The man lifted his eyebrows.
"There was some resemblance," Graydon admitted.
A frown crossed the man's face. "As glad as I am for them, it would have been easier on us if this child belonged to one of the other Houses."
Graydon understood the man's concerns. The other Houses were jealous of Roake’s good fortune and wanted their own children returned. If Elena belonged to any of those Houses, it would have relieved some of the pressure.
The man slanted a look at Graydon. "Though considering we now no longer possess either child, perhaps it’s for the best they belong to Roake."
The man propped his head on his fist and crossed his ankle over his knee. "How exactly did they slip through your fingers?"
Graydon avoided the man’s gaze.
The man lifted his head off his fist. "They outsmarted you.”
He threw his head back, a warm chuckle rolling through the room.
“A ship is being prepared as we speak. I can set off after them as soon as it’s ready," Graydon said, hoping to steer the conversation back on target.
The man hummed thoughtfully and shook his head. "Your agenda will have to wait until after the quorum."
Graydon fought his sense of impatience. "Assign another Face."
"I plan to, but everyone already knows you’re slated to attend. Sending another at this late stage will cause questions we can't afford."
Much as Graydon wanted to, he couldn't argue with that logic. If word got out about Kira leaving, and the manner in which she did so, it would create trouble for Roake. To say nothing of the danger Kira would be in when Roake's enemies discovered her.
For now, they could only keep the matter to themselves for as long as possible and hope they could recover Kira before anyone noticed.
The man's gaze turned inward. "Besides, I have a feeling your presence will be needed there."
Graydon went on alert. "You've sensed something.”
“I'm not sure, but something feels off.”
There was no choice then. Graydon had to attend. The man's premonitions were never wrong.
"Don't worry; you can still search for her and the rest while you're there."
Graydon's expression turned wry. "That might be difficult. You know as well as I do how much is involved in the quorum."
Graydon would be lucky to eat and sleep during the ten days and nights.
For the first time, the man smiled, his expression playful. "You won’t be alone. I'm sending another Face with you."
That would free up Graydon from the countless demands people would make on his time. Depending on the Face, Graydon's presence could be reduced to a formality.
Graydon looked up to find the man watching him carefully.
“Why do I have the feeling you're keeping something important from me?” the man asked.
Graydon debated the merits of revealing what he’d learned.
Something stopped him.
One of the hardest things any Face learned was the precarious balancing act that came with the position. Some secrets needed to be kept. The last thing any Face should do was force the emperor into a corner where he’d have to act.
Sometimes discretion was the better part of valor.
From what Graydon saw in Kira’s memories, Jin’s existence was a thorny problem. If his suspicions were correct, Jin was the first soul bound since the Tuann seized freedom from their masters.
According to their stories, Jin should be nothing but a mad creature, thirsting for blood. A danger to all Tuann that needed to be eliminated at all costs.
Yet, from what Graydon had seen, Jin was none of those things.
Until he knew more or at least why Jin was different, Graydon’s best course of action was to stay silent.
He shoved aside the voice inside saying the real reason for his inaction was the fear he’d lose Kira forever if he brought danger to Jin.
"There are many things," Graydon allowed. "I will share when the time is right."
Graydon was a man defined by duty. He’d do what was right even at the cost of his own self-interest—but only if it became absolutely necessary.
They hadn’t reached that stage yet.
The man studied Graydon with eyes that seemed to see through him. "I'll trust in that promise."
Graydon started to leave, then hesitated. "There is one thing I forgot to mention."
The man waited patiently.
"The girl, Elena. She had a warning for us. She said the others are waiting to see how we treat the youngest before they make their decision whether to trust us or not."
"That is an interesting choice of words."
They shared a look, each thinking the same thing.
Kira wasn't the youngest child taken. That was the emperor's eldest son, born three hours after Kira.
THREE
THE HOSTILES CLOSING in on the Wanderer dispersed in specs of golden light.
"We made it," Elena whispered in relief.
"Yes, we did." The question was how?
Elena punched her fist in the air. "I knew you could do it."
Kira shook her head grimly. "That wasn't me."
No matter what tricks she had tried or how hard she had pushed the Wanderer to its limits, she couldn’t lose the target lock. For a minute there, she'd debated the merits of ejecting in a last-ditch effort at survival.
Graydon or Harlow had to have called the beams off. It was the only explanation.
Kira didn't waste time questioning their luck further. Those anti-aircraft defenses could come online at any moment. She needed to be as far as possible from her current position before that happened.
After only a second of hesitation, Kira pointed the nose of the Wanderer toward the sky and punched the ignition. The ship jolted before it leapt forward, heading for the upper reaches of the atmosphere.
The hull shimmied around them as Elena whooped with excitement in her seat. That same excitement caught hold of Kira, and she smiled before shaking her head in resignation.
The pull of the planet lessened as the Wanderer broke from its gravity. There was a sucking sensation on Kira, as if the planet's soul was reluctant to let her leave. The warmth and energy from the Mea'Ave she'd gotten used to over the last weeks drained away, only a small thimble full remaining.
Kira exhaled as her body adjusted to the sudden loss.
"I guess I know now why the Tuann rarely choose to leave their planets."
If this was what they felt every time, it was a small wonder they left at all. While not painful, Kira couldn't say the sensation was comfortable either. It was like an entire set of senses had been stolen from her. The vibrancy of the world around her dialed down a few notches.
It was possible this was another symptom of her ki poisoning. Quillon, the Tuann healer overseeing her treatment, had warned her she'd need to stick close to planets with a Mea'Ave until she was further along in her healing.
Now she saw why.
The Mea'Ave's loss was akin to going from an oxygen-rich environment to a depleted one. Kira could still sense the invisible force she associated with the Mea'Ave, but it was considerably scarcer.
Elena shook herself all over. "It's definitely weird."
"What does it feel like to you?"