by Kal Spriggs
Siara had quietly watched his supporters, but most of what they had access to was of no import. Many of them were useless individuals, so idle in their pointless existences that they could accomplish little of note. At most, they might provide access to future assassins, which was why Siara had people tasked to watch for just that.
The vast majority of nobles in the Citadel were of even less importance. Many of them were in a state of disarray from the shock of multiple attacks on the fortress. Most were generally supportive of her love, but even those that weren't were too confused to do more than pout about it like the spoiled children that they were.
The worst that she had seen were the vitriol-laden contingent of noblewomen who sought to oust her and appointed themselves to the task of finding their Grand Duke a “proper” wife. Siara smiled a bit as she remembered their last confrontation, where they had sought to expose her lack of education... and how she had known about their “ambush” weeks before they actually staged it.
In particular, she had very much enjoyed rubbing their noses into the fact that not only was she better read, but far more intelligent than any of them. She could admit that her required reading proclamation to the little group had been a bit excessive, but it had amused her to no end to hear the servants whisper about the various noblewomen struggling to figure out some of the basic biology books she had prescribed.
Her love remained unaware of most of it, he had been so focused on the larger threats that faced him. Which was as it should be, she knew. He would fight the large battles, she the small ones. She would be his last line of defense, the hidden dagger to his readied sword.
His enemies will not even notice me until I bury my blade in their guts, she thought with satisfaction.
***
Grand Duke Christoffer Tarken
Christoffer gave Master Wizard Aldolphus a polite smile as the older man gestured him into his offices. Aldophus was of Starborn ancestry, the youngest son of a nobleman. His oldest brother was Lord Schilt, but Aldolphus showed little of the military man's stern expression. He had a genial smile and round, florid cheeks, though Christoffer did not miss the lines in his face or his thinning hair.
Whatever else he was, Master Wizard Aldolphus knew how to work himself hard enough for the stress to show. Given what I've heard of him, Christoffer thought, that work could be wizardry or else just money related. The Iron Wizards' services were expensive but they provided expertise that was invaluable in many of Boir's industries, everyone from the Merchant's Guild to the Navy employed Iron Wizards and their creations.
He gestured at the large, comfortable chair in front of his desk and then took his own, “It is my pleasure to have you here, my Lord. Might I get you anything? Food or drink, perhaps?” Clearly he wanted to be hospitable... though whether that was because he wanted to delay Christoffer's questions or from a genuine wish to be helpful, Christoffer couldn't guess.
Christoffer took the seat, “No thank you.” He adjusted the hilt of the Ducal Blade comfortable with it even seated but acutely aware of its presence. “I'm afraid my time here is limited.”
For a moment, some emotion flickered over Aldolphus's face, there and gone too quickly for Christoffer to be certain of what it was. “My Lord, how can I be of service?” the master wizard gave a slight nod, as if to suggest he was more than willing to help.
Christoffer wished that he had time to consult with Lord Schilt about the notional head of the Iron Wizards. Though they didn't have as clear a hierarchy as most of the Guilds, it was generally assumed that Master Wizard Aldolphus spoke for them. But Lord Schilt had gone to oversee the stand-up of two new battalions in the west, near the Escarpment, and he wouldn't be back for at least two or three weeks, more if the late fall rains turned into snow. Christoffer decided to change tact, “As the new Grand Duke, I realized that I am rather poorly informed as to the capabilities of the Iron Wizards. When I was merely an Admiral, I could afford to know only some of your capabilities, but as the Grand Duke, I need to know much more, lest I do your guild and our people a disservice.”
Master Wizard Aldolphus's expression went blank, almost as if he hadn't expected those words. After a moment, though, he gave a broad smile, “Of course, my lord. I would be glad to tell you all about our guild and our capabilities.”
“Perhaps a tour, too?” Christoffer asked with a smile.
