Chapter 24

24

Before Kaylin made her way to the parlor, she returned to Mrs. Erickson's sitting room. Bellusdeo had deserted it to join the Hawks, but the room wasn't empty; Mrs. Erickson was seated in one of the chairs, her hands folded in her lap. She looked up as Kaylin appeared, and she offered Kaylin a familiar, if more careworn, smile.

"Helen told me you've taken my friends," she said, rising. Her eyes went to Kaylin's arms, which ached with cold. The older woman moved toward Kaylin, but stopped, lowering the hands she had unconsciously raised. "I see. They're sleeping." She looked relieved, but to Kaylin's eyes, very tired.

She clearly didn't see what Kaylin saw, but they were both looking at the same thing.

"Helen also told me that Evanton is safe."

Kaylin nodded. "Did she say anything else?"

Mrs. Erickson smiled. "Yes. She asked me to remember that people care about me, but that I am not a child. I am allowed to make my own decisions. And yes, she said Evanton will return in the morning."

"Did she say why?"

"Of course she did. And I would be embarrassed to remain at home when I send children to do what I'm afraid to do."

Kaylin usually hated it when people referred to her as a child—even if they'd lived for centuries. She couldn't hate Mrs. Erickson for it; there was no condescension in the words, no implied greater wisdom. Just care.

"Bellusdeo probably isn't going to be very happy."

"No, I don't expect she will be. But, Kaylin, she's not worried for me. She's worried for her sisters." The old woman's smile dimmed. "So am I. In the past two days, I have managed to make them aware of each other, just as Jamal was aware of Katie, Callis, and Esme. They cry less often, and they seem more settled—but they are still trapped.

"I don't understand the way in which they're trapped. I did help to free the poor people Azoria had bound in her mansion; they were happy to leave. But Bellusdeo's ghosts either can't or won't. I'm not sure which it is. If they were happy, I wouldn't be concerned. Neither would Bellusdeo." She smiled apologetically. "I never really learned to lie to people—to do that, I would have had to spend time with them.

"But if I had been more reserved and more careful, Bellusdeo would not be in so much pain."

Kaylin nodded. She offered Mrs. Erickson an arm and managed to avoid grimacing when the old woman accepted it. "Shall we go talk to everyone?" When Mrs. Erickson lifted her chin and nodded, Kaylin added, "Helen won't let Bellusdeo hurt anyone—or herself—if she loses her temper."

"I should warn you both that Bellusdeo is very unsettled," Helen, disembodied, said.

Kaylin frowned. "How unsettled?"

"Her eyes are an unfortunate shade of red."

Considering the people present—and more significantly, the person not present, Kaylin winced. "Don't tell me Teela said something."

"I won't if you insist, but as you have guessed, Teela herself may have been a touch intemperate. If she hadn't been, all of the cohort assembled here would have been in that parlor; I have managed to keep Sedarias out, but she's standing in front of the door."

"I don't suppose you could just teleport her to her room?" Kaylin's tone was beyond gloomy.

"I don't think you really mean that, dear."

"Half of me does. Half of me dreads living with Sedarias if you actually do it."

"Sedarias is just worried about Terrano," Mrs. Erickson said.

Kaylin bit back a sarcastic reply, which was easy because the recipient really didn't deserve one. "I know. Teela's worried as well. Let me guess. Teela said dead people weren't the concern here. Making certain there were no more dead people was."

"Something like that. Bellusdeo doesn't consider Teela frail, and therefore felt comfortable making her displeasure quite clear."

"Do we still have chairs in the parlor?"

"I can always make more."

Hope snickered. Kaylin flicked his snout with a finger.

Sedarias was, as Helen had said, waiting outside the parlor door. She was pacing ferociously back and forth in a tight circle, her arms practically glued to her upper body, she'd folded them so tightly. She was distracted enough they'd almost cleared the stairs before she realized they were there.

Not surprisingly, her eyes were the color of midnight; from this distance, they almost looked black. But her expression, as her gaze fell on Mrs. Erickson, was uncharacteristically soft. "I hope the Dragon screaming in rage didn't wake you," she said. For Sedarias, this was practically sentimental.

