Madness in Solidar (36 page)

“Who knows?” lied Alastar. “He is Rex Dafou, remember?”

“He'd be…”

“Mad? Exactly. But we know he already is. Can you finish up the work here, just to the end of where you removed the shops?”

“I don't know. Some of the imagers are getting tired.”

“Do what you can. Push them some. Just not enough to drop them.”

“I can do some imaging as well,” added Alyna.

Alastar was surprised, because he hadn't seen her approach, but then she'd walked over to join them, and they were mounted. “As much as you can, but not quite as much, comparatively, as I tried.” He kept his tone wry, ignoring the puzzled expression on Cyran's face. “Also, once you get back to the Collegium, would you stop by my study? It will only take a few moments.”

She nodded. “I can do that.”

“Thank you.” Alastar looked to Cyran. “Do what you can. Don't leave a mess.”

“You don't think—”

“Who knows?” repeated Alastar. “It may be better this way, in one fashion or another.” He smiled ironically. “I'll see you both back at the Collegium.” He turned the gelding and gestured for Coermyd to join him as he began the ride back to Imagisle.

When he finally returned to the Collegium, he left the gelding with the third and hurried to his study. Once there, he immediately sent for Akoryt, then turned to Dareyn. “Send a third or someone you trust immediately to Maitre Desyrk's cottage. I need to know if he's there … and if his family is as well.”

“Sir?”

“I'll explain later. Please just do it. Let me know what you find out as soon as you can.”

After Dareyn left, Alastar took a quick look at his maps, then glanced at the master ledger before shaking his head.
Running short of golds is the least of our immediate problems.

Akoryt arrived in half a quint, carrying a leather folder as he entered the study and seated himself with a worried expression. “Sir, you sent for me?”

“We're facing a possible attack on the Collegium.” Alastar waited for the impact of his words to sink in.

“I don't understand, sir.”

Alastar thought Akoryt did, but was asking for an explanation. “It's simple. If I don't get the High Council, before Meredi evening, to agree to Rex Ryen's proposed new tariffs and to agree to pay this year's tariffs, then we face the wrath of the rex. If I do what is necessary to obtain that, we'll likely face other forms of attack.”

“By Meredi evening?”

“By fourth glass. The rex has never been especially patient,” Alastar said dryly. “I'd also like you to use older seconds and thirds to do some scouting, especially areas within a mille or so of Imagisle, and I'll need a constant watch over army headquarters to see if Marshal Demykalon moves troops or wagons anywhere. He might act against the Collegium or individual High Holders. Or he might not act at all. We need to know which of those possibilities takes place—or doesn't—on a continuing basis until this tariff mess is resolved. Oh … to complicate matters, it appears that Desyrk vanished from the imaging party working on the new avenue while I was meeting with the rex.”

“Desyrk … he can be … overly proud,” ventured the red-haired maitre.

“Can't we all? But there's a difference between excessively proud and stupidly proud. Do you have that plan for moving students and staff completed?”

“A draft of it, sir.” Akoryt opened the folder and extended several sheets. “I brought the two in case that was what you wanted.”

Alastar took them. “Excellent.”

Akoryt handed over three more sheets. “The assessment of imaging abilities is problematical for some of the seconds and thirds. My best guess, really.”

“Your guesses are far more likely to be accurate than mine. You've been here far longer and worked with more of the students. Do you have copies of these?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then I'll keep these. I'll go over the movement plan tonight. If I have any suggestions, I'll let you know. There will be a meeting of the senior imagers at seventh glass tomorrow. Bring your copies with you. Do you have any questions?”

“How likely is it that we'll be attacked?”

“I can't say, but it's likely enough that we need to expect it will happen. We can't afford not to be prepared. Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Then I'll see you in the morning.”

No sooner had Akoryt left the study than Dareyn hurried in. “Sir, Maitre Desyrk's cottage is empty. I mean, the furnishings are there, but his wife and their son are gone. So are most of their personal things.”

