“All right, Jonah…you win,” Gabriel said to Jonah’s back. “I’m going to pull you from fieldwork.”
Jonah swung around to face him. “What?”
Gabriel laughed. “Oh, don’t worry…you won’t wriggle off the hook so easily. I have something else in mind for you. I wasn’t going to bring this up so soon, but…it’s time that I began thinking about a successor.”
“A successor.” Jonah swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry.
“I was hoping that you might consider taking that on.”
“Me? I’m seventeen!” Jonah blurted. “How would that work?”
“You’re seventeen now, yes, but you’ve literally grown up here. There is no one I trust more, no one who is more knowledgeable about the entire operation. We have adult staff, yes, but nobody with our history. Nobody who has invested so much of himself as you have. My thought is that you could spend the next several years as my apprentice.” Gabriel smiled wryly. “I could use the help.”
“How would that be different from what I’m doing now?”
“You’ll spend more time here at the Anchorage. I could begin introducing you to our patrons, both Weir and Anaweir. You could get to know more about Weir politics, and make the contacts you’ll need as school director. That way, when the time comes, you would be seen as my heir apparent—as school director, for the music business, and so on. Everything but Nightshade.”
“I’d be out of Nightshade?” Ludicrous as it was, regret pinged through Jonah, leaving him feeling hollowed out, without purpose.
“That’s what you want, right? I would ask that you continue your role with Safe Passage—for the benefit of our students. And continue training our most promising candidates in the gym. Otherwise, your role would be more…administrative.”
“If I’m out of the field, then who’s going to—”
“We’ll have to work smarter somehow. Use a team approach, develop more weapons, I don’t know. It’s not fair to keep exploiting you just because we can.”
Jonah’s cheeks heated with embarrassment. “You’re not exploiting me, exactly. You’re doing what you feel you have to do. But—as school director—wouldn’t you want someone with a gift other than…than killing?”
“You have many gifts, Jonah. We just need to allow you to deploy them. You have considerable charisma and persuasive ability…you’ll be brilliant at attracting funding support.”
“Even if you have to go outside of the Keep, it seems like you might want someone with a real education.”
Gabriel lifted an eyebrow.
“No offense, but I’ve been gone more than I’m here. Even when I’m here, I’m distracted. I read a lot, but—”
“I know. We’ve demanded a lot of you. Now, at least, you might have the chance to focus on your education. Anyway, people won’t be beating down the door to take this job. There was a time that I hoped Jeanette might.” He shrugged. “The other reason I hope you’ll say yes is that you’re a musician, like me. I want someone who can manage it all—the club and music-promotion side as well as the foundation. It’s unlikely that I’ll find someone with every asset we’d like to have. But you come the closest.”
“If I do this, will I have a bigger voice in policy?” Jonah asked bluntly. “In how we use resources? In deciding what the mission is?”
Their eyes met for a long, charged moment.
“Eventually, yes,” Gabriel said. Which Jonah read as, Not anytime soon.
“Then my answer is, eventually maybe,” Jonah said.
Gabriel laughed. “I guess I asked for that.”
“Who’ll run Nightshade, then? After you’re gone?”
“Hopefully, after I’m gone, there won’t be any need for Nightshade anymore,” Gabriel said. “Certainly it will be a chance for someone to take the program in a different direction. Why don’t we give this a try for a while? You can spend more time with the healers and educators here. I’ll begin introducing you to some people. We can meet periodically and you can let me know how you’re doing, and whether you want to continue on.”
“All right,” Jonah said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
“Good,” Gabriel said. He thrust out his hand. “Your Nightshade amulet?”
Jonah drew back, closing his hand over the pendant, oddly reluctant to give it up. “Let’s wait,” he said. “We’ll see how I like sitting behind a desk.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Gabriel dropped his hand. “It’s hardly that boring,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Speaking of desk work, I’ve been wondering: Are there any files, archives, records, and like that from Thorn Hill here at school? Or are they kept somewhere else?”
