Madness in Solidar (26 page)

“Who were the other student imagers?” interrupted Alastar.

“There were just five of us. The others were Johanyr, Klovyl, and Shannyr … and Taurek, of course.”

“Go on.”

“Maitre Desyrk showed us an object. I don't know how to describe it, Maitre. It had angles, and curves. It was hollowed out, and had an oval wooden top…”

Alastar refrained from nodding to himself as he took in Bettaur's pleasant baritone voice.

“… with an octagonal base. It looked to be entirely of wood, but parts were painted different colors. One part was red, and the curve—it wasn't a semicircle, but an arc—it was gray … the maitre let each of us examine it, and then he put it on a stool in front of us. He said that, in a few moments, each of us would have to image the best copy of the object. He started to talk about how important technique in imaging was. He said we had to concentrate on the image we intended to image into being. He said being a strong imager wasn't enough. Then he said that strength without technique would get an imager into trouble. Shannyr murmured that he'd rather be strong like a bull. Johanyr snorted like a bull. I said there was a reason why they gelded most bulls.”

“Did you say anything else?”

“No, sir. All of a sudden there were shields around me. I couldn't say anything. The next thing I knew, Maitre Desyrk was looking down at me and asking if I was all right.”

“Did you touch or jab Taurek?”

“I didn't lay a hand on him, sir, the Nameless knows.”

“How did you get along with Taurek?”

“We didn't, not really, sir. He was always doing stupid things. I just tried to stay out of his way.”

“You didn't play pranks on him, then?”

“Oh, sometimes, but I played pranks on others, too. Just little things, like telling him Maitre Obsolym had delayed an instruction. I didn't think he'd believe me. Maitre Obsolym never delayed an instruction.”

“What about Maitre Shaelyt needing a left-handed pair of scissors?”

“There aren't any left-handed scissors. I thought he'd know that.”

“Actually, there are, and Taurek knew that.”

“Oh … I really didn't mean any harm, sir.”

After several questions from Akoryt and Gaellen, Alastar said, “You may return to the anteroom. You're to stay there until the meeting is over and you are dismissed.”

“Yes, Maitre.” Bettaur inclined his head politely, turned, and left.

The next student was Johanyr.

After Johanyr's statement, almost identical to that of Bettaur, Alastar asked, “Did you snort like a bull after Maitre Desyrk said that strength was not enough?”

“No, sir. I might have coughed. I don't remember.”

Again, Johanyr did not quite meet Alastar's eyes. Alastar could also see the rigidity and even a slight trembling of anger in Taurek's form.

Shannyr's statement, and then Klovyl's, echoed, close to word for word, that of Johanyr, and their answers to questions were almost identical.

When Klovyl left the conference room, Alastar gestured to Neiryn and Glaesyn. “Escort Tertius Taurek out into the anteroom and remain with him. Maitre Desyrk, please remain here.”

Alastar saw Desyrk's face stiffen.

After the conference room door closed behind the three thirds, Alastar turned to Desyrk. “Has Taurek complained to you about Bettaur in the past?”

“He did, several times. He said that Bettaur was doing sneaky things, and jabbing him when no one could see. I never saw anything that he complained about, and he couldn't explain more than that. I asked him if Bettaur or the others had physically abused him. He said that they had not. I told him that I couldn't do much if they weren't hurting him, and that he'd have to find a way to deal with it. Boys have always been boys.” Desyrk looked boldly at Alastar.

“That's true enough, but when those boys are almost grown men and they're imagers, telling them to work it out is akin to lighting a torch in a gunpowder magazine. You're relieved of your duties as discipline master and preceptor … and as an instructor until I review those assignments. You may go. You're not to leave Imagisle until we talk further.”

Desyrk stiffened, as if he'd been slapped. “I did my duty—” His voice contained a petulance that Alastar had not heard before.

“The fact that this incident happened right in front of you is proof you did not. There will be no discussion of this right now.” Alastar's voice was like ice. “Go.”

Desyrk tightened his lips, then turned.

