"Had the control of the House devolved in such a fashion, the Kings would rely upon Duvari and the men and women who serve him. They would rely upon shadows, Finch; upon a war waged in those shadows. In order to move openly against the House itself, they would have required proof of a type that would be hard to obtain, if not impossible, without the direct consent of the other Nine."

"But surely The Nine-"

"No. That is what you must see, and see clearly. The Nine would know, when approached by the Kings, that by granting them this tacit permission they would be endangering their own power in the future. Even if the House itself were aligned with the worst of our enemies, they would turn a blind eye until it was impossible to do otherwise. If the City itself were under siege, if the armies of the enemy were at the gates, the Kings would have their full cooperation.

"But until then, they would insist that the matter reside within the power of the Houses, by the laws written at the beginning of the Kings' reign, centuries ago."

She absorbed this quietly. After a moment, she said, "But if the Astari moved against the House, The Nine would know."

"Indeed. They would know. But unless they were forced to acknowledge it, by some clumsiness on our part or some threat on the part of the creature who ruled Terafin in human guise, they would turn a blind eye. They understand the necessity of such a delicate operation.

"It is clear that our enemies have some understanding of this condition. Clear, at least to Duvari, that they intend to manipulate such conditions to their full extent."

"But why our House?"

"Why indeed?"

"You don't think it's only House Terafin."

He said nothing. She realized that he would continue to say nothing.

"Devon, why are you telling me this?"

"Because I think it is something that you have failed to understand."

"Why is it necessary that I understand it?"

"You are a member of the House Council," he replied grimly.

"You don't approve."

"The choice was not mine to make. And although it may seem strange to you, Finch, under other circ.u.mstances, I would do more than approve. I have some understanding of the den, and I trust it entirely. You have been tested in ways that most people-with luck-will never be tested, and you have pa.s.sed those tests, and survived."

"But it's not 'other circ.u.mstances.'"

"No," he conceded.

"And in these ones?"

"I think she risks your lives needlessly."

Finch grimaced. It was a prettified version of what she herself thought. "We have to trust her," she said quietly.

"Yes. You do. But it is not lack of faith in The Terafin that prompts my visit. While she presides over Terafin, there is no question of her loyalty."

"It's the others."

"It is, as you put it so quaintly, the others."

"Does Duvari trust Jewel?"

Devon considered his words with care. Finch, who had learned only late in the game to do the same, envied him his poise. "Duvari considers the attack upon Jewel ATerafin to have been a genuine attempt upon her life."

"What does that mean?"

"It means," he said, giving up, "that he trusts her because our enemies clearly want her out of the way."

"You told him."

Devon did not reply, not directly. But he continued to speak. "He is willing to support her rule, if it comes to that."

"The others?"

"Are being investigated. Understand that that investigation is hampered; it does not, in theory, exist."

Finch nodded, because she did understand it.

"Understand that we, too, watch."

"Watch?"

"The others," he said quietly. "And the den."

"I won't spy for you, if Jay won't."

He nodded. "I know." Rose. "And I would not ask it. Not directly."

"Indirectly?"

"Indirectly, I ask that when you take your guards with you to the House Council meetings, you accept one of my choosing."

"The House Guards are chosen by The Terafin."

"Yes," he said softly, "and no. She will accede to your wishes if they are clearly stated; she has done so with each member of the House Council. This is not House Kalakar; the House Guards are not, by virtue of their position, accorded the House name. They earn it, or they fail to earn it."

"Does she know you're here?"

"What do you think, Finch?"

Finch grimaced. "She knows."

"Very good."

"Who is this guard?"

"An a.s.sociate of mine."

The words were met by silence. She absorbed them, turned them over, understood that, unlike the letters she struggled with, they would never be consigned to anything as permanent as paper. "I'd have to meet him. Or her."

"Of course." He walked to the door and swung it open silently.

"Gregori," he said.

"Devon-"

"ATerafin?"

"I meant-later. I mean-"

A man stepped into the room. He was dressed in Terafin House colors, but his movements were subtly wrong for a House Guard. His hair was dark, his eyes dark, his face slender. He bowed as Devon closed the door behind him.

"Finch ATerafin," Devon said gravely, "I would like to introduce you to Gregori ATerafin, the newest member of the Terafin House Guards."

Finch looked up; she had to. He was tall. Taller than Devon. "Are you Astari?" she asked him bluntly.

One of his brows rose; he looked at Devon, and Devon nodded.

"I serve the Kings," the stranger replied, his voice slightly higher than Devon's. "And I serve the House."

"You can't serve both."

"No? You serve the House, and you serve Jewel ATerafin."

"In case you've failed to notice, she is Terafin, so it's a stupid example. And anyway, Jewel ATerafin would never do anything to harm the future of the House."

He smiled. "Perhaps. You think I would, ATerafin?"

"I-"

"Think carefully before you answer," Devon told her. "If the House Guards are not always chosen directly by The Terafin, the members of the House are."

Gregori ATerafin. ATerafin, same as Finch. She knew what she'd done to earn it. Wondered what he had. Remembered the woman who ruled the House. "I . . . I guess not."

Gregori's smile was sardonic. "I have never made a vow with intent to break it. What I have offered The Terafin, she has accepted."

Finch hesitated. "I don't know," she said at last, speaking to Devon. "Jay makes all the decisions."

"Jewel is not here," Devon told her quietly, his hand upon the edge of the open door. "You are. She trusts you; think about what has been said here, and decide."

It was late.

Sleep eluded her only because she held it at bay with lamplight and company. That company watched her quietly, his hands behind his back, his shoulders an exquisitely perfect line.

"Well?" She prodded the edge of her desk with her left toe; her shoes were somewhere under the bed.

"It is not a decision I can make for you," Ellerson replied. "What is your own feeling in the matter?"

"I don't like it."

"Then refuse."

She shrugged, restless. "I don't want to make Duvari angry. Or suspicious."

"You are unlikely to make him angry," Ellerson replied. "And he is already suspicious. Nothing you can do, short of joining the Astari, will allay those suspicions; they are at the heart of his chosen vocation."

She nodded. "What would you do if you were me?"

He smiled. "I am not you, Finch ATerafin. I am merely domicis, and matters of such a political nature are not a part of my duties. Why do you dislike the idea?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I like him."

"Ah. And if it were Devon ATerafin who offered his services, would you accept them?"

She thought about this, or tried; she was very, very tired. "Yes."

"Because?"

"I know him."

"Do you?"

Thought about this. After a moment, she shook her head. "Ellerson?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think is going to happen?"

He was silent.

"I want to know."

"I think you already know."

"Okay, I want to hear it."

He sighed. "I think," he said quietly, "that it is likely that The Terafin will die. As she is aware of this, she has gone to some length to protect what she values in the House she has built. You are all that remains of that protection at the moment; you, the den, and your absent leader.

"If the Astari cannot protect you when such protection is required, I cannot think of anyone who can."

"Jay," Finch replied.

"Jewel," Ellerson told her gently, "is not here. It is to be hoped that whatever holds her in the South will release her in time."

In time. Finch closed her eyes. "Is it always like this?" she asked him, in the darkness behind her lids.

"It is often like this," he replied. "Come, ATerafin. It is late. You have a meeting with the House Council in the morning. I have taken the liberty of choosing your clothing."

She nodded. But she wasn't allowed to sleep yet. There was one more duty to attend to.