Pathspace

by Matthew Kennedy

Chapter 24

  Aria: “the conscience of a blackened street”

  Aria scooted backwards down the ventilation duct. The conversation she'd just heard was still echoing in her ears.

  “We have a bit of a situation,” Xander had said. “I managed to capture the scouting party. In a couple of hours they should be here.”

  “How did you get back before them?” the Governor asked.

  “I have my ways,” said Xander. “But we still have a problem. Before I encountered them, they burned Gus Ferrero's farm and killed his family. There was probably rape involved.” He paused. “By the time I arrived, the farmhouse was on fire, and beginning to collapse. So there was no opportunity to examine the remains to ascertain the particulars. None of the family survived, so the only witnesses are the soldiers themselves.”

  “I see,” said the Governor. Her tone was not pleasant. “So what then is the problem?”

  “Their officer is one of the Honcho's senior commanders,” said Xander. “A large and dangerous man. I don't see how he could be innocent, given that he was in charge. He claims to have been fired upon, but we both know he probably provoked that by killing farm animals or preparing to fire the fields. It is possible, however, that not all of the men agreed with his orders, but felt powerless to stop what was done.”

  “That is no excuse,” she said. “I fail to see the problem.”

  “Given that we are not, as yet, at war with Texas,” said Xander, “the Honcho will certainly press for extradition. He can hardly be expected to stand by and let us execute one of his senior staff.”

  “On the other hand,” said the Governor, “I can hardly be expected to hand him over, knowing full well he could be given nothing more than a token reprimand. My citizens would be justifiably angry, were I to even suggest it. I see the problem.”

  “There might be a third way,” said the wizard. “If we could exonerate any of them, then those could be repatriated without interfering with swift and sure justice for the guilty.”

  “How could we do that? To exonerate any of them we'd have to try them all separately. We both know we might not have that much time until the Honcho moves against us.”

  By that time she'd heard enough. Scuttling backward, she reached the fan room and plunged into the shaft to her own room. Moments later she dove down onto her bed and reached up to re-close the vent screen, then hurried out the door and ran to the stairwell.

  “Where are you off to in such unseemly haste?”

  She skidded to a stop, trying not to show the scowl she felt. Ludlow! “I'm late for a tutorial.” she lied.

  “Ah, but since you are the Governor's daughter, I'm sure your tutor will give you some latitude,” he said. “I wanted to discuss something with you. “It seems to me that we – “

  “Not now!” she snapped. “Whatever it is can wait for a better time.”

  “Haven't you heard there is no better time than the present?”

  “Not my present,” she said. “Go bother someone else.” She ignored the momentary flash of anger that her words evoked on his face as she wrenched open the stairwell door and hurried down the stairs.

  How are they going to decide if any of them are innocent? She wondered. Simple questioning wasn't the answer. Would her mother let herself be talked into allowing torture? Her lips compressed. She could imagine the rationalization that would be given by some advisors, once they heard of the murders: if our soldiers had done this, do you imagine the Honcho would hesitate to use pain to obtain confessions?

  As she descended, she found herself exiting the stairwell at the level of the thirtieth floor, where Xander and his apprentice were quartered. Maybe there was some magic of the Ancients that could tell truth from lies. It was worth investigating.

  The two guards jerked to attention as she strode forward. She didn't know these two by name, and vice versa, which explained their nervousness. She shook her head, wondering when someone would worry about something more important than military bearing. “I'm here to speak to the apprentice,” she told them. “The Governor sent me to ask him something.” It was a flimsy lie, she realized, but she counted on them to underestimate her like everyone else did. Everyone, that is, except her mother.

  “Do you want us to come in with you?” one of them asked.

  She forced herself to smile in amusement. “Oh come now, soldier. You don't think I'm in any danger from our own apprentice, do you?”

  “No, ma'am. But we'll be right outside here if you need us.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So reassuring,” she told him as she unbolted the door and slipped inside.

  Lester stood in front of a mirror. Aria rolled her eyes again. His rough clothes had not led her to think of him as vain. Apparently, she had been fooled by first impressions. Again.

  Abruptly, he vanished. Her eyes widened for a moment. Then the door shut behind her and he rematerialized, turning toward the sound.

