Heroes Return (13 page)

“Your brother does not love me. He sees me as a challenge, and once the challenge is conquered, he will lose all interest. I’m not a horse to be broken.”

“I don’t know,” Fiona said. “I think he’s serious this time.”

“Then he shows it ill.”

I had to agree with Radia on that. What little I saw in Tarce’s interaction with Radia certainly hadn’t impressed me. I wondered if he had started with the more traditional route—sweet words and trinkets—and, when that didn’t work, either got bitter or was trying a unique and risky tactic.

We were approaching the village as the sun rose high. “What’s that building?” I asked, pointing at a taller, slim building with some kind of wheel apparatus partially submerged into the river next to it. I’d seen buildings like it before but had never thought to ask about their purpose.

“It’s a gristmill.”

“What’s a gristmill?”

Both Fiona and Radia snickered. “You’re such a city girl,” Fiona teased.

“Yes,” was all I could think to say.

“It grinds grain into flour.”

“Ah.”

“The miller also makes the richest, most fragrant bread, and she probably has some coming out of the oven right now.”

I was starving. I would say yes to anything.

The miller was a tall, slim, angular-looking woman with her iron gray hair bound into a braid that fell to her waist. Her face had deep wrinkles and it was very red. She was indeed in the process of pulling loaves of bread out of a large oven. Their aroma flooded my mouth with saliva.

“Good morning, my lady, Madam Wind Watcher,” she said. She looked at me with her eyebrows raised.

“Shield Mallorough, this is Miller Ena Geller.”

We clasped forearms.

“How are you finding Flown Raven, Shield Mallorough?”

“It’s very beautiful.” In a chilly sort of way. “I’m used to having my time rather rigidly controlled by the Triple S. The level of freedom here will take some getting used to.”

“Shouldn’t you be with your Source in case something happens?”

“The bond allows for some distance. The village is close enough to the manor for me to Shield Source Karish should he channel.”

“Really?” said the miller. “I had been told that you couldn’t be more than a few feet away from each other without suffering crippling pain.”

That was a rumor I hadn’t heard before. I wondered if it was the result of Taro telling the Empress he couldn’t bear to be parted from me for long. The Empress, enjoying Taro’s company, had been keeping Taro in Erstwhile and leaving me useless in High Scape. So Taro had lied to her to convince her to let him go.

Would that story have spread so far as to reach Flown Raven? “There are a lot of rumors about Pairs that aren’t true. That would be one of them.”

The miller leaned closer. “Is it true that Sources and Shields always fall madly in love with each other?”

“No.”

She looked disappointed. “So you and your Source aren’t in love with each other?”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to talk about my personal life with this stranger, but I wasn’t comfortable lying. It would feel like I was denying something, as though I was ashamed of it.

Fiona rescued me. “Ena, we were hoping to break into some of your delectable bread while it is still warm.”

“Of course, my lady.”

The warm bread, fresh butter melting into its nooks and crannies, was sumptuous. I could have probably eaten a whole loaf by myself, but I couldn’t act the glutton in front of strangers. It did make the early start worthwhile.

After the miller, we stopped in at the blacksmith’s, the cheese maker’s, and the milliner’s. They were all up and working at an ungodly hour. Had people in High Scape had to wake so early?

It was a thriving village of a fair size. I wondered how often they put on plays. Or if they received new books on a regular basis. Or if there were any talented alto or bass singers in the area.

“The next person we’re going to introduce you to is very important,” Fiona told me. “She’s the healer, and she’s excellent. If you know of anyone having any difficulty, send for her. We’re lucky to have her.”

We were taking the path from the main road to a small cottage that was set farther back than most of its fellows. It was made of stone, was small but well kept, but it had an odd smell. Not unpleasant, but not pleasant, either. It almost made me sneeze.

Fiona knocked on the door. I could hear a lot of footsteps shuffling around. Was someone hiding?

The door was opened by a woman only slightly taller than I, blond, and younger than I would expect a healer to be. She was frowning. “My lady.”

