Imperial Night (Ashes of Empire, #3)

by Imperial Night (epub)

  Roget noticed Loxias and Hecht exchange glances and idly wondered how close they were. Animated discussions soon broke out, but instead of listening, he focused on his targets, since he knew nothing about Lyonesse politics. Yet the more he studied them, the more frustrated he became. Despite everything Roget tried, he couldn’t distinguish their minds from the background noise, and the physical tells he’d been taught to look for weren’t much in evidence. It left him with the study of body language, tone, and degree of participation in the debate, things he couldn’t yet analyze with any confidence. Loxias would be disappointed, but what did he expect of a partly trained friar, even one with a sister’s abilities?

  Unless he took a step into the realm of dragons.

  Roget looked inward at the third eye Marta’s training showed him. Opening it might allow his talent to zero in on individual minds without touching them and thereby match emotions with demeanor. Where was the harm in that? Brethren took every opportunity for self-improvement, so long as they didn’t violate any article of the Order’s Rule. And since he’d not sworn the oath yet, there could be no violation.

  Who first?

  His eyes rested on Severin Downes’ sharp, patrician profile a few meters in front of him. Downes struck Roget as a weak man when Loxias introduced him earlier, though he couldn’t figure out why. Perhaps it was Downes’ supercilious demeanor and the almost discourteous way he’d returned Roget’s respectful greeting. Roget knew from experience forceful characters rarely wrapped themselves in a cloak of superiority because they didn’t need one. They knew their worth and their place. Weak characters, on the other hand...

  He concentrated on the mental image he’d created of his third eye while staring at Downes. After a few moments that felt more like eons, his inner eyelid quivered, then snapped open, and he saw Severin Downes’ soul, writhing within the controlled envelope of a man who would always be at war with the universe.

  At that same instant, half a planet away, the Order of the Void’s most powerful teacher woke with a start and checked the time, wondering what could disturb her sleep at the hour of the wolf, when night’s black cloak smothered the Windy Isles.

  PART III - THE HOUR OF THE WOLF

  — 36 —

  ––––––––

  The more Stearn’s third eye peeled back the layers of Severin Downes’ personality, the more he pitied him. Downes’ strongest emotion was smoldering anger deep within. It lived side-by-side with resentment, hunger for power, and an unfulfilled thirst for respect. He was an insignificant man whose role in the republic’s future was almost nil, and deep within, he understood that.

  After a few minutes, Stearn closed his third eye for a brief rest and turned his gaze on DeCarde. He’d already decided the former commander of the Lyonesse Defense Force and current Defense Secretary was perhaps the most honest individual in the room. She exuded self-confidence and openness. Stearn could well believe she’d backed Morane’s proposal Lyonesse build a Knowledge Vault and make itself independent of the crumbling empire.

  Her name wasn’t on Loxias’ list, but he wanted to look at her mind anyway. A few deep, controlled breaths, then Stearn opened his inner eyelid, though not without difficulty. It resisted him, as if under a spell. Yet when he looked at DeCarde, he saw nothing. It was as if she had mental shields of her own. Or perhaps she kept such a tight leash on her emotions that the inner woman mirrored her outer manifestation.

  Curious, Stearn formed mental fingers and reached across the room so he could examine her up close, mindful he was broadening his violation of Marta’s strictures. But what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, no matter how strong her talent. None of the sisters, not even Marta, could force her way into his thoughts, he was sure of that by now.

  When his fingers brushed up against the energy field that was DeCarde’s mind, he felt a strange tingle but no shield. She really was extraordinarily self-possessed. Remarkable. Unexpectedly, DeCarde glanced at Stearn, as if she detected the intrusion. He instantly withdrew and closed his third eye, fearful DeCarde was one of the rare people Marta had mentioned.

