After smiling politely for several moments, Councilor Suyrien set down the goblet, left the toasting table, and rejoined several other High Holders to the side of the table.
Master Dichartyn eased through the crowd toward me.
I waited, smiling.
“Much less eventful than the last Ball,” he observed. “I saw that you asked Madame D’Shendael to dance.”
“As was requested, sir.”
“And?”
“She hinted that my options were rather limited. It was kind of her. She also expressed indirect appreciation for my concerns about her family.”
“That was all?”
“That was all.” It was far more notice than I had received from other High Holders, except, of course, Iryela.
“Interesting.” He smiled and slipped away.
I didn’t feel like dancing, and I went to one of the sideboards, where I took a goblet of Grisio. Since I was not an expert on vintages, I did take the precaution of using a testing strip and imaging a drop of the wine onto it. The strip showed no poison.
A quint passed as I sipped the Grisio, slowly, and watched the dancers, and those moving to and from the sideboards. Then it was time to claim my second dance with Iryela.
She saw me coming and eased away from Alynat-and her parents-meeting me on the edge of the dance floor.
“Might I?” I asked, inclining my head politely.
“You might, especially since you are so kind as to heed my request.” She eased into my arms.
As good a dancer as she was, she didn’t compare to Seliora, and I wished that I could have been dancing with Seliora, necessary as the dance with Iryela was.
“Alynat seems less than thrilled.”
“We are polite to each other, as cousins must be.”
“It might be that he was required to attend,” I suggested. “Or perhaps he would rather be racing his trap through the night.”
“Never the night, Rhennthyl. Who would see him? These days, he prefers showing such speed on the road from the estate to the Plaza D’Nord-generally in midweek around midday.”
“Will he attempt such with a sled after the turn of winter, or will he do that at Ryealte?”
“He will have to give that up for the winter. The ice in the north is far too hard on the horses. Even Alynat can occasionally be made to understand that there are some challenges that are less than useful or worthwhile.”
“That’s a lesson Johanyr never learned,” I said dryly.
“There are always those who do not know which challenges to take and which to avoid.”
Her casual dismissal of her elder brother, cruel bastard that he was, still bothered me, and suggested . . . something. “And you?”
“I’m a woman, Rhennthyl. Women do not have such choices. We must live by the results of the choices of others.”
“If you did, I would suspect you would choose wisely.”
“You are too kind.” Her words were dry.
“Merely truthful as I see it.” I smiled politely. “Will you return to the main holding for the Year-Turn?”
“Only a few days before the end of Finitas. Ryealte is rather boring in a grand fashion. We all-excepting Mother-prefer L’Excelsis.” She arched a single eyebrow. “Where else could one dance in perfect safety with a notorious imager?”
“Notorious? I fear that you vastly overesteem me, mistress.”
“Iryela, please. How could I possibly do that, Rhennthyl, when I am but viewing you as my sire does?”
“And your brother?”
“He has said nothing.”
“I suppose your sire will do much entertaining before the Year-Turn.”
She laughed archly. “Well before that. Two weeks from now is the Foliage Festival, and of course there is a full week of dinners at the end of the month before we leave for Ryealte, one after another . . . every night. And once we return to L’Excelsis, the winter season begins. I shall see you at the Winter Ball, I trust.”
“We shall see, shall we not?”
“So we shall.”
“What is the Foliage Festival?”
“That is what my sire terms it. He has his . . . whims. He and Dulyk and those he invites will climb the tower and see whose tree in the garden has the most leaves remaining. He assigns the trees by lot before the guests arrive. The winner sits to his right at dinner.”
“Then he must be inviting lesser High Holders, not that all are not such.”
Iryela gave a trace of a nod, so slight I would not have seen it had I not been watching.
“And you, will you have a tree?”
“My dear Rhennthyl.” She smothered a laugh behind a bright smile.
I had thought I knew the answer, but I wanted to make sure. “Your gardens must have hardy trees, or is he choosing evergreens?”
“There are always a few leaves, well past Year-Turn. His guests are always pleased to be honored to share ancient vintages with him on the tower. Except for that day, the tower is for family alone.”
“You are allowed on the tower?”
“Not when other High Holders are present, but at other times. The view to the west is rather spectacular, especially at sunset, and just before, although one can see nothing in the gardens because the sky is so bright.”
“Often the light of the rising and setting sun obscures matters, although the poets claim both clarify.”
“What do the artists think?”
“Each artist has his own vision. Which is true? Who knows?” At that point, I could see Alynat sliding between the dancers toward us.
“Your cousin approaches, and I thank you for the dance, Iryela.” I inclined my head.
“And I you. I look forward to seeing you at the Winter Ball. I trust I will not see you before then.”
“It’s rather unlikely.” I stepped back and nodded to Alynat. “The lady is yours for the dance.”
He actually froze for a second, then took Iryela’s hand and swung her back into the flow of dancers.
I smiled as I eased my way back toward the sideboard where I saw Master Dichartyn standing.
“Good evening, sir. You will note that I have followed every formality.”
“You have, and you could not have made Ryel more determined to destroy you had you planned it,” offered Master Dichartyn.