That wary, guarded expression returned. “What is it you’re looking for? Maybe I can help you find it.”
“I’m not sure what exactly I’m looking for,” Jonah said. “I’m just hoping that something will jump out at me that will help me figure out exactly what happened. You mentioned that sorcerers may have conspired with the Wizard Guild to compound the poison. I’m wondering if they might have been working at the commune.”
“I’m afraid that pretty much all of that was destroyed after the massacre,” Gabriel said. “As you can imagine, things were chaotic for weeks afterward. People were worried that wizards would either find or plant incriminating evidence in the records, and so a lot of material was shredded or burned. I was able to find some records from the compounding labs, and of course, I’ve gone over them with a fine-tooth comb, looking for anything that might be helpful to survivors. Some of the treatments we’ve devised have grown from those discoveries. But I think that mine’s played out. You won’t find anything useful here.” He stood, signaling that the meeting was over. “If you have any more ideas, don’t hesitate to share them with me. Sometimes fresh eyes can identify new solutions.”
On his way back to Oxbow, Jonah played their conversation over in his mind. In a way, Gabriel was offering him a promotion. But it didn’t feel that way. To Jonah, it sounded like good-bye. He was getting the message that he was definitely off Gabriel’s A-list.
Or did Gabriel have another reason for wanting to kick him out of Nightshade?
There was one more thing that weighed on Jonah’s mind. When Gabriel said that all of the records from Thorn Hill had been destroyed, Jonah read that as a lie. Which made him wonder what might be in the records that Gabriel didn’t want him to see.
“Are we invited to this event or are we just crashing it?” Jonah asked as they crossed the parking lot toward Trinity Square.
“We weren’t explicitly invited,” Gabriel said. “But it’s open to the public. I thought it might be helpful for you to see the seat of the Weir government and meet some mainliners in a nonofficial capacity. It’s always best to get to know people when you’re not asking them for something.”
“What do we want from them?” Jonah asked.
“Right now we have no representation on the Interguild Council. I’ve been working to change that, but haven’t been able to attract much support.”
“How would it help us to have representation on the council?”
“We need to be at the table when decisions are made that affect us. Especially given the misconceptions people have about the Anchorage. Meeting you…interacting with you…that should change some minds. This is what we call outreach.”
I’m the poster child again, Jonah thought, with a stab of resentment. Because I’m pretty to look at. Because my disabilities aren’t obvious from the outside.
“Just remember,” Gabriel said, “you’re a diplomat, now. Use that Kinlock charm. Although mainliners are not at risk from us, they may not understand that. They tend to be edgy where savants are concerned.”
“So I should keep that scaly tail tucked inside my jeans?” When Gabriel frowned at him, Jonah raised both hands. “Totally harmless, that’s me.”
They passed under a banner emblazoned with the legend TRINITY MEDIEVAL FAIRE. Jonah could hear str
ains of lute and recorder and the cadence of drums.
Jonah took in the crowded square—families, tourists with cameras, many clothed in period dress. “They aren’t all mainliners?” Somehow, he’d expected that they would be.
Gabriel shook his head. “The town is a mix of Weir and Anaweir. Today there’s lots of both. People come from all over to shop and have a good time.”
Tents lined the square, mostly artists and craftpersons selling their wares, with a few armorers and purveyors of medieval clothing. Food stands sold such medieval delicacies as turkey legs, deep-fried Twinkies, and “gyros of the realm.”
“Gabriel!” someone called as they passed by a booth offering handwoven clothing.
Gabriel turned aside and greeted the woman tending the booth. “Mercedes! I haven’t seen you since last year’s concert.” They air-kissed, and then Gabriel put a hand on Jonah’s shoulder. “Mercedes, this is Jonah Kinlock, one of the students I’m mentoring. Jonah, meet Mercedes Foster, sorcerer, healer, and handweaver.”
Foster was all legs and arms and clouds of wiry gray hair—like a bright-eyed bird with handwoven plumage.
“Pleased to meet you,” Jonah said politely, nodding to Mercedes. Thinking, This is a waste of time. Why should we come here and beg these people for acceptance?
