by Guy Antibes
“Well, healing takes years to master. I’d hardly call myself a healer. Teleportation is something I excelled at and I hope that the great Panix Gavid,” Tellus gave Panix a nod, “can teach me more.”
A smile crossed Panix’s face. “Teleportation includes Levitation. Moshin and I consulted with Corlee, my sister. Tellus is more powerful than your average wizard. Harlan and I used Levitation in our travels, as you all know. I’ve never learned Teleportation or healing so it rounds us up a bit. Experience, Technology and Magic. I think our team is pretty strong. We have some cleaning out to do, so we’ll spend the next week making this place our own.”
“Tellus, did you get a certificate in magical housework?” Sovad said. “I think we’ll all be qualified when we get this place habitable.”
They all laughed. Panix felt pretty good about the start.
Two weeks later Panix looked down at the drawings of the house along with the four others in his group. Secret passages were shown with dotted lines. Panix thought they were fortunate no injuries resulted from decommissioning all of the booby traps and deadfalls the Murgontians had installed.
“We need to change these all around and brick in certain other passages.” He held a red pencil. “First of all let’s assign people and functions to all of the rooms.” He took cards from his pocket with names already written in.
“I’m going to live here. It’s an option for all of you. This place is big enough to accommodate all of us with private rooms and offices and still only use a fraction of the space, but I intend to grow the unit.”
“I refuse to live here,” Lorna said as she entered the room, “since I’m the only woman.”
All heads swiveled to Lorna.
“This time the Marquessa and I had a falling out. The Marquessa felt that absence might make the heart grow fonder. She reluctantly agreed that field work would be better than my being Pronat’s secretary.” She gave them all a sour look. “I used magical transport in Gerrel to get here this morning. If you’ll have me, I’d like to join your team.”
“You were the only woman when you lived with your father and so you will be here,” Panix said. His heart lightened when he saw her, but he knew her presence might be a distraction from their work. Evidently Lorna didn’t want to do administrative work.
“Easy for you to say. I lived with my father, not five un-related men.” She did crack a smile and that helped Panix relax at her sudden appearance.
“You can have your own wing if you’d like, Lorna.” Panix suggested, not knowing where this conversation was headed.
“But then I’d be even more alone.” She folded her arms and stood defiantly.
“We can hire some servants. We’ll need people to keep the place clean anyway. They can all be women for all I care.”
“Men.” Lorna just stood, with her hands on her hips.
She was holding them all at a distance. Panix thought that her argument must have re-opened all of her old feelings about her inadequacy.
He thought for a minute. “We can arrange for you to live elsewhere. It really is no problem. There are inns and residences within walking or riding distance.”
Lorna looked at him and crossed her arms. “My thoughts exactly. Now what are you working on?” That seemed to slightly mollify her attitude.
The team, now six in strength, pored over the plans. Lorna contributed with her experience as the head of Foald Baltac’s house, but always her participation had an edge, Panix thought. How could she get so prickly so soon? It would be suicide to try and find out.
“That’s enough for now. I’ll leave these plans on the table along with the labels. Feel free to move them around,” Panix said. Lorna nodded to the men and left.
Panix walked to the window to see Lorna entering the coach that must have brought her to the mansion.
Moshin stayed around. “It appears that your relationship with the lovely Lorna is a bit more complicated than previously thought?”
“I didn’t think we really had a relationship. But then, perhaps it’s not me.” Panix still looked out the window.
“I know you like her. Have you really done anything together? I mean by yourselves without anyone else?” Moshin picked up a card and wrote Lorna’s name on it.
“I don’t know. My time with Lorna has always been during times of stress. I enjoyed working with her in Gerell.” Panix shrugged.
“People are funny beings. It’s not always what you do or what you don’t do. Sometimes relationships take a lot of different things to make them work and it’s always difficult, truth be told.” Moshin picked up his own name from the drawings and played with the card. “We’re all a collection of misfits. Even Harlan and you.”
“Me?”
“Panix, you don’t want me to recite all of the issues you deal with.” Moshin glanced at the sideboard behind Panix. Rennis Gavid’s picture glanced back.
“So? Isn’t that what the KII wants?” Panix was lost in this conversation.
“Unfortunately you weren’t at Military College long enough to learn about managing the troops and keeping morale up.”
“Morale? Is this a question of morale? I’ve been listening to everybody before I make a decision.” Panix felt like attacked by Moshin. First Lorna and her father, and now Moshin chided him for trying his best. He let his anger build.
“That’s it, Panix. Before you make a decision, don’t do it. Delegate some of the decision making to others. We are a group of some very strange people. All of us will need to make choices out in the field. It’s not like we are cutouts from the same batch of cookies. The KII thinks that’s how operations should be run. Everybody has the same skills and the same viewpoints, but I disagree. Everybody is an individual and we all like to be treated differently and we all will want a rather long leash. We have a great group that will do great things, but we need a great leader, and you’re still a leader in training. Think about it.” Moshin walked out of the room leaving Panix leaning over the plans.
