The Silent: Irin Chronicles Book Five(14)

“And now they fight with you.” Leo used his spoon to taste the curry. Heaven.

“Some do,” Dara said carefully. “Some prefer their independence. This house is unique. The majority of scribe houses are still overseen by Irin watchers. When they are given the chance to recruit warriors, they recruit from their own training houses, which are full of other scribes.”

Though a few murmured conversations were taking place at the other end of the table, most of the attention focused on Dara.

“What advice would you give me to share with our leaders?” Leo asked. “Many want more Irina participation but do not know what steps to take.”

“If you want more singers in your scribe houses, you must have more Irina in leadership,” Dara said. “Not watchers, for they are appointed by the Watchers’ Council. But trainers. Weapons masters. Most of our intelligence is gathered by Irina assets.”

“And watchers’ mates, obviously,” Leo said, smiling. “A mated Irin couple at the head of the house is always more powerful.”

“Clearly,” Rith said quietly. “But many of us are still wanting for mates. Of the five singers in our house, only one is unmated.”

“And she will likely remain so,” quipped Alyah.

Rith smiled, but his eyes were tired. “We have four unmated warriors,” he said. “Including myself. Our people are still working out of balance. It is contrary to the Creator’s wish.”

“I agree,” Leo said. “But in your house I see hope, brother. Scribes and singers together. It is balanced.”

“Thank you.”

“Now,” Dara said. “To the present problem. These so-called ‘free’ Grigori. I do not like to admit that I didn’t know of them prior to your watcher’s revelation in Vienna. To know that there have been Grigori among us who might have been trying to change their fate and live a more honorable life is… unsettling. At the same time, I am not sure I am confident of their motives. They could easily be a threat.”

“We cannot ignore that most Grigori still hunt humans,” Leo said. “Even those with no living sire often hunt. While I do hope to build a point of connection between your house and the free Grigori here, Irin protection is very necessary, particularly in a country like Thailand that sees so many visitors.”

Dara nodded. “Travelers have always been Grigori’s favorite prey because they are vulnerable. That is why the house here and the house in Phuket are quite large for the size of the city. But we may have a population of these free Grigori as well. Particularly in the city of Chiang Mai in the north. Local scribes have reported that the city has not seen a tourist attack in over two years. Could you tell me why that might be? We are optimistic. But… cautious.”

Leo said, “I cannot know for certain. It’s possible that the free Grigori there have cleared the city of threats to their control. I don’t know Chiang Mai. Is it very large?”

“No. A medium-sized city, though one with many foreign residents. Very international. It’s situated in the mountains in the north.”

“But you’ve seen these Grigori?”

“We’ve had reports from local scribes,” Rith said, “but we don’t have a clear number. It could be a few Grigori. It could be a large group.”

“If a Grigori community wanted to hide there, would it be difficult?”

“In the city?” Rith asked. “There are Irin and Irina who train in Chiang Mai and keep an eye on things. They would have noticed a large group in the city. But in the surrounding hills? It would be possible to conceal a large group there.”

“If there is a large group outside the city, it’s possible they are concealing sisters.”

Rith asked, “Sisters?”

Leo felt all the attention in the courtyard zero in on him as he explained the existence of the kareshta, as he had to Alyah in the car. Questions came quickly.

“You have seen them with your own eyes?”

“They have magic?”

“How many are there?”

“Voices? They hear the voices as we do?”

“Your own watcher’s mate?”

“Are they violent?”

“Are they mad?”

Leo patiently explained the history as well as he knew it and the mandate given by the Irin and Irina councils to find and help the kareshta.

Just as he had in other cities, Leo perceived the same sense of combined dread and pity for these women who were so powerless to control their magic. Also, the same veiled anticipation from the males in the room that, just possibly, there were more women of a related race. The wish for more potential mates was rarely stated openly, but when Leo explained that some kareshta in Europe had taken Irin mates, he knew the Bangkok scribes would see the possibilities as well.

“There may only be a few,” Leo explained. “There are far fewer kareshta than there are Grigori. But I suspect if your free Grigori are creating a safe haven, it is in part to protect their women and girls.”

Dara asked, “And these women are now under the official protection of the scribe houses?”

“As per the mandate of the Elder Council, yes.”

Dara nodded and fell silent.

Rith asked, “And these women would be Grigori sisters, correct?”