Breaking Bard (Guardians of Terath Book 3)

by Zen DiPietro

  Her eyes went to the painting on the wall, which depicted a striped picnic blanket haphazardly thrown across a grassy patch. Several pieces of fruit tumbled from a round white plate. Kassimeigh had always liked that painting. It made her wonder why the fruit had fallen over and where the picnickers had gone.

  Élan’s eyes skipped over to the lamp, which wasn’t a mass-produced one, but made by an artisan who had hand-lasered flower designs into synthetic glass.

  Since those were the only two noteworthy items in the room, Élan’s perusal did not take much time. She joined Kassimeigh at the long, narrow table. The straight-backed chairs were as uncomfortable as they looked, but Élan didn’t complain.

  “You’ve been well?” Kassimeigh asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Have you had any troubles since going public? Anyone bothering you?”

  “No. I’m keeping a fairly low profile until the newness wears off. The chatter on the comm seems to be relenting, so I’ll start venturing out more, seeing how it goes.”

  “Let me know if you have any issues. I know a person or two in the security business.” Kassimeigh smiled.

  Élan laughed. “Yes, you certainly do. Thank you.” She glanced toward the doorway. “Is it okay to talk here?”

  “Yes. No one here but us shivs.”

  “You’re funny today.”

  “I’m always funny. I just don’t always let it out. I have an image to maintain, you know.”

  Élan said, “I have a name for you. Ainsley Fields. He’s the one that gave Kett the sparkle. Free. I haven’t found any evidence that indicates Kett is involved in anything more than being friends with Fields. But if I learn differently, I’ll let you know.”

  “Ainsley Fields,” Kassimeigh repeated. She didn’t know the name, but there was no reason she should. “Who is he?”

  “A professor at Western University.”

  “That’s a school for literature and art history, right?”

  “Yes. Coco told me that Fields was a professor of Kett’s, and they’ve stayed friendly.”

  “Hm. I’ll investigate him. Anything else?”

  Élan shook her head. “I feel bad, making you come all the way here just for a name. Would it have been dangerous to say it over the comm?”

  “Probably not. But I can’t be sure that whoever is involved doesn’t have some sort of surveillance on the comm.”

  “That’s possible?” Élan looked horrified.

  “Only for the best hackers. Nothing is ever one hundred percent secure. But since I have no idea who we’re dealing with, I don’t want to take any chances. Flying here isn’t a big deal, even if it’s just for a name.”

  “All right then. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything else, but I might have found out all I can from Kett.”

  “Keep up your acquaintance with him if you can,” Kassimeigh advised. “Just in case it comes in useful.”

  “He and Coco are dating, so I don’t think that will be a problem.”

  “That’s convenient, I suppose.”

  “Unless Kett is more involved in things than he’s letting on,” Élan countered.

  “That would be unfortunate for your friend but fortunate for my investigation. You might want to caution her against getting very involved, until we know for sure.”

  Élan shook her head ruefully. “No use trying to tell Coco to do anything. Though she’s not at all shy about telling someone else what to do.” Her brow furrowed suddenly and she frowned.

  “I’ll just hope the best for her, then.”

  “Thanks.” Élan stood. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Good. Thank you for your help, Élan. You’ve been instrumental in this investigation, and I’ll be sure you get recognition for it, once it’s complete.”

  Élan shrugged. “You do all the big things. I’m just pleased to do some small things to help you along.”

  That made Kassimeigh smile. She’d learned to appreciate Élan’s interesting perspective, as well as her modesty.

  Kassimeigh accompanied Élan back to the door, but the bard walked slowly, examining everything along the way. “I’ve never been in here,” she explained apologetically.

  “Few have, unless they’re a shiv or a criminal. Take care. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Élan returned the sentiment, then strode off toward the heart of the shopping district. Trying out her new public persona, Kassimeigh supposed. Good for her.

  “This is the vilest garbage I’ve ever seen.”