  Both successful attempts proved Stearn could reach out at will, even without further training, although he couldn’t yet manage the energy expenditure. Surely sisters who worked as counselors, the most mentally draining of jobs, knew how. And there were probably advanced techniques on interpreting another’s brain waves with greater precision. Yet what he’d sensed from Downes and DeCarde so closely corroborated his initial assessment of them that Stearn couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride unseemly in a friar.

  He spent another ten or fifteen minutes listening while he recuperated before turning his attention on Gerson Hecht. The head of Hecht Industries was outwardly as self-possessed as DeCarde, though without the latter’s aura of openness and palpable honesty. Stearn expected the same sort of quiet mind, one which needed a closer examination before revealing its secrets.

  Yet when he reached out with his mental fingers, Stearn found nothing. Hecht was a man without feelings and without emotions. Perhaps even without a soul. At least as far as he could tell. Maybe the planet’s leading industrialist was what Amelia called a highly functioning psychopath, one who avoided criminality and channeled his energies into legitimate pursuits. Being devoid of empathy would certainly present advantages in someone who led the republic’s largest conglomerate. For one, he wouldn’t waste time worrying about the welfare of those over whom he rode roughshod on his way to success.

  Though weariness was settling in after three attempts, Stearn nonetheless studied the others on Loxias’ list and found a mishmash of personalities, none quite as remarkable as either DeCarde or Hecht nor as perpetually furious as Downes.

  **

  “Though I’m always glad to speak with you, it’s the middle of the night in the Windies. Why are you calling me?” Gwenneth frowned at Marta’s image on her office display.

  “What is Stearn doing at the moment?”

  “I couldn’t say. Hang on.” Gwenneth raised her voice. “Landry, please find out where Stearn is.”

  The young friar poked his head through the door seconds later. “He’s been shadowing Loxias since Marta left, and Loxias is at the quarterly Lyonesse Chamber of Commerce meeting this afternoon.”

  Gwenneth mentally rolled her eyes. The Chamber of Commerce had invited the Order to join it, or rather Loxias’ allies arranged for the invitation, shortly after she’d first sat with the Estates-General. Though the Order’s involvement in the medical and academic fields was extensive, the abbey wasn’t a big commercial player, despite its traditional monastic food and drink production. However, hobnobbing with the republic’s captains of industry kept Loxias happy, and so she’d accepted.

  She glanced at Marta. “You heard?”

  “Yes. Do me a favor and peel Stearn away from Loxias the moment they return, then see that he swears the oath and receives the conditioning. I should never have left him at this critical juncture in his development.”

  “What is it you fear?” When Marta didn’t immediately reply, Gwenneth gave her a knowing look. “You felt a premonition, didn’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call it a premonition, but something pulled me from my sleep. Since the bond between teacher and student is strong, and Stearn is a stronger student than any I’ve taught, I fear he did something he shouldn’t during that Chamber of Commerce meeting, likely at Loxias’ urging. Since Loxias shows an unseemly lack of restraint in pursuing his ambitions, I fear he might take Stearn down the wrong path.”

  Gwenneth would suspect any other sister with such fears of having an overactive imagination, but not Marta. She’d been right often enough over the years, eerily so sometimes.

  “Katarin will resume Stearn’s training next week. She’s the most appropriate teacher for him but has a firm commitment right now — a patient undergoing treatment at the University Medical Center.”

&nb
sp; “Then either you do it now or forbid him from leaving the abbey grounds until Katarin returns. If he’s been peeking into non-Brethren minds at that meeting with no inhibitions keeping him from violating their privacy, who knows where it’ll lead. Especially if there’s another Pendrick Zahar in the crowd.”

  “Understood. I’ll keep Stearn here once he returns, then call Katarin and decide on the next steps.”

  “Thank you. We’ve never seen a male with a fully opened third eye and can’t predict what a lack of restraint may bring, but it won’t be good. Especially not with Stearn’s grueling life experiences and almost fatal injuries on Yotai. Our records tell us how women in similar situations end up, and it’s not pretty.”

