Taya smiled graciously, if somewhat absently, at the young exalted who escorted her off the ballroom floor. Her eyes searched the crowds, hunting for Cristof's angular face. She'd flung herself back into the dancing as soon as she'd re-entered the ballroom, using her partners to protect herself. During the first two dances she'd spotted Cristof watching her from the sidelines. Then he'd vanished, and now she felt safe enough to plead exhaustion.
Alister appeared at her side as she sank into a chair, her feathers rustling. The decatur held a glass of wine in one bejeweled hand.
"Allow me," he said to her partner, handing her the glass. The younger man bowed to him, then to Taya, and took his leave.
"You didn't need to shoo him off."
"If he surrenders you that easily, he doesn't deserve your company," Alister said, dismissing her concern. "I've been waiting for a chance to reclaim you."
"I'm glad you're here." She looked up. "Would you mind if I asked you a strange question?"
"Of course not." He looked intrigued. "What is it?"
"Have you ever heard of someone called Pins?"
Alister's pleasant expression vanished, and his gaze became intent.
"Yes. Why?"
"Just a conversation I overheard… in passing." She craned her neck, studying him. He didn't look happy. "Who is he?"
"She. She's a fence and a suspected smuggler. The Council keeps its eyes on her, but she's also a very clever woman, and so far she's avoided arrest." Alister touched one of the feathers in her hair. "You don't know her, do you? Have you ever carried any messages for her?"
"No, it's nothing like that." Taya gazed into her wine. This wasn't the reassuring answer she'd been hoping for. "You don't suppose she'd be involved in terrorism, do you? Like… the wireferry accident? Or the refinery explosion?"
He was silent. She glanced up. His face had grown even more still.
"Do you have any reason to suspect her of terrorism, Taya?"
"No! No, I don't. I was just wondering. I saw something strange, and I heard her name, and… well, a lictor asked me to keep my eyes open for anything suspicious, and Viera is worried about her husband, so of course now I'm reading sinister undertones into everything I hear." She forced a laugh.
"Maybe." He leaned over, putting a hand on her shoulder. His fingers combed through the feathers, caressing her bare skin and sending tingles down her back. "But if you know anything that could help the Council keep Ondinium safe, you should tell me. I'm in better position to order an investigation than a lictor or Viera."
"I don't know anything yet." She looked away, then took a sip of her wine as an excuse to avoid his eyes.
Viera joined them, gold gleaming in her hair and on her fingers. Alister's hand slid away from Taya's shoulder.
"Taya! How are you? You look tired."
"I am, a little," Taya admitted. "I don't usually stay up this late."
Alister slipped his ornate watch from his sleeve and glanced at it. "Why, it's only after midnight."
"After midnight!" Taya felt the urge to yawn. "No wonder I'm tired! I'm usually in bed by ten."
"I refuse to believe you're serious. The evening has only begun."
"Not when you have the morning flight shift," Taya countered. "In fact, Exalted Octavus, if you'll forgive me, I should be heading home now."
"Of course," Viera said. "I shall tell the servants to bring around a carriage for you."
"I would be happy to take her back in mine," Alister offered. "I should be heading home, myself. I'm supposed to inspect a new engine prototype tomorrow, and they want me down at the University by nine." He pretended to shudder, smiling at Taya. "A Ladyforsaken hour, indeed."
Ride home with Alister? Taya felt a surge of temptation. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you," she said shakily. "The eyries would be out of your way…."
"I know Cliff Road. It's not that far out of my way," Alister said, the smile still hovering around his lips. "And this will be my last chance to see my swan queen. After tonight, you will transform yourself back into a metal-winged hawk."
"Al, hush," Viera scolded him. "Taya must consider propriety. What sort of impression would it make if she returned home in your carriage?"
"Oh." Alister paused, and Taya thought he seemed taken aback. "But, Viera, surely an icarus…."
"Should be treated with as much respect as any other guest I might invite to dinner," Viera said, her voice stern.
"Of course. I didn't mean any offense," he said, turning to Taya. "I simply hoped to enjoy your company a little longer."
Taya looked from him to Viera. The chance to spend more time with Alister, alone in a carriage, both tempted and frightened her. She was afraid it would be all too easy to forget her good intentions if she were alone with him in the dark.
"I'll do whatever you think is best," she said to her hostess. "I don't know anything about propriety. I'm used to flying myself home."
Both of the exalteds laughed, and Viera took her hand, pulling her up from the chair.
