“You don’t think he stay here?”
“He’s too impatient. Haven’t you noticed how patient and deliberate the mage-guards are here? They don’t put up with trouble, but they don’t lash out either.”
Rahl had noticed that.
At that moment, Jyrolt himself appeared. “Mage-Guard Talanyr, if you’d accompany me.”
Talanyr’s grin and relief were more than palpable. Rahl grinned back at him. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
Rahl got up and walked over to the reports that Talanyr hadn’t finished and picked up the one on the top, carrying it back to his seat. He finished it and was wondering if he should start another when he sensed someone approaching—Taryl.
He looked up.
Taryl smiled. “Congratulations, Mage-Guard Rahl.”
Rahl bolted to his feet. “Ser.”
“Since we’re alone here, I don’t need to escort you off. Sit down.”
Rahl sat, nervously, as Taryl pulled Talanyr’s chair closer and seated himself.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you, but you’ve posed a considerable problem for us.”.
“I had that feeling, ser, with my loss of order-skills…”
“That’s not the problem I’m talking about. You have an aptitude with staff and truncheon that comes along maybe once in a generation. As an ordermage, you shouldn’t even be able to hold a falchiona for more than a few moments, let alone use it. I know the pain of doing so is agonizing for you—any ordermage around can feel it—and I don’t suggest you make a habit of picking up blades, but it’s indicative of your ability. The problem is that you’re a natural ordermage, and you have to learn things slowly, and by doing them. You can’t rush things. We’re not set up for handling mages like you, but you’re already too far along to stay here.”
Rahl still had no real idea of where Taryl was headed.
“Jyrolt and I have talked things over, and we’re going to send you to Swartheld. This has several advantages and several disadvantages. You know some of the city, and you know commerce. But you’re not a chaos-mage, and most mage-guards in the larger cities have to be. You’ll be assigned to work with an experienced mage-guard there, but you’re going to have to find a way to develop more order-skills on your own. We’ve worked on the ones you need to, survive as a mage-guard, but if you want to do more than that, it’s up to you.”
Rahl considered Taryl’s words without immediately replying. The thin-faced mage-guard had been more than fair, much more than fair. He’d effectively saved Rahl’s life, and for that Rahl had no way of really thanking him, let alone repaying him. “I can’t thank you enough, and I think you know that, ser.”
Taryl smiled. “I do. The only way you can repay me is by continuing to learn and in time, perhaps, by saying someone else of such potential. Or keeping them from making near-fatal mistakes, but given the minds of the young, that is often impossible.” The smile vanished. “One other thing. Hamor is generally a just land, but it is not a kind land. You will see injustice, and you will see good people broken and be unable to do anything. The hardest thing for you will be not to take the laws of the land into your own hands and use your powers to set things as you see they should be. Do not do it. That is the way to destroy yourself and all the good that the mage-guards stand for. The Codex is not perfect, but any alternative is worse. If you do not see that, please take my word for it until you do.”
Although Taryl had not raised his voice, the concern and the conviction in his tone burned through Rahl.
“Yes, ser.”
“You’ll take one of the downriver barges to Swartheld, and you’ll go with Jyrolt, tomorrow, because that’s where he’s headed next That will give him a chance to brief you.” Taryl stood and set the canvas bag he had carried on the table. “Here are your insignia for your cap and collars, as well as two more sets of uniforms and a cold-weather jacket. Oh, there’s also a pouch with three silvers. Your pay as a beginning mage-guard is three silvers an eightday, and passing the evaluation entitles you to an eightday’s pay.” He smiled. “Now… put on the insignia and go find your friends. You’re all free for the rest of the day, not that any of you would be worth much as copyists or mage-guards at the moment.”
“Thank you, ser.” Rahl still couldn’t believe the pay. Three silvers an eightday plus lodging and two meals a day.
Taryl offered a last smile, then stepped back. “You earned it, and you’ll keep earning it.” Then he was gone.
