The Pirates of Pacta Servanda

Chapter Three

“Alli,” Mari said, her angry gaze fixed on the galley, “I’m tired of watching the rowers suffer while the bosses on these galleys keep ordering them to come at us. I want whoever is giving the orders on that ship stopped.”

“You got it.” Alain watched as Mechanic Alli knelt to steady her weapon on the ship’s rail. “What about whoever is at the helm?”

“Dav, Bev, and I will target the helm. You take out the officers.”

“No problem.” Alli squinted along the barrel of her rifle. “There’s a guy with a lot of gold on him. Inlaid armor. Very pretty. Hey, tell the captain to hold this ship steady, will you?”

“Captain!” Mari called. “Hold the ship steady!”

The captain looked startled, but passed the order to the helm. The Gray Lady stopped turning, cutting smoothly through the still-placid waters of the Jules Sea. The wind had steadied as well, filling the sails and pushing the ship along at an even clip.

Asha came to stand beside Alain. “What do the Mechanics do, Mage Alain?”

“They will use their weapons to kill those in charge on that ship,” he explained. “It matters to Mari that only those shadows of the lowest status have been harmed.”

“Why?” Asha said.

“She regards each shadow as another like herself,” Alain said.

“That is very strange. Yet I recall you saying it was because Mari saw you as one like herself that she saved your life when all she knew of you was that you were a Mage. Do all Mechanics believe this?”

“Many do not,” Alain said. He noticed Mechanic Bev tossing a puzzled look at him and Asha and guessed she was baffled that he and Asha could be having such a dispassionate conversation while the enemy galley bore down on them. “But those with Mari follow her ways of thinking.”

“Like Mechanic Dav. It is useful to have such companions,” Asha concluded, “and such weapons as theirs when the power to use Mage spells is lacking. Though now I sense more power available with each moment.”

“It is because we are moving,” Alain explained. “I am still weary. Can you cast a spell?”

“It is possible. Where is it needed?”

A weak point, Mari had said. This galley had already lost its mast, and losing a single oar wouldn’t harm it much. “Do you see the large wheel that the sailors call a helm? If something were to happen to that, it would hurt the ship.”

“I will see what can be done.”

The galley was coming toward them, the drum cadence fast, the oars flashing up and down in a quick beat that drove the enemy warship closer at ever-increasing speed. Soldiers packed the forward fighting platform, swords in hand, ready to fight hand-to-hand. “He means to ram us!” the captain called from the quarterdeck, sounding very anxious.

“Hold your course!” Mari called back. She was aiming along her rifle like the other Mechanics, still looking angry. “Why do people make us do this?” she grumbled to Alain. “Why do they have to try to harm others?”

“I do not know,” Alain said.

The crash of Mechanic Alli’s weapon surprised everyone. There was a pause as Alli worked the lever to load a new bullet, then a figure in grandiose armor staggered backwards on the Syndari quarterdeck and fell.

Alli bent to aim again as chaos erupted on the galley.

“Get the helm!” Mari ordered.

The enemy ship seemed very close indeed as the three other Mechanic weapons boomed almost in unison. Two more figures fell, but the galley kept on.

“Move however you want!” Mari called to the captain of the Gray Lady, and a moment later the clipper heeled over hard as she turned away from the charging galley.

The sailors at the galley’s helm began turning to stay on a collision course with the Gray Lady, but as Alain watched they suddenly staggered back, the wheel free in their hands instead of firmly attached to the post where it had been.

He felt someone slump against him, then Alain and Mage Dav were holding the limp figure of Mage Asha, who had exhausted herself with her spell.

Mechanic Alli fired again, and another grandly dressed figure dropped on the galley. The other Mechanics fired a volley, though with everyone scrambling around on the galley’s quarterdeck and falling against each other it was hard to see the effect. What Alain could tell was that the galley was swinging wildly to one side, its earlier turn becoming more and more extreme with no means of controlling the ship’s rudder. The drumbeat broke off, the oars trying to stop and instead crashing into each other.

Once again the Mechanic weapons fired, and this time everyone visible on the galley went flat or dove for cover. Its oars in a shambles and the useless wheel sliding unheeded off one side of the quarterdeck into the water, the galley glided past the stern of the Gray Lady.

“I think they’ve had enough,” Mechanic Alli commented, standing up and canting her weapon over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Mari agreed. She turned, looking at the other galleys, now visible as the last remnants of the fog dissipated. Both were drifting and showed no signs of wanting to renew the fight. The galley that had hit the rocks had taken on so much water its bow was nearly awash, with most of the crew busy using any available container, including their helmets, to try to bail out the seawater before the galley sank.

“Mage Asha?” A stricken-looking Mechanic Dav was kneeling beside the female Mage, across from the apparently placid Mage Dav.

“She is tired,” Mage Dav explained. “Not hurt.”

“Back to work, Mechanic,” Bev said, helping Mechanic Dav stand. “The job’s not completed yet.” They walked back to the railing to help keep watch on the galleys.

“Steady!” the captain of the Gray Lady called to his helm, grinning. “Those rocks that discomfited one of our enemies are the breakwater for Julesport, Lady Mari! I knew they must be somewhere near. Oars have their place, and I know the Mechanics use their steam, but with all respect for your arts, to me sails are what a proper ship should depend upon.”

“You make a strong argument for that,” Mari said, smiling with relief. “Jules herself couldn’t have done better.”

The captain beamed at the praise comparing him to the legendary sailor. “You would know if anyone, daughter of Jules,” he declared, bowing low to Mari. “Having you aboard has no doubt brought the favor of Jules to our voyage, and if I may say so, I have never been so glad to have honored Mechanics and honored Mages as passengers!”

Mari laughed, since she knew that commons had never before been glad to have Mechanics and Mages as passengers, though it was not hard for Alain to see her embarrassment at being linked to the famous seafarer. “How far are we from Julesport?” Mari asked.

The captain pointed ahead. There the rocks of the breakwater rose higher and were capped by a stone fortification and lighthouse that seemed designed to withstand any attack and the mightiest of gales. “That marks the entrance to the harbor, Lady! Welcome to Julesport!”