Aldolphus's smile flickered and Christoffer felt uneasy. A man as senior and experienced as Aldolphus should have better control over his expression, unless something Christoffer had said truly caught him off guard or upset him. “Perhaps, my Lord, though we must abide by our Guild's restrictions on who can see many of our secrets and so I could not show you all of our workshops. Perhaps a tour another date might give us time to safeguard some of our proprietary secrets...”
Christoffer interrupted, “My schedule is very busy, I'm afraid. I'd prefer to see what you can show me today.”
Aldolphus gave a pained smile, “Certainly, my Lord, I'll see what I can do.” Christoffer somehow doubted it was only wizardry techniques that made the Master Wizard so nervous about a tour... which made him all the more eager to see what the Master Wizard didn't want him to see.
“Excellent,” Christoffer said. “Before that, however, you might tell me about your guild.”
“Well, my Lord,” Aldolphus said, “There is much to tell. We have just over a thousand members, many of them present here at the main guild hall, but some in our satellite halls at Breckenoffnung and Stromshadt and a handful of our wizards tasked to support Navy or Army units.”
Christoffer nodded, “I've had the pleasure of working with Master Lorens and Wizard Captain Guntor.”
Aldolphus gave a nod, “Well, Guntor is more focused on his military career than any serious study. I will say that young Lorens has done well in his service with the Navy, he did some fine work developing the tracing runes to locate the captured Navy ships with your signifier. A compliment to his teachers.”
Christoffer caught himself before he could snort at thinking of Master Lorens as “young” or inexperienced. The man had thirty years of service with the Boir Ducal Navy. Clearly Aldolphus had a different opinion.
“Most of our wizards on the grounds are junior or apprentices,” Aldolphus said, “much like Lorens. Most of them work the basic artisan runes or artificer enchantments, monitoring our energy draws and crafting simple tools like casters.” His voice took on a lecturer's timbre as he warmed to the subject, “Many never achieve the level of mastery to learn more complex crafting techniques to make more complex devices such as the signifier.”
Christoffer frowned, “Is it a matter of testing?”
Aldolphus waved a hand, “In part, in small part. We feel that mere capability and knowledge are not the most important aspects of our craft. The wisdom to know ones limits and the ability to build and foster relationships is every bit as important as the ability to craft complex runes. After all, the knowledge of how to do something must be limited by the wisdom of whether it is necessary.”
Christoffer frowned, for that sounded suspiciously like the Master Wizard had suggested that who someone knew was more important that what he knew. “That is interesting,” Christoffer said neutrally. He had a thought hit him, then, “Tell me, there was an earthblood, Tasha Brussels, who I sponsored to join the Iron Wizards, can you tell me how she has fit in?”
“Ah,” Aldolphus looked down at his desk, “yes, her. She's been unable to find a senior wizard willing to take her on, I'm afraid. Most likely she'll be sent home.”
“Why?” Christoffer asked sharply. “I was led to believe that she's smart enough for the tasks.”
“Yes,” Aldolphus said, “While that is true in the technical aspect, I fear that most seniors are reluctant to take on a problematic apprentice such as her.”
“Problematic?” Christoffer asked.
Aldolphus leaned forward, “My Lord, I feel silly to even point this out, but she is an earthblood.
It is quite unseemly to have one, particularly a female one, about. Any senior wizard who takes on a female earthblood will be thought to have... shall we say particular interests, if you know what I mean.” Christoffer didn't miss how the wizard's eyes flicked to Siara Pall for an instant, as if he grouped her in the same “not human” element has he had Tasha Brussels.
Christoffer sat back and his eyes went narrow. His instinct was to smack the smug expression off the Master Wizard's face, but he restrained himself. It would probably not be wise to offend the man... even if he was an ass.
“Well,” Christoffer said, “we can discuss that later. In the meantime, tell me of what it is you make here, besides the weapons I am familiar with.”