"I've heard the Dragon screaming in rage for a few days," Mrs. Erickson replied, smiling. "I assure you, I don't find it upsetting—and my ears aren't what they used to be, so her voice doesn't seem so loud."

And Kaylin had thought Mrs. Erickson incapable of lying.

"Is it safe for us to enter?" she asked Sedarias.

"Bellusdeo isn't trying to incinerate Teela, if that helps."

"As long as she didn't melt anything we can't replace." Kaylin gave a pointed glare to the dress she was wearing.

Sedarias was looking at it with an entirely different expression. "The green caused us so much trouble," she finally said, some of the midnight bleeding out of her eyes. They remained blue, but Kaylin couldn't remember offhand a time when they'd been any other color. "But the dress is beautiful. I don't suppose you understand just how much of an honor it's considered to be chosen to wear it."

"I'm not sure Teela considered it much of an honor when she was chosen."

"Well, she had other things on her mind at the time." Sedarias's smile was tremulous. "The green caused so much trouble—but none of us would trade that trouble for the lives we would have lived. Dragon wars. Killing each other. We would never have found each other, never have taken the risk of commitment, if not for the green.

"And we would never have made our way back to Teela—the only one we lost—if not for the green." Sedarias swallowed as she unfolded her arms. "We know he's not dead, but we can't reach him. Find him, Kaylin. You found him before—find him again."

Sedarias elected to remain outside of the parlor. Sighting Mrs. Erickson had taken the edge off her panic; pleading with Kaylin had dumped the responsibility onto Kaylin's shoulders. Which was a very unfair way of looking at it.

But not entirely wrong. Welcome back. Severn was seated; he'd turned in his chair the moment the door had opened.

How has it been?

Let's just say we're all happy to see Mrs. Erickson. She has a calming effect on everyone, and anyone else would be the usual oil and water.

Oil and fire?

Or that.

Bellusdeo's eyes were red; Teela's eyes matched Sedarias's former midnight. Tain's, on the other hand, were the regular shade of Barrani blue.

Emmerian didn't come.

Emmerian knew what we'd be asking, and he guessed that Bellusdeo would be happier in his absence.

He can't think she'd blame him.

Severn offered the mental equivalent of a fief shrug. Kaylin winced. Given Bellusdeo's current mood, Emmerian was probably right. Bellusdeo had a temperament suited to a vicious, sustained war. Captaining a Tower in a fight against Shadow was the perfect fit for it. She'd even seemed happy—or what passed for happy—when she'd taken the Tower for her own.

But the reason she wanted that sustained, bloody war was in large part the deceased sisters. She'd been thrown off her feet; the pain made her seek a fight; the lack of an opponent was the problem. If the outcaste Dragon left Ravellon now, she could vent pain, rage, fury, and all of the endless sense of loss on him—and he'd deserve it.

Everyone could live with that.

But he hadn't. No one else deserved her rage and she was trying to bottle it, shut it down. Unfortunately for Emmerian, she couldn't do that 24/7 and he was living in the Tower.

Still, he'd survive Bellusdeo if she did lose it.

Mrs. Erickson walked quickly to where Bellusdeo was seated. Bellusdeo met the old woman's eyes. She opened her mouth, her eyes quite orange, but snapped it shut again. Loudly. Mrs. Erickson sat beside Bellusdeo and reached for one of the Dragon's hands. To the rest of the small audience, Mrs. Erickson apologized. "Bellusdeo has become quite accustomed to this, but I'm sure the rest of you aren't. I'm going to talk with her sisters for a bit."

Kaylin poked Hope; Hope squawked a definitive no. He didn't expect Kaylin to see anything through his wing that she couldn't see normally. She took a seat stiffly, placed her hands palm down across her knees, and closed her eyes. Opened them again, because when things distracted her, she wasn't as aware of the pain. She tried not to shiver and failed.

Helen gave her a blanket, wrapping it carefully around her tenant's shoulders. The blanket literally melted away, becoming part of the dress. "Don't worry about it. Blankets aren't going to help."

"Help with what?" Teela asked, voice sharp.

"Never mind. I want to listen to Mrs. Erickson."

"I'm worried for Bellusdeo," Mrs. Erickson was saying.

