Page 10 of The Silent
As Kyra rose and looked around the room, she felt profound wonder. Complex equations, the likes of which Kyra had never understood, covered the walls of the room. White plaster covered by black charcoal pencil marks, as complex and beautiful as the intricate tattoos that covered Niran’s arms. She looked at the neat stacks of books sitting by the girl’s pallet and the rolls of paper she used to write even more equations. A star map covered one wall, and a telescope perched delicately in the corner. Constellations were drawn around thewindows.
Niran watched the girl as she slept, disbelief battling with wonder in hisexpression.
“How long will it last?” he asked, staring at hissister.
Kyra nodded toward the door and walked out, slipping on her shoes before she walked down the wooden stairs to the gravel path linking the foresthouses.
“That spell lasts only few hours,” she said softly when Niranjoinedher.
“A fewhours?”
“I can teach her more complex spells once she clears her mind, and I can guide her meditation. Those spells will last longer. It’s obvious she’s extremely bright, so—” Kyra nearly fell over when Niran grabbed her hands in both of his and bent over, pressing his forehead to her fingers in adeepbow.
“Forgive me,” he whispered. “Forgive me. I cannot…” His voice was hoarse. Thick with emotion. “Forgive my rudeness, but you have given her hours. She has never hadhoursbefore. You are a miracle. This is a miracle fromthegods.”
“It’s not a miracle.” She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t accustomed to physical contact from men. Not unless they were related to her. Niran’s previous reservation was comfortableandsafe.
“Anytime you need me, Kyra. All you have to doisask.”
The memory of Leo’s voice threatened to break her. Leo was the opposite of comfortableandsafe.
She was worn out. Exhausted. And Niran’s gratitude overwhelmed her. It was the only reason, she told herself, that her thoughts turned to “that damn scribe”again.
“I wrote you letters. Do you want to know what I wrote? I can tell you. I remembereveryword.”
“Everythingisn’tpossible… Notforme.”
“Forgive me,” Niran said again, releasing her hands and pulling back. Two spots of red colored his dark bronze cheeks. “I apologize. I don’tusually…”
“You are grateful for your sister,” Kyra said diplomatically. “I understand. I was also grateful when my Irina friends taught me. Shielding your mind is like finding a medicine that you never imaginedexisted.”
Nirannodded.
“I know you have more sisters,” Kyra said. “But for tonight, I think I needtorest.”
“Of course.” Niran motioned toward a house farther along the path that led to the temple. It was already glowing with warm lamplight, and the smell of woodsmoke and spices scented the air. “Please rest, Kyra. We are so grateful youarehere.”
ChapterTwo
Bangkok,Thailand
Leo wasn’t evenout the door when he felt the oppressive wall of humidity bearing down on him. He groaned inwardly. Though he’d been born in the far north, his chosen home for decades was Istanbul. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the warm Mediterranean city with his height, blue eyes, and sandy-blond hair, but Leo didn’t care. He loved the sunshine and the warmth. Loved the vibrancy and the energy ofthecity.
He didn’t lovehumidity.
“A desert,” he muttered, slipping on black sunglasses to protect his eyes from the glare. “One assignment in a desert would bewelcome.”
As the youngest scribe in the house, Leo was frequently loaned out for missions. His cousin, Maxim, gathered intelligence for their watcher, but Leo was a foot soldier and an experienced one. In the previous year, he’d been called on to consult with various scribe houses around the world on how to develop relationships with the growing groups of free Grigori, sons of the Fallen who were trying to live more peacefullives.
He walked out of the airport and paused on the covered sidewalk. He needed a haircut. His thick mane was hanging over his neck, and the weight of it had already gathered perspiration. His senses tuned to the crowd around him. Lots of Westerners mixed with local Thai and a crowd of Chinese tourists. Two hundred years of instinct could not be denied. He scanned the crowd for Grigori, who often gathered in areas where tourists dwelled, though they more often hunted atnight.
Yes, there were free Grigori who tried to live peacefully, but there were still far more Grigori in thrall to their Fallen fathers. And even free Grigori had a tenuous relationship withtheIrin.
Many had no other skills than hunting humans, so when they tried to reform, they turned their attention to hunting angels instead. It was a goal that aligned well with the Irin mandate of protecting humanity, but the process of turning former enemies into wary allies was far from smooth. The Istanbul house had taken the lead in their relationships with the free Grigori of the Eastern Mediterranean and had formed successful alliances. Other scribe houses around the world wanted to know how to do the same thing. Tel Aviv, Shanghai, NewOrleans.
NowBangkok.
Humid. Every single oneofthem.
