“This is ridiculous,” said Munroe and Tammy saw blue light flare up between her fingers, filling the room with its pale glow. The smith’s eyes widened in alarm and she quickly moved to cover the ball of light with her hands. The light faded and Tammy glanced back along the corridor. She could see the two apprentices were still hard at work. When Leonie looked her way Tammy just shook her head.
“They didn’t notice.”
“Seekers are being attacked across the world,” said Munroe, keeping her voice low. “Balfruss, from the Grey Council, sent me to warn you. You have to stop the monthly tests for the time being. It’s too dangerous.”
Leonie rubbed the heavy knuckles of her left hand. “I’ve heard stories on the road. Children combusting while being tested. Such a thing has never happened to me, and it’s very rare. That has nothing to do with the Seekers.”
“You know that. I know that,” said Munroe, clearly exasperated. “They don’t,” she said, gesturing at the wider world around them. “If you go out there today, in your mask, the crowd might turn on you. Seekers have been chased out of towns and villages across the west. A few towns in Zecorria have banned them for ever. We even visited one town where they’d murdered the Seeker. It’s safer for you to hide the mask for now.”
Leonie stubbornly shook her head. “That’s Zecorria—”
“It’s happening all over the west,” said Munroe, interrupting her.
“It’s different here. I’ve lived in this town my entire life. The people here know me. They’re my friends and neighbours.”
“That doesn’t matter to them,” said Munroe. “People are scared of magic and what you might do to them.”
“They don’t understand magic and what it can do to help people. All they’ve heard recently is that it can kill them and their children,” said Tammy, drawing all eyes in the room to her. “You wouldn’t invite a friend with a disease into your home, no matter how much you liked them.”
“They won’t hurt me,” insisted Leonie. Tammy could see Munroe was about to argue, but she stepped over her protest.
“We’ll stay in town until after you’ve tested the children,” said the Guardian. “For your safety.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“We insist,” said Munroe, smiling through her teeth.
The smith quickly realised they were not going to change their minds. “Then I’ll see you both in the square at midday.”
Once they’d left the smithy and were a few streets away Munroe rounded on Tammy. “Why did you agree to let her test the children?”
“Nothing we said was making a difference. Either everything will be normal, or it will go badly. I would rather be here to help her in case of trouble.” Tammy rubbed a hand over her face. She was tired and the images from her dreams still plagued her mind. “It’s not an easy thing to hear. That your friends will turn on you because of a secret. It’s been ten years since the war, and, despite everything Balfruss and the others did, most people still think of magic as a curse.”
“But not you?” asked Munroe. It was clear she was itching for an argument to get rid of the tension that had built up but Tammy was not about to oblige.
“I’ve seen what magic can do, good and bad. On reflection, I think it’s a gift. Without the Red Tower and its Seekers, the situation could become much worse. As bad as it was in Voechenka.”
Munroe frowned. “What did you see in that city?”
In the darkest and loneliest hours of the night, when dawn seemed an eternity away, Tammy’s worst nightmares were filled with memories of Voechenka. She didn’t need her imagination to invent something horrific to haunt her. She had seen it up close and had lived to tell the tale.
“True evil,” said Tammy.
At midday the square was busy with people, all of them focused on the green in the middle. The Mayor was there, a tall man in his fifties with thick arms wearing a white apron. Tammy had bought some fresh bread from him the previous morning.
As they waited for the Seeker to arrive she studied the crowd and listened to the conversation flowing around her. She said nothing and tried to go unnoticed, but it was a little difficult with her size and uniform. Meanwhile Munroe moved through the crowd, pausing here and there to listen before moving on. Her grim expression told Tammy everything she needed to know. They were scared. The risk of magic to their lives was becoming something real that could not be ignored indefinitely. In the past it was seen as someone else’s problem, but now it was here. A deadly secret that lurked in their homes and possibly within their own children.
When the Seeker appeared a strained hush fell over the crowd. There were four children standing with their parents towards the front. Without speaking the Seeker beckoned them to approach and eventually the children shuffled forward with reluctance. The parents stayed back, as if magic was a contagious disease.
The Seeker moved to stand in front of the first child, raising a hand towards her. After a few seconds she shook her head and the girl’s relief was clear. She burst into tears and ran back into the welcoming arms of her parents. Moving down the line the Seeker tested each child and, perhaps mercifully on this occasion, all four of them were without the potential for magic. If any had proven positive Tammy wondered how quickly the mood of the crowd would have changed.
It should have been over, but the people didn’t disperse. The Mayor came forward again to stand beside the Seeker.
“The risk is too great,” he said, addressing the Seeker. “You need to leave town and never return.”
“I’m not the cause,” said Leonie, her voice slightly muffled by the mask. “I’m here to help. Without me any child born with magic might hurt themselves, or someone else.”
“It’s not working!” shouted someone, and several others agreed. A prickle of worry ran across her scalp. Looking around the square Tammy realised she’d lost track of Munroe.
“Children are dying,” said the Mayor. “It’s been worse since your kind came back.”
“You don’t understand,” said Leonie, but the Mayor wouldn’t listen.