Despite the captain’s announcement of their arrival, in fact it took quite a while to first wear around the end of the breakwater and then make their way against the wind into the crowded harbor. The Gray Lady’s crew was kept busy adjusting and trimming the sails, while the captain kept his attention on the many ships and boats that the clipper had to avoid while threading her way to an anchorage.

That left Mari with nothing to do but lean on the rail and watch the slow progress of the ship into the harbor. They only needed to stay long enough to take on food and water before sailing south toward the one destination no one was likely to suspect, the Broken Kingdom of Tiae.

She had a hard time relaxing after the tension of the recent battle, instead worrying about what other challenges they might face even here at Julesport. The stack of a single steam-powered ship was visible on the far side of the harbor. That would be a Mechanics Guild ship, since no one else was allowed the use of boilers as propulsion. Everything else was under sail, under oars, or at anchor. Every time the wind shifted sails flapped, spars shifted, and booms swung as sailors on dozens of different vessels of widely varying size adjusted to the vagaries of the breezes. To Mari it looked like a huge, complex machine with scores of independently moving parts, each pursuing its own path, yet all in a strange kind of harmony in the service of some greater purpose.

She would have to create something like that if she were to overthrow the Great Guilds. But that would be impossible to do alone. After so long of just barely surviving with just her and Alain seemingly against the world, it was very comforting to know that she had friends here ready to help.

Mari looked around, seeing most of her companions, but noticed that two were missing. “Where are Mage Asha and Mechanic Dav?”

Mechanic Alli looked innocently off to the side, Mechanic Bev rolled her eyes, and Mage Dav, as usual, betrayed no feelings at all even though Asha was his niece. Alain looked around, as if startled to realize the other two were not on deck.

It took Mari a moment to realize what their reactions meant. “You’re kidding,” she said. “They’re together belowdecks? Mage Asha and Mechanic Dav met for the first time in Altis. They’re already that close?”

“At the moment they’re probably very close to each other,” Alli said, grinning.

“And,” Bev added dryly, “probably trying to disprove the Exclusion Principle.”

Alain looked at the Mechanics. “What is the Exclusion Principle?”

“The law that says no two objects can occupy the same place at the same time,” Mari snapped. “Think about it.”

“We just won a fight,” Alli pointed out. “Don’t you feel like celebrating?”

“Not that way! Where are they doing this? Alain and I have been trying to find a private place on this ship since we left Altis! How did they find a private place when Alain and I couldn’t?”

“You know how young lovers can be.”

“Alain and I are young lovers! We’re both younger than Mage Asha or Mechanic Dav!”

“But now you’re an old married couple,” Alli explained.

“We’ve only been married for about a month. All right, a month and a half. That’s not old.” Mari gave Alain an accusing look. “Did you know about them?”

“Did I know what about them?” Alain asked.

Sometimes she wondered if Alain were truly that oblivious or if he just pretended to be unaware of human interaction. “Did you know that they were that interested in each other?” Mari asked patiently.

“Not until this day, when Mage Asha made her interest so plain,” Alain said. “I recall a time that Asha discussed Mechanic Dav with you.”

“She did,” Mari conceded. “At least, she asked if Dav was fair game and I said as far as I knew he was. I just hope she doesn’t hurt him. I like Asha, but she is still a Mage, taught to believe that other people don’t matter.”

“Mages are taught that other people do not exist,” Alain corrected. “But I believe that Mage Asha… what is the word?”

“I hope you’re not looking for the word love!”

“No. Not yet, if I am to judge love by what I feel for you. Something less?”

“She likes him?”

“Yes,” Alain said. “I believe that Asha likes Mechanic Dav.”

“Do she like him or does she like him like him?”

Alain stared at Mari, openly conveying confusion. “I have no idea what you are asking.”

“Is that because you’re a man or because you’re a Mage? Never mind. Who Asha takes up with is none of my business, as long as it’s not you.”

“You know that Asha is not your rival in any way.”

Mari shook her head, smiling to let him know she wasn’t really worried about Asha. “Alain, she’s the most beautiful woman anyone’s ever seen. She’s a few years older than me and a Mage like you. She’s even got a better rear end than I do.”

“On that last you are absolutely wrong,” Alain said.

“Sure. I’ll try to believe that.” Mari looked around the harbor again, at the city spreading beside it and up into the low hills beyond, at the forts and walls defending it, and wondered if she really was a descendant of Jules, who according to legend had been the first to see this harbor and who had founded this city. She felt a shiver born of some indefinable sensation and decided it must be nerves.

“Alli and Bev,” Mari called. “We’d better shed the jackets so no one can tell we’re Mechanics. We need to get the supplies we require and then leave this port without any complications.”

She pulled off her own jacket, wondering if the Syndari galleys would notify the city leaders of Julesport about who was riding on the Gray Lady in an attempt to claim the rewards, despite failing to capture Mari themselves. Or if the Mechanics Guild Hall and the Mages Guild Hall had taken note of the battle just outside the harbor.

Mari didn’t make any comments when Mechanic Dav and Mage Asha eventually reappeared on deck, but both Alli and Bev began pestering Dav with mock concern, asking if he had been hurt in the fight and exactly where he had been and what he had been doing.

By early afternoon the Gray Lady had tied up to an anchor buoy only about a thousand lances from the nearest pier. The captain immediately began negotiating with barges that came alongside offering food and water or transport ashore for the crew. The latter left disappointed, since no one planned to leave the Gray Lady.

But Mari was quickly reminded that plans were what people made before they found out what the real world had in store for them.

“There’s a launch heading this way,” the captain called to Mari. “Not normal port tax collection from the look of it. Too fancy. That fellow in the back is not the run-of-the-mill customs inspector, Lady. I’d guess from the cut of his jib that he’s a high official of the city guard.”

“We’ll get under cover,” Mari said, beckoning to the other Mechanics and the Mages. “You see what they want, Captain, and hopefully talk our way out of any trouble.”

“As you wish, Lady Mari!”

The large launch coming toward the Gray Lady flew the flag of Julesport, an official emblem which incongruously boasted the crossed swords of the sometime-pirate Jules. Jules had not just founded this city, but had also been the primary founder of the Confederation. It was from Julesport that she had led a flotilla against an Imperial fleet to win the battle that saved this region from Imperial control and gave Jules the title Hero of the Confederation. Mari was certain that Jules must have received aid from the Mechanics Guild and the Mage Guild in her victory, because neither of the Great Guilds wanted the Empire to grow so powerful it might openly challenge their authority, but she had still been the sort of person whose legend had trouble outpacing reality.