Alastar nodded. “That's about what I thought. Desyrk raised a concealment and sneaked away from the work party this morning. Oh … tell Arhgen that he's not to pay Maitre Desyrk's stipend. Better yet, write a letter to him as bursar for my signature saying that.” Alastar didn't think Desyrk would attempt to collect, but it was clear that Desyrk might try anything. Besides, some things needed to be in ink.

“Yes, sir.”

Alastar went back to work, outlining the other preparations necessary to deal with possible contingencies.

Slightly past second glass, Cyran walked into Alastar's study.

“How did the avenue work go?”

“We finished what you wanted.” Cyran offered a crooked smile. “It wouldn't have happened without Alyna. She's got the strength of a Maitre D'Structure. Maybe more.”

“Why isn't she one, then?”

Cyran shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I don't know … not exactly. Maitre Fhaen … I overheard him say he wasn't about to have another Aurelya in the Collegium.”

“Aurelya, the woman who was the senior imager? I take it Fhaen wasn't happy with her?”

“He couldn't stand the thought that she was as strong an imager as he was, well … until she died, suddenlike. That's what I heard.”

Alastar had always gotten a cold feeling when he heard about someone dying suddenly around imagers. He did this time as well. “I see. I'm afraid I do.”
And I don't like what I see … Again.
Abruptly, he wondered if the feelings against strong female imagers might have been why both Rex Kharst and Rex Regis had wanted Khel under their rule … and why Vaelora apparently never revealed the extent of her abilities.
It's suggestive, but you'll never know.

“Would you recommend Alyna for Maitre D'Structure?”

“Yes, sir. So would Akoryt and Taryn. They never understood why she wasn't.”

“Then I'll tell her when she comes in.”

Cyran grinned. “She came with me. She's waiting in the anteroom.”

“Don't you tell her. There are Namer-few good things I'm getting to tell anyone these days.”

Cyran's grin faded. “What about tomorrow?”

“I'd like to plan for a half day of work on the avenue, but we'll be having a senior imagers' meeting at seventh glass. That's another reason why I wanted to know about Alyna.”

“She'll do well. She might be as good as me before long, now that…”

“Now that she doesn't have to conceal her abilities?”

“Something like that.”

“If there's nothing else, I'll see you in the morning. You might think of anything that would help defend Imagisle.”

“Against what?”

“Anything that the army, the rex, the High Holders, or the factors might decide to do once they learn that Ryen won't support us.”

“You're not asking a lot.” Cyran made a wry face.

“It's what we face. Until tomorrow.”

As Cyran left, Alyna entered the study, gracefully closing the door behind herself.

Alastar waited until she sat down before he spoke. “I'd like to thank you again for the very welcome and necessary dark lager this morning. How did you know that it would help?”

Alyna smiled. “I learned about it a long time ago, before I was even aware I was an imager. Zaeryl used to carry it with him whenever he rode. He said it was liquid bread, except better. That made sense to me. Imaging takes strength, and I never did my best when it had been a long time since I ate. So I made a habit of carrying it.” She shrugged. “That's all.”

“I doubt that, but I won't press. I'm grateful, and I think I'll follow your example from here on out. Now, there's one other matter…” He smiled. “You're to attend the senior imagers' meeting tomorrow at seventh glass.”

“I'm not a Maitre D'Structure.”

“You are now.”

“How can you say that? You can as Maitre, but…”

Those words were the first Alastar had heard from Alyna that showed even the slightest hint of being disconcerted. He couldn't help but smile slightly. “I trust Cyran. He is a Maitre D'Esprit. He told me that what you did today was at least Maitre D'Structure level, and I saw what you did with that hidden shield at a distance. You've certainly been at the Collegium long enough, and acted responsibly the whole time. And the Collegium needs your intelligence, as well as your imaging abilities, recognized among the senior maitres.”

“Much of it is technique.”

“The result counts, whether it's great ability with less technique or great technique without quite so much raw imaging power.” Alastar had no doubt about her having great ability, but because that feeling was based on his sense of what she could do, rather than on long direct observation, he did not say more about her ability. Instead, he smiled again. “I will see you in the morning, and I would welcome any additional thoughts you might have about the situation involving the rex and the High Holders.”

