“One,” Calu said. “Maybe two. Yeah.”
“I wrote at least ten. Why didn’t Alli mention that when I saw her?”
Calu shrugged. “We blew it off, Mari. We knew you were really busy, and how sometimes you’d get totally wrapped up in work and forget about everything else. We didn’t take it badly.”
“Thanks.” Mari frowned, thinking about the oddity that a number of letters hadn’t made it between Caer Lyn and the academy. Were lost letters part of the general breakdown of Guild functions that she feared? “Listen, if you’re that determined to talk to me, we’re on the top floor, in the last room. It’s kind of tiny, but it’s safe.”
“All right. I’ll come by tonight.” Calu hesitated, looking from her to Alain. “You’re both in there? So are you two together, or together?”
She reached for Alain’s hand. “Together. Really, really together.”
The grin was back as Calu looked at Alain. “Cool. You lucky dog.” He saluted Alain. “You must be something, if Mari feels that way. All right, see you tonight, Mari. I’ll tell my fellow Mechanics that I got a kiss from that common I was looking at.” Calu twisted his face in thought. “I’ll them you couldn’t resist me, but I had to stay true to Alli since she’s an expert shot. They’ll understand.” He winked and walked back into the dining hall.
Mari breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a stab of guilt. “I’m sorry, Alain. I shouldn’t have agreed to meet with Calu and everything without asking you first. You’re in this with me, so you deserve a say in things.”
Alain nodded. “You know this Mechanic and I do not. He will not betray you?”
“Not unless he’s totally changed in the last three years.”
“Then I have no objection. I accept your judgment that we can…trust him.” Alain frowned. “Trust. That is the right thing to call it?”
“Yes,” Mari said softly. “Trust. Like you and I share. Did you realize that we trusted each other? I’ve trusted you since Ringhmon.”
“I was not certain what it meant.” He nodded slowly, and she saw the ghost of a smile again. “I told General Flyn that I trusted him. It was the right thing to say.” Alain hesitated. “This Mechanic. He and you were friends?”
“That’s right.”
“Close friends?”
Mari couldn’t help grinning. “Trust and jealousy! I’m teaching you all kinds of feelings. Come on. Once we’re back in our room I’ll tell you about Calu and my other friends at Caer Lyn. And yes, he was only a friend.”
* * * *
The rest of the day passed very slowly. Mari spent part of it talking about her experiences as an acolyte. No, not acolyte, Alain reminded himself. Apprentice. Her Guild calls one who is learning an apprentice. As Mari talked, she went from happy to wistful, finally winding down until she went to her pack, pulled out the metal things she called tools, and began doing mysterious things with them.
Alain sat watching her, memories of his time as an acolyte coming back forcefully. I have no friends I can tell Mari about. I wish I did. Perhaps some of the acolytes from Ihris remember me, but how do they think of me? As just as a shadow whose path crossed theirs? How do I tell Mari more of my learning, of what I did and what was done to me? She would become sad, I think. I have seen her become sad when I mention some things about my training. And when I spoke of Asha before it bothered Mari. I cannot imagine why.
The wind outside had diminished to a low rushing sound against the walls of the inn. Alain went into meditation, wishing that he could check his ability to cast spells now that he and Mari had become even closer. By the wisdom he had been taught, seeing shadows as other people should make his powers wither and vanish. He did not feel that that had happened yet; indeed during the fight to save the Alexdrians, he had repeatedly found more power in himself than he had ever experienced. But a spell to test it would be impossible to hide from the Mages also staying at this inn, so he must wait.
The light leaking in through the storm shutters had long since faded when a soft knock sounded on the door to their room. Alain jerked himself back to full awareness, watching as Mari drew her weapon and, holding it ready in one hand, cautiously opened the door enough to see out. A moment later she relaxed, opening the door to let in the Mechanic Calu and then locking it again.
Calu gave Mari a surprised look as she put away her weapon. “You’re armed?”
“Yeah. I’ll explain why.”