The idea of being linked to such a woman, of being the long-awaited daughter of Jules, was disconcerting for Mari, to put it mildly. But that was who Alain said she was, who the Mage Guild had decided she must be, who the common people saw in her: the person who was prophesized to overthrow the Great Guilds which had ruled Dematr for all of its history. A history that was measured only in centuries, but on Altis Mari had finally learned the reason for that.

Mari gazed through the windows of the stern cabin using her far-seers. The man in the stern sheets of the launch approaching the Gray Lady wore an impressive uniform. “That’s a dress uniform, isn’t it? Not a working outfit.”

Mechanic Dav borrowed the far-seers and took a look. “Definitely. It looks like… uh-huh. The oar handlers have knives, and the guy in the fancy uniform has a sword, but there aren’t any other weapons in sight. They don’t seem to be coming to start a fight.” He lowered the far-seers, returning them to Mari with obvious reluctance. Like other Mechanic devices, the far-seers had been deliberately kept too rare and expensive for widespread use. “These are nice. Made in the workshops of the Guild Hall in Palandur?”

“That’s right. I took an advance on my first year’s Mechanic pay allowance for them.” Mari took another look at the official in the launch, then glanced at Alain. “High-ranking, but obviously not one of the leaders of the city. What do you think that means?”

Alain considered the question. “I would guess that it means they suspect that this ship carries not just any passengers, but that they also wish to know more before making any decisions.”

“I cannot sense any unusual activity among the Mages in Julesport,” Mage Dav said.

“That one steam ship hasn’t fired up its boiler,” Mechanic Bev offered.

The launch was nearing rapidly under the pull of its oars. Mari looked across the harbor, seeing no other activity that seemed out of the ordinary. Work everywhere within sight had slowed for the afternoon break. “The captain told me that we can’t leave without taking on more food and water and then getting official clearance to depart. All we can do is see what that official wants and what questions he asks.”

“It is safe to assume that the leaders of all cities are under a great deal of pressure from the Great Guilds to find us,” Alain said. “Was not Julesport the site of rioting not long ago?”

“Yes,” Mari said. “About the time I went north to find you again. The last I heard, the Mechanics Guild was leaning hard on the city leaders and the city leaders, according to the gossip among commons, were pretending to go along with orders but finding ways to avoid actually complying.”

“My experience with commons,” Mechanic Dav offered, “is that they are really good at that sort of thing. The Senior Mechanics kept telling me the commons were too stupid to understand what they were told, but it looked to me like they were plenty smart enough.”

“That’s what I’ve seen, too. We’ll crack the hatch so we can listen while that guy talks to the captain,” Mari decided.

The wait for the launch to pull alongside and its passenger to climb up the rope ladder to the Gray Lady’s deck seemed interminable to Mari, but eventually she saw the official step on deck, looking around casually. The hatch onto the deck was open but a narrow crack. Mari stood slightly back from it, surely invisible to anyone outside, with Alain right beside her and the others clustered farther back.

Alain murmured in her ear. “This official pretends not to be aware, but he is watching everything. There is a worry inside him that he does not show to other commons.”

The captain greeted the official with a smile and a salute. “The Gray Lady, an honest merchant ship out of Gullhaven, honored sir. Here to pick up provisions and perhaps give the crew a bit of liberty ashore.”

The official nodded, smiling politely back, but only for a moment before his face went serious. “Gullhaven? That was your last port?”

“Aye, sir.”

“That’s odd. We have a report out of Altis that a ship like enough to yours to be her twin left that port under hasty circumstances.”

Mari tensed, but the captain of the Gray Lady only looked surprised. “Is that so? I’ve not seen that ship, sir, or I’d have marked it for certain. Much like this one, you say?”

“Exactly like this one,” the official stated. “Even down to the name.”

The captain looked outraged. “They claimed the name of my ship? That’s not the work of honest sailors, sir.”

“I daresay,” the official responded, glancing around again. “The Mechanics Guild gave us the description and the name. The Mechanics Guild said there was a substantial reward for this ship and its occupants. They want this ship very badly.”

The Gray Lady’s captain looked puzzled. “Why ever for? We’re but honest sailors.”

“Naturally. But the Mechanics Guild thinks you’re carrying someone the Guild wants badly enough to offer that substantial reward for, dead or alive. I might add, preferably dead.”

“What!” the captain cried in feigned astonishment. “I’ll not deny looking askance at the odd Mechanic, sir, because you know how they can be with their pride and their ill manners, but surely that’s not grounds for such a charge. No one on this ship could match such a description, sir. We’re all—”

“Honest sailors,” the official finished dryly. “The Mage Guild has communicated with us as well, saying that they also seek a ship carrying someone, a young woman, and offering a huge reward for her death.”

“No wise person deals with Mages, sir,” the captain avowed.

“In that we are in agreement. Do you have any passengers?”

“Passengers? Well, sir, I’m not comfortable with carrying passengers, you see.”

“The harbor sentries on the breakwater reported sighting figures on your deck wearing the jackets of Mechanics. They also,” the official added, “saw at least one person in the robes of a Mage.”

“The fog does funny things to a man’s sight, sir. There have been times I’ve been near to jumping overboard from thinking I saw mermaids beckoning to me.”

“You took on three Syndari galleys and bested them,” the official said. “That’s very impressive. But do not think that you can best the city leaders of Julesport.”

The captain held out his hands in earnest entreaty. “I have but one task in Julesport, sir, and that is to take on food and water for my crew. We’re bound for other ports, sir. I have no wish to act contrary to the laws of Julesport.”

“Which other ports? Where are you bound?”

The captain finally hesitated in his reply. “We were bound for Daarendi, but after that tussle with the Syndari galleys I’ve been rethinking things, sir.”

The official gave the captain a stern look. “You are sailing in very deep waters, whether you realize it or not.”

The captain nodded. “I full realize it, sir, but I have my reasons.”