“Of course, my Lord,” Aldolphus said. “Truthfully, casters are merely one aspect of our labors. We spend much time on a variety of devices for military and civilian use. Cool boxes for food storage, hot plates for heating food and drink, and all manner of more complicated devices, many of them for general sale or even export.”
“All of it, then, with artisan runes and artificer enchantment?” Christoffer asked. From what he knew, artificer runes were unique to the Iron Wizards, derived from mathematical calculations and formed of interlocking inlay of conductive metals. Artificer enchantment, or at least, what they practiced of it, was the art of constructing devices to harness and use energy. The Iron Wizards seemed to combine the two arts in a fashion that produced results more powerful than either form of magic could do separately.
“Oh, yes,” Aldolphus said. “What you may not realize is that combining most other forms of magic, including other schools of runic magic, is inherently unstable. None of our wizards dabble in other forms, beyond knowing enough to recognize them, of course.”
Christoffer felt a spurt of frustration at that. What good was it to have wizards about if they didn't know what he needed? “Well, that makes sense, I suppose, but I wonder if you have any experts who might be able to study my blade, to see what they can tell me of its properties.” He gave a slight smile, “as I remember, Wizard Captain Guntor was useful in confirming its identity.”
Christoffer definitely didn't miss Aldolphus's change of expression. There was distaste and even a bit of... fear? “Well, my Lord, I can't say what Guntor might know on the subject, but I can speak well enough for the rest of the Iron Wizards in that we would be of little direct use.”
Christoffer could recognize a dismissal when he heard one. Whatever bad blood lay between Guntor and the Master Wizard, it was clearly powerful enough that Aldolphus was willing to risk offending the new Grand Duke rather than offering to help.
“Well,” Christoffer said, “How about that tour?”
***
“This is one of the work floors,” Aldolphus said as they strode into a large workshop. Overall, the Iron Wizard's guild hall's exterior looked much like the Citadel. Christoffer wasn't certain if that was a conscious or unconscious similarity on the part of the wizard's guild. Either one would provide him with some insight into their psyche. Either they sought to emulate or perhaps replace the appearance of the political authority of the Duchy or else they had fortified themselves from the outside world in order to protect themselves and their secrets.
The interior, however, was much different. Whereas the Citadel had a variety of living quarters, meeting rooms, shrines, and storerooms, the Iron Wizards' Guild Hall seemed to have room after room dedicated to workshops. In addition, the guild hall lay astride a number of aqueducts and Adolphus had already shown him how a number of artisan runes gathered much of the power flow from that water. What they haven't shown me is where it all goes, he thought. He was smart enough to realize that only a large fraction must go to the weapons and device they made for sale. Something must be left over... and even with his most basic estimates, that meant they had a vast store of power... somewhere.
The very fact that Aldolphus had shown him that much suggested the Master Wizard wasn't quite as adept at manipulation as he thought he was... or that he had underestimated Christoffer's intelligence by a significant margin.
Either way, it was something he filed away for consideration. From the way that Siara had jotted down notes, he suspected his bride to be had also picked up on the discrepancy.
Christoffer looked around the large workshop and he noted that while several rows of benches were heavily crowded, others were almost empty. “Why the crowding in some areas and not others?”
Aldolphus's expression shifted and Christoffer didn't miss the nervousness in the other man's voice, “Well, my Lord, each senior wizard has a number of apprentices that works under him. Some have more than others... as you can see.”
“Are some less popular than others?” Christoffer asked lightly as he strode around the edge of the workshop. Most of the apprentice wizards were at work, their work spaces cluttered with pieces and bits, most of them too occupied to even look up. Christoffer noted one young man, however, who paused in his efforts and made eye contact. Was it just Christoffer's imagination, or did he see something like hope lighten the young wizard's face?
“Ah,” Aldolphus said with a smirk, “you jest, my Lord. The senior wizards select those they wish to serve them.”
