Rebel Magisters

by Shanna Swendson

  “I thought it was to keep a potential witness under your eye.”

  “Yes, but a witness who kept her wits in a crisis. That was also important.” Still beaming, he shook his head. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. This trip should be just what we need to start building an organization.”

  “And think of the intelligence you might be able to pick up.”

  “I’m counting on you to do that for me. You’ll probably have more access among the governor’s people than I will. I’ll just have to rearrange a few plans and then let the governor know that we’re definitely going. I suppose it would help if you can talk Flora into coming along without sulking.”

  “I believe you’ll find her resigned to it.”

  “You’ve already pulled off a miracle!”

  “I merely reminded her that a prolonged absence is unlikely to change her situation.”

  “Oh? Is the object of her affections unavailable, or perhaps unsuitable?”

  “Both, I’m afraid,” I said, forcing myself not to glance at Colin, where he was energetically dancing in the middle of the room. “I suspect that what she needs most is a distraction.”

  “I never saw Flora setting her cap for an unsuitable type.”

  “Oh, but the person you can’t have is a very romantic figure.” I’d said it as a joke, only a second later realizing that it was true for me, as well. I thought of Flora as a child, but she wasn’t quite a year younger than I was. I waited for him to respond, hoping he wouldn’t notice the full implication of what I’d said, but his focus on the mission came to my rescue.

  He was too busy thinking ahead. “I can’t wait to see the governor’s face when I tell him. And I suppose I’d better send messages to my friends.”

  “Meanwhile, we’ll see what we can stir up here in the city,” Philip said. “Some of our friends may have other friends, and so forth.”

  “But be careful,” Geoffrey said. “We have to be absolutely certain who we can trust. One word to the authorities, and we’re all doomed.”

  Chapter Six

  In Which

  We Create a Symbol

  “What we need is a symbol like that red ribbon the Mechanics wear,” Philip said. “Once someone’s been vetted and sworn an oath, they get the insignia, and then we’ll know who’s truly a part of the group.”

  “What do you suggest?” Henry asked.

  Philip fished around in his pockets and came up with a small key, the sort that might be used to open a jewelry box. “It’s a symbol of how sealed our lips have to be.”

  “We all carry keys,” Geoffrey said with a wry smile. “That doesn’t narrow it down much.”

  “If you will forgive me, Miss Newton,” Philip said, and he pulled the new blue ribbon out of my hair. With his pocket knife, he cut a small section off it and tied it to the key. “And there, we have a symbol. But I think what we should do is get multiple keys that fit a particular box, and that’s the test for which keys are genuine, as a further security measure.”

  “I know a good locksmith who can take care of that,” Geoffrey said.

  Philip stuck the rest of his ribbon in his pocket. “I’ll buy you a new ribbon, Miss Newton, but I like the color of this one, so if you don’t mind, I’ll keep it to make the first batch of keys.”

  “I think it’s appropriate that this will have a link to her,” Henry said. “Verity has been so instrumental. Now, do you want to stay for the rest of the party, or are you ready to go?”

  “I need to have a word with Lizzie,” I said.

  “Take your time,” Philip said, his gaze seeking out Emma. I wondered if I should play chaperone here, but I didn’t think he was likely to do anything untoward.

  I found Lizzie near the refreshment table. “I did have one other idea,” I said as I approached her. I took my article out of my purse and handed it to her. “I wrote this about taking a collection to fund the cause. I know most of your members have no money, but little bits can add up, and it might make them feel less beholden to the magisters.”

  “I’ll pass it to the editor and see if he’ll consider it.” She put it in her pocket, then looked up at me. “I hope you weren’t offended by our response tonight. This is a whole new way of thinking for us. I know it took a lot for Alec to even consider asking for help. Bringing in magisters as partners, well, that’s a big leap for an anti-magister movement.”

  “I’m sure they understand.”

  With a smile, she leaned closer to me. “Now, I need to know what you did to Colin. He’s been quite addled since the last time he saw you. I mean, more addled than usual.”

  “Addled, how?” I asked.

  “He came from meeting you in the park the other day with his head in the clouds and stars in his eyes. He was spouting terrible poetry and making up songs. He sang about golden hair, so I knew he hadn’t suddenly developed an affection for you—and he wouldn’t do that to Alec.”

  “Oh dear,” I said. “It was Flora—Lady Flora, my pupil. Henry’s niece. She was with me when I met him in the park, so we couldn’t talk, and she’s been the same way since then, only without the poetry, as far as I know. There has been a great deal of very dramatic piano playing, however.”

  “Are you quite sure? Colin swooning over a magister girl? That seems unlike him.”

  “I suppose it’s possible that he encountered some other young lady, which would make all of Flora’s sighing even more tragic, but I can attest that their eyes locked in a way that reminded me of the worst sort of novel.”

  “I won’t tell him that your charge is equally enamored of him.”

  “I won’t tell her about him, either. With any luck, it will blow over.”

  “He’ll get over it soon enough. He always does. The next pretty face to come along will distract him. Or the next interesting machine. If not, we’ll have to arrange for them to spend more time together. I’m sure that would get both of them over it.”

