Jade was the only one who didn’t react, at least in any visible way. “That isn’t our concern.”
Still calm, Ceilinel said, “It appears they’ve been driven there by Raksura.”
Jade’s brow furrowed in confusion. It didn’t make her look any less intimidating. “What do you mean?”
Ceilinel said, “A Kish-Nakatel border patrol craft sighted a Fell attack on a small settlement. They approached to give assistance but saw what at first appeared to be a group of brightly colored Fell driving the flight away.” She glanced at Moon and the others. They were all staring blankly at her. At least, Moon knew he was staring blankly at her. “These brightly colored Fell harried the flight directly past the patrol craft and continued southeast. I’m told there are other reports of this group, or similar groups, attempting to drive the Fell toward the Kish border.”
“Brightly colored Fell,” Jade repeated, her voice flat. Moon recognized it as a determined attempt not to react. At least it meant the foundation builder weapon’s influence hadn’t gotten as far as the Reaches, if Raksura were chasing Fell this far south. He hoped that was what it meant.
Ceilinel turned one hand palm up. “Obviously, once the reports arrived at Kish-Karad, our scholars of winged predators determined these were more likely to be Raksura.”
Gathin said, “Why are Raksura sending the Fell to Kish?”
Rorra blinked and muttered, “Is that person serious?” Moon hissed under his breath. He hated Gathin. He understood the questioning thing as a way to get to the facts and provoke people to speak, but he hated it and it was the absolute worst way to approach a Raksuran queen who was already angry.
Jade’s head tilted dangerously. Before it got any worse, Kalam said in exasperation, “The Raksura didn’t bring the Fell. The Raksura must know about the border defenses in that region. They’re driving the Fell into the fire weapon emplacements.”
Gathin turned toward him. “How do Raksura know of our border defenses?”
Kalam folded his arms. “I’ve never heard anything about it being a secret.”
She eyed him. “Perhaps not in Jandera.”
Rorra’s brow quirked. “You know the weapon emplacements are in the open along the trade roads. Anyone can see them.”
Especially if you made sure your warriors engaged a Kishan flying boat crew in conversation about those weapon emplacements and how they worked, just in case you ever needed that information, Moon thought. He was betting these Raksura had gotten the idea from Malachite. Then he wondered, Could it actually be Malachite?
“That aside,” Ceilinel said, frowning at Gathin. She turned back to Jade. “We would like to ask for your help. You are a queen, you have a consort with you, we understand that that makes you a diplomatic envoy, for Raksura. If you could speak to the Raksura at the border—”
“Most of whom we may be related to,” Stone said under his breath, fortunately in Raksuran.
The more Moon thought about it, the more likely it sounded. It didn’t explain what the Raksura might be doing, but hopefully it meant Indigo Cloud and the colonies in the eastern Reaches were safe.
Jade still didn’t betray any reaction. “What about the Hians?”
“They won’t trouble you,” Ceilinel said. She glanced at the group across the chamber floor. “A Hian faction, separatist or not, attacked a conclave speaker and a public archive, there is no explanation they can give that makes it your doing.”
“What about our explanation?” Jade said. “Do your people believe us?”
Ceilinel looked expectantly at Gathin. Gathin said, “They will by the time you return.”
One of Jade’s spines flicked. “Give me a moment.”
Ceilinel nodded and withdrew, pulling Gathin along with her. Jade waited until they had returned to the group of watching groundlings, then turned around and hissed. Keeping her voice low, she said, “It will be easier to escape from the border.”
Moon had been hoping that was her plan. “Especially if we know who’s fighting the Fell there.”
Rorra whispered, “Can it be Malachite?”
Jade’s expression was grim. “That’s what I’m hoping.”
Reluctantly, Kalam said, “Perhaps I should stay here, and make sure Gathin tells the truth to the conclave?”
Rorra didn’t hesitate. “No. I’m not leaving you alone here.”
Jade seconded that with a lash of her tail. “You’re staying with us until I can hand you back to Callumkal.”
Kalam didn’t object, and Moon suspected he didn’t want to stay here and argue with the conclave or the speakers or whatever anymore than Moon did. Kalam added, “We should still talk to the Jandera speaker, like Rorra said.”
Jade shared a glance with Rorra. “I’ll ask for that.”
Stone hadn’t said anything. Jade eyed him, almost warily, and asked, “Any objection?”
Stone said, “No.”
Jade turned back to Ceilinel to tell her they would go.
The flying boat preparing to leave for the border was large and, like Lavinat’s flying boat, burdened with four fire weapon stations, two in the bow and two in the stern. Jade and Kalam stayed behind with Ceilinel to talk to the speaker for Jandera, and Moon, Stone, and Rorra went with Vata, Ceilinel’s nervous retainer, onto the boat. The one bright spot Moon could see was that they wouldn’t have to talk to Gathin again.
They boarded from a ramp extending out from the walkway that circled the dome, following Vata across the deck under the gaze of a not quite openly hostile Kishan crew. Moon didn’t notice any Jandera; most of the crew had tough grey-blue skin and headcrests like Ceilinel’s, but their hair was long and thick, braided in different patterns. They wore mostly small scraps of dyed leather, with heavy belts around their waists and brief kilts, with harnesses for their weapons and flying packs.
Vata led them through the boat with three crew following. They would have seemed like guards, except they weren’t armed and Rorra was, but they were intensely wary. Rorra asked Vata, “This is a Solkis ship, from the interior?”
“Yes,” Vata admitted, with a cautious glance at Moon and Stone. “This crew patrols the western border. They have a . . . great deal of experience with Fell.”
Rorra’s brow furrowed. “Then they know Raksura and Fell are not the same.”
Vata made an equivocal gesture which was somehow not reassuring. Moon controlled a hiss. Maybe he was out of practice at dealing with groundlings like this, but it was hard to accept the hostility without reacting.
The inside of the flying boat was different than the others, the corridors wider and higher-ceilinged. The center was an open chamber with a walkway spiraling up to different branching corridors. They were led up two levels to a suite of four interconnected cabins, with low beds in the center of the rooms. The moss walls were hidden by drapes of dark blue and gold fabric and the floor was a smooth surface that felt like tile. The attached bathing room and latrine was larger and had basins set at different levels, as if meant to accommodate different kinds of species. Most importantly, the two outer rooms had large windows, the crystal covers designed to lift up and slide aside. Having a quick escape route made Moon feel better about the whole thing.
As Moon dropped down onto the first bed, Stone said, “I’ll be happy if we never see the inside of one of these things again.”
“From the design, it’s meant for personal travel for the speakers and conclave members,” Rorra said, glancing around critically. The groundling who had greeted Vata had tried to offer Rorra and Kalam separate quarters, as if the two might have been looking for a chance to escape the Raksura. Rorra had ignored it. “It’ll be fast, maybe faster than Niran and Diar’s wind-ship.”