Bellusdeo didn't like being the subject of worry; it made her feel pathetic. But she couldn't engage genuine irritation in the face of Mrs. Erickson. She did glare at everyone else in the room, daring them to join in. Better part of valor was operative.

"I know we've spent the past few days together getting to know each other. I'm happy that I've managed to allow you all to speak with each other. But at the moment, another ghost needs my attention. I've been told the Keeper considers it a threat to the world, not just to Bellusdeo or me.

"He's asked me to accompany him to meet with this ghost. I probably should have done it the first time, but I ran." She stopped speaking and nodded sympathetically. "It's never good to run from things you should face.

"But I know that there's a risk. I have wished all my life that I could give other people the power, the ability, to speak with the dead—the dead I see, the dead who see me. I've tried. I've tried so hard. But it's never worked. When I was young, I gave up.

"The eight of you are not like Bellusdeo, but you are also exactly like Bellusdeo; you're the strangest ghosts I've ever met. My children were trapped in my house; you're bound to—and anchored by—Bellusdeo. Do you want to leave her?"

Bellusdeo was utterly silent, her eyes having shifted from orange to copper. She held her breath, as if waiting for the answer to Mrs. Erickson's question—an answer she would never hear, only infer.

"I didn't think so, either. There's something about the connection that is so...lively." She'd clearly searched for the right word but failed to find it. "But I was wondering if you wanted to come with me? I think Bellusdeo wants to go to protect me, because I'm the only way she can communicate with you right now."

Mrs. Erickson's eyes widened; both of her brows rose. Her smile was remarkably shy. "Thank you for saying that." She exhaled and waited until Bellusdeo lifted her head to meet her gaze. "We'll all go, if that's all right with you."

"What did they say?"

"They assured me that that's not the only reason you want to accompany me. Is there anything else I should know? I did take a nap, but I think I should try to get solid sleep before Evanton arrives in the morning."

Severn nodded and rose as Mrs. Erickson rose. He offered the old woman her arm as the door opened, untouched by visible hands; she took it, smiling up at him as if he was a child whose display of manners had both touched and pleased her. She really had spent all her life surrounded by children.

"Bellusdeo," Helen said, "if you wish to continue to converse, feel free to do so—but please don't attempt to reduce anything else in the room to ash."

Bellusdeo actually reddened, but her eyes remained copper.

When the door closed, Teela spoke, but not before. That seemed deliberate, to Kaylin.

We have a problem , Severn said.

Kaylin frowned. What is it? What's happened?

Mrs. Erickson believes that the discussion is something she has the right to hear.

But she said she was tired.

Yes.

"Serralyn offered a partial report. She remains with Bakkon and Larrantin. She thinks Larrantin is actually impressed with the quality of Azoria's notes, if not the subject of her research itself."

She is now asking Helen for Helen's opinion.

I'm kind of trying to listen to Teela right now—you know how much she hates repeating herself.

Helen agrees with Mrs. Erickson.

"He's probably impressed with the subject as well." Kaylin could listen to multiple streams of conversation, picking up bits and pieces that caught her attention. She couldn't competently join more than one.

Teela did not appear to notice. "Serralyn is attempting diplomacy. Please reward it."

If what we suspect about Mrs. Erickson and her birth is true, she's probably better off not knowing. There's nothing she can change—it's all in the past.

Silence. Severn did not agree.

I do , he said, correcting her. But what I feel—and what you feel—is irrelevant. She's not a child. You think, because she's kind and gentle, she's fragile.

And you don't?

I think she's physically fragile, an outcome of age. I don't think she could be who she is if she were emotionally fragile. But what we think doesn't matter. Helen agrees that it's Imelda's choice. Imelda wants to know.

Teela will stop talking if Mrs. Erickson comes back.

I know.

Kaylin felt Teela's glare as if it were a spear tip. She reoriented herself. "Was there anything of use in Azoria's research papers?"

"She thinks they could jointly spend a year going through Azoria's research and not uncover everything of value. They've been trying to pare it down to research involving the dead or the Ancients, but Larrantin and Bakkon tend to become bright-eyed at things that aren't relevant. Honestly, they're a bit of a distraction. Her notes about the possible find of a dead Ancient make clear that the Ancient in question did not wake or speak to her. She didn't suspect he was...whatever he actually is; I don't think we can call him alive, but the Ancients' concept of death is pretty poor.

