Imager’s Intrigue

67

Vendrei morning found me in Maitre Dyana’s study by half-past eighth glass. She wore a gray and silver scarf trimmed in black, and again there were dark circles under her eyes.

“What do you intend to get out of this meeting with Valeun and Geuffryt? Unless there’s something I missed, you still don’t have much hard evidence to prove what we all know Geuffryt’s been doing.”

“I do have an interesting note that I have every reason to believe is in his handwriting, if somewhat disguised. It’s a warning to Vyktor that I’ll be looking into his operations, and dear late Vyktor was kind enough to add the date of receipt, as pointed out by Commander Artois.”

“Artois’s seen the note, then?”

“He’s the one who found it, but he doesn’t know the writer, and I didn’t tell him.”

“Geuffryt will deny it’s his writing.”

“I’m certain he will, but I intend to present all the evidence to the two of them and ask them exactly what they intend to do. Their reaction will be most illuminating.”

Dyana shook her head. “Are you fully recovered?”

“I have full shields, but I trust it won’t come to that.” And it wouldn’t, if things worked out the way I’d arranged them. That was something that Maitre Poincaryt had stressed-never have a meeting unless you had set it up so that events transpired the way you intended.

“You sound like Dichartyn again.”

I just shrugged.

“I’ll be here until late. Let me know when you get back.”

That-and the fact that she didn’t ask for details-told me that she was worried…and that she didn’t have any better ideas. “I will.”

I kept myself busy for the rest of the morning and the midday meal, and then returned to my study where I organized everything-and re-organized it-for the meeting at the Naval Command.

At two quints before second glass, I slipped the loaded sidearm in its holster into the larger inside pocket of my waistcoat, then donned my recently cleaned winter cloak. After that, I picked up the leather folder that contained what evidence I had, all of it indirect, but certainly more than suggestive. There was also a blank notecard on top, as close a match as I’d been able to find to the one that held the short message signed with the “L.”

With all my preparations made, I left my study and walked through the chill and windy afternoon across the quadrangle to the duty coach station on the west side of Imagisle. Once I reached the Naval Command building, I had to wait for an escort, and then cool my boots some more in the anteroom outside Valeun’s study. I didn’t see Geuffryt, and that led me to believe that he was already inside talking with the Sea-Marshal.

A small bell chimed, and the clerk-rating at the desk in the anteroom rose. “Maitre?” He stepped forward and opened the study door.

I rose, leaving my winter cloak on the chair beside the one where I’d been waiting, and walked through the door into the Sea-Marshal’s capacious study. Through the windows, I could see the same gray clouds that had hung over L’Excelsis for the past two days.

Valeun was seated behind his desk, with Geuffryt seated on the left. Neither rose as I entered the chamber.

I waited until the door closed before speaking. “Good afternoon, Sea-Marshal,” I said, adding, “Geuffryt,” as if as an afterthought. I took the chair to the right of Geuffryt, setting the leather folder on the desk before me and moving my chair forward so that I could reach it, and the materials in it, easily.

“You requested this meeting, and the Collegium insisted that it was urgent. Quite urgent.” Valeun’s voice was smooth, calm, and modulated. His eyes were cold.

So were Geuffryt’s.

That didn’t bother me.

“It’s very urgent.” I smiled. “I don’t tell anyone something is urgent unless it is.” I reached forward and eased back the leather flap that protected the contents of the folder. Then I paused. “Oh…I do have a request, a very small request. Before we begin, would you write your name and the word ‘visit’ on this piece of paper, Geuffryt?” I leaned forward and eased the pen stand away from the end of Valeun’s blotter, then slipped the blank notecard onto the desk.

“What does that have to do with anything?” asked Valeun.

“Oh, it’s just a way of making certain of the relevance of what’s here in the folder.” I smiled again, waiting.

“Why not? We might as well get on with what ever you and the Collegium have in mind.” Geuffryt’s tone was arrogantly dismissive. He leaned forward and extracted the pen, writing the single word and then signing his name below, before sliding the card across the polished wood to me.

