Page 18 of The Silent
Dara nodded. “Travelers have always been Grigori’s favorite prey because they are vulnerable. That is why the house here and the house in Phuket are quite large for the size of the city. But we may have a population of these free Grigori as well. Particularly in the city of Chiang Mai in the north. Local scribes have reported that the city has not seen a tourist attack in over two years. Could you tell me why that might be? We are optimistic. But…cautious.”
Leo said, “I cannot know for certain. It’s possible that the free Grigori there have cleared the city of threats to their control. I don’t know Chiang Mai. Is it verylarge?”
“No. A medium-sized city, though one with many foreign residents. Very international. It’s situated in the mountains in thenorth.”
“But you’ve seen theseGrigori?”
“We’ve had reports from local scribes,” Rith said, “but we don’t have a clear number. It could be a few Grigori. It could be a largegroup.”
“If a Grigori community wanted to hide there, would it bedifficult?”
“In the city?” Rith asked. “There are Irin and Irina who train in Chiang Mai and keep an eye on things. They would have noticed a large group in the city. But in the surrounding hills? It would be possible to conceal a large groupthere.”
“If there is a large group outside the city, it’s possible they are concealingsisters.”
Rith asked, “Sisters?”
Leo felt all the attention in the courtyard zero in on him as he explained the existence of thekareshta, as he had to Alyah in the car. Questions camequickly.
“You have seen them with yourowneyes?”
“They havemagic?”
“How many arethere?”
“Voices? They hear the voices aswedo?”
“Your ownwatcher’smate?”
“Are theyviolent?”
“Aretheymad?”
Leo patiently explained the history as well as he knew it and the mandate given by the Irin and Irina councils to find and help thekareshta.
Just as he had in other cities, Leo perceived the same sense of combined dread and pity for these women who were so powerless to control their magic. Also, the same veiled anticipation from the males in the room that, just possibly, there were more women of a related race. The wish for more potential mates was rarely stated openly, but when Leo explained that somekareshtain Europe had taken Irin mates, he knew the Bangkok scribes would see the possibilitiesaswell.
“There may only be a few,” Leo explained. “There are far fewerkareshtathan there are Grigori. But I suspect if your free Grigori are creating a safe haven, it is in part to protect their women andgirls.”
Dara asked, “And these women are now under the official protection of the scribehouses?”
“As per the mandate of the ElderCouncil,yes.”
Dara nodded and fellsilent.
Rith asked, “And these women would be Grigorisisters,correct?”
“They would likely have the same father,” Leo said. “Most free Grigori communities we know of were formed by Grigori trying to protect the female offspring of their sires. They live communally in family groups. The women need to be protected as most can’t function well in the humanworld.”
“Whynot?”
Alyah said, “We shield our minds from the humans, Rith. Constantly. Have you forgotten this? If thesekareshtacannot do that, they are mentallyhandicapped.”
Her tone made Leo’s hackles rise. “Handicapped implies that they are incapable. If they are taught to control theirmagic—”
“But they are not,”Darasaid.
Leo didn’t try to explain Ava. His watcher’s mate had Grigori blood and more than a little skill with magic. With training, Leo knewkareshtawere as capable of performing magic as Irina were. However, it wasn’t his place to instruct a singer of Dara’s status unless he was asked aquestion.