“Do you? There are rumors about, Captain. Rumors that someone may be headed this way. Someone important enough to cause both of the Great Guilds to demand her death. Julesport needs to know if that someone is on your ship. Julesport needs to speak with that person. I can promise nothing except this. Your ship will not leave this harbor until we have spoken with her, or until this ship has been searched down to the last nail.”

The captain eyed the official. “And if I knew her whereabouts, this person you seek, why would I betray her for any price or in the face of any threat?”

“Your reputation is known,” the official said.

“That may be a poor guide in this case. Tell me you mean her no harm, and we’ll discuss more.”

“You know that we’re discussing a woman? A young woman?”

“Aye. And those traveling with her.”

“A Mage?” The official waited for some confirmation, but the captain just stood watching him. “I swear by the honor of my mother and my father that if this woman is who she claims to be, there will be no harm done to her.”

Alain leaned close again to murmur to Mari. “He does not lie.”

“And he already knows too much,” Mari said. She sighed, nerved herself, then shoved open the hatch and walked out onto the deck, straight to the official. Alain and the others followed her. “There doesn’t seem much point in pretending I’m not aboard.”

The official eyed Mari, then Alain standing beside her, then the other Mechanics and Mages. “A young female Mechanic and a young male Mage. And others unknown to me. Are you the Mechanic your Guild seeks, Lady? Master Mechanic Mari of Caer Lyn?”

Mari nodded, trying to keep her face calm and wondering just what the city council of Julesport was up to.

“Are you also…” The official paused, as if finding it hard to ask the next question. “Do you know why your Guild wants you dead?”

“I know exactly why,” Mari said. “Why do you want to know?”

“I am one of those responsible for the protection of this city.”

She took another look at Alain, who nodded to confirm that the official was once again being honest. “I am no threat to Julesport. I do not intend staying here.”

The official stared at her. “Lady, Julesport is on edge. The people have been pushed as far as they can go and are ready to set this city ablaze for no better reason than anger and frustration and fear. If they hear that… someone… is in this city, it may be all the spark that is needed.”

Mari took a step closer to the official. “I’m not trying to be a spark. You said it yourself. The people are angry and fearful. They lack hope that things will ever change. What if they could gain such hope again?”

“What if,” Alain said, “they had reason to believe that the prophecy is coming true?”

The official rubbed his mouth with one hand as he gazed at Mari. “Hope. Hope will not defeat the Great Guilds, Lady.”

“I have other means for accomplishing that,” Mari said with confidence she did not entirely feel. “But hope is important. Without hope there is nothing, and without hope there will be no future. Just let us go on our way, and when next you hear of me you will know I spoke the truth.”

“Lady, if it were up to me I would do so, but I have orders. Will you accompany me into the city? There are those who must speak with you. I swear that we will not betray you to either of the Great Guilds.”

“Yet,” Alain said, “simply entering into your city will make her more vulnerable to them.”

Mari looked out at Julesport, biting her lip as she thought. “I’ll go talk to your leaders. But only if Mage Alain accompanies me.”

“I was told to bring only you, Lady.”

“The Mage Alain goes where I go,” Mari said. “That is not negotiable.”

The official saluted her. “Very well. I agree.”

“You need this,” Alli said, offering Mari her Mechanics jacket.

Mari shook her head. “Hang onto it for me, will you? I don’t want to be any more conspicuous than I have to be. You guys stay aboard, keep a low profile, and watch for trouble. If our Guild finds out we’re here, they’ll try something.”

Bev pointed toward the smokestack just barely visible amidst the forest of masts. “If the Guild plans to start anything, they first thing they’ll do is order that ship to get steam up. We’ll see the smoke and know there’s something up.”

“If there is an attack on this ship,” the official said, “Julesport can officially do nothing. But there will be boats near you, ready to take on… refugees from the fighting and bring them ashore, where a unit of the city militia awaits to protect anyone and take them to a safe location.”

“Good,” Mari said. “Hopefully it won’t come to that. Alain, aren’t you going to change out of your Mage robes before we go ashore?”

Before Alain could answer, Mage Dav spoke up. “I would advise that Mage Alain remain garbed. He must show that he is still a Mage in good standing, not a Dark Mage skulking about in the clothes of a common and willing to sell his skills in exchange for money.”

Mage Asha nodded. “The advice of my uncle is wise.”

Mari wasn’t so certain, knowing that they had made it through many dangers only by hiding their guild status, but when Alain nodded in agreement she knew there wasn’t much sense in arguing wisdom with three Mages. Arguing with one was usually frustrating enough. “All right. Mage Dav, Mage Asha, will you listen to the… suggestions of Mechanic Alli in my absence?”

Both Mages inclined their heads slightly in agreement.

Mari got close to Alli. “Remember. Suggestions, not orders.”

“Right,” Alli said. “They’re Mages. I’m not too likely to forget that, what with the robes and the deadpan faces and all. If we run into any problems getting along I’ll ask Dav for advice, since he seems to be on such good terms with Mage Asha.”

“Alli, give the guy a break!”

“Not on your life! Teasing him will be the only entertainment we have to pass the time while waiting for you and Alain to get back from the latest trap you’re no doubt walking into.”

Mari nodded in reluctant acquiescence. “If the Mages warn you of danger approaching, listen to them. Their warnings may be very vague, but they’re probably true.”

“Got it. And we’ll watch that stack. See you back here soon.”

The official bowed courteously as he led them toward the ladder into the launch. “I am Colonel Faron, commander of the Julesport harbor guard. It is an honor to meet you.”

The journey to the quay was fast, the rowers bending to their labors and someone in the bow of the launch waving off any boat that threatened to get in the way. Colonel Faron hustled Mari and Alain up another ladder to the top of the quay and along it to a building on the shore. There a large force of soldiers in light armor waited, swords at their hips, some with crossbows at the ready, eyeing Mari with questioning looks and avoiding looking at Alain in the manner of commons around Mages everywhere.

Faron spoke quietly to the commander of the soldiers, who saluted briskly. Most of the soldiers faded back into the building, but two squads fell into place on either side of Mari and Alain as they walked inland along a broad street. The soldiers cleared any pedestrians and wagons out of the way, but Mari felt uncomfortably like a prisoner being marched to confinement. She stole sidewise glances at Alain, seeing that he betrayed no signs of alarm, and felt slightly comforted as a result.

