“You wake her up.”
Kaylin’s eyelids felt glued shut. She opened them anyway. Above her head, a tiny dragon appeared to be running in place.
“Why me? It’s not my decision that’s causing the difficulty!” That was definitely Mandoran.
She didn’t immediately reach for the dagger under her pillow. She did, however, push herself into something that resembled a sitting position. Her familiar leapt up on her shoulder, where he squawked at the hair that then fell into his face.
“You were the one who said we should warn her.” Annarion.
Kaylin knew that the two Barrani men could argue with their mouths shut. They knew each other’s True Names, and had their miniature version of telepathy. Grimly—morning was her best time of day only if you made a list and turned it upside down—she slid off her bed and toward a night robe, determined to remind them that they could argue silently.
“If the two of you could shut up for five minutes, I’ll wake her up.” That was Tain. Kaylin froze and changed clothing direction; there was no way she was going back to sleep.
“I think she’s awake now,” Helen, her sentient house, said, with just a hint of disapproval.
“Good.”
Say that in five minutes, Kaylin thought, shoving her arms into her shirt. The buttons were on the inside, which was not where they were supposed to be. “Helen, can I have some light?”
Light immediately flooded the room. The familiar squawked his resentment. Kaylin was saving hers for possible future need, but she was now worried. “Is Teela here?”
“Not yet, dear.”
Tain didn’t drop by for a random social visit. Not without Teela.
“What’s happened?”
“It’s not an emergency,” was Helen’s gentle reply. “Or at least not yet.”
* * *
“Don’t give me that look,” Tain said, before Kaylin could open her mouth.
“Why are you here?”
“Ask Mandoran.” Tain looked about as happy as Kaylin felt, which was unreasonable given that Barrani didn’t need sleep unless they were badly injured.
Kaylin, however, swiveled in Mandoran’s direction.
“Teela’s