  “Very likely,” I said with a laugh. “She’d bore him with talk of ballgowns, and she’d find him rather coarse.”

  She reached over to take my hand. “I’ve missed this, Verity. I know it’s hard for you to believe, but I really did consider you a friend. Can we be friends again?”

  I studied her for a long moment, uncertain. She’d hurt me, no doubt about it. I’d felt abused and betrayed by her deception. But at the same time, I was glad I’d become a part of her cause. Would that have happened if they hadn’t lured me in the way they had? It wasn’t as though I had so many friends I could afford to discard one. I had my network, but I didn’t know their names and couldn’t talk openly to any of them. There was Henry, but that relationship was fraught with complications. “We could try starting again,” I said at last. “I don’t think it will ever be the same because I’m not the same person I was then, but I would like to be friends.”

  Her eyes glittered, and she blinked rapidly. “I’d like that, Verity, and I mean that sincerely.”

  Alec joined us then, apparently not sensing that he’d interrupted a meaningful moment. “We’ll be in touch to let you and the magisters know what we decide, and to find out what they can do,” he said.

  “I may not be in a position to communicate for a while,” I said, my tone crisp and frosty.

  “That sounds ominous.”

  “It isn’t. My duties are merely taking me elsewhere. The governor is taking the children on a trip, and he’s bringing me along to keep up with their studies. I know we’re going to Boston and to Charleston, in the Carolinas.”

  “At the risk of sounding like I’m using you again, that sounds like a good opportunity for espionage or reporting. You’ll try, won’t you?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll collect all the intelligence I can, but I will have to be careful about any newspaper accounts I write. If Liberty Jones happens to report from all the places I visit, people may figure out who she really is.”

  “I’m sure you can compose dispatches in such a way as to hide
your identity.”

  “And perhaps someone in New York could momentarily assume Liberty’s mantle in your absence,” Lizzie suggested. “If Liberty is reporting in New York, she can’t possibly be traveling with the governor.”

  “Excellent idea!” I said. “Is there any way for me to send information from my travels, or must I wait to share it upon my return?”

  “We have people throughout the colonies, and you know how to recognize them,” Alec said.

  “I’m not sure how much opportunity I’ll have, as I’ll be under the governor’s eye.”

  “I’m sure you’ll think of something, and your Lord Henry will help you get away.” He still said Henry’s name as though he found it distasteful. I didn’t try to argue with him because I couldn’t tell if it was jealousy about me or irritation that the Mechanics and the magisters hadn’t been able to come to terms in the way he’d hoped.

  “We may be able to get someone in contact with you,” Lizzie said. “Definitely in Boston, as we have family there.”

  “I’ll be on the lookout for allies as I travel.”

  “Have a safe and pleasant journey,” Lizzie said.

  “Thank you. Now, I think the others are ready to go, so we’ll need a guide out of here.”

  Lizzie signaled to her brother. “Do you need to leave from this part of the city, or would you like to go uptown?” she asked while we waited for Colin to finish dancing.

  “I’d better ask them,” I said, nodding toward Henry. He and the others joined us, and I relayed the question to them.

  “I don’t think we’ve given anyone any reason to be watching us,” Henry said, “but it’s probably safest if we return home from approximately the same part of the city as we went to. You never know when a cab driver might have noticed his passengers.”

  “We’re probably less conspicuous like this here than we would be uptown,” Philip added with a gesture at his clothes.

  “True,” Lizzie said, nodding. “And even if someone does spot you as a magister, it’s not unusual for your sort of young men to come slumming down here. There’s precious little nightlife that would attract magisters near our other stations.”

  Colin finally came off the dance floor, red-faced and sweating. “You signaled, dearest sister?”

  “If you’re quite through making a spectacle of yourself, our guests are ready to leave. Would you mind escorting them back? Or are you having too much fun?”

  “I can do it. Not a problem.”

  “Should we perhaps escort our young lady companions back to their home?” Philip asked.

  “I don’t think you’re being watched that closely,” Lizzie said. “Besides, it wouldn’t be that odd for us to stay out later on our own. We do it all the time.”

  Philip did an admirable job of keeping his disappointment from showing. “Then convey my regards to the lovely Miss Emma,” he said.

  Colin put on his hat and switched on the lamp in the hatband. “If you’ll follow me.” After a final farewell to Lizzie and Alec, we headed into the tunnels with Colin.

  I’d learned my way through the underground passages well enough to get from some entrances to the station, but I wasn’t familiar with the route Colin used. I was fairly certain he was deliberately trying to keep the magisters disoriented. I tried counting my steps and noticing turns, but it did no good. I was hopelessly lost. As a result, I was surprised when Colin opened a door and we arrived in the theater’s basement.

  “Do you think you can find your own way from here?” he asked. “The doors upstairs will lock behind you when you leave.”

  “I’m sure we’ll manage,” Geoffrey said.

  “Well, then, a good evening to you, gentlemen and Verity.” He vanished back into the darkness, the door closing with a clang behind him.

  “So, Verity, you know the way out?” Henry said.

  “Yes, the stairs are through here.” I led them down the corridor toward the stairs. We were halfway up when I thought I heard something above. I froze and gestured for the others to stop.

