Rebel Magisters

by Shanna Swendson

  “Good point,” he said, still looking ill at ease and out of place. Philip seemed much more at home. He leaned back in his chair and smiled at the group of girls at the next table. Geoffrey looked even stiffer than Henry did.

  Then he stiffened even more. “Don’t look now, but I think that’s Rutledge over there,” he muttered.

  “Rutledge?” Philip said, starting to turn his head but quickly stopping himself. “What would he be doing in a place like this? He was always the worst snob in the school.”

  “He’s exactly the sort who would enjoy slumming,” Henry said through gritted teeth.

  “True, that does make it easier to feel superior,” Philip said.

  “Maybe he won’t notice us or recognize us,” Geoffrey said, his voice sounding strained.

  The barmaid returned with a tray full of glasses and set them down in front of us. She gave me a meaningful nod as she put down my drink, and I smiled in thanks. I wasn’t sure what she’d brought us, as we hadn’t actually ordered anything. It proved to be a sweet but potent cider. I resolved to only sip it.

  Unfortunately, it seemed that the barmaid had drawn attention to our table, and soon a young man sauntered over to us. He might have been slumming in a downtown tavern, but he was dressed to show that he was above his environment, in clothes that were ostentatiously expensive. “Well, well, if it isn’t my old school chums,” he said in a nasal drawl. “What on earth are you lot doing here?” He brushed at Geoffrey’s shoulder, like he was wiping away lint. “Whatever it is, you need to fire your tailors.” He barked a laugh.

  I barely stifled a yelp when Philip leaned closer to me and draped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me against him. “I’m visiting a friend,” he said with a showy wink. “The others are my cover story. I’m out with friends, you know? Blending in, and all that. You won’t tell the pater, will you? He’d never understand.”

  Rutledge eyed me, and I could feel his disapproval. “Really, Spencer, I thought you had better taste. If you want to be with a common girl, you can find them a lot prettier.”

  I thought Henry would come out of his chair, and he started to draw back his arm, but there was a dull thud under the table, after which Henry gasped and grimaced in pain. Breathing heavily, he stayed put.

  “Not everyone is as shallow as you are, Rutledge,” Geoffrey said. “There are so many qualities that make a woman worthy of attention, if you are worthy of perceiving them.” He drained his glass, took some coins out of his pocket and threw them on the table, then pushed his chair back, forcing Rutledge to move, and stood. “Now, I’m finding the atmosphere here rather uninviting. Shall we go?”

  Philip removed his arm from my shoulders, stood, and helped pull my chair away from the table. He offered me his hand to rise, and then he swept out of the tavern with me on his arm and the other two following. When we were about a block away, we stopped, and all the men doubled over in laughter. I watched them, my arms folded across my chest, unsure of what was so funny. Henry finally regained the self-control to say, “Sorry about that, Verity. You just have to know him.”

  “And what he must think of us,” Philip said, still sputtering a little.

  “I’m not sure he’d know what to think,” Geoffrey added with a smirk. “Though I imagine he never thought he’d find the likes of us in a place like that. He presumes he’s the only one daring enough to mix with the lower classes.”

  Now under more control, Philip bowed to me. “My apologies, Miss Newton, for roping you into the charade like that, but I thought it best if he didn’t associate you with Henry, on the off chance that you might look familiar if he saw you again. I doubt he’ll make the connection if he encounters you as Henry’s governess.”

  “I don’t think he’d recognize you if he saw you under different circumstances,” Henry said, giving me an odd, appraising look.

  Self-consciously, I brushed my hair back off my shoulders. I so seldom wore it loose that it felt odd to have it freed like this. I started to braid it, and Philip said, “I owe you a ribbon!” He dashed away to a sidewalk cart and returned with a ribbon that wasn’t quite the same shade of blue or the same quality as the one that had become a rebel magister insignia, but I thought even the hawk-eyed housekeeper wouldn’t have a reason to find my appearance suspiciously changed.

