Treachery's Tools (35 page)

“That's enough for tonight,” said Alyna. “Go get washed up and ready for bed.”

Once the older girl was in the house, Alyna turned to Alastar. “What do you think?”

“She looks to have the talent of a maitre, possibly even a Maitre D'Structure. We'll just have to see, though. What do
you
think?”

“She'll keep Lystara on her toes.”

“Oh?” Alastar knew exactly what Alyna meant, but wanted her to say it.

“You know exactly what I mean. Lystara's worked harder and made more progress in the last week than in the past few months. We should talk about that later.” She glanced toward the upper level of the Maitre's house.

Alastar nodded, then said, “What you did this afternoon was remarkable.”

“You would have done the same.”

“Not nearly so effectively, I think.”
Especially right now.
“There are times when, no matter how strong you are, and you've proved how strong an imager you are, technique is more important. I wouldn't even have thought about poisoned darts. I didn't, as a matter of fact. Or spraying the area with them.”

“It only seemed fair, and I felt that if I even wounded one of them … well, they'd get exactly what they planned for young imagers.”

Alastar turned slightly and found he was looking eastward, where red-tinted Erion was nearly full and rising over the trees.
The moon of the hunter.

“What are you thinking?” asked Alyna. “You have that faraway look in your eyes.”

“Erion … the hunter, and I have to wonder who is the hunter and who is the hunted.”

“We're the hunted, until we become the hunters.”

“After we discover whom to hunt,” Alastar said dryly.

“You will; you always do.” Alyna paused. “I hear signs of … I need to check on the girls.” With that, she turned and headed inside.

Alastar shook his head.
Never in your wildest dreams did you think you'd end up in a household with three imager women.
But he smiled.

Once the girls were in bed, hopefully sleeping, Alastar and Alyna retired to their own sitting room, except that Alastar found himself walking to the window, and then toward the closed door to the upper hall.

“Sit down and stop pacing,” said Alyna gently. “When you do that, you always have something on your mind. Talk to me.”

Alastar sat down, turning toward her. “I've got a lot of things on my mind. First, where did she ever come up with that idea for shields?”

“She told you. She thought it up.”

“Ten-year-olds don't usually think up things like that.”

“Your daughter does. In that, she's like you.”

Alastar laughed, if softly. “Oh … poisoned darts?”

“So … she might take after me … a little.”

He shook his head.

“She's curious about everything,” Alyna went on. “Remember when she imaged those wooden flutes…”

“… to see if the diameter of the center affected the sound,” finished Alastar, “all because of the players she saw in the square, and she didn't believe our explanations.”

“The other night … the business with the cord, what was that all about?”

“I don't know, exactly. She was using imaging at the top of the arc to give the billet a push. Why, I don't know, except I think she was thinking about ways to multiply the effect of her imaging, because she's not as strong as she wants to be.” He grinned at Alyna. “She does sound like—”

“Enough of that, Maitre of the Collegium.” The words were said warmly and affectionately. “What else is on your mind?”

“The fact that we still don't know who is behind the shootings. I forgot to tell you that Akoryt is posting scouts who can do concealments to watch the Chateau D'Council. It might be a waste of time, but, right now, I can't think of anything else that might help.”

“It's only been five days…”

“It seems longer … a lot longer. And the fact that Lorien hasn't been exactly forthcoming lately isn't exactly helpful.”

“He doesn't want trouble with the High Holders. The last time a rex defied them he ended up dead.”

“That was because his father wouldn't compromise.”

“Exactly. And now you're telling him
not
to compromise.”

“The situation is very different.”

“To us, but not to Lorien. He's not…”

“The brightest plaque in the deck? No, he's not, and I'm worried that he's becoming less bright these days.”

“Like his father?”

“Let's just say that the heritage of the first Rex Regis has fared better through daughters.”

“You can be so sweet, at times. If all those junior imagers knew…”

“Better they don't.”
And it's definitely better the High Holders and factors don't know.
“How do you think Malyna's coming?”

“You're changing the subject.”

“Yes, I am.” Alastar offered a grin.

“She's adjusting well. It doesn't hurt that she and Lystara are so different … but I worry. She's already a bit more outgoing around the other thirds, and some of the boys…” Alyna shook her head. “I've asked Tiranya and Linzya to let me know if any of them make untoward advances…”

“You think that would be a problem … so soon? She's not that old.”

“She's old enough, dearest. That's not the problem I foresee. She still doesn't have enough experience with imaging. If some advances are indeed untoward, she might overreact … and she's strong enough to hurt some of those thirds.”

“I can see that might be a problem…” He shook his head. “And we'll have to go through that with Lystara.

“Not that problem,” Alyna returned. “Lystara's shields are already strong enough, and her control precise enough that she won't hurt anyone inadvertently … as long as she's not tired.”

“Or angry,” added Alastar.

“There is that…” Alyna looked inquiringly at Alastar.

“The anger comes from me, I'm certain.”

“I know. You've been kind with me, and gentle, but when those you love are threatened … or young imagers … I'd not wish to be anyone who made such threats. The High Holders don't understand that … not even Zaeryl. I think Mairina does, but that might be her heritage … or, then again…”

Alastar kept listening.

 

19

On Meredi morning, Alastar had no sooner dispatched Coermyd to take his reply to the Factors' Council—except he directed the third to deliver it personally to Elthyrd at his factorage—than Cyran appeared at his study door.

Alastar waved him in. “You have that look. What else has gone wrong this morning?”

“Not this morning. Last night.”

“Go on.”

“A High Holder's son decided to take over driving his carriage from the coachman. He ran down a factor's son. The youth was killed. He might have died shortly after. That's not clear. The young man's older brother slit the throat of the High Holder's son. Then he disappeared.”

