The Assassins of Altis (8 page)

“You know of this danger?” Alain asked. “I know only that my foresight warns of great peril at all gates from the city.”

“Then your foresight spoke well. When I arrived at the Mage Guild Hall in Palandur this noon, I was told that one of the Mages there had also received foresight, seeing that sometime this day Mage Alain would leave this city.”

“This Mage knew me?”

“Yes.” Asha said. “Mage Niaro, who as an acolyte envied your early success.”

“I remember Niaro,” Alain said in the emotionless way of a Mage, giving Mari no clue as to what he felt about that other Mage.

“The envy of Mage Niaro perhaps provided the connection needed to see your future actions,” Asha continued. “The Mage Guild Hall sent every Mage available to watch the gates and the waterfront, but there was some concern because Niaro had seen himself in the vision. I do not know what this means.”

“It means he saw something that might happen, not something that will happen,” Mari explained, then realized that she, a Mechanic, had just had the gall to enlighten a Mage about foresight. “Alain told me about that.”

But Asha took Mari’s knowledge in stride. “That explains it. Alain’s foresight warned him not to leave, so the vision of Niaro did not take place. The elders believe that you must be in the city, though, and I understand this certainty now, for only if you were here could Niaro’s vision have had any chance of happening. However, Niaro himself is mistrusted, for the elders see the emotion which ties him to you, and they care little for foresight.”

“Will the Mages remain on guard tomorrow?” Alain asked.

“I was told to be ready to help guard the gates this night. They will watch for days beyond this one, I think.” She nodded to Alain. “Your ability to hide yourself from other Mages is very strong now. Even I could not have found you as I did before. Only Mechanic Mari led me to you.”

“Then we will be safe in this city,” Alain said. “We can wait until the Mages tire
—
”

“Hold on,” Mari cautioned. “Mages aren’t the only ones looking for us, remember? The Imperials want us, and the Mechanics Guild wants me.”

Asha studied Mari. “Why do they seek you? The Mage Guild elders say that Alain may be with one he knew before, that he must die before he betrays the Guild to this woman, who may be the daughter spoken of in the prophecy made long ago.”

“They know of this?” Alain asked. “They know that Mari is the daughter?”

“Yes,” Asha said. “I do not know how, but I did learn more of the prophecy. It was made by a Mage who encountered the one called Jules in centuries past. He did not know who she was when he saw her, and it took many years before the Guild discovered the identity of the woman.”

Mari slapped her forehead. “That’s why Jules had time to hide her children among other commons.”

Asha’s eyes went back to Mari. “You are that one? The daughter?”

“I…” Mari stared at the floor. “Maybe.”

“She is,” Alain said. “I had a vision which revealed it.”

“Some other Mage must have had a vision of her as well,” Asha said. “Her time comes, and more feel her presence. The Mage Guild will kill Mari as soon as it can.”

“I will not let them kill her,” Alain said. “Did they elders tell the Mages here of the storm?”

Asha shook her head slightly.

“Many Mages have seen this,” Alain explained. “A storm approaches swiftly, born of the anger and frustration of the commons you and I were taught to see as shadows. They have lived in chains too long. The commons will rise, losing all reason in a frenzy of destruction, striking at each other and at the Mage Guild and the Mechanics Guild, destroying everything.”

“This will happen?” Asha asked, her expression still completely impassive.

“Only the daughter can prevent it,” Alain said.

“Can even the daughter do so much? Many already seek her death.”

“We know this,” Alain said. “She must succeed
—
”

“Hello!” Mari burst out. “I’m sitting right here! How can so many people be wanting to kill me and you two be ignoring me?”

“Your own Guild seeks your death as well?” Asha asked without apparent emotion. “Why?”

Mari waved one hand with mock flippancy. “Oh, associating with a Mage, betraying Guild secrets, treason, the daughter thing… Professor S’san told me that my Guild wants to take me alive so they can question me, but I have no doubt what they’ll do when they’re done asking questions.”