  While I tied my hair back, Henry went in search of a cab. This wasn’t the ideal neighborhood for hailing magical cabs, so we ended up walking several blocks before we found one. Henry handed me up into it and said, “I’ll be home soon enough. We’ll take the next one we find.”

  “I’ll see you there,” I said. Once the cab was moving, I leaned back in my seat with a sigh. I wasn’t sure what we’d accomplished tonight, but I still felt like our circumstances had changed significantly.

  Chapter Seven

  In Which

  I Take to the Skies

  I wish I could have been there when Henry told the governor that he was not only letting the children go on the trip, he was also joining them, but Henry went to the governor’s office for that conversation, and there was no reason for me to join him. Instead, I went about my usual weekday routine on Monday. Henry hadn’t yet returned from his meeting with the governor when I went alone to retrieve Rollo from school while the girls began their music lessons. I was just in time to see a swarm of boys in school uniforms come rushing down the front steps of the school.

  Rollo was with a group of friends, and when he glanced my way he didn’t acknowledge me. I was familiar with the ritual and didn’t acknowledge him, either. I began walking slowly in the direction of home, and once I’d rounded the corner, he joined me. I knew it made things easier for him at school if it wasn’t obvious that the governess was walking him home, even if every other boy in the school was also chaperoned. I couldn’t be quite as discreet when Olive was with me because she’d jump up and down, waving her arms and calling his name. I was never quite sure whether she was blissfully unaware of how badly that embarrassed her brother or knew exactly what she was doing and managed to look innocent.

  Usually, this little game didn’t bother me because I understood it. I’d been educated at home, so I’d never been in a similar situation, but I could still sympathize. Today, though, I was on edge and took it out on Rollo. “It’s so nice of you to deign to join me on my afternoon walk, Rollo,” I said, probably more sharply than I should have.

  “Thanks so much for being understanding, Miss Newton. I don’t know why Uncle Henry can’t send a footman after me. That’s what everyone else does. I’m too old to have a governess. Some of the other fellows tease me about having a nanny.”

  I immediately felt bad for my short temper. He didn’t seem to have noticed my sarcasm, though, for he kept up a steady stream of chatter worthy of Olive, albeit on different subjects. Most of it washed over me while I thought about our upcoming journey, but then the words, “and since the troops are leaving, that should mean the Hercules will be back to get them. Do you think Grandfather can get me on board for a tour this time? I mean, if we’re not off on our trip then,” registered on my consciousness.

  “The troops are leaving? Where did you hear that?”

  “Some of the guys in my class said they saw it in the newspaper.” I read the official newspaper more frequently than I did the paper I wrote for, and nothing had yet been said about troops leaving. Which meant some of his classmates were reading the underground newspaper. I couldn’t think of a reason his governess would ask him precisely which classmate had mentioned the news, but I thought it might help Henry’s efforts if he knew of a potential sympathizer. I made a mental note to mention it. He’d have more of a reason to sound Rollo out about his friends.

  “Talk to your uncle. He might be able to persuade your grandfather,” I said.

  “I guess since they stopped the revolution, they don’t need so many soldiers here anymore.”

  “Mmm hmm,” I said, acknowledging him without comment, even though I wanted to say that th
e revolution was only just beginning.

  “It’s a real shame the machines disappeared, though,” he continued. “I never did get to see a steam engine up close.”

  I had to bite the inside of my lip to keep from smiling. He would envy me if he knew how well-acquainted I was with steam engines.

  “Uncle Henry will be pleased that I made the top score on my math exam. Hey, maybe he should tell Grandfather I need to tour an airship as a reward.”

  “That sounds perfectly reasonable to me,” I said. “I will suggest it. But how is your writing coming along?”

  He kicked at a rock on the sidewalk. “Maybe not as good. But I’m getting better. The teacher said I’m almost achieving coherence.”