"But she suspected that he could be controlled by Necromancy. She dabbled in it herself, in an attempt to better understand how to bind the dead. Her first attempts involved Barrani, but she couldn't prevent their names from returning to the Lake of Life. She could, however, drain those names of animating force. The words, according to her research, simply disappeared."

"Wait, how could she see them?"

"That's the interesting part. Since Barrani were not as easily acquired as research subjects, she kidnapped mortals of various races and experimented on them instead. She found that she could see their souls, for want of a better word, when she was within her home—but only after she'd connected it to the Ancient's corpse. Given the reason her family line was destroyed, she couldn't easily coerce Barrani into her lair, which she found immensely frustrating. Nor could she, at this late date, bear a child of her own and ask that the child be wakened. Again, the scope of her crime was too large, too forbidden."

"That's why she wanted a child?"

"It is not uncommon among my people to want children as tools," Teela said, her voice stiff, her eyes narrowed. "Those children will eventually show their appreciation for this consideration, should they survive."

Kaylin backed off.

"Her experiments made clear that there was something about the power she was drawing that was qualitatively different; she assumed that this was because the Ancient was dead. Her ability to see the souls of the living, and to trap them upon death, grew, and she experimented further. The ability to possess living bodies came later, and again, through experimentation. She could separate soul from body if and only if she chose to possess that body."

"Did she also remain in her own body at that time?"

"Not according to initial research, no."

"How was that even possible? They were human bodies. I mean, Barrani don't have souls, do they? They have words."

"And if I am to understand everything that has occurred in the past several days, Mrs. Erickson has been dealing with the ghosts of words. I fail to see your point."

Kaylin opened her mouth and closed it again, conceding the point to Teela.

"What she did not fully accept was that the physical bodies caused odd resonances; she could possess one for a handful of years without difficulty, but beyond that, she would begin to lose her sense of self; her thought patterns and her focus would drift into something she considered decidedly inferior."

Kaylin thought about the age of the children, from possession to death.

"She had, as you've already noted, found a way into the green—a small thread, a small conduit. She was very apprehensive of the power of the green; she had no intention of drawing on it. She merely wished to grow that flower, because she considered it a plant that allowed for bonding in a particular way. Serralyn mentioned earlier that it was involved in ceremonial joining, although the custom had fallen out of favor centuries before Azoria's attempts.

"The flower itself was twined in Mrs. Erickson's hair, on the long-ago day that Azoria painted the family portrait. But another flower was planted within the painting itself, and it resonated with Mrs. Erickson; the painting made the connection almost permanent. When Mrs. Erickson was older, Azoria encountered her again in the city. She was younger then, not yet married, but rumors about her ability to see the dead had been noted by Azoria; it was an ability that she had done much to find, much to encourage.

"When the child was in the uterus, she attempted to enspell her. She had done this as well with other pregnant woman, to limited success over the passing centuries. For the most part, the pregnancies ended in miscarriage; in three cases, in the mother's death—the mother having prematurely aged during her attempt to give birth.

"But toward the end of her experiments, there was success; the children were born successfully, the mothers survived childbirth, and the children grew. She attempted to monitor the children, to see how her efforts to instill ability in their pre-birth bodies had worked. All of these children are presumed dead—of old age, if not tragedy; one of these children, Azoria chose to ensnare and possess. That child had a strong affinity for elemental magic. But the others purportedly had little magical talent. She realized then that she could not randomly choose a pregnant woman if she wanted the child's potential to be examined.

"This led her to many experiments of a more subtle nature. Mrs. Erickson was not the last, but close to the last, of those recorded. Serralyn says that Larrantin is frustrated that the books cannot be taken out of the lab; he started to attempt to break those protections, but Bakkon prevented it. The lab is safe from the influence that has transformed the rest of her former home, and Bakkon fears that if Larrantin breaks them, they won't be safe."

"Thank the gods for Bakkon," Kaylin muttered.

