"Don't deceive yourself. Your mother would have done what was necessary," Alma said. "Just like she did when she sent your aunt to those brutes."
"That was at the emperor's behest as part of an alliance. She could do no differently," Liara argued. "This is different."
There was a tense silence between the three in the room.
"There is the possibility she is primus," Rayan conceded.
"You will regret it if she is. If she takes our House, she'll kill us all trying to protect them," Alma said scornfully.
"We don't know that," Liara protested. "From what I've seen, all she wants is an alliance for the humans, and for us to rescind our claim to her."
"All we have is her word on that," Alma said, exhaustion in her voice. "What kind of person would walk away from the power of the overlord? Our House is among the wealthiest. She would be insane to leave. No, if we want to protect ourselves, we need to act now before it's too late."
"We can't do anything while the Emperor's Face or the envoy is here. It would create an incident," Rayan cautioned.
"Let it," Alma said. "We have no reason to fear them or the emperor."
Jin bobbed beside Kira, drawing her notice. He flashed his lights, twice quick and once for slow.
She nodded. Every second they lingered, they risked discovery, and this wasn't the type of conversation she wanted to be caught eavesdropping on.
"I won't hear any more of this," Liara said. "I've already made my decision."
Jin started reversing seconds later. Kira followed as he led her into a small alcove off the hallway. They hid there as Liara swept past, Rayan trotting after her.
Kira released her breath once her cousin had disappeared from sight. That had been entirely too close.
She started to relax and then tensed as she realized Alma hadn't followed Liara. She looked up at Jin and mimed a question about whether there was another exit.
He moved back and forth and then dipped to say he had no clue.
She gave him a wry look. After all his exploring he hadn't discovered this area? He was getting rusty. Time was he never would have allowed any nook or cranny to go unexplored.
He read her expression and flashed several lights on and off rapidly, flicking her off.
They waited several tense seconds as the quiet murmur of voices reached her. Kira peeked out of their hiding spot.
"Kira," Jin hissed.
She held up a hand and moved forward on silent feet.
Jin made a frustrated sound before following.
"What are we going to do?" Alma asked in a hushed voice.
"If the Overlord won't protect herself, it is our duty to act in her best interests," a woman said. "Her fall would leave all of Luatha vulnerable."
"There's no way we could act without placing ourselves in danger," Alma said.
"There's a way," the woman said. "But it would require the defense codes—something I don't have access to."
"Why would you need those?" Alma asked.
"Our common enemy waits outside the defense net. We let them through to deal with the humans and the lost heir, and our hands will be clean. No one would ever know what we'd done," the strange woman said.
They were talking about the Tsavitee, Kira realized with a dull horror. They had to be.
She shifted closer for a better look at the speakers. Of the two, she recognized Alma’s voice.
"You're talking treason. I should have you arrested and executed just for thinking it," Alma said sharply.
"But you won't. You know as well as I do Luatha has no chance if the mongrel takes control. We need to protect our House from outside influences, even if the means to do so wouldn't be condoned under other circumstances."
There was a long silence as Alma considered her words.
"There would be Luathan casualties," Alma said, her words slow.
"That would be regretful, but if it means a stronger Luatha overall, I feel the loss worth it," the woman said.
Kira strained her senses, trying to pick up on anything from the second speaker. The voice was familiar, but the hushed murmur made it hard to place. She caught no trace of Tsavitee, which meant both speakers were Tuann. She wondered which of them had already made the deal with the Tsavitee.
"And they would kill the mongrel and her Curs?" Alma asked.
"They might take care of the commander and the envoy for us as well," the woman said in amusement.
"Alright, I'll get the codes. You do the rest," Alma said, sounding resolute. "I want the half-blood dead before the night is through."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Kira's muscles tensed in anticipation as she wavered on the cusp of attack. Her entire being begged her to rip out this threat at the root and crush it before it could do harm.
Two things stopped her. The first—while she was nearly positive she could deal with both women, there was always the possibility she'd fail before she succeeded in neutralizing them. Her death here would leave the rest in danger with no one to warn them.
It was an unlikely scenario, but chance and luck played as much of a role in battle as skill and training. She'd seen elite soldiers lose to weaker opponents simply because of a stray shot.
The second was the possibility these two weren't the only Tuann involved in this plot. She could kill them only to find herself ambushed from behind by their co-conspirators.
If she acted now, she might lose any chance to ferret out all of her enemies at once. Reveal what she knew without a full proof plan, and they'd disappear into the woodwork faster than she could hunt them.
She refused to allow any to escape.
No, her best option was to secure the Curs—get them off-planet and to safety.
She just needed to convince Liara or Graydon of the conspiracy she’d overheard. Jin would have recorded the two as soon as he realized the significance of what they were hearing, but she didn’t know if it would be enough given the Tuann’s aversion to most human technology.
She flicked her hand at Jin, telling him to follow before she turned and headed down the hallway. She moved quickly and silently, not wanting to draw attention—now, more than ever. Jin glided after her without question.
Their path took them into one of the numerous carefully tended rooftop gardens. Only then did Kira judge it safe enough to speak.
"Tell me you located the Curs this afternoon," she said.
"Of course, I did. Who do you think you’re talking to?"
"A drone with more attitude than sense."
He blew a raspberry before taking the lead. "Just follow me."
They moved swiftly through the Citadel, Jin signaling her to hide whenever his sensors picked up evidence of other Tuann.
Their journey ended not far from the suite they shared with Graydon and his oshota.
"Last time there were two guards on the door," Jin said.
"What about the window?" The room had an exterior wall. Chances were there was a window.
"Guarded too," he said.
"Damn." Of all times for Roderick to actually display an aptitude for his job, it had to be now.
She could take out the guards, but it would alert the rest to danger as soon as the shift changed. That could be five minutes from now or five hours.