“The Mage elders wonder if the Mechanics Guild seeks to use the daughter against the Mages,” Asha said. “I sense in many elders and Mages a disbelief. They know of the prophecy, and they know that this Mechanic is foreseen to be the one who fulfills the prophecy, but they do not accept that this may happen, because Mari is a Mechanic. The elders will not accept that a Mechanic could triumph over the Mage Guild, which is too powerful and has wisdom on its side. How could any Mechanic prevail against Mages?”

“Their own illusions blind them. The Guild will not act with its full force?” Alain asked.

“I do not think so, not until the daughter has more fully revealed herself.”

“Revealed herself?” Mari asked. “Revealed herself?” With every word spoken the conversation was getting harder for her to listen to.

“Openly proclaim who you are,” Mage Asha said.

“Not going to happen,” Mari said.

“But it must,” Alain said.

“No.” Mari glowered at him. “I will find whatever answers that tower on Altis holds. I will use the banned Mechanics Guild technology to change this world. I will do everything I can to stop that chaos storm. And I will do my best to stay alive while doing all of that. But I will not stand up in front of the world and say
look at how special I am, everybody
!”

Alain looked at Asha. Asha looked back. “She is a Mechanic?”

“She is,” Alain confirmed.

“All Mechanics believe they are special.” Asha looked seriously perplexed, which meant even an average person might have seen it in her expression. “Even the Mage Guild says that Mari is special, not like the other shadows. But she does not?”

“No. Mari often denies
—
”

“Will you two stop talking as if I’m not here?” Mari demanded. “Exactly what have I done that is so special?”

“You have slain two dragons,” Alain said. “Few ever slay even one.”

“You have helped Mage Alain to find a new wisdom,” Asha said. “And perhaps you shall show me that path as well.”

“You have a general sworn to your service,” Alain added. “As well as at least two other Mechanics, the one named Calu and your elder S’san. And a Mage who follows you.”

“Two Mages,” Asha said.

“You have entered and escaped from Marandur,” Alain said. “And you told me you were the youngest ever to become a full Mechanic and the youngest ever to become a Master Mechanic.”

Mari stared at them. “All right. That…might…sound…a little…special. But that doesn’t make me better than anyone else. I just have a…bigger job to do. A much bigger job. And to answer the earlier question more specifically, the last thing I need to do is give the Empire any more reasons to get their hands on me and Alain. So, no revealing.”

Asha studied Mari for a few moments before speaking again. “Why does the Empire already seek you? Is it because of the prophecy again?”

“I hope not,” Mari said. “Unless your Guild told them, they shouldn’t know.”

“The Mage Guild does not want to give hope to the shadows it treats as nothing,” Asha said.

“However,” Mari said, reluctant to admit the truth, “Alain and I both are under death sentences from the Empire. Because we went to Marandur.” She whispered it, not wanting to risk being overheard.

“Marandur. Mage Alain spoke of this,” Asha said. “Why?”

“There was something important there,” Mari said. “It’s hard to explain to a Mage, because you do things so differently from Mechanics. Basically, I think the Mechanics Guild doesn’t believe in the prophecy of the daughter either, because the Senior Mechanics who run it can’t conceive that anyone could overcome the Mechanics Guild. The same as you said the Mage elders are thinking. And the Senior Mechanics are right that defeating them would be impossible if I only had access to the same tools that they have. But I found
—
that is, Alain and I found
—
ways to build new Mechanic tools. Tools that will give us a chance to defeat the Mechanics Guild.”

“Tools?” Asha asked.

“They are like Mage spells,” Alain explained.

“No,” Mari said. “Tools aren’t spells. Tools are how we make spells. Did I just say that? It’s a good thing Professor S’san didn’t hear me. Anyway, it’s things like semi-automatic rifles, assembly lines, better far-talkers, food preservation, medical equipment, better steam propulsion systems. That kind of thing.” Asha was staring back at her blankly. “Better weapons, better ways to make them, better ways to talk over long distances, better ways to do everything.”

Mari frowned as she thought about her last statement. “That’s not true. Even with the new Mechanic knowledge I found, all of the technology in those forbidden texts, I couldn’t do what Mages do.”

“Wisdom from a Mechanic,” Asha murmured. “She is special,” Asha told Alain.

