Storm Warning

Once again she waved away any suggestion that he might 'owe' her anything. 'Don't mention it. I really just want you to be happier than you are. That would make a big difference to me, and if you're happier, your work will go smoother.'

'And if the work goes smoother, my master will be likelier to be in a good mood, and if he's in a good mood, he'll make concessions, hmm?' He chuckled, and she joined in. 'That I can understand! Everyone here is a diplomat.'

Though why my being happier would make a big difference to her in particular I can't fathom....

'We'd better be going,' he said, reluctant to leave Trenor, but feeling better than he had in days. 'His blanket's damp, so they've obviously had him out for a good workout today, and from tomorrow on I can take over his exercise.'

'I—I had one more thought,' Talia said, hesitantly. 'You were saying that you wished you could make some friends here, right?'

He hadn't said anything of the sort, but he'd certainly thought it, so he nodded.

She licked her lips. 'There's another person here I would really like you to meet. He's in a similar position to yours, but without even the authority of being a secretary to an envoy. I know that he is very lonely, and even though you don't have anything at all in common in the way of background, you are still both from places that are so different from Valdemar that you are alike in your reactions.'

He turned to stare fully at her, because he sensed that she was not even telling him a fraction of what she knew about this person—that describing this person as coming from a place that is 'different' from Valdemar just might be the understatement of the millennium.

'What exactly... ?' he asked. 'What do you mean?'

She made a face of frustration. 'I'm really not certain what I can and cannot tell you about him. His situation is—well, nothing short of what you would read about in a legend, and even then you would probably not believe it. The thing that the two of you have in common is that you're both—bewildered, I suppose is the right word. Bewildered and quite foreign to Valdemar. He does need a friend, and he is terribly shy. He is also very reserved, and tends to think of questions as being intrusive, which makes him unhappy when he is around our younger Heralds-in-training.'

Karal nodded, grimacing. He had met one or two besides Arnod who hadn't been afraid of him—but both of those children had been full of questions that in Karse would have been considered dreadfully rude. He had answered them anyway, because they were clearly children and hadn't meant anything offensive by their questions.

'I will meet this person, if you like,' he offered, feeling that he had to offer her something after all the help she had given him today. 'I cannot promise anything after that. We might immediately hate one another, after all.'

'Oh, I don't think that is very likely,' she replied, looking quite satisfied. 'I usually manage to find people who are going to enjoy each other's company, rather than the reverse.' Then she bit her lip, as if something had just occurred to her 'There is just one thing—'

Karal looked at her sharply. 'Which is, what?'

'Do you recall the Tayledras envoy? Firesong, the Hawkbrother Mage?'

Of course he recalled Firesong. Even if he did not have a secretary's trained memory, he could hardly have forgotten that flamboyant young man. He nodded.

Talia sucked at her lower lip, and her brow creased a little.

'An'desha is with him, but he isn't exactly Tayledras, even though he looks like he is. Technically, he's Shin'a'in. And he's a lot younger than he looks, literally. He's really about your age, maybe a year or two older.'

'Ah.' Karal nodded again, even though that was more confusing than it was enlightening. That phrase though, 'An'desha is with him....' Was she implying what he thought?

Could be. Then again, maybe not. There are probably those who think Ulrich is more than just my master and mentor.

In any case, did it matter? Despite the fact that such a liaison was supposed to be against the Will of Vkandis, there were plenty of situations, pairings like that in the Priesthood, something which had been made very clear to him and every other novice once they graduated from the Children's Cloister.

It was also made very clear to the entire Priesthood once Solaris came to power that nonconsensual liaisons, whether they be of opposite or same sex partners, were