  “The corruption of power, Void style,” Gwenneth murmured.

  Marta nodded. “Exactly.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be okay in the end. Between us, Katarin and I will ensure Stearn’s welfare.”

  “Good. Keep me aware of developments. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  “And you the rest of your night.”

  Marta’s image faded away, leaving a thoughtful Gwenneth to stare at the black display.

  “Landry?”

  The friar’s face reappeared in the doorway.

  “When Stearn returns from Lannion, please see he comes to my office right away.”

  “Yes, Abbess.”

  **

  “You look tired,” Loxias remarked once their ground car left the Chamber of Commerce in its wake. The low, late afternoon sun was casting long shadows into the streets, proof the meeting lasted well beyond its allotted time. “Still can’t channel those energies efficiently?”

  “No. I’m a rank beginner.” Loxias’ breezy tone irked Stearn.

  “Tell me about the people I named.”

  He recounted suitably edited versions of his observations, both overt and via his third eye. All the while, Loxias nodded, as if Stearn was proving him right in every detail.

  “I did as you asked. What is the value of this information?”

  Loxias chuckled.

  “Leverage, my friend. The more I know about the people who both help and oppose our efforts, the better I can advance the Order’s interests. So, you think Gerson Hecht is devoid of any human feelings. Not surprising. He always struck me as a block of ice. I daresay he’s using us as much as we’re using him. How Gerson tolerates Downes is a mystery.”

  “Two sides of the same coin,” Stearn replied without thought.

  “Pardon?” Loxias gave Stearn a surprised look. “That’s quite a profound conclusion.

  “Hecht is cold and calculating, without emotions. Downes hides it well, but he overflows with feelings of anger, rejection, envy, and hate. Separately, they’re each half a man. Together they form a whole, albeit a dark one.”

  “How did you come to this conclusion? Not that I think you’re wrong, but I’m curious.”

  Stearn half closed his eyes in thought.

  “It simply came to me. Perhaps my time in the Windy Isles, sitting in on counseling sessions with the worst humans on the planet, gave me a subconscious insight into the human psyche.”

  “Am I correct in assuming you touched their minds as a sister would?” When Stearn remained silent, Loxias chuckled. “Come now. A student of Marta’s can only be exceptional.”

  “It was wrong for me to reach out.”

  Loxias made a dismissive hand gesture.

  “Would the Almighty give you a great talent if you weren’t meant to use it? You did well today, and you can do more for the Order and the Almighty in the future. Did you follow any of the discussion?”

  Stearn shook his head. “I didn’t understand much of it, and I was rather busy with the task you set me.”

  “Our principal ally, Gerson Hecht, supports several senatorial candidates who favor us. Between them, they can raise our profile on government committees and commissions.”

  “And make sure Hecht Industries keeps getting lucrative government contracts.”

  “As a wise sage from the dark ages before spaceflight noted, there’s no such thing as a free meal. Quid, meet the pro quo.” Loxias chuckled at his own wit. “You and I will think of ways we can support those senatorial candidates in the upcoming election. Perhaps through them, we might even get a say in who becomes the next president. Charis Sandino, though a decent vice president, is, at best, indifferent to the Order of the Void. She has ambitions, but nothing says a vice president automatically becomes president once the incumbent’s second term ends. There are suitable candidates for the presidency who are more favorably disposed and wouldn’t mind seeing us assume a bigger role in the republic’s affairs.”

  “You would interfere in secular elections?”

  “Supporting the best candidate is hardly interference. No, I simply want the best outcome for everyone.”

  Stearn let out a calculated snort. “With all due respect, how can you or I decide what the best outcome looks like?”

  Loxias took no visible offense at the younger man’s skepticism.

  “If it strengthens the Order’s place within the republic, it strengthens the republic itself. In any case, well done with your study of the Chamber’s principal members. What we need now is for you to continue training so you can become our leading influencer.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Surely, you’re aware the sisters who work as counselors aren’t just listeners, they’re influencers. They can nudge people or strengthen them without their knowledge.”

