Page 36 of The Silent
“I like it.” Ginny grinned. “A little competition always makes a girlfeelgood.”
Leo said, “What did I do todeservethis?”
* * *
The airaround the temple smelled of green bamboo and incense. There was a tinge of sandalwood in the scent that set Leo’s instincts on edge. It was the sign of Grigori. All around the world, Grigori smelled of sandalwood. His reaction was automatic. He’d been trained to seek it out and kill Grigori from the time he was thirteen. Learning tonotgo into a killing frame of mind took focusedconcentration.
Floating over the sandalwood was the lush, heady aroma of jasmine and frangipani. It calmed him. He got out of the car and straightened, waiting for some signal from the quiet buildings surrounding the temple. None of them were fancy. They weren’t layered with gold and paint like those in the cities. This structure was moss-covered stone. Flowing dragons guarded the stairs, and the ivory eyes of a dark wooden Buddha winked from the doorway where natural light and candles were the onlyillumination.
Alyah and Ginny stood next to him. Alyah, a tiny powerhouse, and Ginny, tall and lithe. They waited with the patience of Irina, knowing the free Grigori would want to meet them in a neutral place. Though they were only three, Irin and Irina warriors were powerful. Their discipline and magic were unmatched. Irina could take an enemy to the ground with their voicealone.
On the far side of the courtyard, Leo heard a door open. It was Niran, and he was alone. He walked to the center of the courtyard andwaited.
Alyah stepped forward. As the only official warrior of the Bangkok house, it was her duty. Leo and Ginny fell in behind her, but not tooclose.
“May the light shine on your house,”shesaid.
Niran put his hands together and nodded. “I do not know the proper Irin words, but you and your people arewelcome.”
His words said one thing, but his body language said another. Leo was reading Niran, and the Grigori was notpleased.
“We appreciate the welcome,” Alyah said. “You’ve already met Leo, I know. He is of the Istanbul house. And this is Ginny, an Irina who resideslocally.”
“The American Sura met?” Niran greeted her as well. “You are alsowelcome.”
Shockingly, heignoredLeo.
“Come,” Niran said. “My brothers are serving tea in the garden. Join us so wecantalk.”
“It would be my pleasure,”Alyahsaid.
Leo walked at the back as Niran guided them around the monastery walls and toward an open teahouse set in the middle of the garden. A long, low table surrounded by cushions sat under the shaded structure. Grigori in monks’ robes walked to and from it, carrying trays and setting out dishes. The teahouse was surrounded by a massive garden. Vegetables grew along the edges with flowering plants surrounding the diningtable.
“You have a beautiful home,” he toldNiran.
Niran said nothing, but henodded.
They passed a gate to the left. Leo peered past it to see a path nearly concealed by thick bamboo. Moss-lined cobblestones disappeared into the hedge, which fronted a dense forest. Instinct told him that path led him to the guarded homes of thekareshtasisters. Perhaps they met in the evenings at the outdoor table, joining their brothers to partake of the evening meal, but none were there when Niran, Alyah, Ginny, and Leo arrived at the gardenhouse.
They sat down on thick silk cushions and watched the Grigoripourtea.
Everything about their hosts’ outward appearance told Leo they were Grigori. They had the perfectly symmetrical faces and bodies of angelic offspring. They were handsome and fit. They exuded a near intoxicating magnetism. He could see that both Alyah and Ginnynoticedit.
But nothing in their manner said Grigori. They all wore the orange robes of a Buddhist monk. Their heads were shaved, and their bodies were covered to varying degrees by the intricateSak Yanttattoos Leo had seen on Sura the night before. Lines of text down their shoulders and backs. Words and animal figures inked on their forearms. Many bore the tiger that Niran wore, but he also saw birds and lizards. A crocodile and a dragon. A mythical figure with four arms carrying swords. Each man seemed to have slightly different markings, much like Irinscribes.
“You have questions,”Niransaid.
“I do,” Leo said. “If you are willing to answer them. Is Surajoiningus?”
“He’ll be here soon,” Niran said. “Perhaps you might save your questions aboutSak Yantfor Sura.” He turned to Alyah. “Any other questions the Bangkok scribe house has, I cananswer.”
“Would you share with us how you obtained freedom from the Fallen who sired you?” sheasked.
“I can. My brother Sura planned our father’s murder without my knowledge. He had been away from our father for many years, and our father had forgotten him as he was not considered a particularly adept warrior. He was toopassive.”
“Who was he?” Alyah asked. “My watcher would like his name for ourrecords.”
Niran hesitated, but only for a moment. “His name wasTenasserim.”