"It would be best if you went home alone," she said, kindly. "My cousin is a gentleman, but he isn't as careful of reputations as he should be."
"I'm very careful of reputations," Alister protested. "I'm a decatur. I have to be!"
"You're careful with your own reputation, perhaps." Viera raised an eyebrow. "Now say your goodbyes while I send for a carriage." She squeezed Taya's hand and strode off.
Alister watched her leave.
"Dear Vee. She's so protective. I suspect I owe my position on the Council to her," he murmured. "I'm certain she made Caster vote for me."
"Wouldn't he have voted for you anyway?"
"Perhaps." He turned and hooked his arm through hers. "May I escort you to the door this time, my swan?"
"I'd like that," she said, smiling up at him. She was glad Viera had told her to take another carriage. She could flirt now without worrying about where it would lead later.
"One thing, Taya Swan," Alister said, as they reached the foyer. She paused. He looked serious. "Please leave the investigating to the lictors. I would be devastated if you were hurt."
She gazed up at his face, touched by his concern. But what if he were the one hurt? If Cristof was involved in something illegal, Alister's position on the Council could be in danger.
"Taya Icarus." Caster Octavus stepped into the foyer. "Viera has informed me that you are taking your leave of us."
Taya shifted mental gears with an effort, turning and bowing, her palm on her forehead.
"I apologize for leaving so soon, exalted, but we icarii need to get off to an early start in the morning."
"I understand. Thank you very much for joining us, and thank you again for your brave rescue." He clasped her hand. "The Octavus family owes you a debt, and it will not be forgotten."
"I consider the debt repaid," she protested. "Tonight has been… well, I never imagined being invited to something like this."
"Don't be ridiculous. Tonight simply makes public our gratitude to you."
Taya studied him, her hand still in his. The white-haired decatur looked serious. This wasn't casual good manners, she realized. Exalted Octavus was making her a promise.
She slipped her hand from his and pressed her palm against her forehead again, bowing more deeply this time.
"Thank you, exalted."
To her surprise, when she straightened, he returned the bow.
"Fly safely, icarus."
"Yes, but not tonight," Viera added, as she entered the foyer. "Our carriage is waiting outside." A servant followed, holding Taya's borrowed velvet cloak and a heavy fur. "A cloak of feathers might be more appropriate, but it wouldn't be nearly as practical. Here, I'm giving this to you. I hope it will keep you warm this winter and for many winters to come." She handed Taya the fur cloak.
Taya's fingers sank into the thick beaver pelts, each one worth a month of her salary. She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again when she saw Viera's expression.
"Allow me." Alister took it and wrapped it around her shoulders. The inside was lined with soft doeskin, warm against her flesh. He regarded her with mock criticism. "I approve of the brown against her hair, cousin, but fur doesn't flatter her dress. Now she looks more like a Demican chieftain than a swan queen."
Taya ignored him, running her hands over the fur. It probably had come from Demicus, she thought, overwhelmed.
"It's gorgeous. I don't know where I'll be able to wear it."
"You should wear it to the market and anywhere else you may need to go this winter," Viera said, practically. She reached forward and fastened the neck. Taya looked down and saw that the gold clasp had the Octavus sigil worked into it. "Good night, Taya Icarus. Fly safely."
"Good night, exalteds," Taya said again, draping her velvet cloak over her arms. The fur was heavy on her shoulders, but it was a solid, comforting weight.
They walked her out to the carriage and waved as she was driven away. Taya watched until the lights of Estate Octavus vanished around a corner, then let the window curtain fall and pulled her new cloak around her.
Pins , she mused, staring into the darkness.
Tomorrow I'm going to find Pins and see if I can track down the Torn Cards. For the Octavuses… and for Alister.
"Pins?" Pyke set down
The Watchman and narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Someone at the party bought something from her, and I want to find out what," Taya explained, warming her fingers on her second cup of tea. Cassi had made her stay awake to talk about the party for another hour after she'd gotten home, so she was working on only five hours of sleep and relying on the bitter drink to keep her eyes open. "Come on. You know her, don't you? I can tell."
"Yeah. She attends the same Inquiry and Liberation meetings I go to." Pyke still sounded suspicious.
"Spirits, Pyke. I can't believe the Council hasn't thrown you out of the eyrie yet," Cassi exclaimed, spreading jam over her breakfast roll. "Isn't I&L some kind of reactionary group?"