“Can I see it?” Mari handed over the weapon without hesitating, and the other Mechanic turned it in his hands carefully. “This is a beauty. If Alli was here, she’d be drooling over it.”
“She saw it in Danalee,” Mari confessed. “I thought I’d never get it back from her. How come you two didn’t end up at the same Guild Hall? I thought the Guild liked it when two Mechanics were interested in each other.”
Calu handed back the weapon, looking annoyed. “I think it depends on the Mechanics. After you left Caer Lyn, most of the Senior Mechanics there seemed determined to break up what they called Mari’s gang.”
“You’re kidding. I had a gang?”
“It surprised me, too. But when you think about it, Mari, a lot of the apprentices did listen to you, even the ones not officially assigned to you as group leader.” Calu shrugged. “It sometimes seemed like some of the Senior Mechanics thought you were getting ready to start a revolution. Alli and I got tagged as part of your loyal band of revolutionaries, and we’re both sure that’s why we got sent to different Guild Halls.”
Mari made an angry noise, clenching her fists. “They punished you two just because you knew me.”
“It was our choice, Mari,” Calu reminded her. “And we did pull our share of pranks and unauthorized activities, usually following some idea you came up with. Remember moving that one Senior Mechanic’s entire office onto the roof one night?”
Mari grinned at the memory. “He was so mad. He deserved it, though, and we never got caught for that.”
“Right. Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on with you?”
“Do you want the short summary or the long story?” Mari asked.
“Short summary first.”
“Sit down.” Mari sat down on end of the bed as Calu sat on the other, then she took a deep breath. “The Guild is trying to get me killed.”
Calu just watched her for a long moment, then looked over at Alain. “What about you?”
“My Guild seeks my death as well,” Alain replied.
“Why?” Mechanic Calu’s question was directed at Mari again.
“I’m not sure where to begin.” Mari looked down at her hands. “The caravan? No. Ringhmon. What have you heard about Ringhmon lately?”
“Officially? The city is under a Guild Interdict for contract violations and scrambling to raise enough money to pay the fine and qualify for Mechanic services again.” Calu gestured vaguely. “There are rumors that Ringhmon was doing worse things than contract violations, and other rumors that the emperor wanted to take advantage of that to launch another expedition in the south, but the Guild told him to knock it off. Were you involved with any of that?”
Mari laughed in a way that held no humor. “I caused it, Calu. I discovered what Ringhmon was up to and I reported it to the Guild.”
“You also burned down the city hall,” Alain pointed out.
“You helped,” she retorted. Calu nodded, as if unsurprised to hear that Mari had burned down a building. “Contract violations?” Mari continued. “Do you want to know what Ringhmon was really doing? And before you say yes, I need to tell you that I’m under a Guild Interdict myself never to say a word of this to anyone.”
The other Mechanic’s expression was totally serious now. “If you think I should know it, I want to hear it.”
“Ringhmon was trying to reverse-engineer Mechanic weapons. They were trying to figure out how to make their own.”
Calu stared at her, his mouth dropping open. “They had the nerve to try that? But why? They could nev
er succeed.”
Mari’s eyes were closed as she spoke. “Calu, do you remember something you asked Alli and me a long time ago? You wondered why, if commons can’t do Mechanic things, we have to keep what we do secret from them.”
“Yeah. I remember that night. Was that the first time Alli punched me, after I asked about that? I’ve wondered about it since then, too. What did I say? That it was like prohibiting us from teaching horses something.”
“Algebra.”
“Right!” Calu grinned for a moment before the happiness vanished into contemplation. “It still doesn’t make sense to me, but like you wisely advised me then, asking about that would be a one-way ticket to the cells in Longfalls.” He looked at her intently. “What all did you find, Mari?”
“I found evidence, Calu. A far-listener not made in any Guild workshop. A steam boiler without any Guild markings on it, operated by commons. And I was told, ordered, by the Senior Mechanics never to say a word about any of it.”
“A boiler? You found an entire boiler? Full scale? With commons running it?”