  There were definitely voices coming from the auditorium, but whose? Had some of the cast or crew stayed behind? Were Mechanics standing watch? I strained my ears, listening until I could make out words.

  “I don’t see anything,” one of the voices said, his accent suggesting he was from England rather than a native of the colonies. “It still just looks like a theater to me.”

  “You know what the captain said. Search the whole place. I personally think he’s got Mechanics on the brain. But we’ve got to be sure.”

  Alarmed, I motioned for the men to go back down the stairs. The voices sounded like they were moving closer. There weren’t many good reasons for us to be in the theater so long after a show had ended, and even if the magisters disclosed their rank to indimidate the soldiers, it wouldn’t explain what I was doing with them.

  If the soldiers searched the whole theater, surely they’d look in the basement, and that meant we were trapped. I wasn’t confident of being able to find our way back through the tunnels. I did know of one other way out that I’d used before. We’d been escaping from what turned out to be a fake raid, but perhaps the escape route was still valid.

  I steered the men into the room near the foot of the stairs where the dynamo once stood. From there, I didn’t have to tell them my plan. Geoffrey dragged over a chair and climbed up to open the window, then pulled himself up and out before turning back and leaning down. Henry helped me climb onto the chair, and Geoffrey caught my hands to pull me up. Once the other two were out, Geoffrey eased the window closed.

  We were in a dark alley behind the theater. “Where do we go from here?” Philip asked.

  I remembered then that Alec had blindfolded me when we’d escaped that way before. I wasn’t entirely sure where to go. But I knew now exactly where we’d been, and an alley had to lead somewhere. I closed my eyes, trying to remember how it had felt, then opened my eyes and pointed. “That way.”

  We hurried down the alley. I had to resist the urge to look back and see if a light showed through the basement windows. I consoled myself with the thought that the searchers didn’t sound like they were being particularly diligent. They were going through the motions, which made it extremely unlikely that they would go so far as to look out the windows to see if anyone had escaped into the alley.

  When we saw a street ahead, I allowed myself a slight sigh of relief. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was the same street where Alec and I had gone, but I was sure we could figure out where we were easily enough. Henry motioned for us to wait in the alley while he checked out the street. After barely a second, he ducked quickly back into the alley and moved his hand in a pattern that looked familiar. I felt the surge of magic as Philip and Geoffrey followed his lead. Soon, I only knew where they were because I’d seen them before. Otherwise, they seemed to have become part of the shadows.

  A moment later, I understood. A group of soldiers, their weapons held ready, passed by, pausing to look into the alley. I held my breath and presumed that Henry had hidden me, as well. He’d taught me the magic he’d used, but I wasn’t ready to reveal my heritage to his friends.

  The soldiers lingered for what seemed like forever, but what was probably only a few seconds, before moving on. I heard relieved exhales all around me a few seconds after they left and knew that the men had been just as tense as I’d been. There really had been no logical reason to assume that the soldiers were searching for us, but it would have been hard to explain why we were in the alley. After another minute or so, the shadows melted away, and Henry checked the street once again, this time signaling that it was safe for us to leave.

  We blended into the crowd very easily, but I soon saw the cause of Henry’s caution. There were far more soldiers than I would have expected to be out in the street, and I wasn’t sure if they were enjoying one last night out before they left the city or if they were looking for something.

  “Now I think we should find a cab for V
erity,” Henry said.

  I shook my head. “First we need to warn the Mechanics that the theater is being searched. I don’t think they’ll find the tunnels, and if they do they may not find the station, but the Mechanics need to know not to leave that way.”

  “But how can you warn them?” Geoffrey asked. “Are we going back down there?”

  “We don’t have to. I just need to tell someone, and they have ways to spread the word.”

  When we reached the next intersection, I got my bearings from the street signs. I had a contact not too far from here, and she had access to the telegraph. I led the men down the street and around the corner to a tavern.

  Henry held me back on the threshold. “I’m not sure this is a suitable place for a young lady.”

  “I know a barmaid who works here.” I pulled my hair around my shoulders. “Besides, at the moment I don’t really look like a proper young lady.”

  Before he could object further, I entered the tavern. While the clientele was mostly male, Henry was correct that the women there wouldn’t have been considered ladylike by his class. I knew some of them, and for the most part they were hardworking young women with honest jobs. I scanned the room, looking for my contact, and spotted her carrying a tray of mugs to a table. When she’d delivered her drinks, I caught her eye, and she came over to us.

  “And how can I help you good people?” she said.

  I leaned closer to her so our words wouldn’t be overheard in the noisy tavern. “Some soldiers are searching the theater. I don’t know if they’ll get beyond that, but someone needs to warn the station.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” she said softly, then added more loudly, “I’ll be right back with your order, if you’ll have a seat.”

  The men all looked at me, then at each other, hesitant. Since they weren’t acting, I went over to a table and sat down. They reluctantly joined me. When Henry gave me a questioning look, I leaned closer to him and said, “Well, we can’t exactly walk in here, say one thing to the barmaid, and walk out. Even if that doesn’t draw attention to us, it might make her look suspicious.”