“I'll have to think about that. Is there anything else?”

“Not right now. I won't keep you.” Once more he regretted his wording, but simply added, “If there's anything else, I'll let you know tomorrow.”

“I'll be here.”

“Good.” His eyes did not leave her as she left. After the door closed, he went back to work.

When he went to dinner at the dining hall, the only maitres there, as usual, were single Maitres D'Aspect—Shaelyt, Warryk, and Khaelis. Neither Tiranya nor Alyna was there, but they were there only infrequently. Alastar sat at the masters' table with Taryn, who was the duty maitre, leaving several seats between them and the other three.

Taryn set down his beaker of pale lager. “Maitre, I understand that someone tried to attack Maitre Alyna.”

“One of the apothecaries. She used shields, as I instructed, to drop him to the pavement. He tried another attack, and Tertius Neiryn used a truncheon on him. He hit the stones again. He didn't get up.”

“The word is that Desyrk deserted.”

“That's right. He used the dust raised by the removal of some shops to raise a concealment and sneak off. Do you have any idea where he might be?”

“He's got a brother who's a senior officer at headquarters. He's a subcommander, I think. I don't think he's got any other family, anymore. His aunt died last year, he said.”

“Do you know if he and his brother were close?” Alastar knew that Desyrk and his brother talked some, because Desyrk had mentioned it in one of the senior imagers' meeting.

“They talked. That's all I know.”

“Why do you think he left?”

Taryn snorted. “He was one of Maitre Fhaen's favorites. When you came, that stopped. Then you disciplined him. That should have happened years ago, but Fhaen liked him.”

It would have been nice if someone had mentioned it to you.
But that was often the way it was, Alastar knew, finding out something too late, because no one wanted to say anything bad even when asked or because they thought it didn't really matter.

“Maitre Alyna has all the qualifications to be a Maitre D'Structure. Why wasn't she made one?”

“Most likely because she wouldn't sleep with Fhaen. With her brother being a High Holder, he really couldn't make her, and she had better shields than Fhaen, but he could say she wasn't qualified as Maitre D'Structure.” Taryn laughed softly. “Could be that she had to have those shields.” He paused. “Are you going to…”

“I already have. It will be announced at the senior imagers' meeting tomorrow at seventh glass. I'd appreciate your not saying anything until then.”

“I won't.” Taryn smiled. “It's not as though I'll see Cyran, Akoryt, or Obsolym much before then anyway. They stay away from here after work.”

The two talked over a dinner consisting of a casserole that likely combined items left over from previous meals, but Alastar had to admit that Shabrena was good with sauces. He didn't learn anything else new during the remainder of the meal, but did get a better appreciation of the comparatively young Maitre D'Structure.

After leaving the dining hall, he walked along the green to the Maitre's residence through a cold mist that came off the river. Once in his private study, he considered the costs of the various options open to him in dealing with Ryen's ultimatum. In the end, though, it appeared that which ones were most feasible would depend on what happened on Mardi … and Meredi.

Tired as he was, Alastar wasn't sleepy, and in hopes of either finding out more about Quaeryt or reading himself into a dozing state, he opened the journal at the point he had bookmarked and began to read. He immediately came to a startling section.

… Maitre Quaeryt preached the most eloquent, moving, and thoughtful homilies I have ever heard in my blessedly long life. Yet on many occasions, it was clear that he was less than comfortable doing so. It was not until he was much older that I dared to ask him why. His answer was simple. I remember the words clearly. “Gauswn, you believe in the Nameless. I can only claim to believe in the major principles of the Nameless.” While he never said that he doubted the existence of the Nameless, his words and actions suggest that he did. When I look back on his early homilies, or those few he has delivered at the Collegium, I realized that he never spoke directly about belief in the Nameless, but only about adherence to behaviors in accord with the Nameless. Why did he give homilies if he did not believe? I can only surmise that he believed in the principles about which he preached, regardless of whether the Nameless existed or not.