“Yes,” Mari said. “Did you hear anything about Dorcastle a few months back?”
“Just something about a Mage plot to blame our Guild for some extortion scheme.” Calu jerked with surprise. “It wasn’t a Mage plot?”
“No, it was these guys I call Dark Mechanics. I don’t know who they are, but they can do Mechanic work, Calu, and even knowing they exist is apparently very dangerous for any Mechanic. The Mages didn’t have anything to do with the plot in Dorcastle, though some Dark Mages helped put an end to the plot and almost put an end to Alain and me.”
“Dark Mages?” Calu glanced from Mari to Alain. “Aren’t all Mages kind of dark?”
“Not all of them!” Mari looked embarrassed by the force of her denial. “I mean, Mages aren’t supposed to believe in anything, but they actually do believe in something they call wisdom which is supposed to help them gain more power. I mean, personal ability to do their spells. Dark Mages don’t worry about that, instead doing anything that brings them money.”
Calu was staring at Mari again. “How did you learn stuff about Mages?”
She gave him a helpless look, then turned her gaze on Alain. He knew what she was asking, and nodded to her. “You trust this Mechanic,” Alain said. “I will trust him as well. I have seen no falseness in him.”
“Huh?” Calu seemed baffled by Alain’s words, then looked at Mari as she placed a hand on his arm.
“Calu, Alain is a Mage.”
The Mechanic’s eyes flared with worry as he stared at Mari, then shifted his gaze to Alain. “I saw him smile. I know I did. Is this some kind of sick joke, Mari?”
“Mari would not lie to a friend,” Alain said, forcing himself not to tense in readiness at the suspicion and fear on the Mechanic’s face. “She has saved my life more than once, and I will never harm her nor allow any other to harm her as long as I can fight to protect her.”
Some of the tension left the Mechanic, then he looked at Mari. “I’ve heard they can control people.”
“No,” Mari denied. “They can’t do that. Alain told me.”
“Then he wouldn’t object to leaving you and me here alone? Going as far away from us as he can so I can see how you react when he’s not around?”
Mari gave Alain an embarrassed look. “Do you mind?”
Alain shook his head, standing with slow, casual movements, aware of the watchful way Calu was eyeing him. The Mechanic’s suspicion of Mages was justified, after all. “Do you wish me to leave the inn, friend of Mari?”
Calu hesitated. “No. That would attract too much attention, with the storm still going on. How about down one floor and to the far end of the hall?”
“I will do this. How long do I wait?”
“Until I come and get you.”
Alain looked to Mari, who nodded. “Please, Alain. I’ll be safe here with Calu.”
“I know this, or I would not leave.” Alain left the room, closing the door carefully behind him to avoid making too much noise, then walked to the stairs, feeling for the presence of the other Mages in the inn. They were all on the ground floor, on the side opposite from where Alain had been sent by Mechanic Calu, and he could sense no spells being prepared by those Mages.
Alain reached the end of the hall one flight down from the room and waited. A small window gave a view of darkness shot by occasional swirls of white as blown snow was illuminated by the lanterns providing dim light in the hallway. Alain watched the snow, trying to calm his mind.
He was not sure how much time had passed when he heard the sound of Mechanic boots thumping on the stairs. He turned and saw Mechanic Calu coming toward him, wary but no longer fearful. Calu stopped directly in front of Alain, eyeing him. “You didn’t say that you’d saved Mari’s life a number of times.”
“She is my friend.”
“According to Mari, she’s a lot more than a friend.” Calu shook his head. “I owe you a lot for saving her, but how can I trust you?”
“Mari once asked me the same thing.” Alain met the Mechanic’s eyes. “I will tell you what I told her then: that nothing I can say will make a difference. You must judge my actions.”
“She’d be dead now if not for you. That’s pretty easy to judge. But what do you hope to get out of this? It’s not like everything I’ve heard about Mages.”