“How did Natalie do at the clinic this summer?” Gabriel asked Mercedes.
“That girl is amazing,” Mercedes said. “Especially when it comes to diagnosis. It’s like she can see through a patient’s skin and identify the problem. Send her back to me, please!”
Gabriel laughed. “Oh, no, that was just a loan. I need her at the Anchorage.”
“Gabriel, if you have a minute, I have a question about a medicinal that I’m having trouble sourcing.” The two sorcerers launched into a discussion of tinctures and extractions.
A sign had caught Jonah’s eye: SWORDPLAY DEMONSTRATION—TRY YOUR HAND. Gabriel was still talking with Mercedes, so Jonah cut between two small tents to where a battered set of bleachers had been dragged alongside a fencing strip. Two fighters were going at it—a boy and a girl. Sweat ran down their faces and dripped off their bodies, spotting the piste as they thrust and parried, attacked and retreated. A small crowd of onlookers cheered them on, shouting advice, abuse, and encouragement.
The swords were not fencing blades; these were huge, heavy, and seemed to be of similar vintage to Jonah’s Fragarach. But the two combatants handled them easily, and with deadly precision—as if they were an extension of their limbs. It was more of a dance than a battle. Each seemed to know where the other would be at any given moment.
Though the swords were edged, these fighters were not padded or armored; they were not wearing medieval dress at all, but had stripped down to shorts and T-shirts that showed off their muscular bodies.
“Come on, Jack!” someone shouted from the stands. “Wrap it up and give somebody else a chance.”
Jonah circled the piste and sat down on the bleachers, next to a curvy girl with a mane of black curls and a wizard’s glow. “Who are they?” he asked, nodding toward the fighters.
“Jack Swift and Ellen Stephenson,” the girl said, without taking her eyes off the action. “You know, they’re the ones who…” Her eyes fixed on Jonah, and her voice trailed off. “Oh—my—God. Where did YOU come from?”
“I’m from out of town,” Jonah said.
“You are from way out of town,” the wizardling breathed, her eyes alive with interest. She stuck out her hand. “I’m Leesha Middleton.”
Jonah shook it with his gloved hand. “Jonah Kinlock. You were saying? About the fighters? Are they warriors, then?”
Leesha studied him, eyes narrowed. “Excuse me, but what guild are you in?”
“I’m undeclared,” Jonah said. “I thought I’d try them all out first. Right now I’m thinking warrior.” He nodded toward the sword fighters. “They don’t seem all that serious about killing each other.”
“Jack and Ellen? They’re crazy in love with each other. Disgusting, if you ask me.” She paused, and then continued in a low, brittle voice. “Anyway, haven’t you heard? We’re at peace. The Weir don’t kill each other anymore.”
Her grief stabbed at Jonah, fresh and hard-edged.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he blurted without thinking.
She blinked at him. “How did you—?”
“Lucky guess. Looks like they’re finished.”
Jack Swift and Ellen Stephenson were walking toward them, the swords safely stowed in their baldrics, arguing.
“I don’t see how they could call it a draw,” Ellen was saying. “I had you on the ropes, Jack.”
“We were supposed to fight to a draw,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “Wasn’t that the point? It was just an exhibition fight. It doesn’t count.”
“They all count,” Ellen argued.
“I’m fine with a draw,” Jack said, sliding out of his harness and setting his sword down on a blanket on the sidelines. “Why can’t you be?”
“You’re fine because you were on pace to lose,” Ellen said, shedding her sword also. “Let’s get something to drink before we start the open tournament.”
The two warriors walked toward the concession stand.
Jonah heard more raised voices, some kind of argument, spilling down on them from higher in the stands. Leesha twisted around to look, then swore under her breath. “It never stops.” Pushing to her feet, she began to climb.
Jonah turned to look. Four mainliners—a man and three women—had converged on a young wizard and appeared to be berating him about something as Leesha charged in for the rescue.
Curious, Jonah loped up the bleachers until he was within hearing distance.