“What’s wrong, Healer Browne?” Fiona asked.

“Those Imperial Guards are here.”

I was surprised by the anger that swelled up in me at the mention of the Guards. I hadn’t seen any of them since they rifled through my suite. I’d hoped they’d slithered off somewhere, never to be seen again.

“I thought they already searched your home?”

“They decided to search it again.”

“May we come in?”

“Of course.”

I could hear things being shifted, cupboards being opened and closed, and I could see the four Guards moving about in the kitchen that seemed to make up the front half of the cottage. “What do you think you’re doing?” Fiona demanded.

“You know precisely what we’re doing,” the First Lieutenant said as he fingered the contents of a bag the size of his hand. He pulled out his fingers, covered with fine white powder, and sniffed at them. “What is this?”

“It’s aminak,” Browne answered impatiently.

“What does it do?”

“It soothes stomach cramps. Look, you’ve been through here before.”

“I wasn’t present the last time your residence was searched. From the reports I received, you required a closer look.”

“Your handling is spoiling my supplies,” Browne complained.

“At least you’re here while they search,” I said, the words coming out without permission from my brain. I hadn’t planned to speak at all in the presence of the Guards, but their arrogance infuriated me. Every time I dressed I had to wonder what they had done to my clothes. “They waited until Source Karish and I were away to turn our rooms upside down.”

“I’m sorry, Shield,” the young female Guard quickly said, “but we—”

“You do not apologize for doing your duty!” the First Lieutenant snapped at her.

“You should be ashamed for acting like thieves,” I said, before wondering if they could do anything else to me if I irritated them.

“You would not grant us permission to enter your suite.”

“And so you did anyway. And did you find anything? No.”

“We have His Imperial Majesty’s orders to search everywhere.”

“For tools of a trade that His Majesty won’t even admit exists.”

The First Lieutenant looked at me with an interest that made me uneasy. “Are you saying you believe casting is a genuine skill?”

See, that was why I should never speak. “I am not qualified to make that judgment, but I am certain there are more serious crimes to be investigated. Murder, rape, treason. You are wasting everyone’s time with these trivial pursuits.”

“His Majesty is of a different opinion, and his is the opinion that matters.”

“His Majesty is of the opinion that my people should be continually harassed?” Fiona asked coolly. “One search was more than enough, and more than my people should have endured.”

“Do you think we’re not aware that you sent servants out to warn everyone to destroy or hide anything incriminating?”

“Of course I didn’t,” said Fiona. “My people aren’t involved in criminal activities. None of them are pretending to cast spells.”

“If that’s the case, then none of them have anything to worry about.”

“They shouldn’t have to worry about people like you stomping through their lives with all the finesse of a great whale. Believe me, I will be reporting your behavior to His Majesty. If he feels this is the way to treat the people of another titleholder, he needs an education.”

And she was the one to give it to him? I didn’t know anything about politics, but that seemed a risky thing to suggest.

The First Lieutenant didn’t appear overwhelmed with either concern or remorse. “You do what you feel you must.”

He was a cocky little bastard.

They continued to go through Healer Browne’s possessions, and they were suspicious of many of her powders and serums, but they finally decided to leave without taking anything or arresting her.

“And this will be the last time you put her through this, I take it?” Fiona said to them.

“We will decide when we are finished,” the First Lieutenant said coolly before leading his colleagues out the door.

“I’m very sorry, Healer Browne,” Fiona said to the annoyed woman.

“Would the Emperor grasp so far if a Karish were the titleholder, I wonder?” Browne mused.

That was a little harsh.

Fiona flushed in anger.

“It depends on why he’s doing it,” I said.

“What do you mean?” Browne asked.

“I haven’t heard of him doing this anywhere else. Certainly, the laws were made more stringent in High Scape, but there weren’t any searches going on, and as far as I can tell they weren’t searching in any of the places we passed through on the way here. Why is he being so obnoxious about Flown Raven?”

