“I was just poking around, trying to see how they’d used order to link all the stones together. They kept telling me to investigate things.”
Taryl shook his head. “Telling that to a beginning natural ordermage is about as smart as having a beginning gunner play with cammabark or powder. Do you know why?”
“I felt that, but I couldn’t explain why.”
“When a true ordermage creates black iron or something like the black wall, what he’s doing is essentially confining chaos within order. The more order and chaos involved, the stronger the structure or material, but…” Taryl looked to Rahl.
“The more it can explode if the order’s unlinked?”
“Exactly.” Taryl shook his head again. “Idiots…”
“You don’t have much respect for them, do you, ser?”
“As individuals, yes, but not as a land. They work as much against each other as against other lands, although they would claim otherwise.”
Rahl wasn’t so certain about that. He thought it might be true of the magisters he’d known, but some of the engineers and even Anitra the machinist had seemed to work together, but then, he hadn’t actually worked with the engineers.
“I need to go over what I will say about matters, Rahl, and how best to address the magisters,” Taryl said. “I’ll meet you in the mess later.”
“Yes, ser.”
While Rahl had thought about leaving the frigate, he decided against it, at least until after their mission was completed. Instead, he spent the time reviewing in his mind exactly what had occurred in Swartheld with Shyret and Daelyt.
Then, after a quick meal, he donned the dress mage-guard uniform he had never worn. The trousers were still khaki, but of a far finer grade of wool, rather than cotton, and the shirt was crimson, rather than khaki, with khaki shoulder straps holding embroidered mage-guard insignia. The visor cap was the same as his working cap, except that the bill was high-gloss polished black leather, and all the insignia were gold-plated, rather than bronze.
He met Taryl on the quarterdeck, and they walked down the gangway to meet Tamryn.
The silver-haired magister’s eyes again slid away from Rahl, and he said little to either mage-guard on the drive up to the training center. When he brought the wagon to a halt, Rahl studied the long, black-stone building, with the black-slate roof tiles. It was much as he remembered it, save that it looked smaller than he recalled.
“This way, envoys, if you please.”
As Tamryn stepped into the building, Taryl murmured, “Remember, don’t use any shields when you speak. They have to feel as well as hear the truth of your words.”
“Yes, ser.”
The chamber to which Tamryn escorted them was the same hearing chamber in which Rahl had been exiled. The same long, black-lorken table stood at one end, with the four chairs behind it. This time all were occupied.
Tamryn stepped to one side and bowed before speaking. “Magisters Lecoyat, Severyna, and Myanelyt, and Magistra Leyla, might I present Envoy and Senior Mage-Guard Taryl and his assistant Mage-Guard Rahl.”
Even before Tamryn had made his introductions, Rahl recognized one of the magisters and the magistra—the gray-haired Myanelyt and Leyla, although neither looked directly at him.
Taryl stepped forward, bowing slightly, if gracefully. “Greetings. We are here on behalf of the Emperor and in the shared interests of assuring that our lands remain on amicable terms, and on behalf of His Majesty, we offer his felicitations and best wishes.” Taryl smiled, and paused before continuing. “If you have not already received word from your own traders, you will shortly, I am most certain. The Nylan Merchant Association compound in Swartheld was totally destroyed by an explosion and fire as a result of actions by the Association director there and Jeranyi merchant vessel crews smuggled into the compound. Many of the Jeranyi died in the explosion, and the subsequent explosion of one of their vessels, but before they did, these same Jeranyi had earlier killed all those in the Nylan Merchant Association to cover their trail. When I am done, Rahl here, with whom some of you are familiar, will explain how this happened in detail, since he is the only one left alive who was a witness.” Taryl paused just long enough to clear his throat. “That destruction was only the first part of a Jeranyi plan to burn the entire merchanting district of Swartheld and possibly even to set Hamor and Recluce against each other.”
“But…what would they gain?” murmured Lecoyat.