Doesn't
anything
work right here?
Even as Alastar thought that, he realized it was unfair and inaccurate. Some things did work. It was just that too many did not.

“Weren't you a little hard on Desyrk, Maitre?” asked Obsolym after the door closed behind the departing maitre. “You know, he doesn't see that keenly, not beyond five yards.”

“He never mentioned that,” Alastar replied.

“He wouldn't. He's too proud,” said Tiranya.

“That's part of the problem, too. If he couldn't see what Bettaur was doing and refused to listen to Taurek, he let his pride get in the way of his duty.” Alastar turned back to Obsolym. “Do you really think I'm being too hard. Think about the implications. Very carefully.”

The silence in the conference room stretched out.

Finally, Alastar cleared his throat. “Do any of you have any information that bears on what we have heard?”

“I do,” said Tiranya. “On two occasions as duty maitre, I observed Bettaur and several others making comments to which Taurek reacted by either flushing or immediately turning away. In both instances, I asked Taurek what it was about. He said that Bettaur was up to his usual tricks, but he was unable to explain what those tricks were. I asked Bettaur, and he offered the statement that he hadn't meant to upset Taurek. The second time Bettaur said that, I told him that I didn't expect to ever ask him again about his words upsetting another student. The last incident I observed was in Agostas.”

“Thank you,” said Alastar. “Might I ask what Bettaur's subsequent interactions were when he saw you were duty maitre?”

“After that, his behavior was exemplary whenever I saw him. Whenever he came into the dining hall, he made a point about smiling at me.”

“Anyone else?” asked Alastar.

Gaellen nodded. “I don't know if it was an accident or one of the ‘tricks' that Taurek mentioned, but last Juyn, Taurek came to the infirmary with a burn on the back of his hand. He said that when he'd picked up his mug at breakfast, it split and spilled hot tea on his hand.” After a moment, Gaellen said, “That's all.”

“So they teased him,” declared Obsolym. “An imager needs to be able to withstand that. He still broke the rules, and he attacked a maitre. We can't allow that.”

“You're right about that,” Alastar agreed. “But we also can't allow a clique of junior thirds to take control of anything, especially when we're training them to become stronger and better imagers. I'm appalled at the surreptitious use of shields to torment and harm another imager, and in a way designed to make him appear to attack a maitre when he was trying to escape excruciating pain. That kind of planning bespeaks a cruel and devious mind.”

Alastar was surprised when Obsolym actually nodded.

“I don't like the control that Bettaur has over the other three,” said Tiranya.

“So how can we handle this?” asked Akoryt.

Alastar smiled grimly and began to explain.

When he finished, he looked to Obsolym. “Does that meet your criteria for appropriate discipline?”

“It does, Maitre. I'm sorry it's necessary, but … I have to admit that Maitre Desyrk should not have let matters get this far.” The words seemed almost to have been dragged out of Obsolym.

“Akoryt? Gaellen? Tiranya?”

The other three nodded.

“Maitre Tiranya, would you have the escorts bring in all five thirds?”

“Yes, Maitre.”

In less than a tenth of a glass, the five thirds stood in a line before the table.

“Tertius Taurek,” began Alastar, his voice cold. “From your actions, it is clear that you did not consider the consequences of those actions. Attacking any other member of the Collegium with the intent to inflict severe harm or death can be punished by death. As Maitre of this Collegium, I have the authority to condemn you to death. You did not consider this. The circumstances of your provocation indicate that your intent was not murder, but uncontrolled anger. You have been warned about this. You did not consider that, either. You were in effect goaded by other students, but you did not describe the extent of that goading, and you did not bring it to the attention of any maitre in a fashion that could be addressed.”

Alastar then looked at the handsome Bettaur, forcing his voice into the same cold impartiality as he spoke. “Tertius Bettaur, you are far from without guilt and complicity in this matter. You have manipulated words and shaded the truth. You have in effect hazed a fellow student, seemingly with the intent of goading him into breaking Collegium rules. You employed covert imaging in doing so as well, and that is against Collegium rules, to an extent that your acts fall under the provisions dealing with harm to other imagers. The same rules apply to you as to Tertius Taurek. You committed an offense that can be punished by death. You knew that your acts were against Collegium rules. Your twisting of words and truth and your attempts to conceal what you did is proof of that. In addition, you have persuaded others to assist you in this goading and teasing.