“It’s too dangerous for you to be here. You must go.”
The Seeker remained silent while the crowd cheered the Mayor’s words for her to leave. The safe thing to do would be to walk away. To bury the mask and wait for the storm to pass. It was one thing to be spurned by strangers, but to be turned away by friends and neighbours was something else entirely.
“Tomorrow, if one of your daughters fell ill,” said Leonie to the Mayor, “you’d visit the doctor or apothecary. And you, Saul,” she said gesturing to a man in the front row. “If your plough breaks, you’d visit the smith to get it repaired. But what happens if a child comes into their magic? Without a Seeker and the Red Tower, to teach them control, it could be dangerous. If you ban us, then you put your own lives in danger.”
All eyes were watching the Seeker in rapt silence, but that seed of worry had blossomed and Tammy felt her heart begin to race. The crowd’s silence had become something else. Something fraught with the possibility of violence. With a grimace she pulled on her gloves and readied herself for a fight.
“We’ve not had any cursed children for a long time. It’s only in the last few years they’ve started appearing and that’s your fault.”
“Really?” asked Leonie. “What do you think happened to Lamm Fisher? Where do you think he went?”
The Mayor was staring at the Seeker. “How do you know about him?”
“He didn’t have a disease, Hap. His fever was because of his magic. There’s been half a dozen other families that have moved away and given similar excuses.”
“Who are you?” asked the Mayor.
When Leonie reached towards her face with both hands there was movement in the crowd. Munroe was shoving her way through the people, but they weren’t giving way fast enough. Tammy knew she was going to be too late to stop the smith from unveiling herself.
“No! Don’t do it!” shouted Munroe but the See
ker ignored her. Leonie lowered her hood and then took off her mask.
“You all know me,” said Leonie, looking from one stunned face to another in the crowd. “I’ve lived here most of my life. I’ve watched many of your children being born. The last thing I would do is harm them. I want to protect them and you.”
The silence was deafening. It felt like a pregnant pause but she didn’t know which way it was going to go. Violence or acceptance.
Munroe had reached the front row but she was far too late.
“How long?” asked the Mayor, breaking the silence.
“What?” said Leonie.
“How long have you been lying to us?” he said.
In that moment Tammy saw something fade behind Leonie’s eyes. Her face turned towards the crowd, hoping to see something, but whatever it was—hope, love, even just understanding—it was lacking in their collective gaze. The smith’s broad shoulders slumped in defeat.
It was over.
“Get out!” someone shouted.
“We don’t want you here.”
“We’ve known her for years,” someone was saying to their neighbour in the crowd. “We can trust her.”
“It’s your fault!” said a third voice, ignoring everything Leonie had said. “Our children are getting sick because of you.”
Tammy started moving towards the front of the crowd as well, easing people aside if they didn’t move fast enough. One or two started to protest until they saw her Guardian uniform and then the look on her face. Perhaps they thought she was going to arrest the smith and take her away.
“You should go,” Tammy heard the Mayor saying to the smith. The noise level started to rise and more people began to shout and boo. “Please.”
Munroe appeared at her elbow and a quick glance told Tammy that she was furious. “Don’t do anything rash,” she hissed at the diminutive mage. “Go and get the horses. We’ll need to leave in a hurry.” Munroe had to be distracted into doing something useful before she acted on impulse and made it worse.
“What about Leonie?”
“I’ll stay with her,” promised Tammy. “Meet us at the smithy.”
With a final glare at the crowd, that thankfully went unnoticed, Munroe stomped away. Given how powerful she was the people of Maldorn didn’t realise their lucky escape. Tammy stepped up beside Leonie where she and the Mayor were having a heated conversation.
“You’ve known me for over fifteen years, Hap,” she was saying. “You know this is wrong.”
“I’m sorry, Leonie, but it would be better for everyone if you left town. Just for a little while. I’m sure if what you say is true, then this will all blow over.” He did sound genuinely apologetic but the smith continued to glare. It was also very clear she didn’t think this problem would go away in a few days or even weeks. It meant exile.
“Arrest her!” someone shouted behind her back.
“We need to go. Now,” insisted Tammy.
The pain in Leonie’s eyes was there briefly before it turned into anger. Tammy could see that she felt both betrayed and let down by their response. She’d exposed herself and shared her best-kept secret, risking her home and career, only to be rewarded with fear. It was as if she’d never truly known the people she’d been living with all these years.
Tammy followed the smith back to her forge, still hot with residual heat from earlier in the day.
“You should pack a bag. Only whatever you can carry,” suggested Tammy.
“Who’s going to look after the forge? What about all the work that’s half finished?” Leonie stood in the middle of the room, utterly despondent. So far the street was empty but Tammy wondered how long it would remain that way. The people of Maldorn were not as aggressive as some had been, but then none of the previous Seekers had revealed their identity to the crowd.
Guiding the smith by her elbow Tammy helped her to her room where they packed a bag together. A few minutes later the sound of horses outside drew Tammy to the window where she saw Munroe waiting with three mounts.