  “I was told such things are forbidden outside a clinical setting.”

  Loxias made a disparaging sound. “Our esteemed sisters can be hypocrites if they believe it necessary, Abbess Gwenneth included. Did you think Jonas Morane convinced the Lyonesse Estates-General to build the Knowledge Vault and sever ties with the empire on his own? Of course not. Sure, he has a certain charisma, but convincing a colony at the hind end of human space that radically changing course was a splendid idea takes more. Granted, I wasn’t here at the time, but enough of my Lindisfarne Brethren lived through those events, and they figure Gwenneth helped Morane without the latter’s knowledge.”

  “You’re saying I should do as she did and help certain senatorial candidates?”

  “Now you’re getting it.”

  — 37 —

  ––––––––

  Gwenneth, who’d been staring out at the quadrangle, turned around when Stearn gently rapped his knuckles on the doorjamb.

  “Landry said you wished to see me.”

  “I did. Please come in and sit.” She gestured at a chair in front of her desk. “You were in Lannion with Loxias this afternoon?”

  “Yes, Abbess.” Stearn took a seat and looked her straight in the eyes. “We attended the quarterly Chamber of Commerce meeting.”

  “Was it interesting?”

  “Not particularly. A large part of the discussion centered on whether the Chamber would endorse candidates for the senate in the upcoming elections. Since I know nothing about politics in this star system, the debate was rather academic, though I met a few well-known people and can finally put faces to names.”

  Gwenneth arched an eyebrow. “Such as?”

  “Defense Secretary DeCarde for one.”

  “And what did you think of her?”

  “The words self-possessed, open, and honest came to mind.”

  “A fair assessment. She was an exceptional Chief of the Defense Staff and is a fine leader. Who else?”

  Stearn gave her a few names beginning with Gerson Hecht and Severin Downes.

  “What did you think of Hecht?” Seeing a potential trap hidden within her question, his mind raced to figure out what a trained friar or a sister on receive only would deduce.

  “As self-possessed as DeCarde but rather inscrutable.” Stearn hoped Gwenneth didn’t notice his moment of hesitation. “I
looked for a soul but saw nothing.”

  “I see. And Downes?”

  Stearn hesitated again for a fraction of a second.

  “A man disappointed by life.”

  “Astute observations, all of them. Well done.”

  Stearn inclined his head. “Thank you.”

  “That being said, you will not leave the abbey again until you take the oath and either Marta, Katarin, or I implant the prohibitions. This is for your safety, the good of the Order, and the safety of the public.” When Stearn made to speak, she raised a hand. “I know. You can’t see any reasons why at the moment, but they will become clear as your training progresses. Believe me when I say an unschooled talent as strong as yours can be dangerous, hence the need for prudence until we know you’ve mastered it and internalized the restrictions on its use.”

  “Understood, Abbess.”

  “Good. You may go.”

  **

  “Thank you for taking my call, Katarin.” Gwenneth gave her friend a tight smile. “There may be a problem with Stearn.”

  She recounted her conversation with him and Marta’s fears.

  “Do you think he peered into minds unbidden?”

  “Possibly. Stearn wasn’t lying, but I sensed momentary equivocation, as if he were carefully selecting his words lest they betray him.”

  “Not good. Do you think Loxias put him up to it?”

  Gwenneth let out an unclerical snort.

  “Almost certainly. Loxias is the sort who’ll bend the Rule and arm himself with insider knowledge if it helps reach his goals. But no more. I forbade Stearn from leaving the abbey until further notice.”

  “It would be better if you forbid him from speaking with Loxias.”

  “I know. However, Loxias is the head friar, and that makes him responsible for Stearn’s employment. When our predecessors amended the Rule and allowed men into the Order, they didn’t foresee a friar with a sixth sense so strong it puts most sisters to shame.”