"This will bring many of the Zarath together in one place," Inisar said. "Protection should be arranged for any others until feeling is not so high."
They moved down the stairs, discussing whether to collect all the Zarath in a single location. Kaoren detached Sen and followed them, and I gave the older kids a reassuring smile. As soon as the Nuran Setari were gone they straightened up, still far from cheerful, but markedly different as Sen bounced up to them.
A pair of greensuits came trotting down the stair from the amphitheatre – having discovered three escapees from their group – but Nils obligingly intercepted them and then Kaoren came back.
"They’ve gone through all the processing," he said, scooping up Sen’s cloth bag. "Shall we walk?"
Waving goodbye to Nils, I opened a channel to Kaoren as we pointed the kids in the right direction.
"You guessed that she would find me again?"
He nodded. "Her Sights are driving her to you."
"But why? Does she know something about the Cruzatch?"
He gave me one of his fractional smiles. "I doubt it. All her energy appears focused on the two older children. In you I think she must see a way to elevate their status."
"She – what?"
"Inisar explained that names such as Ys and Rye would signify that they are not members of this Renar House – of the family – but instead belong to it. A kind of property."
Slaves. Or maybe what would be called bond-servants.
"It is likely Sentarestel’s care was their duty – that they are the ones who have been raising her. In return that child is absolutely determined not to be separated from them."
"And so she–" I stared at the three ahead of us and met Ys' eyes as she glanced suspiciously over her shoulder. And Sen looked back as well, thoroughly pleased with herself.
"Little Miss Machiavelli!" I said out loud. "You think you’re going to wrap me around your little finger do you?"
I spoke in English, but she obviously had no problem understanding the tone. And laughed, this utterly delighted little crow, then took the hands of the other two and skipped, showing no sign of her headachy crotchets. I had to wonder if it was even true that they wanted to learn to read, or if she’d just said that because it was like shooting an arrow to the heart of all I think right and proper.
"Were you like that at her age?" I asked, staring after them.
"No. Perhaps. Sight Sight is very clear in the early years, then becomes more difficult."
"And I was thinking about having children with you," I said, more than a little appalled, and he laughed in turn, which was really nice to hear. The past couple of days have been hard for him to handle.
"It will be difficult to deflect Sentarestel from you," he said. "But it is possible, particularly if we locate a stable family for the three of them, satisfying her primary aim. We need to decide soon whether we want that, to limit the uncertainty they’re experiencing."
He was looking ahead, one of his typical gazing-off-into-the-distance with Sight expressions, except this time his eyes were fixed on three kids. I am still learning so much about him.
"Are you saying you want to adopt them?"
"I am saying I intend to teach those two not to hold themselves as if they had no worth," Kaoren said, with all the distaste someone raised in a mostly-meritocracy could manage. "There are a number of ways we can approach that."
"But–" It was such a completely unexpected thing for him to want to do. Especially given the whole busy-saving-the-universe thing. Not to mention the huge dint it would put in our sex life.
There’s no way to make a decision like that in a moment, so instead I asked Kaoren why he thought they behaved so differently toward us.
"I suspect they class all non-Nurans as outside the hierarchy," he said. "You also told them your name was Cass, which matches the name form of the Houseless." He touched my arm reassuringly. "As I said, there are a number of ways to see about their future. The construction of the school gives us time to decide which one we prefer."
Of course, he would never have raised the idea at all if he hadn’t already worked out what he wanted. I still don’t know how to respond. Despite Sen being a cute little monster in the making, and how much I want to give Ys and Rye reasons to never stand like that again, I just can’t picture myself playing Mum. I’m eighteen! I have years of gallivanting and sleeping till midday to go yet! And I don’t see how we can work it, not when our lives aren’t really our own, and we have so little time to ourselves already.
Kaoren, being ever-efficient, had not only asked Sonn to move rooms before we managed to walk back to Setari quarters, he’d sent a technician to make a doorway from our lounge into the bedroom of the next apartment – something which only took about ten minutes to do. So now we have a bedroom for the kids and a bedroom for us and two lounges and bathrooms.
Along with being extremely suspicious of me, the interface injections and a long afternoon out in the sun meant the kids just wanted to lie down. Which, after Kaoren oversaw food and baths, left me free for an evening ping-ponging between thinking I’m a selfish bitch, resenting the hell out of Kaoren for suddenly deciding he wanted this, and wondering if he was doing this because I’d spent the afternoon fretfully trying to spot three faces in a crowd.
The problem is I think I want to do it. I just don’t know if I should.
This morning my head had stopped being on permanent spin-cycle long enough for me to decide I needed to talk to Mara, so while Kaoren took his squad out for some serious catch-up training, I dragged my three subdued charges to medical, where I knew there would be at least one spare greysuit in the Setari medical section who could check them over more thoroughly than the basic glance the medics were giving each Nuran yesterday.
Mara was sitting up, very frustrated at not being allowed to move about, and in the process of sending Lohn off to get a proper rest. Once I was sure she’d recovered enough to be bored, I explained as best I could about Ys, Rye and Sen.
"Do you think KOTIS Command would let us do?"
"It’s possible." She sounded dubious. "If the youngest truly is a strong Sight Sight talent, it makes a certain kind of sense. But – are you certain you’re not simply finding them a useful distraction?"
"Distract how?"
"I’ve listened to the explanation of what a touchstone is, and the suggestion that one was involved in the Breaking. Are you focusing on these children because it’s easier than examining that possibility?"
I went hot, then felt a little angry, and shook my head. "They’re definitely distracting, guess. But I would be just as tangled even if Korinal hadn’t said. And–" I shrugged uncomfortably. "I don’t particularly like idea being plugged into machine, and don’t want think about, but kids not help me cope with that any better. I just – I keep telling myself more sensible find someone else do this, but if I did, how could be sure they okay?"
She studied my expression, then made an equivocal gesture. "I don’t see an ideal choice here. Given the last few weeks, even sending them to Tare might not necessarily be a safe option. But you are far from a stable–"
We were interrupted by the greysuit – Ista Temen – who’d been examining the kids.