"You don't know anything about politics, do you?" Pyke looked disgusted. "It's a free-trade group. Did you know Ondinium levies a ten-percent import tax on spices from Si'sier, but when we send—"
"Pyke. Please. Don't." Cassi waved a hand at him. "I don't care. You know, you'd be a lot more fun if you took up a real hobby, like darts."
"You like men who play darts?" Pyke asked, dubiously.
"It was just an example. Although I'm pretty good at darts."
"Hello? Pins?" Taya waved a hand between them. "Please, Pyke, just give me an address. I'm not going to cause her any trouble."
"How can I be sure? You're hobnobbing with exalteds and decaturs now. Maybe they're turning you into their spy."
Taya rubbed her forehead.
"More like the opposite. They said she was dangerous and I should stay away from her. Look, I just want to ask a couple of questions, that's all. Then I'm gone. I won't tell anyone I saw her, and I won't tell her how I got her address."
"Dangerous?" Pyke rubbed his chin. "I didn't know she was dangerous."
"Pyke!"
"Taya, just go to Dispatch and look her up," Cassi advised. "It'll be faster than trying to get an answer out of tall, dark, and paranoid here."
"I'm not paranoid, I'm just cautious." Pyke frowned. "It's not a secret, I guess. She owns a copperwares shop on Operand and Cascade. There's a big beaten-copper basin in the front window. You can't miss it."
"Thanks." Taya finished her tea and stood. "Well, off to work. You two coming?"
At the dock, she and Cassi pulled on their flight leathers and strapped themselves into their rigs. When they were ready, they joined the line at the dispatch office to punch in. Taya dropped off a thank-you note to be delivered to Estate Octavus.
"Nice of you two to join us today," the dispatcher said dryly as they hung their time cards back on the rack. "All finished playing dress-up?"
"Better be polite," Cassi warned him. "Taya has friends in high places."
"Yeah, I get a nosebleed just looking at her." The dispatcher handed them their morning's delivery satchels. "Fly safely, ladies. It's cold and clear, but the diispira will be kicking up again this morning, so mind your tailsets."
"We will." Taya picked up the bag and began looking through it as she and Cassi left the warm office and joined the line at the icarus flight docks. The docks were long wood and iron strips that extended far out beyond the cliffs and provided clean drops down into the wind.
Morning breezes tugged at their wings, and sunlight turned the jagged mountain peaks around them a warm gold. To the left, a group of seven- and eight-year-old children were doing warm-up exercises, their training wings giving their jumping jacks a little extra lift. Taya thought of Ariq and grinned.
"I've got deliveries all over Secundus," Cassi said, buttoning her bag closed again and hooking it to her belt. "How about you?"
Taya glanced back down at the addresses once more.
"Some back-and-forth on Tertius. Shouldn't take too long."
"Lunch?"
"Maybe. But if I'm not here by half-past, I probably got caught up in other business."
"Business like a handsome decatur?" Cassi teased. Taya laughed.
"I'm not planning on it, but who knows?"
Their names were called. Cassi waved. "Fly safely!"
"You, too!"
Flying in autumn and winter was a chilly endeavor, but the blanket of smoke and soot that hung over Ondinium always thinned out in the cooler weather. The air over Tertius was never entirely clear, but today Taya could see the rest of the city as she wove between towers and factory smokestacks, delivering messages. Once she flew over the street where Cristof's shop was located. She circled, but its door was closed. She flew on.
By nine she'd finished her deliveries. In theory she was supposed to head back up to the dispatch office to pick up another bag, but instead she flew to the metal wares markets in Secundus and landed on Cascade Street, locking her wings upright.
Pins’ shop was easy to find, but its door had been sealed shut with black wax and a lictor's printed ‘no trespassing’ order.
She stared, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the autumn morning. Then she turned.
A heavyset man across the street was wiping the soot off his window and watching her in its reflection. He nodded when he saw her looking at him. He had the same black circle castemark as her father, marking him as a craftsman.
"If you've a message to deliver, you'll have to take it to the lictors," he called out.
"Is that Pins’ shop?" She crossed the street.
"Yup. Her daughter found her dead this morning, didn't she? Came in to open up and started screaming." The man leaned against his doorframe. "I sent my boy off to the lictors as soon as I figured out what was going on. Murdered, that's what they say."
Taya folded her arms over her chest, the chill returning.
"When?"
