Ortai Legacy: Arrival

10.5 - Discovery (L)

Though Cadmus stayed outside, the rest of us went in. I returned to the couch, and Harker looked like he was headed for one of the pommel horses—until he spotted my polearm. Practically cooing, he leaned in to inspect its engraved head.

"By Taroth," he exhaled. "This is an exquisite replica of Elarie Shiel's weapon, Wedol. Did you or Mar'kost craft it?"

"No, it's the real thing. That's a secret, by the way."

His necklace flashed briefly as Harker gaped at me. "Impossible, this is pristine." He touched the glittering pole and jerked his hand back like he'd been shocked. "May I hold it?"

"No." Weylan scowled, and judging by the utter astonishment on Harker's face, the AI was in plain view. "Wedol is only to be wielded by Sister Liza."

"Ortai Weylan Shiel?" Harker's voice bordered on a squeal. "Depths below, are you still on Vangorn?"

"Hardly. I'm a replica of Brother Weylan's consciousness."

[You're being awfully forthcoming,] I commented.

[If you're to work with this man, you'll undoubtedly refer to me at some point; better to instill it as a secret now.]

"The Weylan replica's existence is a secret," I murmured, possibly too quiet for Harker to hear. His necklace still flashed.

Harker's cervine ears flicked in my direction. "I assume it's also a secret that you're an Ortai?"

The room froze.

A beat too late, I said, "No. I mean, it would be a secret if I were an Ortai, but I'm not."

He looked up from Weylan to stare at me. "He titled you the same way he titled Ortai Weylan Shiel. Unless I see proof otherwise, the most logical conclusion is that you are an Ortai."

[If he suspects the truth, forbid him from sharing it, whether or not you confirm it,] Weylan insisted.

"Don't tell anyone I'm an Ortai. If they ask, say I'm an amphit."

His necklace flashed in confirmation, giving me a modicum of relief.

"Are you the offspring of Elarie Shiel?"

"It's a secret." I groaned inwardly. "And technically, I'm a descendant, not her offspring."

"Are you close with her?"

"I've never met-"

He cocked his head before speaking in another language.

[Guard your tongue, Sister Liza.] Weylan's gaze bore into me. [Most on this planet believe Ortai are immortal—and it is in your best interest that these two believe the same.]

I found it hard to believe that Mar'kost hadn't let that slip to his housemates already, but I wasn't going to tell Weylan about it if he didn't know. "Sorry," I said aloud, "there are certain things I can't say. The laws of the universe forbid it."

Raeve clapped a hand over her mouth, barely holding back a laugh.

Harker nodded absentmindedly. "And I assume you chose 'Vek Tivom' as your charm marker because he is your favorite shifter?"

"Yes. I mean, he was. He's, uh, no longer with us."

Yet again, his fuzzy brows rose in disbelief. "An Ortai allowed a common scalewing to bind her? Or have you bound Mar'kost to your service?"

"The second one."

He paused, as if waiting for more clarification. "You bound Mar'kost into your service using the surname of someone else in place of your own?"