Page 91 of The Eye of the Fifth
The eyes of her son. The eyes of the winking raider.
Naal was watching her impassively, though Kyra could have sworn her head shook ever so slightly.
‘No,’ Kyra said, quickly recovering herself. ‘It’s just a nice name is all.’
Maressa’s shoulders deflated. ‘Oh, yes. It was my father’s name.’
‘Doyouthink Kawai aided Kano’s escape?’ Naal prompted.
‘There was never any real proof…’ Maressa began, and her voice dropped to little more than a whisper, as though she were afraid of being overheard. ‘But Kawai had been troubled since the king conducted Kano to his service. He grew distant and rebellious and… we hardly ever saw him toward the end. Kawai hates everything about the powers that govern us, hates the discrimination between fae and humans. But Kano… he was a devoted servant to the king. He would never have left of his own accord.’
‘I understand,’ Naal said quietly.
‘Why now, Naal?’ Selwyn said suddenly, and rather coldly. ‘Why have you come now?’
‘Selwyn!’
Naal levelled Selwyn’s cool glare, then after a moment’s pause, she said blandly, ‘I am here now because war is coming. It has never been more imperative that the Wardens come together to combat the rising threat to the south.’
‘I see,’ Selwyn said tightly. ‘Kano is merely a Warden to you, nothing more. You mean to use him just as our king did.’
Maressa was outraged. ‘Selwyn, please!’
‘Answering the call of duty, and being forced to serve a power-hungry king are not the same thing,’ Naal said with blunt finality. ‘The Water Mother never intended for her Warden to be a slave. We are not puppets for monarchs to use as they please.’
‘So, why did you not come to Kano’s aid sooner?’ Selwyn demanded, heat rising on his stubbled face. ‘Where wereyou, Air Warden,to liberate him from that slavery?’
‘Shhh,’Maressa whispered earnestly. ‘Please… they are listening! They are always listening…’
Naal did not match Selwyn’s anger. Instead, her expression softened with sadness. ‘Had I been able to do just that, believe me, Selwyn, I would have.’
An aggressive knock at the door had them all falling silent. Selwyn closed his mouth on what Kyra was sure to be another point of argument.
Husband and wife looked at one another, eyes wide. Naal said steadily, ‘Are you expecting someone else?’
‘They know you’re here,’ said Maressa, her voice barely audible. ‘They’ve been watching the house ever since our boys disappeared.’
‘I suppose we are not the only ones looking for Kano, are we?’
‘No,’ Maressa whispered. ‘I’m sorry, Naal, I should have known they would-’
The impatient knock sounded again.
Naal stood, and with quick, elegant hands, performed the same spell over Kyra’s head that made her own wings invisible. Maressa gave a small gasp, and Kyra didn’t have to look down at herself to know that she too was now hidden from view; the sensation of the spell on her body was as though she were now lighter than air. It was somewhat nauseating.
Another knock.
Selwyn padded out of the room to answer it, Maressa watching frightfully from the armchair.
Naal pressed a finger to her own lips. A warning for Kyra to remain silent.
The door was opened, and Selwyn gave a curt, ‘Yes?’
An official voice carried through the little house. ‘Mr Astaveron, I am here at the behest of His Majesty the King. We have it on good authority that the Air Warden was seen entering these premises accompanied by an earthling female. We have a summons for-’
‘The king wishes to summon me, yet does not do the summoning himself?’ Naal said with perfect cynicism as she joined Selwyn at the door.
Kyra kept her silence, listening.