"Last night. Guess I would've been the last one to have seen her, then." He sounded proud of the fact. "She waved good night when I locked up around six. Must've been working late. I waved back and went inside. She was killed sometime after that."
She hated to ask, but she had to know.
"How did she die?"
"Strangled. With something thin, that's what the lictors said. I overheard ‘em when I was giving my statement, didn't I?"
Taya thought of the men who'd mentioned Pins’ name the night before. They'd been strong, rough-looking types. She didn't have any trouble imagining one of them strangling a woman.
But that would mean that Cristof was involved in murder. Maybe not directly, but…
Had he come to his cousin's party to give himself an alibi?
"So, if you've any message for her, you've got to take it to the lictor's station on Teague," the craftsman pointed out again.
"All right. Thank you." Taya turned and began walking toward Teague Street, her shoulders hunched.
Now she didn't just have a suspicion. Now she had a chain of coincidence. Cristof had gotten something from Pins, Taya had overheard Pins’ name, and Pins had been murdered. To stop her from talking to Taya?
She rubbed her gloved hands over her cheeks, reviewing her options. By rights she should go straight to the lictors to tell them what she'd heard. Lt. Amcathra would listen to her.
But if she talked to Amcathra, he'd go to Cristof for answers, and the ripples from that inquiry would inevitably reach Alister. Taya grimaced. If his brother were a murderer, Alister was going to be involved one way or the other. But if she told him first, he'd have a chance to control the damage to his family name.
Besides , she rationalized, he's a decatur. He outranks the lictors.
She found an open side street, spread her wings, and began to run.
"Come in!"
Taya opened the door. Alister sat at the table in the center of the room, his repaired clock and a stack of books shoved to one side as he pored over a stack of papers. His exalted's mask was propped against a leg of the table.
He smiled when he saw her and pushed his chair back.
"As I predicted, my swan has become a hawk again. Good morning, Taya. Have you come to me with a pair of wings, so we can go skydancing together?"
"I have news," she said, ignoring his teasing. "Pins was murdered last night."
He stopped, his smile fading. Taya took another step inside, then remembered herself and bowed, palm on forehead. They weren't at a party anymore. This was business.
"You went to visit her? After I told you she was dangerous?"
"I had to. I know you didn't want me to, but I had to know how she was involved." Taya looked up at him. "She's dead. Somebody killed her last night."
Alister sat back down.
"Tell me everything you know."
Taya filled him in on the neighboring shopkeeper's gossip. Alister shook his head, his green eyes dark with concern. When he looked like that, serious instead of dazzling, she could see a closer resemblance between him and his brother. Both of them were intense, focused people. The difference was that Alister used his intensity to charm, while his brother used it to repel.
"So," she finished, "I decided to tell you. You said the Council had been keeping its eyes on her."
"Yes. We suspected her of being in alliance with the Torn Cards. You know what the Cards believe in, don't you?"
"They're anti-Engine terrorists. They think programs are infringing on our freedoms."
"Yes." He looked down at the papers in front of him. "I have read the report on the wireferry accident. A torn copper punch card was found jammed in a weld. That's their sign."
"Do you think they were after the decatur, or your cousin?"
"Caster, almost certainly. It was just an accident that Viera and Ariq were in the car instead of him."
"But why would the Torn Cards hate him?"
Alister sighed.
"There is an important vote coming up soon. Caster was initially against it, but he changed his mind. And he has a great deal of influence over other decaturs. Perhaps the Torn Cards learned about it."
"What kind of vote?"
"I don't know if I can tell you."
Taya bit her lip, reminded again of the difference between their castes. Alister looked up at her, and his expression softened.
"I apologize. It's just that this has been a controversial topic. It's an experimental program, and we don't want the newspapers getting wind of it until we have had a chance to give it a trial run. That is, assuming it gets approved by Council."
"Is it one of those thinking programs you were talking about?"
"Well… it does analyze behavioral patterns. I suppose I can tell you, Taya. You are an icarus and accustomed to dealing with secrets… but this is confidential. The Council doesn't want any information getting out until we are certain the program will work. Although if the Torn Cards already know about it…."
"You can trust me," she asserted. "I'm an icarus."
"I asked you not to get involved with Pins, but you went down to meet her, anyway."
"That wasn't a secret. And besides, you didn't ask me," she objected. "You warned me."
His lips quirked up in a shadow of his usual smile.
"I should have known a hunting hawk would pay no attention to my warnings."
"So," Taya said, "what's this vote about?"