“No,” I replied. “He had already determined that.” His comment about Rousel had made that clear, because he could not have known had he not been involved. “Nothing I did Tonight would change that. Groveling would only have gained contempt.”
“Are you now a High Holder?” The gentleness of his voice only intensified the sarcasm.
“No, sir. I am an imager. I will always be one.”
Surprisingly, he only nodded. “The duty coaches will be outside waiting at a quint past midnight. We should observe as the guests leave.”
I followed him toward the archway that opened onto the open area at the top of the grand staircase. I could see that as many as a third of the guests had already slipped away.
42
Samedi would have been a good morning to sleep in, what with the chill and the wind gusts that splattered icy rain against my windows, but I didn’t. By the time I’d finished breakfast and was on my way to the studio for Master Rholyn’s sitting, the clouds had blown over, leaving a chill and pale sky, and the wind had gotten even stronger and colder. I was grateful for being able to sit at the masters’ table, because I’d been alone, with no one to ask me about the Ball.
I’d glanced through Veritum, after seeing headlines that had proclaimed a Jariolan victory. The Jariolans had taken advantage of a severe early winter storm to launch a counterattack that resulted in the destruction of more than forty Ferran landcruisers and more than four thousand Ferran casualties. Unless I missed my guess, over the winter those losses would become greater because the Ferran machinery wasn’t up to the Cloiseran winters. I put aside the new-sheet after I entered the studio and loaded and stoked the stove,
then set to work.
Master Rholyn arrived almost a quint before eighth glass, but I was ready for him, since I’d been working on some touches to his waistcoat.
“Good morning, Rhenn. Yesterday’s hearing was rather interesting.”
“I wouldn’t know, sir. I spent most of my time in the witness chamber. They let me hear the verdict, and that was all, except for when I was testifying.”
“I’m not sure Dichartyn was all that enthused about having a public hearing with a renegade imager. He does prefer a quieter resolution of such matters.” Rholyn moved to the crate and took his position. “I thought that the total intransigence of the taudischef provided an important illustration, especially to those in the Collegium who don’t have to deal with people like that. Too many imagers think that the world outside Imagisle is a reasonable place, and that there’s always a solution that doesn’t hurt too many people. Most people aren’t reasonable, and every solution hurts someone.”
“Many aren’t reasonable, I’ve discovered.” I wasn’t certain I thought that of most people, but it seemed to be more true of those with power.
“The fellow had such imaging ability. Such a waste. Yet . . . so few of the ones from the taudis actually are able to become successful imagers. You saw that with the one . . . Diazt, was that his name?”
“Diazt came out of the hellhole, and that’s one of the worst, I understand. Still, I’m hopeful for young Shault.”
“Ah . . . yes. The dark-haired one. He works hard, Ghaend says. But then, he’s younger than those few we usually get from the taudis.” Rholyn tilted his head. “How did we come by him so young? You were the receiving master for him, weren’t you?”
“I was. I had the duty. His uncle brought him in.”
“For the golds, I imagine?”
“He didn’t turn them down, but I had the feeling that the man was actually trying to do what was best for the boy. His mother has visited, and I’m fairly sure that Shault is giving much of his earnings to her.”
“Dichartyn says that he looks up to you.”
“I don’t know why, but I’ve tried to be supportive.”
“You settle him down, Ghaend said. After the hearing yesterday morning, he was very upset, but he was calm that afternoon. Ghaend asked him, and young Shault would only say that you explained things to him.”
“I tried. I wasn’t sure I was successful, but I’m glad to hear that he settled down.” I looked at him closely. “If you’d turn your head just a touch away from me . . . there. That’s good.”
After that, I just painted, and Rholyn didn’t say much more, or ask any questions. As he gathered his cloak and prepared to leave, he did ask, “How many more sittings, do you think?”
“Not more than two. If things go well next week, it could be the last.”
“Good. No offense, but . . .”
“Yes, sir. I know. It takes time.”
He smiled politely, nodded, and departed.
I continued to work on his portrait until close to noon, when I hurried over to the dining hall. Maitres Dyana, Chassendri, and Ferlyn were all there, beckoning to me.
“How was the Ball?” asked Ferlyn, even before I slipped into the seat beside Maitre Dyana. “I saw you leaving the Collegium last night. Rather splendid, you looked.”
I smiled and glanced at Maitre Dyana, who was wearing, as usual, a brilliant scarf, this one of purple, edged in pink. “The red or the white?”
“White. It is midday.” A faint smile lingered on her lips.
I poured us each a half goblet from the carafe, then let her hand the carafe to Chassendri. “Do you think we’ll see an early snow?”
Ferlyn snorted. “Now you sound like Maitre Poincaryt. That’s what he does when he doesn’t want to answer a question.”
“Does he?” I kept my voice innocent.
Ferlyn shook his head, then said to Chassendri in a lower voice, “All of the security types are the same. They just tell you what they want you to know.”
He was right, but I’d come to see why. I grinned. “It was a quiet evening as such events go. There were scores of people dressed far more impressively than I was. There were no accidents and no explosions, and only a few young ladies needing dance partners when they’d been inadvertently left standing alone.”
