Page 16 of Guiding Reason

Hyran turned on the spot on the bed he hadn’t moved from all morning until he was facing Col. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why did you leave Argentea? You didn’t really have a reason to. Your team is competent from what I could find out, and they had our team with them for additional support. Your GuardianMirol is even a shooter. There was no reason for you to go with them.”

Col shifted, pulled his legs up higher. He was biting his nail before he even realized and made himself stop.

“Orrey and Senlas overheard Alesa Yun and some unknown female-sounding person talk in an empty building at night during Covenant Week. It was concerning. Alesa has…always wanted to be closer to me than I was entirely comfortable with.”

“What did he do?”

Hyran reached for Col’s hand, and Col let him. The Guardian outwardly kept calm, but Col saw the shift in his eyes, felt the strength in the hand that took his.

“Nothing much. Nothing that matters now that we have him at the Judiciary. I’m looking forward to a conversation with him though.”

Hyran’s nostrils flared, and tiny lines around his mouth stood out as he clenched his jaw. “You’re not talking to him. Why would you want to talk to him? That is what psionomancers are for, Coldis.”

“I have questions I want to ask him, that’s why.”

“But Coldis—”

After a series of sharp knocks on the door that Col recognized, it slid open and Taros walked in with Vin behind him. Hyran’s grip only tightened further.

“Guardians Taros and Vin.” Hyran greeted them with a forced nod.

“Checking in on you,” Vin said and locked eyes with Col.

The message was clear. They were asking what to do, what needed to be done.Vin’s probably armed. I wonder whether he stole a knife from the butler bot.

“There’s also a protector outside who says she’s supposed to make sure we have everything we want. She brought coffee.”Taros held up a large takeout mug, calmly walked toward the bed, and handed it over to Col.

Hyran watched the exchange. He was tense. For now, he kept quiet.

Col was actually relieved. He’d not had as much coffee as he normally would since they’d come here, and he was missing Senlas’s coffee in particular. The mug said this came from a place calledThe Ferrean Roastery, and Col wondered whether the protector had gotten it on the Grounds or brought it in from the regular side.To think there are protectors in the Grounds right now…

“Thank you, Taros. Could you get something for Hyran as well?”

Hyran’s head swiveled, and he looked at Col as if he’d offered him a kiss.

I have to remember he just imprinted. I might have already messed this up beyond easy repair. He has custody-ship now.

Taros rolled his eyes, most of it play-acting. “The protector brought a selection. She’s cute, in that protector way. Bit like Orrey.”

“She has something with spiced grain milk. Let me get the lot,” Vin said, and with a tiny nod to Col, went back to the door and poked his head out. “Hey, first rank, hand me that.”

“Absolutely, Guardian Vin,” said a young-sounding voice that—in its snappiness—indeed reminded Col of Orrey.

Col took a sip of coffee, relieved that it was good, not Senny’s, but good. “What do I need to know?” he asked as Vin put the drinks on the table on which Hyran had gathered the remaining food.

Vin frowned and lifted the container with the sorono. It was still half full. “The fuck is wrong with you? The nurse bot said most of the concussion symptoms should have cleared up by now.”

Col shrugged. “I wasn’t that hungry.”

“Hyperdecarin messes with your appetite,” Hyran said. “And they gave Coldis a high dose.”

Vin examined Hyran with one of his more dissecting stares. “And how do you know that?”

Hyran shrugged. “I’m fast. When you learn how to handle your own speed, sometimes you run into things, and tripping can mess you up really bad.”