They reached an alley down which Mari and Alain were led by Colonel Faron as the soldiers formed a solid wall behind them facing the street. The alley ran behind a building that looked imposing even from the rear. Faron entered a back door and led them along several long passages.

“This place looks oddly deserted for this time of day,” Mari observed. It called to mind uncomfortable memories of the city hall in Ringhmon.

“Those who normally work here were asked to leave for an emergency drill,” Colonel Faron said. “Just a routine test of procedures.”

“Of course. Absolutely routine.”

Finally, Faron led Mari and Alain up some stairs to a large room dominated by an impressive table with only a few chairs near it. “Please wait here.”

Mari could see Alain watching Colonel Faron closely. “Is anything wrong?” he asked.

“No,” Colonel Faron said. “I just have to inform certain people that you have arrived.”

Alain nodded, and Faron left.

“No warnings yet?” Mari whispered to Alain.

“No. I have seen no signs of deception in him,” Alain replied.

Standing in the center of the room, Mari pivoted to look around. “One thing for sure, this isn’t a prison cell.” The high-ceilinged room was paneled with light woods that had darkened with age. Assorted statuary stood in the corners and a number of paintings adorned the walls, some of them clearly evoking events from the life of Jules herself. Under Mari’s feet fine carpets covered the hardwood floor, and the table on one side of the room had been made from one of the rare and exotic woods that had once been exported from Tiae. Various weapons were displayed, including swords, a few crossbows, and some shields. Banners hung along the top of the walls, one of those banners the crossed-swords flag of Jules.

“I wonder if that’s a banner that Jules herself flew,” Mari commented. “It looks old enough.”

“The room lacks windows,” Alain said. “That is common for rooms in Mage Guild Halls. Do you find it of concern here?”

“No,” Mari said. “When people are talking about secret things, or meeting someone they don’t want anyone to know they’ve met, they want rooms without windows.”

The door opened again. Colonel Faron entered, followed by an elderly woman and a middle-aged man and woman. The old woman and the man wore the fine clothes of well-off common people, while the other woman wore a uniform similar to Colonel Faron’s.

The old woman walked with difficulty to the table and sat in the largest chair before it. The others took up a standing position on either side of her, while Colonel Faron went back to the door to stand sentry.

Silence stretched as no one said anything. Mari felt growing annoyance. “If you’re trying to unnerve us or put us off balance,” she finally said, “you should know that we’ve been to Marandur, and personally faced dragons and trolls. This is just irritating me.”

The old woman smiled thinly. “You sound as though you think you should be in charge, Lady Mechanic.”

“No, I think that if someone has something to say, they should say it,” Mari replied.

“Will you give us your name and title, Lady Mechanic?”

“I am Master Mechanic Mari of Caer Lyn.” She turned just enough to indicate Alain. “This is Mage Alain of Ihris.”

The woman in uniform studied Mari. “Do you claim any other title, Lady Mechanic?”

Alain answered before Mari could, his voice as Mage cold and unfeeling as it had ever been. That gave it more authority, as if one of the statues had suddenly begun speaking. “She claims nothing. She has been foreseen to be the one foretold, the one known as the daughter. Master Mechanic Mari will bring a new day to this world.”

The old woman leaned forward, intent. “The Mages have seen this? She is the one?”

“It has been seen. I have seen it,” Alain said.

With a sharp gesture the old woman caused the man to one side of her to produce a document bound between stout panels of wood. “We have the prophecy, Sir Mage. The prophecy as given to Jules herself, recorded in the words of Jules. The Mages have always denied the prophecy existed. We knew otherwise. Why does a Mage now admit to it?”

“Because I have seen it,” Alain said.

Colonel Faron spoke from near the door. “The Mage Guild wants her dead, wants it badly enough that they have demanded our assistance in ensuring that happens. I have never before heard of the Mages openly seeking the death of a particular Mechanic.”

“Hmmph,” the old woman commented wordlessly. She opened the document to read out loud. “The Mage came upon me in the twilight just before night, as rain fell and darkened the world even more. He looked upon me and his eyes widened. I had never seen a Mage show such feelings. He pointed at me and spoke in an odd voice. A daughter of your blood will someday overthrow the Mage Guild and the Guild of the Mechanics. She will unite Mages, Mechanics, and the common people to save this world and free the common people from their service to the Guilds. Only through her can the new day come and halt the Storm that will otherwise consume all. After he stopped speaking, the Mage looked frightened and stumbled off through the rainfall. I lost sight of him quickly and hastened back to my ship, which was already preparing to leave port. I told no one, but later learned that the Mage Guild was vigorously seeking a woman seen in Caer Lyn. Some women in Caer Lyn who resembled me were reported to have vanished, though of course the Mage Guild refused to answer any questions about them. I still feel guilt for those innocents who must have died because of their resemblance to me, but I know when the Mage Guild finally learns who I am they will seek to ensure my death and those of any of my children. I will take steps to prevent that, no matter the pain it causes me. This is my sworn account of the prophecy, as I heard it and saw it. Jules of Landfall and Julesport.”

Colonel Faron was staring at Mari. “On the ship, she had Mechanics and Mages behind her, following her orders, and the captain and crew were following her as well.”

“So.” The old woman looked at Alain. “What say you, Sir Mage?”

“I was told the prophecy said what you have told us,” Alain said.

“May I ask by whom?”

“A Mage elder.”

The old woman tapped her teeth with one fingernail. “Did she tell you of this Storm?”

“She did,” Alain said. “And I have seen it, as have many other Mages in recent years. It threatens all, just as the prophecy says.”

“What sort of storm?” the woman in uniform asked.

“A Storm born of the built-up frustrations of the common people,” Alain said. “They will rise, and destroy. Armies will clash, cities fall, all will be laid waste. Though you seek to hide your knowledge, I can see that you know this Storm approaches as we speak.”

The old woman sagged back in her chair, the prophecy lying in her lap. “And now a young woman comes to us. A young woman wearing the dark jacket of a Mechanic, one of those who have enslaved us for time out of mind. With her is a Mage, one of those who have treated us even worse than the Mechanics. And they say they will save us. Would you believe this, Lady Mechanic?”