They rode out of town in a hurry, not waiting to see if anyone followed them. Leonie was accustomed to riding and despite being distracted she guided her horse with ease. She remained silent, her face a mask of misery. They kept to a canter until Tammy felt the danger of pursuit had passed and then slowed to a walk.
“It’s getting worse,” Tammy said to Munroe. “We need to split up to cover more ground.” There were still several names on the list Balfruss had given them. She knew it wasn’t ideal, given that she had been tasked with accompanying Munroe, partially to keep her in check, but they were running out of time.
Despite what had happened Tammy knew they’d been lucky. The story of what Leonie had done in Maldorn would spread and with it people would begin to wonder who else was hiding behind the golden masks. Previously the identity of the Seekers hadn’t mattered to anyone, but now suspicion would grow and with it the level of fear would increase.
They needed to get to the other Seekers before it was too late.
CHAPTER 16
Regent Choilan of Zecorria settled himself into his chair, taking his time to arrange the tails of his jacket artfully, before gesturing for his clerks and Ministers to be seated. He thought the frock coat made him look ridiculous but his third wife, who stayed up to date on fashion, assured him it was extremely desirable. Since first wearing it a week ago Choilan had noticed four of his Ministers had adopted the style, although their jackets were not nearly as ornate, as was proper for their station.
For the next hour he closely followed his Ministers’ reports, listening to what they were saying and also what went unspoken. The clerks at the edges of the room made notes and offered further details when called upon to clarify a point of interest. When the Minister of Trade finally started to wind down Choilan offered the man a generous smile. He wondered how dense the Minister must be to think that his dalliances with a mistress had gone unnoticed by his wife, and, in turn, his Regent. For betraying her and breaking his sacred marriage vow she had called for his head, or at the very least his balls. Choilan was still debating which would have the least impact on his Minister’s ability to carry out his duties.
With a wave of his hand he dismissed his Ministers who shuffled out of the room backwards.
“May the Lady of Light bless you,” said the Minister of Trade, the last to leave, closing the doors behind him. Perhaps his wife would make a better Minister. Her loyalty would be unquestionable and she wouldn’t be nearly as distracted. The Regent made a mental note to discuss it with his first wife and seek her counsel.
Now that the Ministers were gone most of the clerks took their turn to file out, until only ten remained who moved forward to sit at the central table. These were the hidden eyes and ears that worked for him in plain sight. Their primary role was that of clerks, but each was vastly overqualified for the position. Their secondary role was to watch, listen and report directly to the Regent about news the Ministers had failed to share, out of ignorance or an attempt at deception.
“Bettina, what’s the latest development with Seekers from the Red Tower?”
“Regent, the trend has continued both here and abroad. With the backing of their Mayor, several towns and villages in Zecorria have exiled them. When questioned, the Mayors said the people would take care of any children with magic in the future by themselves.”
The Regent held out his cup and it was instantly filled by a waiting servant. The watered-down wine was light and crisp, sweetened with fresh fruit. He took a sip and grimaced, not at the taste but the current situation.
“Tell me about the town.”
Bettina had a number of papers on the table before her but she didn’t need to look at them. The details of what had happened were etched into her mind, as they were his. His people had interviewed the survivors and the report was one of the most troubling he’d ever seen.
“A teenage boy was being tested by a Seeker. Something went wrong and during the process he e
xploded.” There were a few gasps in the room. Some of the clerks were hearing this for the first time. Choilan made a note of those who showed no obvious surprise or signs of dismay.
“How many are dead?” he asked.
“The latest guess is ninety to one hundred and twenty people, including women and children.” He suspected the grimace on Bettina’s face came from the ambiguity of not having a precise figure, not the actual loss of life. She was icy and loved nothing except numbers and order. If she hadn’t become a clerk he suspected she would have made an excellent assassin.
“Other towns in the area responded by instantly banning Seekers. They too have made declarations about dealing with their own children.”
“I remember the bad old days,” said Choilan, setting down his cup, suddenly no longer thirsty. “As a boy I saw them drown my cousin in the river. He screamed then he choked to death, while his parents watched and did nothing. We are not going back to that.”
He didn’t know if Seekers posed a genuine threat or not, but since the Red Tower had reopened there had been fewer incidents of children being drowned or burned alive. Choilan had assumed this was a result of those children with magic being identified early and sent to the school for training. Or perhaps the number of incidents had not declined and communities had become better at covering up what they were doing.
Fear of magic sat like a stone in the stomach of every Zecorran. They all remembered the war and how the Warlock had led Zecorria astray. The corrupt wizard had confused the mind of an already troubled King and perverted the faith of an entire nation. It had taken them years to root out all of the religious zealots, the Chosen, and see that they were eliminated.
Despite all his resources, Choilan had only rumours about the Seekers and the level of danger they might pose. The Red Tower claimed they were reactive, simply finding what was already there in a child. Others were now claiming magic was more widespread than it had been a few years ago. His agents reliably informed him that over the last six years hundreds of students had walked through the gates of the Red Tower. So where had all of the potential mages come from? Had they simply been hiding, doing their best to control their magic without supervision? Or was there something more sinister going on?
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