“What you may not know is that the Emperor is dealing with an insurrection in the province of Merowey, and that insurrection is tacitly being supported by the white mages of Fairhaven, we believe, as well as the Jeranyi. Had the destruction of Swartheld’s harbor structures and warehouses been accomplished, the prices of Jeranyi goods would have increased markedly in value. More important, had you sent the black ships to Hamor, there would have been far fewer patrols to deal with Jeranyi pirates. As it is, the Emperor has been forced to cut back many of our patrols in order to shut down efforts to supply the rebels in Merowey.”
“So you want us to take up the entire burden of dealing with the Jeranyi cutthroats?” asked Severyna.
“The Emperor would not wish to imply or impose any duty on Recluce. All we can say is that at present Hamor cannot deal as aggressively with such pirates as we have done in the past.” Before any of the others could speak, Taryl stepped toward the long table and extended an envelope to Myanelyt. “This contains a more elaborate written version of what we have conveyed to you. It is a copy of the official and complete report on what occurred. The Emperor felt that you should have a copy as well.” He turned toward Rahl. “Now, Mage-Guard Rahl will provide some of the details. These should be of particular interest to you.” Taryl inclined his head to Rahl.
Rahl gave a polite half bow before speaking. “Magisters and magistra, as some of you know, I am an exile from Nylan, and I was sent as a clerk to the Nylan Merchant Association in Swartheld. At that time, Director Shyret was in charge there. I had not been there more than two eightdays when I became aware that the director was declaring excessive spoilage, then selling these ‘spoiled’ goods in local markets and pocketing the golds. The amounts were not small. At least, they did not seem so to me. On a single cargo, the director might declare two kegs of madder or indigo as spoiled, along with a bale or two of prime black wool. This was never less than thirty golds a cargo, and could be in excess of a hundred.”
“Between thirty and a hundred golds a cargo?” asked Leyla.
“Yes, magistra.” Rahl paused. “In addition, I discovered something else rather unusual. Director Shyret was receiving barrels labeled as Feyn River pickles and storing them at the warehouses, but these barrels were never shipped on Recluce vessels, but always on Jeranyi vessels…” Rahl went on to explain how he had been attacked one night, then drugged with nemysa only days later and lost all his memories and ended up in the ironworks, before Taryl had helped him recover his memories, then trained him and sent him back to Swartheld. He also told how he had realized that the barrels of “pickles” had actually contained cammabark packed in vinegar to keep it from exploding…and finally what had occurred after he had discovered the Jeranyi raiders and set off the cammabark in the Merchant Association courtyard. “…I managed to set off the powder in that one ship, but I had to jump into the harbor, and it took a while for me to recover.”
The four exchanged glances. Finally, Leyla spoke. “You’re admitting that you killed a superior officer and effectively destroyed our merchant compound?”
“Yes, magistra. Undercaptain Craelyt had already killed the captain, and he was working with the Jeranyi. If I hadn’t set off the cammabark in the Merchant Association compound, we might have lost much of the harbor area.”
After that, there were more questions.
“Can you be absolutely certain that Director Shyret was involved?”
“How did you know the Jeranyi were using these…pickle barrels?”
“Wasn’t there any oth
er way to stop them?”
“Why didn’t you bring this to the attention of your superiors earlier?”
“Were there other indications that might have allowed earlier actions?”
Rahl answered each question as thoroughly and honestly as he could, trying not to become even more irritated by their skepticism and arrogance.
And finally, “Do you honestly expect us to believe this?”
At that point, Taryl cleared his throat. “You are all black mages. You all know that Rahl and I are telling the truth. You also should know that the Emperor would not send us across an entire ocean if he did not respect you and believe you should know the facts. We could easily have claimed that the fire and explosion were accidental and sent no one. Such fires do occur.”
“Why are you here, then?” asked Myanelyt.