The smile faded again as Alister leaned back in his chair. "I've written a program called Clockwork Heart. It's meant to help people determine whether or not someone's going to be a good match for them. Romantically, at first, although I think it has applications in business and politics, as well."
"Romantically?" Taya wrinkled her nose. "You mean, it's going to tell us who we can marry?"
"No! No, I have no intention of taking away anybody's freedom of choice," Alister said hastily. "But let's assume you've fallen in love with someone. You'll both take a survey and we'll run your response cards through Clockwork Heart. The program compares your responses to one hundred key variables I've isolated from a multivariate analysis of a thousand successful marriages and a thousand unsuccessful ones. It then builds a series of statistical models according to the predictive parameters we've developed and calculates the likelihood of a stable marriage between the two of you under various hypothetical socioeconomic conditions. The greater the number of conditions under which your marriage is predicted to remain intact, the higher the confidence level that you're making the right choice."
Taya blinked, a little overwhelmed by his explanation.
"Well, I can see why the Torn Cards might object, since they hate machines, but why does the Council care about marriages?"
"Because stable marriages are integral to a stable society." Alister stood and began to pace. "The Great Engine has made Ondinium the most civilized nation in the world. Every citizen is matched to a job well-suited to his personality and skills, and our factories are fast, safe, and efficient. We can calculate resource supply and demand and make reasonable predictions to avoid shortages and avoid excesses. Now, why shouldn't we apply the same successful formulae to personal relationships? I don't want to take the excitement out of romance, but I do want to prevent truly disastrous marriages, the marriages in which wives and babies are abandoned, or beaten… or killed. If Clockwork Heart can prevent even one abusive marriage, then all the time I've put into it will be worthwhile."
Taya stared. She'd never seen Alister so worked up before. Maybe he wasn't all good looks and flirtation, after all.
"How will you know if it works?"
He took a deep breath.
"It won't be easy. So far we've only run simulations based on past cases. What we intend to do next, if the Council approves the experiment, is start a volunteer program. We'll run the couples’ cards and monitor their relationships for a year or two. Then we will compare the experiment's successes or failures to those of a control group; couples that don't get any advice from the Engine. If we find a statistically significant difference between the two groups that proves the program's advice is having a positive effect on marriage outcomes, then we can begin to fine-tune the models. Clockwork Heart runs very slowly right now, but eventually, especially if the new prototype engine works out, we may be able to process a couple's data in just a few hours."
Taya shook her head.
"What if the Engine tells you a marriage won't work out, but that's really the person the Lady meant you to be with?"
Alister laughed, relaxing.
"Mere mortals can't defy the Lady of the Forge. If a marriage is meant to be, it'll come about, regardless of Clockwork Heart's computational robustness. People can always choose to ignore the program's findings, if they prefer."
"Do you really think it'll work?"
"Yes." He met her eyes, his chin jutting forward with determination. "I do. I've written the best program I can, I've tested it every way I can think of, and I believe it will make a difference. It still needs development, but if the Council gives me a chance, in our own lifetime we could see broken hearts and bad marriages become all but nonexistent."
Taya nodded, although she couldn't help harboring reservations. How could a machine possibly predict the vagaries of the human heart?
"Anyway," Alister said, leaning against the table, "you understand why it's causing so much debate. Clockwork Heart is a complicated, time-consuming program to run, and it's going to take a long time before the city sees any benefits from it. A number of decaturs aren't convinced it's important enough to pursue. Caster felt that way at first, but I showed him the data I've collected on the long-term economic impact of broken marriages and abandoned children, and he finally changed his mind. The simple fact is, strong marriages lead to strong societies. Caster agreed to approve the experiment and review our data after a year."
"So you think the Torn Cards found out he'd changed his mind?"
"It's possible. They wouldn't like this program. They don't like anything the Great Engine does." Alister sounded scornful. "If they thought Caster was slipping away from their agenda, they might have tried to kill him to keep the other decaturs from following his lead."
"But how would they know that Exalted Octavus decided to change his vote?"
"That's a good question." Alister shook his head. "I don't know how many people he has talked to about this."
"He'd only tell another decatur, right?"
"Any of his clerks might know, or a guard may have overheard him talking about the vote. If he has discussed it with Viera, his house servants might know. I'm not trying to blame terrorism on the lower castes, but it doesn't make any sense for an exalted to work with the Torn Cards. We were born into this caste to protect Ondinium, not destroy it. And destroying the Great Engine is tantamount to destroying the city."
