Page 11 of The Silent
A cacophony of languages swirled around him, slowly settling into streams of understandable conversations he could sortthrough.
The gentle cadence of Thai. The sharper tones of Mandarin. Threads of English and a littleFrench.
“Leontios! BrotherLeontios?”
Leo turned toward the unfamiliar female voice. “Leo.” He smiled and put his hands together in greeting toward the Irina who approached him. “Only Leo,please.”
She met his polite greeting with pressed hands and a polite nod. “It is very nice to have you in Bangkok, brother. May I help you with yourluggage?”
“Not necessary. I only have this.” He kicked the duffel bag at his feet. “What may I call you,sister?”
She was small, but most women were compared to Leo, even Irina who tended to be taller than average. Her body moved with quick, efficient energy, and her black hair was cut in short layers around her face. Both things made Leo suspect the woman was a warrior. Her skin was a smooth, sun-kissed gold, but her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses like Leo’s, and he could see her scanning the crowd forthreats.
“My name is Alyah. Were youwaitinglong?”
“What a beautiful name,” Leo said. “Alyah. I’ve never heard itbefore.”
She was impatient, but too polite to show it. “It’s not Thai. My mother was Malay. She named me after hermother.”
“It’s very beautiful.” Leo couldn’t stop his smile. He liked meeting people, particularly new Irina, who—he was forced to admit—still left him a bit tongue-tied. He’d spent the majority of his life believing most of the Irina were gone. Women of his own kind were still a novelty. “It’s nice to meet you,Alyah.”
Impatience gave way to amusement, and the corner of her mouth lifted. “It’s very nice to meet youtoo.Leo…?”
“Just Leo.” He lifted his duffel bag to his shoulder. “Should we go? Please tell me you’re driving. I’ve never grown comfortable driving on the wrong side oftheroad.”
“You mean thecorrectside?”
“You remind me of my sister Ava,” Leo said. “I suspect that the Bangkok house will feel very muchlikehome.”
“I hope it will,” Alyah said. She maneuvered through the crowd, walking toward the packed parking lot in the distance. “We’re very grateful you were able to come so quickly. Thailand has not had a focused Grigori threat in years. There were still random predators preying on tourists, but Anurak’s reputation—along with Dara’s leadership—kept the population fromgrowing.”
“I know that Anurak is on the Elder Council,” Leo said. “Is he also the watcher here?” It would be unusual for an elder to head a scribe house as well as serve on the council in Vienna. They reached a small silver Honda that Leo prayed he wouldn’t have to bend himself in half toenter.
“Officially? Yes.” Alyah clicked the remote on her keys, and the car chirped in response. “Unofficially, his mate, Dara, has led the scribes and singers in Bangkok for decades. She and her brother share duties, but she’s a brilliant strategist even though she no longer fights. The warriors follow hergladly.”
“AnIrinawatcher in a scribe house?” Leo’s smile grew. “Perhaps I can learn as much from the Bangkok scribe house as you can learnfromme.”
“I hope you can.” Alyah got behind the wheel, and Leo opened thepassengerdoor.
He didn’t have to fold in half, but it wasclose.
“As I said,” Alyah continued, “we have not had a focused Grigori threat in years, much less a Fallen flexing his power. And yet in the span of a year, it appears wehaveboth.”
“Grigori presenceandone of the Fallen?” Leo asked. “It’s likely the two are related. If there’s some shift in Fallen territory, the angel could be increasing his offspring in order to fight off achallenger.”
“That would be the most logical conclusion. The problem is these Grigori are the sons of an angel we know to be dead. The Fallen is pressing east from Myanmar. We’re not sure if these Grigori are acting in collusion with him or not. They could be looking for protection and power since their own fatherisgone—”
“Or free Grigori just trying to live their lives,”Leosaid.
“The lack of attacks in their city lead us to hope,” Alyah said. “But until we know more, Dara and Rith need to know more about free Grigori and how to approach them. Some in the house are willing to give them a chance, but there is noagreement.”
Alyah maneuvered the car through the traffic of the parking lot, pausing to let pedestrians and scooters shoot across thelanes.
“One thing you’ll need to consider,” Leo said, “is whether or not they are protectingkareshta.”
“Kareshta?”
“Female Grigori,” Leo said. “In my experience, free Grigori are as protective of their sisters as the Irin. How long has the Fallen who sired them been dead? Do they have children in theirgroup?”