“To confirm for you that the Jeranyi were working through your own director, and, as Rahl tells me the magisters in Land’s End have already acknowledged and acted upon, that the Jeranyi do not have the best interests of Recluce in mind. We also wished to confirm by our presence, and by our allowing you to question us as necessary, that they were using your facilities to strike against Hamor. We thought you should know this and that you should learn of it in a manner in which you could verify the truth for yourselves. It is well-known that no one can lie to the magisters of Nylan without it being more than obvious to them.”
Finally, Myanelyt rose and bowed. “Envoy Taryl, you have been more than patient, and we appreciate your forbearance. We will convey these findings to the Merchant Association as well. While it is premature for us to make any decisions, not until we have evaluated what you have presented, if matters are as you have indicated, it would seem unlikely that we would wish to engage in any actions that would be interpreted as hostile. We wish you a speedy and safe return to Hamor.”
“Thank you,” replied Taryl. “It is likely that we will depart tomorrow, but that will depend upon the weather and whether Captain Jaracyn has been able to fill all the bunkers.”
All the Nylan mages rose, concluding the meeting. Rahl followed Taryl from the chamber.
Tamryn was waiting in the corridor outside. “I would be happy to drive you back to your ship.”
“I will avail myself of that offer,” Taryl said.
As they walked out of the building, Rahl looked to Taryl, and said in a low voice, “Would you mind if…?”
Taryl laughed softly. “I thought you might. Just remember that Captain Jaracyn will wish to leave close to dawn tomorrow.”
“Because the Ascadya is needed in Hamor? To deal with the rebellion?”
“And more, I fear.” Taryl smiled. “There’s a lady, isn’t there?”
“She’s a healer.”
The older mage reached into his belt wallet, then extended a coin. “Take her to dinner, and be back on board before midnight.”
Rahl almost swallowed as he realized Taryl had given him a gold. “You…”
“No, I don’t, but you conducted yourself well, and we were provided coins in case of need. This is a need.” Taryl nodded. “Nothing in life is certain, and you may never see her again. So give her something she can remember.”
Rahl could sense Tamryn’s amazement and concern, but he just smiled, then watched as the magister drove Taryl back toward the black ship piers. After a moment, he turned and began to walk toward the infirmary.
He could sense the puzzled gazes as he passed the mess and turned westward on the stone walk. When he entered the foyer, he recognized the younger healer. “Kelyssa?”
She looked at him, staring at the unfamiliar dress uniform, as if she could not remember but should. She started to frown, as if to suggest that he was not welcome.
“I’m Rahl. Is Deybri here?”
“Rahl?” Kelyssa’s mouth opened, but she said nothing for several long moments. “Rahl?”
“The same one you had to pick up off the weapons training floor,” he added. “Is Deybri around?”
“Is someone asking for me?”
Rahl turned at the sound of her voice.
As Deybri walked toward him, Rahl just watched, taking in the brown hair, the gold-flecked brown eyes, and the warmth within.
She stopped two cubits from him, then laughed, abruptly, but warmly.
Rahl could sense that she was pleased, but not exactly why, and he found himself smiling, if quizzically.
“Oh, Rahl…that look was the greatest compliment I’ve ever had.”
He found himself flushing. “You deserve it.”
“That’s a Hamorian mage-guard uniform, isn’t it? You didn’t mention that in your letter.” Her eyes did not quite meet his.
“I wasn’t a mage-guard then. I was working to be one, but I didn’t know if I’d make it, and I wrote as soon as I could…after…everything happened.”
“Everything?”
“Is it possible that I could take you to dinner somewhere? I only have tonight. Then I could tell you…”
“I…” Deybri turned and looked at Kelyssa. “Would you?”
“How could I not?” The younger healer grinned. “It’ll make a great story.”
“Kelyssa…”
“Someday, anyway,” added Kelyssa.
Deybri looked hard at the other healer.
“In a few years?”
Deybri nodded.
Rahl managed not to grin as he turned and accompanied Deybri. Outside the infirmary, he glanced sideways at her once more. If anything, she was more beautiful than he recalled.