Rahl had sensed a certain sadness in Taryl, as well as something else, but he couldn’t very well chase Taryl and ask about it.
After taking his new and additional gear to his chamber and affixing the mage-guard sunburst insignia to his collars and visor cap, Rahl went looking for Talanyr and Rhiobyn. He found them in the small courtyard outside the mess.
Talanyr smiled as Rahl appeared. “I thought you’d make it.”
“Well… I thought both of you would,” Rahl replied. “You’ve both had much more training and experience.”
“Where are you going? Or are you staying here?” asked Rhiobyn quickly, not quite looking at Rahl directly.
Rahl didn’t want to answer that. “Taryl said I couldn’t stay here.” That was true, even if it had been said to Jyrolt. “What about you?”
“It could have been worse.” Rhiobyn shook his head. “I’m being stationed in Hilda.”
The town name was familiar, but Rahl couldn place it mentally, and he glanced at Talanyr.
“It’s on the east side of. the Heldyn Mountains, about fifty kays north of the Great Highway. It’s a lumber and herding center, and they say it’s about three times the size of Guasyra.”
Rahl looked at Rhiobyn. “It’s not Cigoerne, but it sounds like a good-sized place compared to some of the stations you two have told me about.”
Rhiobyn squared his shoulders and offered a smile. “They do have mage-clerks there. Taryl told me that.”
Talanyr laughed. “You’re fortunate. Clyanaka doesn’t.”
Rhiobyn glanced at Rahl, but Rahl had never heard of the name.
“I’m being assigned as a range guard on the northwestern high grasslands in Merowey. They wanted someone who could ride and knew plants and animals.” Talanyr shook his head. ‘Taryl said that they’ve been asking for more help there for years, and I was a good fit.“
Rahl could sense that Talanyr was pleased. “You really didn’t want a city post, did you?”
“No. I’d hoped for a small town at least, but this is better. There is a town there, but most of the mage-guards patrol the grasslands against poachers and rustlers.”
Rahl found both of them looking at him.
“They’re sending me to Swartheld. They think that because I know something about commerce and trade… I guess. Taryl didn’t say, except that I’d have to be paired with a very experienced mage-guard.”
“That’s tough duty,” said Rhiobyn.
“I’d wager that’s why Taryl worked on your weapons training so much,” added Talanyr. “They get sailors and bravos from all over the world there.”
“Is Clyanaka far from Jabuti?” asked Rahl, wanting to change the subject away from himself and Swartheld.
“Only some six hundred kays over roads that are barely that.” Talanyr grinned. “But I’ll be able to ride again, and not be so hemmed in. I miss the open skies…”
Rahl listened to Talanyr, realizing that he had been the first adult male friend Rahl had ever had…and that he would miss Talanyr’s quiet steadiness in the days and seasons ahead. He doubted that he would miss much else about Luba station and the ironworks, except Taryl, who was far more than he seemed.
“… and there aren’t that many people around, except near the Clyan River.”
Even Rhiobyn listened as Talanyr went on.
Although Rahl looked for Taryl on fourday morning to say good-bye, the older ordermage had already left the station, according to the mage-guard on duty. He still wished he’d been able to say a true good-bye to Taryl. He’d asked why Talanyr and Rhiobyn weren’t taking the wagon, but Talanyr had pointed out that they were going upriver, rather than down, and that the next river steamer would not port at Luba until fiveday. ‘
So Rahl found himself on the transport wagon to Luba port, seated beside Jyrolt, as they rode eastward. The older mage-guard dozed in the wagon, as if he were still exhausted from his evaluation efforts of the previous day. Rahl could not rest and contented himself with studying the highway and the barren flatlands’ that stretched toward a line of hills ahead.
The hills looked as though a massive layer of black basalt had formed and then been tipped on its side. The road itself ascended a long and gradual ramp to the lowest point in the hills. For a moment, Rahl wondered why the ramp was so long and gradual—until he realized that the iron wagons had to travel it to the river port.