  I had to laugh. Rollo wrote the way he talked, in a rush of enthusiasm, jumping from one topic to the next. We’d been working on organizing his thoughts in written communication, and I’d made him practice his penmanship. “It’s good to hear my efforts are yielding some fruit.”

  “Yeah, I’m glad you’re with us, Miss Newton.”

  He didn’t seem to have realized how much he’d touched me, but my eyes stung slightly, and I felt a lump in my throat. I wasn’t entirely sure I was qualified for the job I had. I felt like I’d bluffed my way into it. I had the knowledge, but no real experience in this kind of work, and Henry had mostly hired me because I’d challenged him during a train robbery and he wanted to keep an eye on me as a witness to his crime. So it was good to hear that I was accomplishing something aside from espionage.

  When we reached the mansion, I could hear Olive carefully picking out scales on the piano. Although she was an accomplished student, she was an indifferent musician who saw it as a chore, while her sister was an accomplished musician and an indifferent student. “It sounds like I have a few minutes until I must serve my time,” Rollo said with a sigh. Henry forced him to learn piano, as well, and only managed to get him to tolerate it by telling him that music was essentially mathematics.

  “Go in and do your homework while you wait your turn,” I said, nudging him toward the family parlor where the piano was. With the children occupied with art and music lessons, I sought out Henry. He should have been back by now.

  I nearly ran into him on the stairs. “How did it go?” I asked.

  “He wasn’t nearly as shocked as I would have liked. I suspect he sees it as a way to observe me up close.”

  “So we’re going?”

  “We leave next Monday. I’ll tell the children at dinner.”

  I started to continue up the stairs to my room, but turned back. “Oh, I almost forgot. It sounds like someone at Rollo’s school reads the World. He mentioned information he heard at school that was only printed there. You could try talking to him about his friends. There might be someone sympathetic within the school.”

  “His friend’s parents need to have a talk with their son. It could be quite dangerous to let something like that slip at that school. The majority there are loyal royalists. If any other boy at the school brought home that story, there could be trouble. It might even be considered sedition.”

  “When you say things like that, it makes me want this revolution even more,” I said with a shudder. “To think that merely saying something unpopular could cause real trouble.”

  “That’s the way it’s always been. We may seem to have privilege, and we certainly do, but we’re watched more carefully than the fellows downtown. They can preach revolution in the taverns without catching much notice, but if I tried that sort of thing in the drawing rooms of the magister set, I’d find myself in prison. Do your Mechanic friends realize that I’m taking a bigger risk than they are?”

  “That’s why we’re changing things. Our new country won’t be that way, will it?”

  “I think that most of the people who might side with us feel the same way.”

  *

  From the preparations required for our journey, I’d have thought we were invading a distant country. We didn’t have a specific itinerary, so we had to pack clothing for just about any occasion. That was easy for me, as I had one ballgown, one nice party frock, and several day dresses. Flora, on the other hand, wanted to bring the entire contents of her wardrobe. She only got to bring as many items as she did because the rest of us didn’t come near meeting our weight limits for the airship. Henry tried to “forget” to bring evening attire, but his valet noticed the omission and corrected it just in time.

  When the morning came to set out, most of our baggage had been sent ahead to the airfield on Long Island. The first leg of our journey, to Boston, would only take half a day, so we wouldn’t need anything with us in the cabin other than whatever items we brought to pass the time. For once, I was the one most heavily laden, as I had books and school assignments for the children.

  The governor met us at the airfield. “Good, you’re on time,” he said brusquely. “The weather looks ideal for our voyage.” He led us into the massive barnlike hangar, where I found myself gazing in awe at the leviathan inside. I knew this ship was far smaller than the military vessels I’d watched pass overhead, but it was still a lot larger than the rebels’ Liberty. “Your first time to travel by air, Miss Newton?” the governor asked, and I was so startled to be addressed by him that I almost told him it wasn’t, until I remembered that wasn’t something to share with him.

