“I’ve a message from Garadin. The Tha’alanari cannot send us an interrogator today. Garadin has suggested we try Draalzyn in Missing Persons.”
“Did we?”
“I did, yes.”
“Your expression implies that he was likewise unavailable.”
Rosen did not hide her distaste. “He asked if it was an emergency, while simultaneously making clear it couldn’t possibly be.”
“To be fair to Draalzyn, it isn’t.”
“It’s none of his business.” She folded her arms, her lips compressing.
“No. It’s not.” Draalzyn and Garadin were Tha’alani. The Tha’alani were natural telepaths. They could bespeak members of their own race with an ease that even the mirror network did not provide. Which was not, of course, why they were feared. They could traverse the thoughts and memories of other races, as well—although that required physical contact.
Every person who served as a Wolf had undergone that examination of thought and memory at least once. The Shadow Wolves, however, were called upon to endure it after the conclusion of each successful mission. Some endured it with a fatalistic stoicism. Rosen had never been one of them.
“Draalzyn would not be in charge of choosing a member of the Tha’alanari for our task. Garadin would be.”
“Garadin didn’t seem to be in a hurry to be helpful.”
Elluvian sighed. “Let me speak to him.”
* * *
Elluvian swept dust off the surface of his desk, pulled his chair out, and sat in it. It gave a comforting creak as it adjusted to his weight. His mirror had suffered less neglect, and the reflective surface swirled away as he called it from sleep. “Garadin,” he said to the mirror. “Now, if he is not otherwise involved in a similar conversation.”
The Tha’alani were, in general, far more rational, far less emotional, than other angry mortals. Garadin’s face did not look particularly placid or calm, but even had it, his eyes were an almost livid green. The thin set of his lips relaxed as his eyes met Elluvian’s. “Is Rosen unaware that we are essentially on call to Imperial Security?”
“She knows.”
“And that the Wolves are not part of those services?”
“She is aware of that.”
“Then perhaps you need to inform her that we are not required to jump to obedient attention the moment she mirrors us.”
“In her defense—”
“Don’t bother. I suppose she told you to mirror.”
“She informed me that there had been some delays, yes.”
Garadin snorted. The antennae on his forehead were almost rigid, which was unusual, even for Garadin.
“What happened?”
The Tha’alani eyes were a dark enough green Elluvian was mildly surprised to see that color deepen. Garadin did not answer. Would not, Elluvian thought. He watched Garadin’s expression freeze in place; watched as the stalks on his forehead eased into gradual motion. “Apologies,” he said in stiff Barrani.
Elluvian answered in kind, without the stiffness. “None are necessary. It appears that our request arrived at an inopportune time. Our needs are not urgent; we are not in a state of emergency.”
“Rosen did not choose to inform us of the reasons for the request.” No, of course she hadn’t. “Has a Shadow Wolf returned from a hunt?”
“No.”
Garadin’s eyes became a lighter color of green; had he been Barrani, he would have been as relaxed as Barrani allowed themselves to become. Sadly, green was not a calm color in the Tha’alani race. “We—the Tha’alanari—have encountered some...turbulence.”
Elluvian made a mental note.
While the Tha’alani could all, in theory, perform the duties demanded of the Tha’alanari, in practice very, very few were asked to do so. The race itself shared experience and emotion openly. Most of its citizens had no idea whatsoever how not to do so. What they felt—fear, anger, anxiety—they transmitted to their kindred far and wide.
Those who served the Emperor had proved that they could withhold their personal experience from their kin. They could shut themselves out of the Tha’alaan, the group mind in which all racial experience was held. But no Tha’alani could hold themselves above or outside of the Tha’alaan forever; it was to their people that they looked for understanding, prior experience, compassion.
“It is not an emergency,” Elluvian repeated. “Not for us.”
Garadin exhaled. “I am asked to inform you that Timorri will not be serving the Tha’alanari for the foreseeable future. We do not have a replacement for him at present, and our consequent ability to meet Imperial demands—”
“We understand.” Elluvian did not break the connection; he waited. Garadin did not break it either.
After another pause, Garadin said, “Why do you require one of the Tha’alanari?” It was not his question; as far as Garadin was concerned, they were done. But the fact that he asked the question seemed significant.
“We have a possible new recruit.”
“An interview cannot possibly be time-sensitive. While we understand the necessity of such an interview for your particular branch of the Halls of Law, it is highly unlikely that we will have an agent available for your use within the next week. Possibly longer.”
“It is not my request,” Elluvian said softly, “nor even Rosen’s. It is Lord Marlin’s.”
“And this prospective Wolf is that impressive?” This question was clearly Garadin’s.
“Not to my eye; I considered him a possible candidate, but I do not quite see what Lord Marlin apparently did in the initial interview. To my eye he is a focused, but oddly desperate, young human. Lord Marlin is still conducting that interview; he asked me to remove myself from the office, but the boy has yet to emerge.”
Garadin’s brows rose. If the Tha’alanari were capable of withholding information from the mass of their kin, they were not particularly careful with expressions. The forehead stalks began a weaving, staccato dance that implied heavily that Garadin was arguing with someone.
“I have been asked to allow someone else to speak with you,” Garadin finally said, voice stiff with disapproval or concern.
“Will they join you, or should I mirror them directly?”
“They will join me,” Garadin replied, in a tone that strongly suggested he would far prefer to be left entirely out of it—or as entirely as a telepath could be. “I hear that Rosen managed to offend Draalzyn.”