  Kassimeigh had never seen Luc so angry. She’d seen him cranky or witheringly scornful many a time. She had quite a fondness for his cantankerous moods. But she’d never seen him like this, with fury radiating from him.

  “This powder has a crystalline matrix that will hold a weak mana charge for a couple of weeks. If a mana-holder or manahi inhales or ingests it, there would be no effect, except for a need to release that little bit of mana. But for a person who cannot hold mana, it could be catastrophic.”

  “Why would anyone want to eat that stuff? Or breathe it?” Kassimeigh studied a magnified image of the crystalline structure that Luc had displayed on the lab’s comm panel. She looked from Luc to Dr. Finn Sparks.

  After she’d met with Élan, Luc had called Kassimeigh and asked to meet her at the lab in Capital. He’d appropriated the top floor of the massive building solely for studying sparkle. Security to this particular floor was always very tight, and additional safeguards had increased security throughout the entire building. Ina had ensured that no one would let slip any details of their investigation.

  As during the spark bug situation, only Luc and Finn could access the room, which was a single laboratory that took up the entire floor. No doubt it was larger than they needed for this particular task, but it offered the greatest security.

  Finn cleared his throat. He seemed withdrawn, lacking the enthusiasm she had grown accustomed to seeing from him when he was discovering something new. “Simulations show that the mana, once inhaled, stimulates the parts of the brain responsible for mana use. This creates a euphoric effect for someone with no mana ability. Very enjoyable. But it can cause hemorrhaging. Which can lead to brain damage or even death.”

  He changed the image on the comm screen, now showing a simulation of the sparkle’s effects against an image of a brain.

  “Eating the sparkle would have a similar effect, but slower and slightly less intense. Perhaps less dangerous, as a result. Skin contact would have little to no effect.”

  After watching the simulation Kassimeigh asked, “Why do some people die and not others? If it were lethal every time people wouldn’t use it.”

  “We don’t know yet,” Finn answered. “It might be due to the individual’s brain or it might be related to the person’s size or relative health. Perhaps a matter of dosage. Or it could be a result of the freshness of the sparkle, since it loses its mana charge at a steady rate over time. I’m working on reverse engineering the powder so that we can synthesize the stuff and run tests on it. Right now we have only the small tube you gave us, so we can’t afford to use it for testing. Besides, it’s losing power.”

  Luc added, “We also haven’t verified for certain that the simulation is accurate. We’d need a test subject for that. Which would mean a danger to the subject as well as destruction of the sample.”

  “How confident are you in the simulation’s accuracy?”

  “Ninety-nine percent,” both men answered in unison.

  “But you can’t know for sure until you try it on a real person,” she finished.

  Finn nodded.

  “How much of a danger would that be to the test subject?”

  “Relatively minor,” Luc said. “We’d have a manahi doctor present and monitoring the brain activity. The doctor would be able to intervene immediately if there was any damage.”

  “Who would you try it out on?”

  “Ideally, someone who had used it before with no ill effects,” Luc replied. />
  Coco was not going to like this. “You mean Kett.”

  Finn nodded. “It hasn’t harmed him before, so that’s encouraging. That lowers the risk factor even more.”

  “The problem is that I’d have to explain to him why these tests were being done, and he would know that sparkle was being studied. If he’s involved in the manufacture or distribution, our investigation could be destroyed.”

  “It’s fortunate we know a justice,” Luc answered drily.

  “You want me to adjudicate him? Without any evidence against him?”

  “To ascertain his innocence, yes. If you find he’s involved, we make sure he can’t contact anyone and tip them off. If he’s innocent, he could be an asset to us.”

  She didn’t like the size of those ifs. Unfortunately, it was the best plan of action. Since she was a justice and a shiv elder she needn’t ask anyone’s opinion or permission, either. For the first time, her position as an elder might be a benefit.

  “I’ll do it.”

  “Good.” Luc nodded in satisfaction. Finn looked less certain.

  “Kett did provide the name of the person who gave him the vial of sparkle. I’ve dispatched two justices to discreetly investigate and monitor the man. I turned up nothing suspicious about him.”