"But what if…" Taya faltered.
"What if?" he urged, after a moment.
"Last night, at the party, I heard some men talking, and they mentioned Pins. They were talking to an exalted."
Alister fixed his gaze on her.
"Who?"
"I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't know if something bad was going on." She felt miserable. "But now that Pins is dead… maybe one of the men I saw killed her. I don't know. I could be wrong. But I have to report my suspicions, don't I?"
"Yes. I think you do. Tell me, Taya, and I promise I will conduct a quiet investigation and keep your name out of it. Nothing will come back to haunt you if you've made a mistake."
"I hope I'm wrong. Really, I do." She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Because they were talking to your brother."
"Cris?"
"He sounded like he was in charge." She didn't want to mention the night the refinery had blown up or the wireferry map she'd found in Cristof's shop. She'd had her suspicions then, but Cristof had explained everything. But this… Pins was dead. She'd witnessed Cristof receiving the package and heard him mention Pins’ name. This was something she couldn't keep to herself.
She described exactly what she'd seen and heard at the dance.
"I'm sorry," she finished, feeling terrible. "Maybe it's just coincidence."
Alister stood still, his handsome face as blank as the mask on the floor.
"I didn't think it would be my brother."
"I don't know if it was! It might be a coincidence. He's probably got a good explanation for everything."
Another moment of silence stretched between them. Alister's blank expression transformed to amazement.
"I knew he was angry when he left, but I didn't think he would do anything this rash. Clock repair made sense. But to spend years pretending to be something he isn't…."
"You think he's involved, then?"
Alister seemed to shake himself. "No. No. I don't think he is. I'm going to talk to him. He's family, Taya. Our parents are dead, and we're all we have left. It must be a misunderstanding. Or perhaps he doesn't realize what's he's gotten himself into. Cris can become so focused on his work that he doesn't notice what other people are doing around him. He could be an innocent dupe. And if he's not innocent…" Alister looked away, gazing at the clock on his table. "Then I'll tell the lictors. And, Taya—"
"What?"
"Stay away from him." Alister met her eyes. "He knows you overheard him last night. If he's involved with the Torn Cards, then you could be in danger. I don't want you to get hurt. That's one thing I'd never forgive him for."
Taya felt guilty for the warm feeling that filled her.
"I'll avoid him," she promised.
"Good." He pushed himself away from the table and took her hand. For a change, his fingers were cold, and she thought she felt them trembling. "Thank you for telling me, and thank you for letting me deal with this myself. Cris and I have our differences, but he means a great deal to me." He paused. "As do you."
The warm feeling intensified. Taya started to take a step back, to try to defuse the moment, but Alister wouldn't release her.
"Why do you keep backing away from me?" he asked, holding her hand captive.
She swallowed.
"You're an exalted," she said, unsteadily. "We're…" She gestured around them with her free hand, trying to indicate the office, the whole situation.
"I know things are confusing right now. But they won't always be like this." He moved closer, pulling her in. All at once her flight leathers felt too constricting, the harness straps too tight. Her heart hammered and she laid her free hand flat on his chest, meaning to hold him away. For a moment she faltered, feeling the hardness beneath his robes. Then she mustered her thoughts and pushed, stepping backward again.
"Not now," she said, struggling to maintain her dignity. "You're upset."
"Yes, I am," Alister agreed, releasing her. "So?"
Taya squared her shoulders. "It just — it doesn't feel right. I might be getting your brother into trouble. You should be angry at me!"
"I'm not. I'm grateful for your warning." The decatur studied her. Taya flattered herself that he looked disappointed that she'd pushed him away. She certainly was.
But she also knew she was right. To share a first kiss, now, after that kind of news — she didn't want the moment to be tainted by anything bad that might happen afterward.
"Talk to Cristof first," she pleaded.
Alister sighed, turning and looking out the window again. "Perhaps that's wisest, under the circumstances."
"Thank you." She felt a pang of regret as she gazed at his strong profile and watched the morning light gleam in the jewels and gold that caught back his long hair and brightened his neck and hands. The wave tattoo was dark against his cheek. A muscle there tightened as he stood, lost in his own thoughts.
"I wish you had brought me a pair of wings, instead of this news."
"I'm sorry." Taya took another step backward. "Will you send me a message when you know more?"
"Yes." He paused. "Fly safely, Taya Swan."
"I will. You be careful, too, exalted." She bowed and took her leave.