“Thank you.” I replaced the pen stand before picking up the card and blowing on the ink lightly until it was dry. Then I looked at what he had written and nodded. Superficially, the script was different from the note in my leather, but I could see that there were certain similarities that could not be totally disguised. Again…not quite enough proof, except for me.

“Now…” I drew the word out. “I briefed Sea-Marshal Valeun on the materials which strongly suggest that Assistant Sea-Marshal Geuffryt had a part in the bombardment of Imagisle.” I turned to Geuffryt.

He didn’t look surprised, but he didn’t say anything.

“From your reaction, I can assume that he has at least summarized the findings.”

“There’s absolutely nothing there,” replied Geuffryt offhandedly.

I had to admire his ability to dismiss the matter, but I just smiled. “Oh…I disagree strongly, and so does Maitre Dyana, and so will the Council, especially when combined with the documents that Commander Artois and the Civic Patrol discovered in the building that the latest Ferran agent to be discovered exploded around me.” I touched the folder. “It truly is amazing how far the Ferrans penetrated into Solidar and even into L’Excelsis itself. The subcommander of the Civic Patrol vanished the night these documents came to light, as it were.”

“What are these documents?” asked Valeun, not quite idly.

“There was the note for twenty-five thousand golds to the late Councilor Glendyl, another for ten thousand golds to Factor Broussard. Then there were all the payments to the two Ferran front organizations, Mahrun Barge and Cartage and Cholan Freight and Transport, and we’ve verified that they shipped the explosives they stole from the depot to various points across Solidar.” I smiled again. “Some of these operations had been running for at least four years. This does bring up the question of how a handful of imagers could discover all these connections in a few weeks when Naval Intelligence apparently was unable to discover them.”

“You are the one with the answers, Maitre Rhennthyl, pray tell us.” Valeun’s voice remained calm.

“In a moment. In addition to those, of course, was the hidden chest with over four thousand Ferran-minted golds in it.”

That brought a momentary frown to Valeun’s otherwise placidly smooth forehead.

“Oh…I’m not under any illusions, Marshal. I have no doubts that Naval Intelligence knew about much of this for some time. In fact, I have a note in the folder here, initialed and dated, that proves just that, and, in fact…”

I coughed and bent forward, easing the sidearm out of my waistcoat even as I extended light shields against all four walls of the room for long enough to do what I needed to prepare. That didn’t affect the light inside, just the ability of anyone to observe, since I was going under the assumption that someone might be watching. “You see, Geuffryt,” I said, straightening, but keeping the weapon concealed, beneath the level of the desk and on the side away from Geuffryt, “the Sea-Marshal knows you used your position to strike against the Collegium, but he’s covered up for you.”

“Oh, you can’t-

At that moment, I raised the sidearm and fired.

The single shot-aimed by imaging-went through Valeun’s forehead, as I dropped the light shields.

Geuffryt gaped and started to lunge from his chair toward me.

That was long enough for me to image pitricin into his brain and fire the pistol into the floor. As soon as he hit the carpet, between the chairs, I knelt and placed the weapon in his fingers, and let them release it. I checked to make sure he didn’t have a sidearm, but he didn’t. I hadn’t thought he would, because they weren’t worn inside the Naval Command or in non-combat situations, but it was best to make sure.

Then I straightened, and imaged the traces of powder off my grays and onto his sleeves while calling, “Help! The Marshal’s been shot!” I also dropped the light shields and rushed around the desk to where Valeun lay back in his heavy chair.

The door opened, and the clerk-rating and a guard armed with the same kind of pistol I-or Geuffryt-had used rushed in. Behind them came a smooth-faced junior commander, most likely the officer detailed to observe from hiding.

“Marshal Geuffryt…he shot the Sea-Marshal.” I tried to look bewildered before pulling myself together. “I didn’t think he’d react like that.”

