai. Having already lost one archivist to the rebels, losing a second would be most unfortunate. Tauran hesitated. A part of him didn’t want to reveal what he knew, and he wasn’t sure if fear of repercussion was what held him back. But then, he’d never been one to shy away from risk. “I took one of the pills to Doctor Erica,” he said, his voice loud in the silence. Somewhere above, he thought he heard Leyra release a cry of boredom. “She told me it was laden with doroxian.”
Falka went still, then ran the tip of his finger along the rim of the glass. “And what do you know of doroxian?”
Tauran’s hands were clammy. “She told me it has no beneficial properties. That all it does is cause dangerous addiction.”
Falka sighed softly. He looked exhausted when he raised the glass to his lips, drank, and looked at Tauran. “And how much experience does she have producing this specific drug?”
Tauran’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t ask.”
“Then let me enlighten you.” Falka set the glass down with a click. “When handled properly, doroxian mixed with other drugs works as an enhancer, increasing the efficiency of otherwise weak medications. Like I told you.” Falka took a step toward him, smiling faintly. “The pills are harmless. Although, if Mister Ro-Ani has been experiencing side effects, perhaps an allergic reaction could be the root of the issue. I’ll invite him to the grounds to be looked over by one of our physicians.”
Tauran gazed into Falka’s dark eyes. Every fiber of his being wanted to