“It is a very large and wealthy estate,” said Browne.

“With significant political power,” Radia added. “Or the potential for it.”

I didn’t see how that could be possible when Fiona apparently didn’t spend much time at the Imperial court. “Wouldn’t he then want to court Fiona rather than do his best to alienate her?”

“He could be trying to punish me for refusing to pay those taxes until I absolutely had to.”

“That seems a petty reason to be disrupting your people this way. He can’t just do whatever he wants to do.”

“Unfortunately, there’s no practical way to stop him. Not without garnering a great deal of support from other powerful titleholders.”

“Which you can’t really do without spending more time at court,” I said.

“Probably not.”

“Why don’t you go to court?”

“I’m needed here.”

That was probably true, especially as the tenants weren’t as supportive of Fiona as they should be.

“Well, we might as well get on with why we came,” said Fiona. “Shield Dunleavy, this is Healer Nab Browne.”

We clasped forearms.

“So what about you, Shield?” Browne asked, challenge drenching her tone. “Do you believe casting is real?”

“I’m not in a position to judge,” I said, because I was a coward.

Browne rolled her eyes. “I’m asking for your opinion. Don’t be ridiculous.”

I sighed. Fine. “Yes, I think it’s real.” I hoped I didn’t get into a whole hell of trouble for admitting it.

“And why is that?”

“I’m not telling you that.”

“Fair enough. Do you believe it should be considered criminal behavior?”

“I believe it should be regulated, but no, I don’t consider it criminal.” Why was I telling this to a stranger?

On the other hand, what harm could it do for people to know I thought casting was real? They might think I was foolish. So what?

“If you find yourself with nothing to do in the evenings,” said Browne, “you should come by. We have the fiddle and the squeeze box here most nights.”

“Thank you. I might do that.” I actually might. I had no doubt I would find myself at loose ends most evenings.

We left shortly after that.

“She likes you,” Fiona told me. “Believe me, that’s rare.”

“It’s always good to have the healer like you,” Radia added.

“Then those Guards have something to worry about.”

“Believe me,” Fiona chuckled. “They have no idea.”

Chapter Ten

It was Decision Day, when Fiona sat in the court room all day and heard complaints. She invited Taro and me to witness her work. I agreed to it with pleasure, but Taro declined. He was going to find someone to gamble with.

There was, Fiona told me, a precedence involving the seating of the spectators. The highest rank of spectators sat in the chairs closest to Fiona’s throne-like chair. This was the best place for viewing the parties in dispute. The seats farthest away were often empty, for they didn’t allow people to hear everything that was said. I planned to stand to Fiona’s left, rather than picking a seat and ruffling people’s sense of importance. I didn’t plan to stay all day, and I didn’t want to cause any disruption when I left.

We stood at the top of the stairs, watching as various members of the community seated themselves. Fiona pointed out several people and gave me their names and backgrounds. Then she emitted a noise that sounded half gasp, half laughter, and she grabbed my arm. “That man down there,” she whispered. “The white-haired, rotund man just entering.”

“I see him.”

“His name is Petro Rosen, Baron of White Locks. He was given his title by the Emperor, and no one knows why, because he certainly didn’t have the money to buy himself a title. He was just a barrister before, and to listen to him you’d think he’d been born to the highest title in the world. Whatever you do, don’t look him in the eye, or he’ll lumber over to you and talk to you. And talk to you. And talk to you. For hours. All of it about how wonderful he is. It’s unbearable.”

I thought she might be joking in some way, but when I looked at her, she was dead serious. “That doesn’t seem so bad.”

“You haven’t had to sit through it. If you’re not careful, you will.”

The four Guards strode in, standing behind the throne. “What the hell do they want?” Fiona growled. I had no answer for her.

I noticed Radia sitting about halfway up the room. She was chatting easily to one of the women beside her. I hadn’t thought Wind Watcher was the equivalent to an aristocratic title. Or perhaps she operated outside the ranking system, as did Shields and Sources.