“Tertius Johanyr, Tertius Klovyl, and Tertius Shannyr, you allowed Tertius Bettaur to persuade you to assist him in acts that are against both the rules and the spirit of the Collegium.

“Therefore, the following disciplinary sentences are necessary. Tertius Taurek, you will be confined to a disciplinary cell for the next two weeks. Thereafter you will be restricted to Imagisle until Avryl thirty-fifth. You will have additional special assignments, as determined by the Maitre. Failure to meet the terms of this discipline will result in a hearing to determine whether you are fit to remain an imager.”

Taurek swallowed, as well he might, reflected Alastar, because if the disciplinary panel and the Maitre agreed that an imager was no longer fit to be an imager, there were only two possibilities—death or being blinded and being exiled to Mont D'Glace.

“Tertius Bettaur, for your lack of concern for others, for your willful twisting of facts, and for your willingness to harm another, you will be confined to a disciplinary cell for the next two weeks. Thereafter you will be restricted to Imagisle until Avryl thirty-fifth. You will have additional special assignments, as determined by the Maitre. Failure to meet the terms of this discipline will result in a hearing to determine whether you are fit to remain an imager.”

Bettaur's mouth opened, if momentarily. Then he clamped his mouth shut.

“Tertius Johanyr, Tertius Klovyl, and Tertius Shannyr, you will be restricted to Imagisle until Avryl thirty-fifth. You will have additional special assignments, as determined by the Maitre. Failure to meet the terms of this discipline will result in a hearing to determine whether you are fit to remain an imager.

“Whether any of you understand it or not, every imager's fate is tied to every other imager's fate. The Collegium cannot afford the pettiness and scheming we have uncovered here. Nor can the Collegium allow individual imagers to take justice into their own hands.” Alastar paused. “The discipline applied is effective immediately. Maitre Akoryt and Maitre Obsolym will convey Tertius Bettaur and Tertius Taurek to disciplinary quarters. This meeting is concluded.” Alastar stood, then turned and said in a low voice, “Akoryt … before you deal with Taurek…”

“Yes, sir?”

“Thank you for asking questions about the way Taurek looked. I didn't catch that, and it was important.”

“Good observation,” added Obsolym.

Alastar thought the redheaded maitre looked slightly embarrassed and added, “That was a good example why we need to work together.”
And Desyrk's failures that led to this hearing are an example of what happens when we don't … and he doesn't understand.
Alastar feared that he never would, either. “Once you have Bettaur confined, I'll need a moment with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the two Maitres D'Structure left, with their charges, both Gaellen and Tiranya moved toward Alastar.

“You've handled disciplinary hearings before, haven't you?” asked Tiranya.

Alastar nodded. “The senior imager at Westisle was usually the one who acted as justicer.” He waited for Gaellen, who clearly had something on his mind, to speak.

“I've been thinking about that burn Taurek suffered. Looking back, I can't believe I didn't see what seems obvious now. Do you think…?”

“I think most young imagers are decent at heart,” replied Alastar. “But they want friends; they want to belong, and someone who is talented, handsome, and manipulative, like Bettaur, can lead them astray. When that happens, the leader often focuses on someone else who is different, lacking in some way. Taurek isn't as dense as Bettaur wanted everyone to believe, but he's socially less adept, and he has great difficulty speaking up for himself, despite his size and physical strength. That makes him a target. We have to watch the ones like Taurek, because they can either become the bullies or the bullied, and neither situation is good where developing imagers are concerned.”

“What will happen now, do you think?” asked Gaellen.

“Bettaur is the one to watch. From my experience, he'll want to get even, and he'll play the perfect student until the right opportunity presents itself.”

Tiranya nodded. “Like he did with me.”

“You had an idea about this from the beginning, didn't you?” asked Gaellen. “Did you know about Taurek?”