Imager’s Intrigue

44

I couldn’t get a compartment on an ironway carriage back to L’Excelsis until the late night express that left at eighth glass. That might have been better, since I was tired enough by then and went to sleep easily enough, but I still woke with a pounding headache at fifth glass, and the dining carriage didn’t begin serving breakfast until sixth glass. I wasn’t in the best of moods by the time I arrived at the administration building of the Collegium at half-past eighth glass.

After releasing Claudyn, since I was no longer traveling, I went straight to the duty desk. The duty secondus was Cholsyr.

“Yes, sir?”

“Do you know where I can find Maitre Dyana?”

Cholsyr swallowed, then said calmly, “Maitre Dyana has gone to Rivages. She won’t be back until Lundi. She left this for you.” He extended an envelope.

I took it and opened it. The note was brief.

Dear Maitre Rhennthyl:

I have undertaken a trip to Rivages in the hopes of forestalling yet another disaster.

If you get back before I do, and anything happens, you’ll have to make the decisions. I trust that will not be necessary, but one never knows.

The missive was also signed and sealed, and that bothered me. What was she doing in Rivages? That was where Kandryl’s and Iryela’s main estates were, but there were several other High Holders located in that general area. I didn’t know any reason why Dyana would go there, unless she’d discovered something new about the shootings and explosions, but she did nothing without a reason.

“Did she say why she was going, or where she might be found?”

“No, sir. She only said she was visiting relations, if on duty.”

Relations? I knew that Maitre Dyana was one of the few imagers to come from a High Holder family, but she had never revealed what that family had been. About all I had ever been able to discover was that she had known Juniae D’Shendael when they had both been younger.

“Who is the duty master, Cholsyr?”

“It’s Maitre Chassendri, sir.”

“Is she around?”

“She was in the conference room a few moments ago, sir. I don’t believe she’s left.”

“Thank you.” I turned and headed toward the conference room-usually where the duty masters stayed on Samedi or Solayi if they didn’t have a study in the administration building.

Chassendri stood as I stepped into the open doorway of the conference room.

“I’m glad you’re back. When Maitre Dyana told me about the explosions in Ferravyl…”

“I was wise enough to just use my shields. Do you know why she’s in Rivages?”

“No.” Chassendri shook her head.

“What High Holder family does she come from?”

“She doesn’t like to let that be known…but you should know. Her brother is Zaerlyn D’Alte.”

For a moment, the name didn’t register. Then I winced.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh…it’s not…it’s just that her niece is going to marry Alhyral D’Haestyr.”

Chassendri looked at me blankly.

“Let’s just say that…” I shook my head. “It’s none of my business.”

She laughed softly. “I’d hate to be the father of anyone who wants to marry your daughter.”

“No one will have to worry about that for years. Did she tell you when she might be back?”

“Late this evening. That was all.”

“Has anything else happened?”

“Besides some inappropriate imaging of an ice sculpture in the quadrangle…no.”

“Not by one of those who I’ve taken over, I hope?”

“No. Young Scammyl attempted to replicate female anatomy that he clearly doesn’t know that well.”

I just shook my head. After a few more words with Chassendri, I left, reclaiming the valise I’d left by the duty desk before walking through the light snow toward our house.

Knowing that it was possible that Diestrya just might be taking a nap, when I reached the door, I eased it open as quietly as possible, almost tiptoeing inside before gently shutting it.

Seliora was reading in the family parlor, and I could feel the welcome warmth of the stove. I just looked at her for a long moment.

Then she looked up, and the book went down, and I had my arms full of a very beautiful woman.

Somewhat later, we settled before the fire, and Seliora asked me what had happened, since the newsheets had only a short story about an explosion.

“Almost as soon as I got there, when someone caught sight of me, they lit off a series of explosions. Most of Glendyl’s works is little more than rubble. Some of the fires burned for almost a full day, and that was in stone-walled and tile-roofed buildings.”

“Did he have any indemnity?”

I hadn’t even thought of that, although I should have. “I don’t know. I’ll have to see.”

“We do. It’s not cheap, either. Years ago, Grandmama worked it out with L’Excelsis Indemnity. She got a whole group of artisans and shop-keepers to go together…” Seliora caught the look on my face, and asked, “What is it?”

“One of the buildings that was destroyed here was their building.”

“They don’t hold their golds there. Their accounts are with several banques.”

“You still might want to have your mother look into it, if she hasn’t already.”

“I’ll ask her.” She paused, then asked, “Was it the Ferrans? The ones who destroyed Glendyl’s works?”

“I’d guess so, but there’s no real proof, except the act itself and the way it was planned.”

“Where did they get the explosives?”

“It appears as though they were stolen from the Navy depot in Ferravyl.”

“That seems rather convenient.”

“Oh…it’s no coincidence. It’s probably why they picked that depot to raid. Glendyl has guards, but he didn’t ever think-or his director didn’t-about the fact that his workers might not be working for him. All the security was directed at keeping outsiders from doing damage, but not much thought was given to those inside.”

“That’s not something most people think about. Look at Odelia and Kolasyn. The only losses they’ve had are from his brother, not from strangers.”

“That’s probably true of Iryela and Kandryl, too.”

“Will you ever be able to prove that?”

“I have no idea. No one’s seen Johanyr since he left Mont D’Glace. He’s vanished.”

“That’s not like him, from what you’ve told me.”

At that moment came a loud cry from upstairs, and our conversation was postponed.

We did not attend anomen services that night. Perhaps that wasn’t showing thanks to the Nameless, but at that point my gratitude was directed to one special other.