“My actions are not what Mages are taught. My own Guild is seeking my death because they believe that Mari has corrupted me.” Alain had to think about the answer to the Mechanic’s question, trying to put words to feelings which were still unfamiliar to him. “I hope to help Mari, to protect her from those who would harm her. Did she tell you who she is?”
“I know who she is,” Calu said. “Do you mean, besides being Mari?”
“If she did not tell you, I should not,” Alain said.
“Mari said something about fixing things,” Calu said. “About how she needed to do it even though it might change the world.”
“Changes to the world,” Alain said. “To make it…right.”
“People tend to have different ideas of what will make things right,” Calu observed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “But I’ve never heard anything from Mari that I disagreed with after I thought it through. It sounds like you feel the same.”
“I do,” Alain said. “But for me it is more than doing the right things. It is…is it a privacy thing to speak to you of how I feel about her?”
“Uh…no,” Calu said. “Mari told me how she feels about you.”
“Mari makes me happy. I want to be with her.” He looked directly at the Mechanic Calu. “I had forgotten how to feel that way, and then I met her.”
The Mechanic looked back, then grinned. “Either you’re the best liar the world of Dematr has ever known, or you’re sincere. She really believes in you. I’m going to be honest with you. That’s what decided me. Mari is no fool. If she trusts you that much, enough to give her heart to you, then I have to trust you, too. But don’t you ever let her get hurt.”
Alain was not sure what to say, so he spoke carefully. “Thank…you. I will not ever hurt her.”
“That’s a bit different. Mari told me that you’re trying to relearn a lot of things about people that your Guild tried to drive out of you, so as one guy to another, let me tell you that sooner or later you’re going to hurt her somehow, no matter how hard you try not to. Just do your best so she’ll forgive you when that happens. Let’s get back to her room before somebody spots us out here.” Calu gave Alain a curious look. “Why did you trust me?”
“I can tell when someone lies. You did not. You show strong feelings for Mari.”
“Oh, uh, not that kind of feelings,” Calu hastened to explain as they started up the stairs. “She’s sort of like a sister to me. Has Mari talked about another Mechanic named Alli?”
“Yes. Alli is the one who is very skilled in the making of Mechanic weapons.”
Calu
laughed. “That’s Alli.”
“Did Mari tell you that she killed a dragon with a weapon that Mechanic Alli built?”
The Mechanic stopped walking for a moment, staring at Alain. “When did that happen?”
“About a week ago. It was a big Mechanic weapon, as long as Mari is tall, and with it Mari slew a very large dragon.”
“Did she really?” Calu shook his head. “I saw a dragon once, not too close, fortunately, and my fellow Mechanics told me to forget I’d ever seen it. But I couldn’t forget something like that.” His grin came back. “And something Alli built killed one of those? That’s my girl! It’s a good thing Mari had that weapon, I guess.”
“She knew she might need it,” Alain explained. “After the difficulty we had slaying a dragon in Dorcastle.”
“Dorcastle? Where she found the boiler? You killed a dragon there, too?”
“Yes. Mari…” Alain shook his head, unable to describe what Mari had done. “There was something on the thing you call a boiler, and Mari used rope to tie it, and the boiler became very loud and hot, and then destroyed everything around it.”
Calu stared at Alain. “She tied down the relief valve. That must have been what she did. Mari tied down the relief valve on a boiler. Oh, I cannot wait to tell Alli about that. You helped her?”
“I found rope,” Alain said. “But I cannot understand, cannot do, anything that Mari can do.”
“Huh. Interesting.”
Mari had a relieved smile on her face when they returned. “Satisfied, Calu?”
“Yeah.” Calu pointed an accusing finger at her. “Why didn’t you tell me that I’d won the bet?”
“What bet?” Mari asked, looking baffled.
“Several years ago, while we were studying steam, you and I got into an argument over which one of us would be the first to make a boiler explode. Remember?”
Mari looked embarrassed as she laughed. “Oh. That bet.”
“And now I hear that you made a boiler blow up in Dorcastle. Pay up!”