Mari felt a sudden rush of sympathy for the old woman. “I’m sorry. I can’t be anyone other than who I am. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want it. But I am told it is a job given to me, and when I am given a job to do, I get that job done.”

The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You, a Mechanic, apologize to us? Why?”

“Because I believe in doing the right thing,” Mari said.

“And she has shown me how to do the right thing,” Alain added.

The woman in uniform rubbed one hand across her brow. “You must know what we’re facing, Lady Mechanic. If the Mechanics Guild learns of your presence in this city, they will demand that Julesport turn you over or be placed under a Guild interdict and be banned from receiving the service of any Mechanic. The Mage Guild would retaliate in even worse ways. And always the Empire seeks justification for another war on hopes of finally gaining a foothold beyond the Southern Mountains. What do you want from Julesport?”

“Nothing,” Mari said. “Except an averted gaze. We need to take on supplies. We’ll pay for them. Once we’ve loaded the food and water we require, we will be gone,” she promised. “I do not want Julesport crushed because of me.”

“Tell me,” the old woman said, “why we should not hand you over to the Great Guilds, who have promised immense rewards for your bodies, alive or dead.”

Mari felt anger at the question, but also weariness. Why did it even have to be asked? And yet she knew it would be. “Why not? Because it would mean your continued slavery. You would be selling your chance at freedom. How much is the Mechanics Guild offering? How much is your freedom worth?”

“More than the Great Guilds offer,” the old woman said. “More than they have. But you ask us to believe that you can gain us freedom.”

“All I can do is ask,” Mari said. “And I know that’s hard. I’m a Mechanic, and Mechanics have done you great harm in the past. But the fact that the Great Guilds fear me so much, me and Mage Alain, is a sign of what I might be able to do.”

“You ask leave to depart Julesport. Where will you go?” the woman in uniform asked.

“If you don’t know, you can’t be forced to tell,” Mari said.

“Were you in Ringhmon this last year?” the old woman asked abruptly.

“Yes,” Mari said.

“And Dorcastle?”

“Yes.”

“You slew a dragon there.”

“Yes.”

The old woman took a deep breath. “And then the Northern Ramparts. Another dragon. And great damage to an Imperial legion. And a Mage in your service.” She looked keenly at Alain.

“Yes,” Mari said. “But he is not in my service. He is my partner.”

“The stories we have heard,” the middle-aged man said, “claim that you did great service for common soldiers in the Northern Ramparts and refused all payment.”

“They needed my help,” Mari said.

“And then Marandur?” the old woman continued. “Why Marandur?”

“I cannot tell you,” Mari said.

“Jules was in Marandur,” Colonel Faron said. “Long ago.”

The old woman nodded at him, then looked back at Mari. “You must have heard the rumors the Imperials have been spreading. Rumors about the Dark One, Mara the Undying, who companioned the first emperor, Maran.”

Mari flinched. “I’ve heard them. I think you can see that I don’t fit those rumors.” Mara was supposedly beautiful as well as deadly.

“You don’t look like one who craves the blood of handsome young men, no,” the old woman said, smiling very briefly. “But you did escape from Marandur. Then Palandur, rumor has it. An attack by Mages, followed by a battle between Mages and Mechanics in the heart of the Empire. Neither of the Great Guilds has deigned to explain what happened there, and the Empire has done its best to suppress such information.”

“Having been to Marandur,” Alain said, “we could not remain in Palandur to explain events to Imperial authorities.”

“I suppose not, Sir Mage,” the old woman said, twisting one corner of her mouth in a sardonic smile. “The Emperor would make your deaths painful, prolonged, and public to ensure no one else attempted to visit the forbidden ruins of Marandur. After that, we have had scattered reports of setbacks for Mechanics, including the pride of the Mechanic fleet nearly sunk, before the city of Altis suffered great damage and a great battle was fought in its harbor that left another Mechanic warship on the bottom. This was you?”

Mari nodded. “Mage Alain helped. We did everything together.”

“Why Altis?”

“Again, I cannot yet explain.”

“Do you want what happened at Altis to take place at Julesport as well, Lady Mechanic?”

“No,” Mari said as firmly as she could. “Altis was badly damaged by Mechanics Guild assassins trying to kill me. I want to leave Julesport quickly so that it won’t happen here.”

The middle-aged man held up a paper. “We have a report from Altis. A swift ship reached Gullhaven and couriers carried copies throughout the Confederation. This arrived only last night.”

“What does it tell you?” Alain asked.

“It tells us you speak the truth.” The man paused. “And it tells us that you are the daughter.”

The woman in uniform spoke sharply. “If the people of this city hear that the daughter is in Julesport, the resulting mayhem will make the riots of last summer look like a minor street celebration.”

“What does the report from Altis say?” Alain asked. “Was there rioting there?”

“No, Sir Mage,” the old woman said. “Are you going to tell us why? Some Mage spell that compels obedience?”

“If such a spell existed, the Mage elders would use it freely and not depend on fear,” Alain said. “It does not. There were no riots in Altis because Lady Mechanic Mari told the people there not to riot, not to rise up, but to wait.”

“Why would they listen?” demanded the woman in uniform.

“Because they had hope,” Alain said. “They had a reason not to destroy.”

“It was not the strong hand of the Mechanics Guild that suppressed any rioting? It was not the work of Mages or fear of the consequences?”

Alain gestured toward the east. “When we were in Palandur, there were riots. An entire district burned, and a legion was called in to restore order. This in the Empire, where order is valued above all else. Have you heard this?”

Colonel Faron nodded. “Mostly rumors, again, but with credible details. You are saying the rioting was born of the same problems we have seen?”

“And the same problems that tore apart the Kingdom of Tiae. We were there in Palandur. We could see it, we could feel it.”

“If the empire is starting to feel the rot as well—” began the woman in uniform.

“It’s not rot,” the middle-aged man argued. “I do not welcome this news, but it does not surprise me. It is despair. You all know it as well as I do. What this Mage says matches our own knowledge. You talked to those arrested after the last round of rioting here and you heard, just as I did, that they had lost hope.”

“I remember hope,” the old woman commented, gazing into the distance. “When I was very young. Before I learned what the world was like, and what my role must be in serving the will of the Great Guilds. But even the very young today don’t know what hope is. It has been too many years of enslavement. The next riots will be worse. I fear whether our police and military will be able to control them, and at what cost to this city. What sign can you give me, Lady Mechanic? Your words are all that they should be, and I want you to be what you claim. But what sign can you show that something that has never existed in this world can now be?”