  “I'm glad to see you're making some progress.”

  “Oh, hello again. Is it time for lunch already? This is hungry work.”

  “I'm not here to feed you,” she said. “Does Xander have anything here that can tell truth from lies? It's important.”

  “Why? Is something up?”

  Briefly, she explained. “So I'm afraid my mother will feel pressed for time, and allow them to resort to torture. Is there another way, one he might have mentioned to you?”

  He appeared confused. “Does your mother work for the Governor? Is she some kind of magistrate or something?”

  “My mother is the Governor, fool!” She stooped and made herself take breath. “Sorry, I was just hoping I could find her another way. From what I've read, once a government starts using torture, they generally find it easier to do the next time.”

  He stroked his stubble. “Xander hasn't mentioned anything from the Tourists that would help with questioning. But there might be another way,” he said. “If you could get me in there, I could listen to them when they think no one's around.”

  She considered it. “Worth a try,” she muttered. “But we might not have much time. The men Xander captured were scouts. She's probably afraid there might be an army not far behind them, so it's important she questions them as soon as they get here. How fast can you move when you're invisible?”

  “Hold on,” he said. “They're not here yet? Then how do you know about them?”

  “Xander came back to report before them. I just heard him talking to the Governor about it.”

  “What?” He seemed surprised. “How did he get back before them?”

  She shrugged. “How should I know? He is a wizard. Maybe you should ask him. Anyway, your plan might work even better if you're in place before they get to the holding cell. They might be on their guard if I visit them first.”

  “How do you even know where they'll be held? Or that they'll even make it to Denver, considering what you say happened.”

  Our men aren't savages,” she snapped. “And they know Xander knows they have the prisoners. They won't risk a wizard's wrath for the fleeting joy of revenge. Or my mother's.”

  “Wow,” he said, “I almost forgot that. What's it like, being the Governor's daughter?”

  “Be thankful you'll never know,” she said. “I'm, expected to take her place someday, but in the meantime no one seems to think I can do it. Endless classes and training, and all the men see me as a pampered kid. I have no friends at all.”

  “Sorry to hear that. I know what that's like,” he said. “I've been here a couple of weeks and you're the only person near my age I've even seen. Don't your mother's men have families?”

  “Probably, but they must be in another building.” She met his eyes. “Can you do anything besides disappear?”

  “Not yet,” he admitted. “He said learning to bend light was the first step, so I could survive long enough to learn the rest.”

  “Well, I do know where the holding cells are,” she said. “I'll distract the guards and you s
lip out behind me. Can you make it to the stairwell without me? I'll meet you there.”

  He shrugged and smiled. “I'll try not to disappoint the future Governor,” he said.

  Aria moved to the door. “Count to thirty, then follow me,” she whispered. Then she knocked on the door and raised her voice. “Coming out.”

  There was the sound of the bolt sliding back, then the door opened and she blinked in the brighter light of the corridor. She stepped out, leaving the door ajar.

  Now for a distraction. What works best with men? She let herself stumble against one of the guards and reached an arm around his waist as if she needed support.

  He stiffened for a second, startled, then pulled her against him. “Are you all right, Miss? Did he – ”

  “Oh good grief,” she said, straightening and pulling away after a moment. “Of course not. I just stumbled.” She had the attention of both of them now. She kept it by straightening her belt and tucking in her blouse, making sure to make the fabric press skintight against her breasts as she did so. They were smaller than her mother's but she did not doubt that the men would look at them anyway. And they did.

  Behind the two men she saw the door move slightly, its edge rippling like the air over a hot stove. She fidgeted with her clothing for a few more seconds, then straightened again and reached forward past them to shut the door.

  “Did you get the answers you needed?” one of them asked, to change the subject.

  Aria rolled her eyes. Maybe she was overdoing that expression, she thought, but it came naturally at the idea that men could be so easily distracted by bumps on a chest. “Hardly. Maybe I'll come back later, when the wizard's back.”

  She strode down the corridor, ears straining for the sound of Lester's footprints behind her. But she heard nothing. Well, the door had moved. He must be around here somewhere. She opened the door to the stairwell and held it open, standing there for a minute as if deep in thought. After a bit, she felt a bump against the door and realized he had made it after all.