The cards began to shake. His eyes widened at the involuntary exercise of magic. Was he that angry? Could he be so thin-skinned? He centered himself and walked back to the window with his arms folded. Perhaps he didn’t know how to lead and he certainly had no clue how to deal with Lorna. If they developed a relationship, he wouldn’t want it ending like it did with Merra. Could his own style be at fault, like a bad attitude? If so, he’d have to change since he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
He shook his head. Maybe he was just too young for all this. Moshin might be better or even Sovad. No, not Sovad.
~
Uven Kyrod entered the office of Kliffid Wilton, the High Councilor.
“Did you withdraw our diplomats?” Uven said as he sat down. He took a small model of a steam engine from the Wilton’s desk and turned the wheel, moving the piston.
“Yes, they moved out a month ago. I had to use our magicians to send them a message.” Kliffid screwed up his face. “Sovad knew too many of those people and might have them under his personal control if we left them there. We wanted him executed by the Gerellians.”
“Then why don’t we do it instead?”
“In Mella?” Kliffid leaned towards Uven. “Do you still have someone there?”
“Of course. Remember I have an operation going on,” Uven said while Kliffid put the model back. “We’ll have Kevox keep his eyes open. Knowing Sovad, he won’t be staying at our embassy, but he’ll slip up sooner or later. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Yes, please do. Is this something we need the cabinet for?”
“No. If Pokkan were still alive, we’d invite him, but since you haven’t replaced him yet. Let’s just keep the efforts to end Sovad’s life between ourselves for a while.”
“So, Uven, what’s the latest with your operation?”
“You know that Mella has had a few companies copying our steam engine technology? One’s just started up that is developing a steam tractor.”
“It�
��s bad enough that Pent modifies our designs,” Wilton said.
“Precisely. I have a cell in place to sabotage the Mellan output. Kevox has already assassinated the original owner of the company, but there’s a group now running the thing and if we can get the company discredited, they will be out of business. You know the Korvannan government won’t subsidize steam power if there are magicians to do the job.”
“Yes, their magicians guild doesn’t want to lose their floater franchise.”
“Don’t forget they’ve got agricultural magicians, as well.” Uven steepled his hands with his elbows resting on the arms of the chair and smiled. “Kevox has a little magical talent so we can send messages back and forth. I’ll tell him to keep an eye out for his old mentor and kill him, when he has the chance.”
“Speaking of Mustaks, what about his son?”
“Couldn’t have him in my organization. He’s now an aide to Colonel Reggor, one of Crissor’s flunkies.”
Wilton nodded. “I’m glad you shared your information, Uven. I hope there’s nothing else significant you’ve failed to tell me about.” He made sure he put sufficient menace behind his warning. “In any event, keep me apprised. I agree that we keep it between us at present.” He sat back in his ornate chair and their conversation moved on to other matters.
~~~
Chapter 30
“I like your beard, Sovad,” Lorna said as they moved office supplies to various offices, now that their furniture had arrived.
“You’re the only one who does. I know winters in Mella aren’t as cold as Pent, but there might be assassins about. Beards are cheap disguises.”
“Well, don’t let them make you shave it off. I think you look distinguished.” She put a box of paper, pen and ink and clips on Panix’s desk. She ran her hand along its shiny surface.
“So what’s your problem with Panix? I thought you two shared a budding relationship.” Sovad sat down in Panix’s chair.
“It’s complicated as most things are and I don’t really want to talk about it. I see you’re not living in the mansion either. Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” Lorna sat in a visitor’s chair, looking around the office trying to get a feel for Panix working here.
“I learned long ago that if you’re in danger, the best thing is to move around. You just about didn’t catch me in Gerell. If you waited another day, I’d have been gone or moved, although I did like it there.”
“You liked the butcher’s wife,” Lorna snorted.
Sovad shrugged his shoulders. “Everything turned out for the best. She recovered from the wound you gave her and received clemency along with her husband. That was part of my deal and here I am, hundreds of leagues away from Murgontia where my head wouldn’t stay on my neck for very long.”
“You’re still comfortable working for Panix?” Lorna found herself very interested in the answer.
“As much as I’m comfortable working for anyone. That boy has so much talent and is so smart. He’s one of the few who actually listened to my pitch on making products appealing to customers. If my contacts in Murgontia did, they’d be selling ten times as many steam cars outside of the country. They know best and that’s that despite what the buyers think. In Murgontia, they can get away with it because the bureaucracy owns the people in total. There are no choices. The government makes the steam cars the way the government wants to.”
“Is Murgontia that dismal?” Lorna’s knowledge of the internal Murgontia was anecdotal.
“Oh yes. Murgontia was in the dark at the time of the Awakening, just like Pent, except the people had just revolted against a very bad string of monarchs. So as the rest of the world awakened, we pulled the covers over our heads and looked inward. We really have ever since. The bureaucracy had the opportunity to entrench itself in Murgontia before the rest of the world knew what to do with their magic and it has stayed the same ever since. Steam power has a chance of changing that, but Murgontia will have to realize it can’t dictate to the world. They would like to, but they just don’t have the power.”
“What about this electricity thing, I’ve heard about,” Lorna said.