“Yes,” Alain agreed. “She is.”

“You’re doing it again,” Mari said. “I’m still here and part of this conversation. Alain is special, too, you know,” she added.

“Mage Alain.” Asha looked at him, her eyes revealing some deep emotion. “I learned something more concerning you. By what elders have told me, and by what they did not say, I have learned that Mage Alain was to be humiliated by failure on his first contract. If he also died, that would have been a matter of welcome to the elders.”

“Do you mean Alain was set up, too?” Mari demanded. “The Mage Guild knew he was going to run into serious trouble?”

“The elders at Ringhmon knew more of the plans of the shadows there than they revealed to Mage Alain,” Asha continued. “They were not surprised that the caravan he guarded was attacked, nor that the attack was so powerful as to be beyond any Mage’s ability to counter. They did not expect him to survive, believing that either in the attack or afterwards, alone in the waste, he would die.”

Mari stared at Asha, aghast, but Alain simply nodded, his expression perfectly calm. She could see him withdrawing a bit into his Mage state to deal with the ugly news.

“This explains much,” Alain said tonelessly. “I wondered why the elders in Ringhmon were unconcerned with the fate of the caravan but acted much distressed over my arrival. All of their questions centered on the Mechanic who had accompanied me in escaping the ambush and the desert waste.”

“Just so,” Asha said. “She had not been anticipated. This also I learned, Mage Alain. Your suspicions regarding the attack in Imperial territory were correct. The plan was again that you should fail in your task, and this time surely die in the process. Your fate would not be left to the efforts of commons or chance. Some Mages would be ordered to ensure you did not escape, and if possible the common military force that you accompanied would be eliminated completely, leaving no witnesses and ensuring the magnitude of your failure would be as great as possible.”

“I had wondered why so many Mages were in the force that attacked the Alexdrian soldiers, and how those Mages could have known so surely where I and the Alexdrians would be,” Alain said. “If not for Mari's arrival, I would surely have 'failed' again just as the elders planned. But I was ordered to the Free Cities from Dorcastle. Do you say the plan had already been decided upon at that time?”

“Yes, Mage Alain, your fate had already been decided before you left Dorcastle.” Asha paused. “I was able to learn much because the elders themselves are asking many questions, and in the questions asked, answers can be found. The elders do not understand how you escaped the dragon in the north. They know no single Mage could have defeated that spell creature, nor any force of commons.” Her eyes went to Mari. “The elders do not even consider the possibility that one of the toys of the Mechanics could have accounted for the dragon.”

Mari, stunned by what she had been hearing, managed to nod. “They’re partly right. If my friend Alli hadn’t designed those special weapons, I couldn’t have nailed that dragon.”

Alain had let some puzzlement show. “Could you learn why this decision was made, Mage Asha? To humiliate me and see my death before ever I met Mari? I had assumed my errors after coming to know Mari had led to the decision that I must be eliminated as a threat to the Guild.”

“I cannot be certain,” Asha said. “But the elders do now openly declare you to be in error, ensnared by the wiles of a seductive young female Mechanic whose charms you could not resist.”

“Oh, give me a break!” Mari burst out. “Just who is this irresistible, seductive young female Mechanic?”

“You have ensnared me,” Alain pointed out.

Not in the mood for joking about that, Mari glared at him so strongly that Alain visibly flinched. “Any time you want to be free of my snare all you have to do is ask, Mage Alain. Did you learn anything else, Asha?”

“Yes,” Asha replied. “Mage Alain, you are not the youngest ever to have been declared a Mage. A century ago, one was declared a Mage at the age of sixteen. She died before she became seventeen, in a failed contract. The records say she had neither the experience nor the skills of a Mage, despite having been declared so by several elders at the Mage Hall in Cathlan. Forty years before that, one gained Mage status at twelve. He died at the age of thirteen, also on a failed contract, and also because of a lack of skills and experience, the records say. I suspect that the records lie. I found records of a few other young Mages who did not die, but failed in major tasks and were returned to acolyte status.”

“That’s an interesting and disturbing pattern,” Mari agreed.