“See what I mean.”
I laughed. “I can’t tell you what didn’t happen.”
Ferlyn snorted, but poured red wine for himself and white for Chassendri. “We will have an early snow, but not this weekend.”
“I’m so glad to hear that,” replied Maitre Dyana sweetly.
At that point, the cutlets arrived, with a light brown sauce, followed by roasted potatoes and a steamed cabbage. The cabbage was sweet, as it only was in autumn, and the dessert wasn’t bad, a rather plain cake drizzled with congealed heavy blueberry syrup.
For the rest of lunch, conversation centered on the latest events from Cloisera. In one way or another, they all expressed the idea that the Ferran attack on Jariola so late in the year had been unwise. There was such unanimity that I wondered if I might have been mistaken, because unanimous opinions, I’d begun to believe, were usually in error.
After lunch I made my way to the Bridge of Hopes. This Samedi, Shomyr did escort Seliora, but he stayed only long enough to see that I met her before he departed.
I found myself embracing Seliora tightly in the middle of the bridge, my arms almost pinning her inside the heavy black wool cloak.
“Are you all right, Rhenn?”
“I’m glad to see you.” I slowly released her, then kissed her gently on the cheek.
“What’s happened?”
“I’ll tell you, but not in the middle of the bridge.”
We walked off the bridge and to one of the stone benches where I’d waited so often the previous spring. I stopped by the bench, gesturing, then stopping. “It’s wet.”
“I can stand. Tell me what happened.” She took my hands in hers, and it was as though warmth flowed from her and released a chill I had not even known had encased me.
I turned to face her. “The patrol rounds on Lundi were all right, but that night I went to deal with Mardoyt-”
“The Patrol lieutenant Grandmama warned you about?”
“The same one . . .” I explained all that had happened before and what I had done. “Then, on Mardi night, Master Dichartyn called me in. He told me that he’d been asked to talk to the Patrol subcommander. He wanted to know why I’d tried to kill Mardoyt. I denied trying to kill him, because that wasn’t what I’d had in mind. . . .”
Seliora’s mouth opened. “How did any of them know unless . . .”
“Exactly. The subcommander, Mardoyt, and Harraf-and Youdh-all had to know-”
“Youdh? The taudischef?”
“He’s an imager. Or he was.” I had to explain how that had developed. I ended with what kept coming up. “Except for Youdh being an imager, there’s no real proof of anything.”
“That’s why Grandmama has held on to her contacts. By the time there’s proof, too often it’s too late. The innocent are destroyed, and the lower-level evil ones are caught, but the people who are responsible walk away untouched.”
“Speaking of those who are responsible . . . that was just the beginning. That same night, I walked over to the dining hall after dealing with Master Dichartyn. There was an urgent message from Khethila in my letter box. Rousel was badly injured in a wagon accident in Kherseilles. My parents had already left with Culthyn by the time I got the note. I went to see Khethila immediately, but she hadn’t heard more.”
“That’s not a coincidence.”
“No. I’ll explain that in a moment. On Meredi . . . I’ve told you about Youdh’s attack and the hearing. Vendrei was the Autumn Ball . . .” I didn’t go into full details about what Iryela had said-or what she had implied-but I did mention Ryel’s words about Rousel’s accident.
“He wants you to know that he’ll destroy your entire family.
” Her eyes did not so much flash as smolder with solidified rage. “He wants to grind it into you.”
That was all too possible.
“Do you think she’s suggesting that marrying her would end this feud by her father?”
“That doesn’t feel quite right,” I admitted. “There’s something else there. She has her own schemes.”
“She could be throwing you up at them so that she can have a say in choosing a husband.”
“That could be. Or it could be something else.”
“I wouldn’t trust a word she says. These High Holders play with people like they were dealing plaques.” Seliora looked at me. “What do you need from me? From us?”
“I’ll need to borrow the mare, possibly several times over the next two weeks. Also, I’d like for both of us to stop by the factorage after I spend a glass or so painting you. . . .”
“You can still paint with all this . . . ?”
“I need to do that.” And I did. I wanted to finish her portrait. If things didn’t go right, and well they might not, she deserved that, cold comfort as it might be.
She tightened her fingers around mine, and we just stood in the chill, silently, for a time.
Finally, I took her arm, and we began to walk. “I do want to finish your portrait, and it’s not getting done out here.”
“I don’t want just a portrait.”
I knew what she meant. “I want more than that, too, but I’m not going to let things slide because of corrupt Patrol officers and vengeful High Holders. Besides, I do have plans.”
“I never doubted that. Will you tell me?”
I shook my head. “I can’t. I haven’t worked out everything yet.” I still had trouble with the full implications of Ryel’s feud, and the fact that I might well have to deal with not just Ryel, but Dulyk and Alynat as well. Just because I’d partly blinded Johanyr, I was facing either losing my family or ruining another?
“You will tell me?”
“Yes.” And I would.
We walked more quickly toward the studio. North of the center of the quadrangle, we passed two seconds headed toward their quarters. One was Vanjhant, the blond and chubby imager who’d been a witness at the ill-fated Floryn’s hearing the previous spring.
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