Mari hesitated. She hated doing this, hated making a show out of something that meant so much to her, but there didn’t seem any alternative. Mari slowly raised her left hand, fingers slightly spread. “Do you see this?”

“A promise ring,” the old woman said. “Where is your husband?”

“Beside me.” Mari reached to take Alain’s hand and hold it up enough to reveal the matching ring.

All four of those from Julesport stared in disbelief for several long moments.

The old woman recovered first. “Why would you wed a Mage, Lady Mechanic?”

“He asked me,” she said. “Proposed to me, that is. I proposed to him later.”

“A political alliance, then? A means to the end of overthrowing the Great Guilds?”

“No!” Mari said with more force than she had intended. “We wed because we were in love, and we would have done it no matter whether it helped or hindered anything else.”

“In love?” the old woman asked. “You taught a Mage to love?”

“She did,” Alain said. Mari saw him relax his face, let some feeling show, and while it was a small display compared to what non-Mages would reveal, it was nonetheless shocking to see in a Mage. “She gave me back my life, a life that my Guild had taken from me.”

The old woman began laughing, drawing startled glances from the others. “The oldest magic of all! And it ensnared both of you, did it? You saw the man beneath a Mage’s mask, Lady Mechanic, and helped the Mage see the woman beneath your Mechanics jacket! I would not have believed it. See this!” she told the other three. “Those rings do not mark just the alliance of those two, of Mechanic and Mage. They also mark an alliance with us, for they show that these two believe in the same things that we do. That they believe in something other than power and wealth. That they would risk all for someone and something other than themselves! And that a new day can truly come. What else could you call a world where a Mechanic and a Mage are not enemies, but partners in life, joined by love?”

“But the safety of the city—” the woman in uniform began.

“The daughter is right! Give our people a reason to wait, a belief that the new day is finally coming, and they will wait.” The old woman shook her finger at Mari. “Don’t make it too long. Wherever you go, do not disappear. Let word come back to us. We will keep it from the Great Guilds as best we can, but our people must know you are pursuing their overthrow.”

“I will do that,” Mari said.

“General Shi,” the old woman said to the woman in uniform. “Your soldiers are already on alert?”

“Yes,” Shi confirmed.

“These two,” the old woman pointed to Mari and Alain, “do not exist as far as your soldiers are concerned. The soldiers do not see them. The same for the harbor guard, Colonel Faron. They will protect these two, but our soldiers will not see them.”

“What about the city council?” the middle-aged man asked. “They need to—”

“The city council,” the old woman interrupted, “will be told about this tomorrow, when there is no longer any possibility of them arguing other courses of action to death, or of one of them betraying the presence of our guests before they depart. The daughter should be welcomed in the home of her ancestor, and I would hope in the days and years to come that the daughter would remember the special status of Julesport in her family.”

The man nodded reluctantly. “The good wishes of the daughter are of immense value. And it is true that too many secrets have become known to the Mechanics and the Mages.”

Mari, uncomfortable from the repeated references to her as the daughter, felt a sudden suspicion. “Your city council chamber. Does it have electric lighting?”

“Mechanic lights, you mean?” the man asked. “Yes. Two large fixtures in the ceiling.”

“Can I see them?”

“Why?” the old woman asked, her eyes intent.

“I may be able to do you a service,” Mari said, “by finding the means by which the Mechanics Guild has learned your secrets.”

The old woman gestured briskly, and with a bow Colonel Faron led the way out of the room and into a long hallway. Mari and Alain followed him, while General Shi and the other man brought up the rear, the old woman staying behind to await their return.

Faron halted before an impressive set of double doors. Opening one side, he looked in, then nodded to Mari and opened his mouth to speak.

Mari silenced him with a strong gesture, then walked into the room. It was perhaps four times the size of the room they had left and much brighter, with a long table along one side and two massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. She looked up, studying the lights. Turning back to the mystified leaders of Julesport, Mari pantomimed the need for a ladder high enough to reach the lights.

It took a few minutes before Colonel Faron himself returned with a ladder and set it up where Mari directed. She climbed up, thinking that the ladder felt way too rickety, then when high enough began looking over the light fixture.

And found nothing but the bulbs and the wiring to them.

Fearing that she might look like an idiot, Mari climbed down and the ladder was moved beneath the second light.

This time she found what she had been looking for.

It wasn’t until they were out of the room and the door closed that Mari spoke. “The Mechanics Guild has a far-listener in that second light fixture.”

“A what?” General Shi asked.

“A far-listener. It’s a device that picks up sounds and transmits them along wires to somewhere else where they can be heard.” She pointed upward. “The wires for it are disguised by the wires for the light fixture. The Mechanics Guild has been listening in to everything said in that room.”

“Did you— Did you break it?” the middle-aged man asked.

“No. Do you want me to? Because if I do, the Mechanics Guild will immediately know that you have learned of it.”

Colonel Faron nodded grimly. “It’s like arresting a spy the moment you learn of them. Or leaving the spy in place and feeding that spy only what you want them to know.”

“You have done us a great service, Lady Mechanic,” General Shi said. “Would the Mechanics have shared the information gained here with the Mages?”

“No,” Mari said, almost laughing at the idea. “Alain?”

Alain gestured slightly toward the general. “Mages can learn your secrets by what is said—and by what is not said: by what you reveal in your voice, your face, the way you stand.”

“We know Mages can spot lies,” Colonel Faron said. “But if we don’t voice a lie—”

“It does not matter,” Alain said. “A Mage can see that you have not said something, that there is more left which you do not wish to speak, that by silence you seek to mislead. It is easy to read, for a Mage.”

Once back in the smaller room, the old woman was told. She lowered her face into one hand for a long moment. “No wonder the Great Guilds have been able to outthink us time and again. We thought we had our secrets, our means of avoiding their tricks, but they only let us believe that. How many men and women have died because the Great Guilds knew our plans even as we made them?”

Mari saw that the middle-aged man looked uncomfortable, and was not surprised when Alain called him on it.

“You are unhappy,” Alain said to him. “But not for the same reason as the others.”