"Regardless, Larrantin is very, very interested in her research, because her research implies that she had managed to create a method to identify ability to an incredibly detailed level. He of course has great interest in it. Serralyn says he said a lot more, but she's distilled it to this: Azoria guessed, with a remarkable degree of accuracy, what Mrs. Erickson could or might be. It's possible that she hired Mrs. Erickson's mother as a maid because of some background that the Swindon family had, some hint that this could be encouraged or developed.

"But the one thing that proved unfortunately true for Azoria is: Azoria could not possess Mrs. Erickson. She had become more adept at body swapping; she had experimented with such possession outside of her own domain. She considered it dangerous to invite Mrs. Erickson into her home, but when she decided the risk was worth it, she had no easy way of doing so.

"She created a piece of jewelry—a necklace or a brooch, that part was not clear and they couldn't find the record of the magic that might have gone into it. Larrantin wasn't as interested in that; he considered it something he could personally achieve. She gave that to Mrs. Erickson's mother; it was a baby gift."

Kaylin winced, remembering.

"It was attuned to Mrs. Erickson in some fashion; through it, Azoria intended to create a personal envelope that would, when activated, surround Mrs. Erickson with the same enchantment that governed Azoria's halls. She believed that with that enchantment, she could possess Mrs. Erickson's body before her death. I am uncertain how long she intended to occupy it: perhaps she needed the body only to command the dead.

"But the brooch disappeared."

Mrs. Erickson said, "It didn't disappear. Having children was more costly than my parents had anticipated. I didn't really consider it when you first asked, but I believe that my mother took all of her jewelry, all of her valuables, and sold them."

Teela stiffened, turning in the direction of Mrs. Erickson's voice. Mrs. Erickson failed to appear, but it was now clear that she could, and had, heard everything. And could speak.

"Yes, dear," Helen said.

"Is Severn listening, too?"

"He is. Imelda felt he wouldn't have left the room if not for her."

Kaylin, who'd had advance warning, picked up the discussion, including Mrs. Erickson in its flow, even if she couldn't see her. She was used to this, though; she often had conversations with people who couldn't be seen. "She pawned it?"

"I overheard, I didn't ask. She was unhappy with the decision, but felt it was the right one; I know my father urged her to reconsider. But after she had me, she didn't return to work for Azoria. And some years after, Azoria left her manse; it vanished. She gave the property deed to my parents, for my future. My mother held Azoria in some awe, but she always said we were just regular people. We didn't belong in a fancy, intimidating house—that wasn't a home to my mother.

"I thought she could make any place a home if she was in it. I told her so. She laughed." Mrs. Erickson looked down at her hands. "At least they never knew. They never did know." She lifted her chin. "Azoria wanted me to command the dead. I won't do that." Kaylin noted that she didn't say she couldn't. There was a peaceful steel in the old woman's eyes—steel meant for kitchens, not war. She turned to Kaylin. "Do you think that she was looking for the pawned jewelry when she took over the children's bodies?"

"Maybe not at the beginning—but yes, I do. And it all makes sense. But I think she was wrong about one thing. She thought if you entered her domain, she could possess your body and have access to all of your power. I don't think that could ever have happened. She would have known when she tried. She would have had to force you to do what she wanted in a different way, but that was more difficult for her. She wasn't a woman given to sentiment, but even she could no doubt see that you led a very solitary life. What could she hold over your head?"

"The children," was the quiet reply.

"Children she could no longer see." Kaylin turned to Teela. "I think it's time for those who need sleep to get some. Severn?"

"I'll stay."

"I'm staying as well," Teela said.

Tain nodded, the meaning clear. If Teela was going to go through with this, she was his partner.

No one had to ask Bellusdeo.

Evanton appeared at the crack of dawn. Kaylin woke up at about the same time he'd set foot across the property line. She didn't even have to get dressed. But she'd had trouble sleeping. She'd folded her blankets and stacked them on top of her body, but they hadn't made her any warmer. Nor had they made her arms any less stiff. She could lift them, but she wasn't certain she could lift anything heavier than a teacup without falling over; her arms were heavy now.

The new temporary marks, however, hadn't woken Mrs. Erickson—or Helen—during the long, painful night. They remained fastened to her skin, just as the emerald dress did.

Evanton, as promised, was at the front door, his expression neutral. He did smile when Mrs. Erickson—escorted by plate-armored Bellusdeo—came down the stairs. Kaylin was only grateful because it meant she wasn't the last person to arrive.