  “I’ve never traveled like this before,” I told him, and it was true. The gondola on the Liberty was little more than a wicker basket. This ship had an enclosed gondola that looked like the cabin of a luxury yacht. Inside its hangar, the ship hung low to the ground, so we only needed a short flight of stairs to board through the nose of the gondola. We were seated in the passenger lounge, where windows were angled for a view of the earth below.

  Rollo was too excited to sit. “Grandfather, please, may I watch the takeoff from the control room?” he begged. “And may I have a tour of the ship? I want to see it all!”

  “Let’s see what I can do,” the governor said with a chuckle. The man was still intimidating, but I was beginning to see a different side of him. Although he represented the oppression of the colonies, he seemed to truly care about his grandchildren. He went forward for a few minutes and returned, beaming. “The captain would be delighted to have you as his guest, but you must stay out of the way and be very quiet.”

  “Outstanding!” Rollo cried out, sprinting forward.

  Olive settled herself into one of the seats beside the windows. “I’m going to look out from here,” she said. I noticed that she was very pale. There had been many a night when I’d had to soothe her nightmares about the airship accident that had killed her father. I wasn’t sure how much resemblance her dreams bore to reality, so I sat beside her and took her hand.

  “I’ve never flown like this before, so may I hold your hand?” I asked softly.

  “Yes, Miss Newton. I would like that very much,” she said, and the grip of her tiny hand on mine was likely to leave bruises, it was so fierce.

  Even Flora seemed at least a little interested as the great ship began moving slowly forward. We burst out into the light upon leaving the hangar, and the ship drifted upward. The city gradually grew smaller beneath us, and we went out over the open water, turning to head northward. I realized I’d been holding my breath and made myself let it out slowly. I wasn’t sure why I’d been so tense, unless I’d picked up on Olive’s fear. I’d flown on a smaller, unproven nonmagical airship before, without even the security of a closed cabin. This one flew higher and moved faster, which might have accounted for my unease.

  Once we’d stopped climbing and were drifting along far enough above the earth that I had less of a sense of speed, I managed to relax. It was quite peaceful, without the whipping wind I’d experienced on the Liberty. I might have enjoyed it, under different circumstances.

  However, the presence of the governor was unsettling. Here I was, a rebel operative and a magical half-breed sitting just a few feet away from the person who embodied wha
t we were rebelling against and who had the power of life or death over me. I’d been around him before when I chaperoned Flora at parties, and he’d paid brief visits to the Lyndon home, but now there were only a few of us in a relatively small space for the next five hours. I was afraid to speak, lest I accidentally reveal something incriminating.

  On the other hand, I needed to do my job, which was the reason I’d been brought along, and now I had to do it in front of an audience, including my employer. “Olive, are you ready for some lessons?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes!” she said enthusiastically. “I want to show Grandfather what I’ve learned.”

  I got out her schoolbooks and had just opened the science text when Rollo came bouncing back from the control room. “It was amazing!” he said. “I got to see how they released the tow cables and controlled the ascent. Then they showed me the charts.”

  “You’re just in time for your schoolwork,” I said.

  His face fell. “Aw, really? In an airship?”

  The governor chuckled. “I think perhaps we can postpone the schoolwork for the duration of the voyage. He can catch up later, once we’ve arrived.”

  “Thanks, Grandfather!” Rollo said. “Can I take that tour, instead? One of the crewmen said he’d show me the whole ship.”

  “I’ll need a report about it,” I said as sternly as I could manage when his enthusiasm was so delightful. “And your schoolwork must be completed at some time today. I’m not the one who made those assignments.”

  “I believe your uncle has final say,” the governor said.

  “Please, Uncle Henry?” Rollo begged.

  “I don’t see why not, as long as you do your work in the evening, and you’ll owe Miss Newton a favor for making her work a longer day.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said. “This isn’t going to be a particularly arduous workday.” Though, really, it was more difficult working under those circumstances. I could feel the governor watching us as I read along with Olive and quizzed her on her lessons. Fortunately, she was keen to show off, which made me look extremely competent.