“How was I supposed to describe him?” Trill asked. “I’ve never felt anything like him before.”
“Nor have I,” they acknowledged.
Cormal didn’t think this was a very promising beginning. “Does that mean you can’t help?”
Everyone turned to glare at him. He stiffened, because he’d thought it was a reasonable question, all things considered. The Prince did his equivalent of an elbow poke in the ribs.
Perian stepped in immediately. “I’m so sorry; I’m being a terrible host. Um, let me introduce everyone.” He did so, following this up with, “Can I get you anything to eat or drink? I hope you had a comfortable journey here.”
“I have no complaints about the journey,” they said. “The question, of course, is the people at the destination, and whether I have any reason to help them.”
“Yannoma!” Trill protested.
They were looking—as far as he could tell, anyway—at Cormal.
“We’ve sworn not to harm you as long as you don’t try to harm any of us,” Cormal told them.
“And what of the harm that has already been done?” they asked, voice silky and full of danger.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You think my mistrust of Mage Warriors is theoretical?” they said, and he could hear the scorn in their voice. “Would you like to know one of themanyreasons I don’t trust you?”
Cormal assumed this was a rhetorical question. The carnalion reached up and lowered their hood.
Gasps echoed around the room, but Cormal could only stare. They—she, as he could now see the gender beads dangling from an ear—might have been beautiful once. Cormal assumed so, since she was a carnalion. But she wascoveredin burns, the thick and twisted scars marring most of her face and scalp—where only patchy hair grew—the scars stretching downher neck and disappearing into her clothing. Her eyes were startlingly blue in that ravaged face.
Fire and water. How could he possibly convince her to help Kinan now?
“The Prince didn’t have anything to do with what happened to you,” he told her.
“Does he not direct the Mage Warriors?” The skin pulled as she spoke, looking uncomfortable.
Cormal tried to stay focused. “He is part of the royal family, but he hasn’t been able to speak to anyone except his sister since he was sixteen. I assure you that he is not in any way responsible for what happened to you.”
“Let’s say that I believe you.” Her tone said she didn’t believe him at all. “Tell me, which of you was responsible for the fire at the house of pleasure in the Royal City almost five years ago?”
Perian went rigid across the room. Brannal slipped an arm around him.
Was that where she’d been burned? Without hesitation, Cormal said, “I was.”
Brannal, being Brannal, immediately corrected, “We both were.”
Stupid, noble man. Cormal was willing to be the target for this.
Yannoma turned to look at Perian. “And you say youtrustthem.”
Perian looked as horrified as he had when Cormal had scared him in the corridor before he’d knocked him out. His lips pressed together in a thin line, but he nodded, even if it wobbled a little.
His voice was scratchy. “Even if they did that then, I don’t believe they’d do it now.”
She made a scoffing noise. “Oh, to be so young and naive.”
Brannal shifted so that he was standing protectively half in front of Perian.
“There were reports of nightmares, and when we investigated, we found a room full of them and a carnalion who was endangering all of her clients and every member of the town.”
Yannoma made a scoffing noise. “Ah. She did like to take risks.”