Near the top of the road, Jyrolt stirred himself, stretched, and looked at Rahl. “You’ve been pleasantly quiet, Rahl, but I’d wager you have more than a few questions.”
“Yes, ser.” He paused. “Ser… what exactly is Mage-Guard Taryl’s function at Luba station? Beyond training, that is? He is more than he seems, I feel.”
Jyrolt raised two bushy eyebrows. “Why do you think that?”
“He sees more, but he says little.”
“Ha! At least, you saw that, young Rahl.” Jyrolt cleared his throat. “He was one of the Triad. Let us just say that he made an error. Only the great make errors of such magnitude. None thought it his fault, but he felt it was his responsibility, and he stepped down and came to Luba.” Jyrolt paused. “There are rumors that a woman and a relative of the Emperor were involved. They are false. I will only say that the error involved judgment and magery, and none, save a few, will ever know the details, and none should. This is the last I will speak to you of it. Should any ask you, you should answer as I answered you.”
“Yes, ser.”
“Now… what other questions do you have? Preferably dealing with your assignment and duties.”
“Taryl only told me that I had been assigned to Swartheld station and that I would be paired with an experienced mage-guard. I don’t know enough beyond that to ask a good question, except for what my duties might be and what skills would be most useful.”
“The most useful skills in Swartheld are skills with weapons, which you have, shields, and yours are adequate, the ability to sense when something is not as it should be, and a knowledge of commerce. Beyond petty thievery and violence, the majority of evildoing there lies in attempting to misuse trade for great personal gain… or worse, to obtain power over others. Your duties at first will be simple. You will patrol with another mage and keep order according to the Manual and Codex. I can’t say where you’ll patrol, because that’s up to the city mage-captain and the station undercaptain.” Jyrolt looked at Rahl, as if waiting for another question.
“What questions should I ask, ser?”
“Has Taryl been tutoring you on how to draw me out?” Jyrolt’s tone was wry.
“No, ser.”
“That sounds like something he’d come up with.” Rahl couldn’t comment on that. “Is it true that you were dosed with nemysa?” asked Jyrolt.
“I don’t know that. I lost my memories for seasons, and Taryl told me that only nemysa could do that…” Rahl went on to explain all .that had happened.‘
“Why do you think this Shyret wanted you to lose your memories?”
“He thought I knew something he didn’t want known.”
“Did you?”
“I had a good idea that he was claiming some goods were damaged, then selling them on the side and pocketing the coins. I would have been hard-pressed to come up with proof, and he was convinced that what he was doing did not go against the Codex. Without hard proof and as an exile—”
“You were exiled from Reduce?”
“Yes, ser. Because I was a natural ordermage. They claimed I couldn’t be taught and was a danger to them for that reason.”
Jyrolt fingered his chin. “This Shyret could not have known you were a mage, or he would not have used nemysa… unless he thought it would kill you well away from him. How long before you could remember?”
“I was not even aware of anything for more than a . season, and it was another season almost before I remembered who I was.”
Jyrolt nodded. “The dosage you were given might well have killed most mages, but there must have been something else. This merchant was right that the Codex does not concern itself with commercial manipulations, only with theft or fraud against those who buy their goods. There is a reason for that. Do you have any idea what it . might be?”
Rahl did not. To him it seemed wrong that merchants could cheat each other.
“The Emperor cares only that honest goods are sold. To try to set the price, either directly or indirectly, always results in higher charges. To prohibit certain practices or to mandate that factors and traders only adhere to certain others only results in even more convoluted fashions of. accounting and bookkeeping, and that makes gathering tariffs even more difficult. So the Emperor concerns himself with making sure that honest goods are sold and that the amount and value of the goods brought into Hamor, or produced here before sale, are accurate. What the merchants do to each other or their accounts is their business.”
But if that were so, why had Shyret wanted Rahl removed or dead?