“Before I forget,” Deybri said, “I did send a letter to your parents—”
“Oh…can I post one from here, if I pay for it? I wrote one to them on the ship.”
“We could stop by the bursar’s study,” Deybri said. “It might cost a copper or two more, but it would be easier than going down to the Merchant Association.”
“That might be best, for several reasons.”
“Oh?”
“That’s part of the everything I’m going to tell you.”
Deybri led the way back to the main building and down a side corridor off the main corridor and on the east side—well away from where Rahl and Taryl had met with the magisters.
The bursar, an older woman in dark gray, looked up with a clearly startled expression on her face as Rahl and Deybri appeared in the door to her study.
“Elyssa?” Deybri said with a smile. “This is Rahl. He was trained here, and he’s now a mage-guard in Hamor, but his ship is in port here. He wanted to send a letter to his parents in Land’s End. He can just pay you, can’t he?”
“Oh…that won’t be a problem.” The graying bursar tilted her head. “From what I heard, he’s not just an ordinary mage-guard.”
Rahl found himself flushing as he extended the envelope. “How much will it be?”
“Oh…not that much. Four coppers. We’ll just put it in with everything to the portmaster at Land’s End.” Elyssa took the envelope and the coppers from Rahl. “Good hand, best I’ve seen in years.”
“I was once a scrivener,” Rahl admitted.
“It shows.”
“Thank you.” Rahl inclined his head.
“That’s what we’re here for…among other things.”
Deybri was smiling and shaking her head as they walked back outside into the late-midafternoon sunlight filtering intermittently through scattered clouds to the west.
Rather than ask what Deybri was thinking, Rahl took a half silver from his wallet. “Thank you for letting my parents know. I said I’d repay you when I could. Will this do?”
“It’s more than enough. It’s—”
“It’s not,” Rahl said. “I can’t thank you enough.” He pressed the small coin on her.
Deybri finally took it. They walked on the west sidewalk of the stone-paved road that led down to the harbor, leaving the training center behind.
“You don’t mind walking, do you?” Rahl asked, after they passed an older large stone dwelling he did
not remember. “I’d thought we could get an early meal at the place where your uncle took us…”
“If you let me pay for myself.”
Rahl shook his head. “I was given coins for a meal here. There’s enough for both of us.”
“So long as you’re not paying. Mage-guards aren’t wealthy. I do know that.”
“The pay’s not bad, better than what I would have gotten as a journeyman scrivener in Land’s End.” And far better than he’d gotten as a clerk at the Merchant Association or as checker at the ironworks. “How have you been?” He really wanted to tell her that the past did have a hold on him, but something told him not to rush that, and not to blurt it out—much as he wanted to do just that.
“I’m fine. Nothing much has changed here. Thankfully, we haven’t had anything like that boiler explosion since you left. I understand that the harbormaster has refused landing to several older ships. They’ve had to moor offshore.”
“Did they ever fix the black wall?”
Deybri laughed. “About a season after you left. Tamryn and Kadara were muttering about it for weeks after that.”
Across the road from them, a patroller stopped and stared, clearly startled by a couple where the woman was in the green of a healer and the man in a Hamorian dress uniform.
“You still do manage to startle people, I see,” Deybri said.
“They’re just not used to seeing Hamorian mage-guards. We might be the first ever actually to walk through Nylan.”
“That’s possible. Where is your ship?”
“At the naval piers. The engineers moved out all the black ships. We came on a frigate—the Ascadya. I think the idea was to get us here quickly on a warship to convey the presence and concerns of the Emperor, but on one that wouldn’t be seen as a threat.”
Rahl glanced to his right, toward the small park he had often passed on his way to the harbor. He had thought he might see children playing hoop tag, but the only person in the park was an elderly man feeding bread crumbs to the traitor birds.
“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?” she asked softly.
“It has been a long year,” he admitted. “The hardest part was finding out that Shyret was betraying Recluce and not being able to do anything about it.”
Mage-Guard of Hamor Page 3