"I see you have yet to fully detach from the green," Evanton said, looking at the dress.

Kaylin shrugged.

The Keeper frowned in response. "You otherwise look terrible."

Mrs. Erickson looked momentarily scandalized.

"I look exactly like I feel."

"It's not just the dress, then."

"No, it's not. I'm carrying a lot of extra weight, and we can either stand around making fun of me, or we can head to Mrs. Erickson's." She was annoyed, because Evanton was the conduit who had told her what had to be done, so he at least should know better.

"Do not give me that attitude," the Keeper said. "It is likely to be a long, trying day as is." He turned and offered Mrs. Erickson an arm. As her arm was already in Bellusdeo's, this was awkward; Evanton lowered his arm before it became a cause for Mrs. Erickson's anxiety. Or Bellusdeo's ire. "If I could aid you in your duty, I would. But I am Keeper. You are Chosen. And Mrs. Erickson is something entirely other.

"I would counsel everyone else to remain here, but I am too old to waste effort and breath on something that is pointless."

"Good," Bellusdeo snapped.

Teela nodded in agreement with the gold Dragon.

"I assume we will not be seeing Lord Emmerian," Evanton continued, as Helen opened the front door to see them all out. "A pity. Of all the Dragons of my acquaintance, I find him the most reasonable."

"The least passionate," Bellusdeo said.

"I would not say that, at all. But perhaps you are young at heart and confuse boundless, unhampered rage with passion."

Oh my god, make them stop.

Severn shook his head. If you want them to stop, head out. I'm surprised Bellusdeo didn't insist on flying Mrs. Erickson to her home.

I'm certain she did. But Mrs. Erickson wouldn't want to fly if everyone else was forced to walk. That's just the way she is.

Even if everyone else would be grateful that they're not in the presence of a furious Dragon?

Even then. Bellusdeo has never been furious at or with Mrs. Erickson, so I'm not sure she'd believe it.

Kaylin did head out first. Bellusdeo, annoyed with the Keeper, followed; if she was stomping, no one pointed this out.

Evanton followed Mrs. Erickson, then Severn and Teela and Tain pulled up the rear. Mandoran appeared at the top of the stairs but didn't insist on following. He asked, Teela said no. He almost certainly took the argument private, but the only person who could forcefully override Teela was Sedarias, and Sedarias probably didn't want to risk any member of the cohort except herself.

As she wasn't accompanying them, no one else could. Serralyn hadn't returned to the Academia, but she was in contact, and her research, ongoing, might yet produce something useful in their attempt to quiet the dead, or see them off to wherever it was dead Ancients went when they stopped being alive.

No, it was Terrano who was the driving force here. For all of the cohort. If he'd managed to get himself killed, Kaylin was going to leverage Mrs. Erickson's power to make certain he knew exactly what she thought of him.

Mrs. Erickson's house looked the same as it had every other time Kaylin had visited it. In the morning light, no hint of Azoria's house could be seen. The front entryway was the same cozy, dimly lit hall; Kaylin was certain the kitchen, with its single small table, hadn't changed.

Mrs. Erickson entered her home and looked around, as if memorizing its details.

Evanton once again headed to the family room which Mrs. Erickson had avoided for most of her life. "Wait, Evanton," she said, as he approached the door. Her lips were curved in a tremulous smile, but there was no hint of anxiety in her expression. "I avoided this room for a very long time, it upset the children so much.

"But now I understand some part of what was done. Azoria is gone. I would like to see the room again before we leave. My parents were happy there, and I was happy with them. They're gone," she added, unnecessarily. "When I finally understood that I could see the dead, I prayed and prayed that they would haunt me.

"I prayed that my husband would haunt me. But maybe, given the ghosts that did, it was a mercy to them; they had no lasting regrets, nothing binding them."

Evanton nodded. He didn't glance at Bellusdeo for permission. Nor did Mrs. Erickson.

Bellusdeo's hands tightened into fists as Evanton gestured the door open and Mrs. Erickson walked in. His gaze swept the crowded hall, his glance a warning, although it hit them all, not just the gold Dragon.

He then followed Mrs. Erickson into the family room.