“We want to know what’s going on with the investigation,” one of the mainliners was saying. “It’s been two weeks, and we’ve heard nothing.”
“You’ll be informed of any progress, Ms. Hudson,” the wizard said, raking one hand through his tumble of curls. “Ms. Middleton and Ms. Foster update me regularly.” He nodded at Leesha, who’d entered the target zone.
“You should be updating us,” Hudson said, turning her fire on Leesha. “We’re the parents. We’re the ones who—”
“Did you have a specific question, Ms. Hudson?” Leesha asked, her voice rich with snark.
“Who approved the field trip to Cleveland?” another parent demanded. “What were they thinking?”
“Ms. Morrison, that decision was made by the staff at the preschool,” Leesha said. “For some reason, they thought the children would enjoy a concert at the aquarium.” She paused for a beat. “I assume that you signed a permission slip?”
This is about the Flats, Jonah thought, skin prickling. That would be a hot topic here in Trinity.
“It should never have been allowed,” Hudson fumed, turning on the young man. “You should have intervened, McCauley.”
McCauley looked up, startled. “What? I should have intervened? I don’t run the preschool. I have enough to do as is.”
“The safety of our children should be your highest priority,” Morrison said. “If you and Ms. Moss don’t have time for that, then you need to delegate. My daughter Olivia was totally traumatized.”
“From what I’ve heard, your daughter Olivia was totally a hero,” Leesha said.
It took a few moments for Morrison to get her mouth running again. “Well, I must admit, Olivia does demonstrate natural leadership qualities; she takes after me in that regard. Certainly, in a time of crisis—”
“No doubt my son Alistair was of great comfort to the other children, too,” Hudson broke in. “But I don’t believe that defending against zombie attacks should be within any four-year-old’s skill set.”
“Zombies?” McCauley rolled his eyes. “That’s the kind of talk that fans the—”
“Where is Madison Moss?” the man demanded. “Shouldn’t she be here, in a time of crisis?”
“She’s in school,” McCauley said. “In Chica
go. She’ll be back in a week or two.”
“If Ms. Moss wants to be in charge, she should be here,” the man said.
“That’s just it, Mr. Scavuzzo, she doesn’t want to be in charge.” McCauley turned away and pretended to focus on the field, which was difficult to do since nothing was happening.
Morrison leaned in, putting her face in front of McCauley’s. “How was it that the children were so poorly supervised that they ended up on top of a bridge in the Flats?”
“That’s what the investigation is for,” McCauley said. “To find out what happened and who’s responsible.”
“It’s obvious who’s responsible,” Hudson said. The other three parents nodded vigorously in support.
McCauley sighed. He seemed to already know the subtext. “Where’s your proof? It doesn’t make sense to spread rumors before we know what we’re dealing with.”
“It’s suspicious that the children were found within a mile of Mandrake’s school,” Scavuzzo said.
Jonah stiffened.
“Not at all, since they were also within a mile of the aquarium,” Leesha said.
“Really?” Scavuzzo sneered. “The preschool sponsors field trips all the time without a problem. And yet, the first time they visit that neighborhood, our children are kidnapped. Who else could it be? We’re not talking mainline magic here, after all. We’re talking monsters.”
“We may be talking monsters,” Leesha said, “but it’s not just a local problem.”
“How do you know?” Morrison demanded.
Leesha bit her lip and turned away.
It’s true, what Gabriel said, Jonah thought, resentment smoldering in his midsection. Mainliners blame us for everything.
“The fact is, they shouldn’t put that kind of institution right in the middle of a city,” Morrison said. “It should be in a remote area, where it doesn’t present a danger to normal people.”
“The Anchorage has been there for ten years,” McCauley said. “There’s never been a problem before. How can you—?”
“Just because we haven’t heard about any problems doesn’t mean there haven’t been any,” Hudson said. “Who knows what goes on there? I’ve seen photographs from Thorn Hill, and let me tell you, they were bloodcurdling.”
The Enchanter Heir Page 14