  “Hm,” replied Luc, his eyes fixed on the comm screen. Clearly, he was too invested in the sparkle itself to vex over her side of the investigation.

  “I’ll leave you two to your work, then, and get back to mine.” She stepped away from the screen. “Anything else I should know?”

  Finn pressed his lips together thoughtfully, then shook his head. “I don’t think so. We’ll contact you as soon as we turn up anything new.”

  “Just don’t say anything about sparkle via the comm. Only in-person discussion. I’m probably being overly cautious, but I feel like an overabundance of caution is warranted.”

  Luc and Finn both nodded agreement.

  She stepped out of the lab and into the elevator. Now she was off to a new experience. Adjudicating a man she had no evidence against, and whom she believed to be innocent of any wrongdoing.

  Authority had its benefits, but it came with far more burdens.

  Kett didn’t arrive home until after midnight. His door had only a simple hand-scan lock, so his entrance into the small apartment made almost no sound. It didn’t matter. She was already there waiting.

  The light just inside the entryway flicked on as he opened the door. As soon as he stepped in, he froze, staring at the black-clad justice sitting on his couch.

  She heard him suck in a breath as he staggered back a pace. With a small brush of mana, she closed and locked the door behind him. No need to draw attention.

  To his credit, he recovered quickly. She afforded him a measure of respect accordingly. Some people would automatically start screaming or crying in the face of such an event. Not that she’d had to adjudicate many cases in this manner. Most adjudications were formal sessions, arranged ahead of time at a town hall or other official government space. Other cases, such as this one, required a more personal approach. These were usually the type that ended in execution. She didn’t think this one would turn out that way. She hoped not.

  He set his jaw and squared his shoulders.

  “Justice,” he acknowledged, moving stiffly to a panel and turning on all of the lights in the room. With the room properly lit, he settled himself into the chair across from her with a guarded expression.

  His apartment was much more modest than she’d expected. His family had money, but he seemed to live within his own means, which also raised her opinion of him. She knew he had plenty of credits to his name, but he clearly did not spend them on luxury items or a fancy place to live. His three-rooms-plus-a-bath home was simple, clean, and furnished in an understated style that appealed to her ascetic nature.

  The well-cushioned couch she sat on was quite comfortable, and the matching chair he sat on must be the same. A low, narrow table sat between them. Instead of bearing the typical bric-a-brac or clutter one might expect of a man living alone, it was pleasingly bare. She approved of his orderly housekeeping.

  “You look familiar.” He studied her.

  He was remarkably collected, given the situation. “Yes,” she agreed, then fell silent.

  When comprehension lit his eyes, she knew he’d made the connection. “You were at the awards. In a dress. I noticed you. Thought you must be in the music industry. Clearly not.”

  “I was working,” she agreed. “Watching you.”

  That made him blink. “But why?”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she leaned forward. “You should recognize me from more than just the awards.”

  When he only looked puzzled, she used a touch of mana to straighten her hair and pull it back into a long ponytail. “More like this. On the comm. Wearing a Guard uniform.”

  Comprehension lit again. “The town hall meeting with the Council that was broadcast on the comm. You were the second officer of the Guard. I didn’t know you were a justice, too. You look different like that.” He went quiet.

  She wanted him talking. Maybe she could scare some words out.

  “Everyone looks different in a shoka.” She shrugged. “But enough about me. You’re currently the prime suspect in an investigation of illegal activity. People have died, which means punishment for involvement will be grave. You could be in serious trouble.” Technically, it was all true. At the moment, he and Ainsley Fields were her only suspects, so by definition he was a prime one. And having a justice show up at your home uninvited was never, ever a sign of things going your way.

  He flinched. “What investigation? I haven’t done anything.”

  That was better. People were far more talkative when they were defensive. “Coco Rose was found in possession of an illegal substance. She named you as the source.”