“Then why are some of the benches empty?” Christoffer asked and turned to make eye contact with the Master Wizard. “From what you have told me so far, your guild can barely keep up with the work you have, to the point that you've turned down a number of lucrative offers. Surely senior wizards would be recruiting heavily... from one another if not from outside.”
Aldolphus coughed, “My Lord... poaching is not considered gentlemanly, and it is not as if one senior wizard has much to offer over another.”
“Truly?” Christoffer asked, loud enough that he saw several of the junior wizards nearby pause in their efforts to listen. “You yourself told me that advancement is often a measure of who you know as much as what... surely a senior wizard who has fewer apprentices might offer faster advancement to those juniors who sign on with him?”
“That is not how things work here,” Aldolphus said flatly. “The Iron Wizards as a whole select advancement as a proper measure, given the wisdom and knowledge of the wizard in question.” His voice, too, was set to carry. Yet the very fact that he had stated the opposite in private told Christoffer all that he needed to know. It seemed the Iron Wizards did not hold with advancement based upon merit... and that their double standards went beyond discrimination over whether someone was mageborn or not.
“If you say so,” Christoffer said. He pointed at the bench of the young wizard who had looked up first. “Tell me, young man, what is it you do?”
Aldolphus opened his mouth, as if to protest, but the young wizard spoke up, “My Lord, I assemble hand casters for Senior Wizard Tult.” He gestured at his work bench, “Apprentices craft the individual components and I craft the final product.” When the Master Wizard cleared his throat behind Christoffer, the younger wizard added, “Senior Wizard Tult evaluates my final product and judges them acceptable.”
“Or not, as the case may be,” Master Wizard Aldolphus interjected. “Junior Wizard Mondragon still has a long way to go before his work is unsupervised, though his name has come up as a prospect for learning some of the more complex measures of our craft.”
Christoffer didn't miss the frown on Mondragon's face... or the way his fists clenched behind his workbench, where the Master Wizard couldn't see. Clearly things are not nearly as uniform as Aldolphus would wish me to believe, he thought.
Christoffer turned and saw Siara give him a slight nod, she had taken note of it as well. He would have her to contact the young man, perhaps they might learn a bit more than the Master Wizard intended.
“Now, then,” Master Wizard Aldolphus said, “on the next level, we have some of our experimentation workshops. I'd like to introduce you to Master Wizard Treggar. He is the developer of wizard's shot, you know...”
***
“What do you think
?” Christoffer asked as he and Siara finished going over her notes the next day. He had tried to find time the previous evening, but military planning and a last minute meeting with several of the western nobles had taken up the free time on his schedule.
Well, he flushed a bit, not all of the free time, but that bit was put to good use as well. He had never expected Siara to make him feel as youthful as she did. He was certain that most of the other nobles must think him a befuddled man... but he could admit that Siara's youthful enthusiasm had given him some measure of his youth back in return. Starborn that he was, he hadn't felt so young in cycles.
“I think they're hiding a good deal, my Lord,” Siara said. “By my best estimates, based on the efficiency that he bragged of... they're storing something on the effect of thirty percent of the power from those aqueducts... and maybe closer to fifty percent on the forges.”
Christoffer nodded as he considered that. The forges by themselves were of less concern, the Iron Wizards operated them to smelter their conductive metals into as pure of form as they could manage for casting as runes as well as for crafting gems and crystals for use by their artificers.
The Iron Wizards captured the waste heat from those forges and put that power.... somewhere. It wasn't a constant stream of power, they only operated the forges on certain days of the week.
The aqueducts, on the other hand, was a constant flow, ones which the Iron Wizards tapped into throughout the day. From what Christoffer could guess and from Siara's calculations, that was more than enough to arm half the Boir Ducal Navy with heavy casters and wizard's shot, with plenty to spare.
And that only in a year, he thought, who knows how long they've been storing power, no one the wiser. During the Iron Council Crisis, the Iron Wizards had seized political power, deposing the nobility and attempting to rule through use of their weapons... what if the current crop of senior wizards had something similar planned?