“Which High Holder and which factor?” asked Alastar. “How did you find out?”

“I asked Captain Heisyt to let me know of any trouble between High Holder and factor offspring. He's been more than happy. He doesn't much care for most of the High Holder youngbloods. Oh … the father of the dead youngblood is High Holder Paellyt. The supposed killer's father is Naathyn. He builds most of the wagons and coaches—and the costly carriages—here in L'Excelsis.”

“I take it that the one who got his throat slit wasn't beloved?”

“Heisyt didn't know about that. He'd heard that young Paellyt owed a lot to Alamara's, maybe even to Tydaael's. The younger Naathyn had cleaned out young Paellyt at bones, then left. Young Paellyt followed.”

“If he'd lived, young Paellyt would have claimed it was an accident,” said Alastar sourly. There was something about Paellyt, something he'd heard. He tried to remember.…

“There's not much doubt about that,” replied Cyran.

Kathila!
Alastar finally recalled that she had said something about Paellyt being one of the less endowed High Holders, one of those who might face ruin as a result of the crop failures. “It might have something to do with the fact that his father's finances are less than solid at present. I take it that the Civic Patrol hasn't found the surviving Naathyn offspring?”

“I doubt that the patrollers are trying all that hard.”

Alastar could understand that, given that the Civic Patrol was funded by the Factors' Council, and that most patrollers weren't all that fond of High Holders. “The patrollers? What about Commander Murranyt?”

“Heisyt said the commander ordered them to bring in the killer.”

An order most patrollers wouldn't exert any extra effort to follow, Alastar suspected. “Did Heisyt have anything else to say?”

“Besides wishing that the High Holder brats didn't think they were entitled to everything under two moons? No, not really.”

Alastar shook his head. “This is going to make matters worse, even if I can't predict exactly how.” He rose. “I suppose most of the other senior maitres are already in the conference room.”

“Most of them. Gaellen's still at the infirmary.” Cyran followed Alastar through the side door into the conference room.

At that moment, Gaellen hurried through the other door, closing it behind himself and seating himself at the last seat near the foot of the table.

After settling himself at the head of the table and glancing at Alyna, who offered the tiniest of headshakes, Alastar waited for several moments before beginning. “As all of you know, we've had four imagers shot and killed, and one wounded since the last meeting of the senior maitres. The shooters appear to have been using new heavy rifles produced by Factor Vaschet … who has proved to be less than cooperative in disclosing who bought those rifles…” Alastar quickly explained the basics of what had happened with Vaschet and the subsequent complaints made by the factor to both Lorien and the Factors' Council. He did mention the impact that massed firing had on shields, but not the extent of his own injuries. When he finished, he asked, “Any questions?”

“Why is the Factors' Council pressing you on this?” asked Shaelyt. “Don't they know that, without the support of the Collegium, Lorien would give in to the High Holders?”

“I've talked this over with Maitre Thelia, and one of the freedoms the factors value the most is the ability to keep what they have and do confidential. If the Factors' Council doesn't at least protest…”

“Seems like that was planned by the High Council,” grumbled Obsolym.

“I doubt that the High Council would do anything so overt,” replied Alastar, “but they're not beneath looking the other way and letting an individual High Holder do something like that.”

“That's very much the way the High Council works,” added Arion.

“What about Rex Lorien?” asked Khaelis.

“He doesn't want trouble with the High Holders. It appears that he's concerned. He may be thinking that his father's stubbornness with the High Holders led to his death.”

“Does he think that much?” murmured someone, but Alastar couldn't tell who.

“What about the shootings?” asked Obsolym. “Surely you must have some idea who might be behind it?”

“Ideas, yes. It's almost certainly a High Holder, if not several. But which one? Cransyr, or one of the other four councilors? Or any one of eight or ten others who have expressed unhappiness or filed petitions? Or someone with a grudge that we haven't even considered?”

“Ah … is there anything that might be done to gain that information?” ventured Tiranya.

“In fact, Maitre Cyran is working with the Civic Patrol, and I've asked Maitre Akoryt to post scouts to observe the Chateau D'Council.” Alastar looked to Akoryt. “Do you have anything to report?”

“Not yet, sir.”

“Does anyone else know anything or have any thoughts about who, specifically, might be behind the shootings?”

There were several headshakes, but no comments.

“Until further notice, all imagers without strong shields are to remain on Imagisle and in places where they cannot be observed from the outer banks of the river.”

“Does that include instructional activities on the river?” asked Khaelis.

“It does, unless your shields can cover all those you're instructing.”

“That might be a bit much, sir. Thank you.”

“Maitre Akoryt will continue to maintain and post the watch schedules for the senior imagers…”

The remaining routine matters took almost another glass before Alastar called the meeting to a close.

Akoryt lingered after the others, except Alyna, had left the conference room. “There is one other matter I didn't wish to bring up in the meeting.”

Alastar nodded.

“As you requested, I've occasionally talked with Tertia Charlina. She's noticed that there have been even more instances of someone moving around in the imager factorage under a concealment. The person did not reveal himself or herself.”

“Can she tell whether it's the same person all the time?”

Akoryt shook his head. “She says she's working on that, but right now, she cannot.”

Alastar had a thought, but kept it to himself. “All I can say is to keep checking. It does sound like the situation is encouraging Charlina to develop her abilities more, and that's not bad at all. Or am I being too optimistic?”

“Not at all. I think she's encouraged by the idea she has a unique talent. She's begun to work more on shields, and she can hold them and concealments much longer. She can also sense another concealment even when she's holding shields. I'm working to get her able to do all three at once.”