The two ratings looked blankly at me. That was fine. The commander’s eyes were narrowed and wary.

“Is the Deputy Sea-Marshal around?”

“Ah…” The clerk-rating gaped.

“If he is, summon him at once.”

The commander nodded to the clerk-rating, who hurried off.

I stepped away from Valeun’s body, but I kept holding full shields.

The commander stepped forward.

“What is it, Commander?” I asked politely.

He started to speak, then shook his head. “Nothing, sir. This…it was so unexpected.”

I shook my head in return. “Treachery always outs, and it’s never pleasant when that happens.” Then I looked squarely at him.

“No, sir.” He straightened.

Neither of us, nor the guard, spoke after that, not until Deputy Sea-Marshal Caellynd hurried into the study. His eyes took in the scene. Then he looked to the guard. “You can leave. Close the door.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the door shut, Caellynd turned to me. He was obviously surprised, if not totally shocked.

“What happened?”

“I came to present evidence that Geuffryt was involved with the Ferrans and particularly with the bombardment of Imagisle. The Sea-Marshal had seen some of the evidence earlier, but he was not convinced, perhaps because he could not believe a trusted high Navy officer was involved. When I began to mention a note found in the ruins of the Ferran agent’s building, Geuffryt shot Valeun and then turned the gun on me. I was so surprised that I stopped him with imaging. The gun went off anyway. If I’d had a moment longer…but he was standing so close to me that if he’d actually fired, my shields wouldn’t have been that effective.”

Caellynd gestured to the commander. “Is that correct?”

“Sir…”

“The Maitre’s not ignorant, Commander. He has to know you were watching or listening.”

“Yes, sir. The conversation was exactly the way the Maitre reported it. The shot happened so quickly I only saw the Sea-Marshal jerk back and the other two move the way the Maitre said.”

Caellynd nodded. “You may go. Before you do anything else, write up exactly what you saw and heard.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the commander departed, and the door closed behind him, Caellynd asked, “Why do you think Geuffryt reacted as he did?”

“I can only surmise. It could be that the Marshal had told him of the previous evidence, and that he didn’t believe it was sufficient to implicate him. The Sea-Marshal had declined to act unless the Collegium could provide more proof. You may have heard, on Lundi, a building exploded around me. That building housed a Ferran agent, and the Civic Patrol found more information linking him to the explosions. They also found a note warning this Vyktor that I was looking into his operations. The handwriting was disguised to some degree, but too many letters looked like Geuffryt’s, and when I started to bring this latest evidence out, Geuffryt shot the Marshal and tried to shoot me at close range. He knew that imager shields aren’t nearly so effective close to a weapon.”

“You have all this evidence?” Caellynd’s voice was skeptical.

“Most of it’s in that folder.” I nodded toward the desk. “Some of the background is not, but you can certainly check that yourself if you have doubts.” I went on to explain about the barges, and about the funds transfers with the Banque D’Rivages, and the forged documents. Then I let him take his time going through what I had brought.

After looking through the materials, Caellynd looked up. “I can see why you reached the conclusions you did. It’s unavoidable. There’s one thing that puzzles me. I can see the resemblance in the handwriting of the note, but the initial isn’t his.”

“It is. Had his father lived and held on to his holding, Geuffryt might well have been High Holder Laevoryn.” At least, after he’d removed his older brother, which I had no doubts he would have tried. “That’s one reason for his actions. He felt that the High Holders and the Collegium were the reason why he and his family lost everything. He’s taken other actions against High Holders in the past.”

“Such as?”

I shook my head. “They didn’t happen recently, and they’re not relevant here. Unearthing them now would only hurt innocents.”

“Will you leave that evidence?”

“No. You may view it any time you wish. If you wish to go over it now, I’ll wait. Or if you want to have anyone copy from it, I’ll be happy to wait as well.”

Caellynd nodded slowly. “Given what I’ve heard and seen, I can see your reluctance to part with it. I can’t blame you. We will need to copy parts of it, especially the barge lease contract details.”

