Eye of the Ocean Book 3 Ji'jin Station

Eye of the Ocean – Book 3: Ji’Jin Station
be wrong. Besides, they had company now that was more likely to be concerned.
Silassic waited to be noticed, fingers toying with his oath band. A talisman
against her, Oimit thought. His timing was predictable. He looked for trouble
between her and his wife; he looked for them being together and assumed
trouble.
“Would he know you...?” she began, and then smiled. Tu'pin had followed the
medic and she raised her voice to include her brother. “You breath air, does the
wind think you a thief?”
“She would,” Tu'pin said, his bound hands making a private sign between
them. “Especially of us.”
It had been said as a joke and her fingers shaped a rebuke that she regretted
too late. “I thought you were at Alisim Temple.”
“I didn't want to miss this.”
“This?” she asked with all the irony she could find. Obviously, the others were
leaving, but the Net link that Kori was taking her orders from was closed to her.
“I see guns and packs. A cat and a rug. What do you see? The Overpriest is
apparently too busy, his staff too busy, to share what was agreed.”
A second rifle went to hang on Kori's back, the cat was next to be picked up,
supported with one hand, the creature's claws digging into the other woman's
shoulder. Golden eyes stared at Oimit with mild interest, the animal appeared
more concerned with balance than threat.
Tu'pin watched her with much the same expression. “The ranking Priest at
Alisim Temple has formally questioned the allowance granted the Lord Cayse. Her
sense of timing is rather interesting in light of what has happened since. As you
said, the Overpriest has been busy. I thought you might not know.”
She didn't, except that he was here and the others were packing. “And you've
come all this way to tell me.”
“Do I need an excuse to come here? You would almost make me think so.”
Black flickered in his eyes, but it wasn't threat or challenge, Oimit thought. A
motion asked her to walk with him and she agreed, leaving the others, Silassic
putting himself between her and Kori now that it was safe to.
Tu'pin turned his mild interest to the view now, apparently not minding the
limitless black of the sky and the press of the stars over him. Widely spaced
torches illuminated the terrace, not glowglobes, the yellow only slightly softening
the cold of the stars. “I found it a very Altasimic type of thing for her to do,
without apparent reason, simply because it was possible and the result unknown.”
He toed a fallen leaf on the flagstones. He wore the robe he had worn to meet
Poss a'ltic, the tails of cloth blowing free in the wind from the water, a nervous
movement that reflected the yellow fire back at her. She had to look past the
fabric to see how still he was. “I had the sense that she wished to increase the
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