  “Coco.” She heard his breathing pick up. Mention of Coco upset him, which was good to know. “She hasn’t done anything. Neither have I, for that matter.”

  “She didn’t purchase it from you?” Of course, she knew Coco hadn’t.

  “No! Coco was just curious because I’d told her about it.”

  “So you’re saying you didn’t sell it to her.” Kassimeigh laced her voice with just a hint of disbelief.

  “Again, no. I gave it to her. Have you visited her, too?”

  She ignored the question. “Where did you purchase the ‘sparkle,’ as you called it?”

  “I didn’t buy it either. A friend gave it to me. Just . . . gave it to me.”

  Kassimeigh gave him a disapproving look. “Some friend, to give you that stuff. Did you know it’s deadly?”

  “No! No, if I did, I wouldn’t use it. It was supposed to be just for fun. Like gigglemint. To help you forget about worrisome things and open your mind to bigger thinking.”

  “Like I said, people have died. Whoever is distributing and manufacturing this stuff is . . . ” She paused. “Not going to walk away from their adjudication,” she finished meaningfully.

  He paled. Ah. That was always a very good sign.

  “So I need to know who gave you the substance.”

  “A friend. I’m sure he’s not involved in anything. He’s a great guy.”

  “Name?” She folded her arms and leaned back into the couch.

  “Ainsley Fields,” he answered, his eyes dropping to the floor. “But I’m sure he’s not guilty of anything.”

  “If that’s true, we’ll determine that. Do you know where he got the substance?”

  “No idea. He didn’t say.” Kett picked at a fingernail, regarding her with troubled eyes. Again, she let the silence stretch.

  “Is Coco okay?” he asked.

  “She’s not your concern.”

  “She is,” he insisted, leaning forward. “She’s innocent. I couldn’t live with knowing she’d gotten in trouble over something I’d given her. If you need a suspect, take me instead of her. I didn’t do anything, but I’d
rather it be me than her.”

  Kassimeigh uncrossed her arms and let her hands drop into her lap. Everything about him seemed genuine. If she had to decide on her own, she’d judge him innocent of any wrongdoing, other than a hearty portion of stupidity for inhaling some unidentified junk. Just because they lived in a safe world didn’t mean people could abandon all common sense.

  Fortunately, she didn’t have to decide his fate solely on her own. She’d brought backup.

  “Izzy?” she called.

  The reader in question slipped around the corner from the bedroom, and Kett blinked with surprise. Izzy sat down next to Kassimeigh.

  Kassimeigh didn’t bother introducing Izzy to Kett. “What’s your read on him?”

  Izzy took a moment to stare intently at Kett. Kassimeigh didn’t know what Izzy was looking for, but the scrutiny did not appear the least bit comfortable for Kett.

  “He’s telling the truth about everything.”

  Kassimeigh tapped a finger on the back of her opposite hand thoughtfully, then looked at Kett. She smiled. “Good.”

  Kett shifted his weight, looking between the two women with uncertainty.

  “This is Izzy Gin. You can call her Izzy Gin. Don’t simply call her Izzy, because that would break the pattern, and leave her puzzling for months. Perhaps years. She’s the best reader on Terath, and she’s just verified what I already thought.”

  Kett did not look relieved. He looked confused.

  “Kett Silver, I judge you innocent of any wrongdoing. You will not be adjudicated on these suspicions again. This adjudication is complete.”

  He sucked in a quick breath. “Really?”

  Izzy and Kassimeigh both smiled. “Yes,” Izzy reassured him.

  Kett blew out the breath. “Holy shiv order!” he swore in relief. Then he froze. “Oh. I’m . . . I didn’t mean . . . ”

  Kassimeigh laughed. Izzy joined her. Kett threw his hands in the air and laughed, too. His relief had him chortling so hard that tears ran down his cheeks.

  Kassimeigh remembered her hair was still in a ponytail. She released the mana holding it back, and let it spring into its natural curls. She’d gotten used to wearing it loose again and preferred it that way. “Between you and me, I actually like that particular swear,” she confided.