All in all, I was at the Naval Command for more than a glass before I was finally able to return to the duty coach and begin the ride back to Imagisle.

Maitre Dyana was indeed waiting, even though I didn’t get back to the Collegium until two quints past fifth glass.

“What happened?” Her words were cool.

“I offered the evidence. Geuffryt denied it. Then he shot Valeun in the forehead and tried to shoot me. He was less than a yard away. I imaged pitricin into his brain. His shot hit the carpet.”

“His study was doubtless under observation.”

“A junior commander observed almost everything. His report verified what I told you. Deputy Sea-Marshal Caellynd went over everything with both the commander and me. After that, I presented the evidence to Deputy Sea-Marshal Caellynd, and he went over it thoroughly. He decided that there was no way to hush up everything, but that he would make a statement that apparently Geuffryt shot the Marshal when he realized that his personal ties to a Ferran banker and agent would be revealed and that he would have been demoted and dismissed.”

“What about the Civic Patrol?”

“They don’t come into it. The Naval Command is a military establishment. They handle their own offenses. In the cases of capital crimes tried by court martial, cases can be appealed to the high justiciary.”

“Maitre Dichartyn would be proud of you,” she said.

“No. He’d have been telling me there was another way. There probably was, but I couldn’t find it, and we were running out of time. Besides, the Navy doesn’t need to reveal what Geuffryt really did. They’d never get the ships they need, not for years, and it would be years before the suspicions settled down. Caellynd is the kind of Sea-Marshal all the senior officers want and the kind that the Council can deal with.”

“He’s not stupid.”

“Neither was Valeun, but he still didn’t see the dangers. Caellynd is basically honest, but he’s also a realist.”

Maitre Dyana nodded. “I need to think about this. See me first thing in the morning. Since it’s Samedi…half past eighth glass.”

“I’ll be here.”

She just looked at me, and I looked back.

“Good-night, Rhenn.”

“Good-night.” At least, she hadn’t made a fuss about my disobeying her instructions about Geuffryt, but that might have been because there wasn’t any point to it and because matters would only have gotten worse with the Naval Command if I hadn’t acted. Besides, she had once mentioned that we might need a new Sea-Marshal if Valeun proved uncooperative, and he’d proved not only uncooperative, but corrupt.

As I left Dyana’s study, I shook my head. One of the aspects of it that bothered me the most was that Valeun would most likely end up venerated and respected, his death thought to be a tragedy.

I returned to my study and locked away the evidence folder, then left and walked slowly back toward the house.

Seliora met me in the foyer. She gave me a sad smile. “You’re late. I had to put Diestrya to bed.”

“That’s probably better.” I took a deep breath, then took off my cloak and hung it up. Then I walked over to her and put my arms around her. I held her tightly for a while, then finally released her.

“It was hard, wasn’t it?”

“Yes…I had to do what needed to be done. Do we have any wine?”

“I brought up the Cambrisio. I thought you might need something.”

I didn’t say more until we were sitting in the parlor in front of a stove that was barely emitting any heat. Then I began. “You knew I was meeting with Valeun and Geuffryt. I told you how Valeun never wanted to deal with Geuffryt, and how Geuffryt killed the clerk and probably Johanyr, though that’s something I can’t prove…” From there I told her the “official” story, ending with, “and while you know how things really are, there’s no point in even talking about that. Sometimes, it’s just better to leave things the way people see them, because they don’t want to hear or see what really happened. Just like Valeun. He didn’t want to admit that he’d made a mistake with Geuffryt. He’d rather have let the man continue to do all sorts of evil things than have any of it come out. I’m not much better, because I don’t want some of it to come out because it will hurt Solidar and the Council and the Collegium and accomplish nothing.”

“There will be enough of the truth out there that people will be satisfied.” Her smile in the dim light was ironic. “They never want the whole complicated truth. Never. They say they do, but they always run from it.”

And I was afraid she was right about that as well.