Everyone looked at the man, who grimaced. “I would be a fool to lie to a Mage. Very well. I will say what is in my heart. I am grateful that the Lady Mechanic has done us this service. But she has done so by betraying the secrets of her Guild. I am concerned that someone willing to betray once may betray again.”

Mari held up a hand to halt the outbursts that nearly came from the others. “I understand. Would it make you feel better to know that those secrets never really belonged to my Guild? My former Guild, that is. The Mechanics Guild stole those secrets. They were never supposed to be secrets. They were meant to be shared with everyone. I only gave you what your ancestors should have long ago received.”

“If this is so, Lady Mechanic, you have my apologies,” the man said.

“How do you know this?” the old woman asked.

“I can’t tell you yet,” Mari said. “Someday I will be able to tell everyone. But I have seen the evidence. So has Mage Alain. The Mechanics Guild is built on the theft of its secrets from everyone else, and on the lie that commons cannot do the work that Mechanics can do. You can. I have proven it to be so.”

“You will turn this world upside-down,” General Shi said.

“Better upside-down,” Alain replied, “than broken as is Tiae.”

“No argument there,” the old woman said. “Tell me, daughter, do you know anything of the thinking devices of the Mechanics Guild?”

Mari felt a surge of interest. “Yes. I know a lot about them. Why?”

“Julesport has been hampered by the failure of the device we have in this building,” the middle-aged man explained. “We have been trying to get the Mechanics Guild Hall to fix it for the last year, but they insist that the repair will cost more than even Julesport can afford.”

“That doesn’t seem too likely,” Mari said. “Why aren’t they just offering to replace it, if it’s broken that badly? There aren’t a lot of them, but in a year’s time the Guild could have brought in a spare from Palandur. We’re talking a Calculating and Analysis Device, right?”

“Yes, Lady Mechanic.”

“I can fix one of those in my sleep,” Mari said, for once not having to feign total confidence. It felt almost disorienting to be working within her field as a Mechanic again rather than facing the challenges of the daughter. “Let me take a look at it.”

Once again the small group trooped down a long hall, then down some stairs, Colonel Faron going ahead to ensure that no one had returned to the building early.

The room Mari finally entered felt very familiar. The Guild insisted on certain design criteria for rooms holding Calculating and Analysis Devices, and there was really only one design of the CADs, with the ability to add on certain options. The large metal cabinets holding the many relays were as well known to her as the face of an old acquaintance.

Mari checked the room carefully for any far-listener, though she didn’t expect to find one. She powered up the device, waiting impatiently as it warmed up and wondering just how long she and Alain had already been away from the Gray Lady.

Finally she was able to run a test sequence, which went so badly that Mari had a long tape of data printed out so she could analyze the problem. “They’ve been cheating you,” she finally told General Shi and the middle-aged man. “The unit hasn’t been maintained all that well.” She suspected from what she saw that she knew the Mechanic who had done it. Why was he working in the field after washing out of the CAD program at the Mechanics Guild Academy? Maybe because there were so few Mechanics qualified for CAD work and the Guild had decided to try to kill one of them, Mari herself. “But the problems you’re having are because you’ve got a badly patched set of thinking ciphers.”

“Can you repair it?” General Shi asked.

Mari nodded. “Fixing the ciphers will be easy for me. The hard part is going to be doing the fixes in such a way that the Mechanic who is supposed to keep this CAD working doesn’t realize that I’ve fixed it. If it’s the Mechanic I think it is, I can do that, but it’ll take a while.” She looked at Alain. “Maybe you should go back to the Gray Lady and let them know that everything is all right. I’ll follow when this is done.”

Colonel Faron stuck his head in the room. “We have already sent word to fully provision your ship, daughter.”

“Uh, would you mind not calling me that?” Mari asked. “It feels like I’m not me any more when people do that. Just Lady is fine.”

“Yes, Lady. We could send them a message from you.”

Alain shook his head. “They would not know if the message was from Lady Mari. I should carry the message, but I am reluctant to leave here without you,” he told Mari.

Mari looked up from her work, brushing hair from her face. “The army of Julesport is guarding me, Alain. I’ll be fine. And you can still tell where I am, right?”

He nodded. “The thread.”

“Right,” Mari repeated. The idea of the invisible, insubstantial thread that connected her to Alain still felt sort of weird to her, but also sort of romantic, and it had saved her a couple of times already.

Reassured, Alain reached out to her. “Be careful.”

She got up and kissed him. “Don’t worry.”

It wasn’t until Mari bent back to her work that she wondered how the Julesport officials had taken seeing someone kiss a Mage. That wasn’t something one saw every day. In fact, it was doubtful that anyone had ever willingly kissed a Mage before she and Alain had grown together.

None of the fixes were complicated, but doing them in a way that didn’t look like fixes took a long time. Mari finally stood up, stretching out her back and wincing. “That’s got it. It’ll work fine for you. If the Mechanics Guild asks how that happened, tell them you have no idea, that it just started working all right again. CADs do that sometimes.”

“In truth,” the middle-aged man said, “I have no idea what you did, but we are all very grateful. How much?”

“How much what?”

“Uh… how much is the cost of your services?”

Mari took a moment to understand. “We didn’t negotiate a contract. And Julesport is helping us, or at least not hindering us. And if the prophecy is right, I guess I sort of do have a special obligation to the city that Jules founded. So let’s call that even.”

“Even?” General Shi asked with obvious disbelief. “You are charging nothing? The repair of these devices is one of the most expensive contracts the Mechanics Guild offers.”

“Yeah. There aren’t that many Mechanics trained to fix them,” Mari explained. “But I’m not with the Guild anymore.”

“You must accept—”

Seeing that the officials would not accept her services without recompense, Mari offered a compromise. “I’ll take something to help pay for the supplies the Gray Lady took on, all right? Is that enough?”

“If that is all you will take,” the middle-aged man said. He began to say something else, but turned as a messenger rushed up to Colonel Faron. “What is this?”

Faron turned a worried face to them. “The guards who accompanied Mage Alain to the Gray Lady have been found in an alley, all dead. My aide checked with the launch at the landing and Mage Alain has not returned.”

Mari’s sense of satisfaction, her pride in her work, turned instantly to ashes.