“That? It’s just a pipe dream. Personally, I don’t think bottling up lightning so your hair can stand on end has any promise.”
~
The team stood over the plans to the mansion yet again when a letter popped onto a messaging coin. Panix installed a long table and embedded eight messaging coins in the table at equal distances. Sovad suggested the idea to create a central spot to receive messages.
“It’s from Melton Vexment at the KII.” Moshin said as he undid the seal and read the letter to the group. “More sabotage at a new steam engine company. They are developing engines that eliminate horses to plow ground. Two farm implement companies are working with them to develop something they call ‘tractors’.” Moshin said.
“Won’t that put ag-wizards out of work?” Lorna asked.
“I don’t think so,” Tellus said. “Magicians don’t do the plowing. They follow behind and put in viable seeds.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a machine to do that too,” Lorna said. “We are entering a new age where magic won’t be quite as important. That’s the way it is in Pent. Right, Panix?”
“Everything is changing. What we do with magic will change. Where it makes sense to continue to use magic, it will continue,” Panix said. “The difference is an opportunity for people to do more things without magic. Magic will become even more of a specialty than it is now. At Baltac’s it already has started. I think the change is a good thing.” Panix looked down at the map seeing surprise on Lorna’s face. He put it down to her thinking he would contradict her.
“Back to this sabotage,” Harlan said. “Why do they suspect it?”
“One day their steam engines are working, the next they are breaking down or blowing up.” Moshin looked at Panix. “Perhaps this should be our first task.”
“Makes no sense,” Harlan said. “If something’s been tested, then if there isn’t extraordinary stress introduced, the machinery should operate… for a while anyway.” He grinned at them until he looked at Panix.
Panix stood in silence with his fists clenched in frustration. He wanted to find out who had assassinated his father. His interest now turned to an even more powerful obsession now that he lived in Mella. But the trail couldn’t get much colder than it was now. He wouldn’t let Moshin stop him, but he still had to bow to the wishes of the KII.
~
Harlan lifted up a metal piece that looked like someone made a flower out of brass. “This valve controls the pressure. If it’s stuck, the pressure vessel has no relief.”
The team looked over the parts laid out on tables in a shed at the factory. The parts failed on the last three engines before production came to a halt. None of the steam engines made it out of testing.
“And this one over here failed due to a weakened pressure coil. It’s related to the valve. Only one of the two needs to fail. Both will destroy the engine.” Panix lifted a burst coil. “They aren’t using magic to build these, yet this coil has been tampered with by a wizard. What about that valve?”
Harlan said,”I don’t know. Take a look.” He tossed it over to Tellus.
“Same thing.”
“So we have magicians sabotaging something that might put them out of work,” Lorna said. “Could it be the magician’s guild?”
“Maybe, but I’m not so sure about this. The way this was done doesn’t make sense. A magician wouldn’t know what parts to sabotage. They would probably just weaken the pressure vessel.
“What about Murgontia?” Sovad asked. “They have to feel threatened by this factory. They’re not above a bit of sabotage.”
“How would they do that, Sovad?” Panix said. He felt a tingle of excitement as each member of the team was contributing. This was better and more like how he imagined the team to work.
“Uven would set up a cell. That’s a small group of people workin
g on their own. Magicians would be recruited. But if these magicians acted to make the problems seem like manufacturing problems, they’d probably be working for the factory so it’s just a matter of finding the weaknesses of the magicians and trick them into joining the cell, or paying them a lot of money.”
“Would they trick someone?” Lorna said.
“If it works. Think of Baston Blox. He thought he was going to rule Pent. His mistress…” Sovad looked at Panix, who nodded his head to go on. “His mistress probably liked the power and the attention she got from Baston. Baston’s cousin was in it for the money, probably. So three people, each with their own motivation, actively are working for Murgontia but none of them from Murgontia.”
“How do we find them, Moshin?” Panix realized his mentor was silent, thinking about the problem.
“We put someone in the factory once it begins to make engines again to keep an eye out. We’ll want to catch them in the act.”
“Who would we put at such risk?” Tellus asked.
“Someone who doesn’t have any magical ability. They’d be able to spot Panix and Tellus because of their power and Sovad and Moshin are probably too old to be a common laborer. I guess that leaves Harlan or me.” Lorna got up. “I’d like to volunteer. I want to do more than distribute office supplies and you’ve probably all forgotten that I have an engineering degree.”
“But Harlan already knows how steam engines work,” Moshin said.
“He knows too much and people might suspect him. I know more than a bit about the steam engines and can do menial work so no one will notice me,” Lorna said.
Panix realized Lorna had a good point. Although Panix wanted to make the decisions for his team, perhaps it was time to let them do some decision-making on their own.
~
“You’ll have to wear something of a bit less quality, Miss,” the factory manager said. “We’ll have you work as a polisher. That’s what most of the women do around here. That gives you a chance to be anywhere around the engines.”
Lorna looked around the manager’s office. The furniture lacked quality and looked shoddily constructed. Her father’s works put this little plant to shame. She chided herself for judging circumstances she didn’t really understand and stood up a bit straighter, ready to do her job.
