Heroes Return (20 page)

Radia was frowning as she was led into the sitting room. She was also carrying what looked to be a very heavy bag. “I’m sorry to be disturbing you and yours so early in the day,” she said. “But it’s vital that you know this as soon as possible. Yesterday, before I sounded the alarm, I saw that the wind rock had been braced with this.” She pulled out, with some effort, a stone at least a hand thick and twice as long. “It stopped the rock from swinging.”

Fiona took the stone with a small grunt at its weight. “I can’t believe the wind would kick up something like this.”

“I don’t think it did,” said Radia. “It was wedged in there by someone.”

“No!” Fiona stared at her. “No one would do that.”

“I’m sorry, Your Grace, but that’s the only way this could have been forced between the rock and the arch.”

“But this would endanger everyone. It’s the stupidest prank I can imagine.”

“There are plenty of stupid people about.”

“Would this be the same kind of stupidity that would cause a person to pass the mouth of a cave, see a rope and take it?” I asked.

Now everyone was staring at me. “What makes you think that?” Fiona asked.

I didn’t know why my mind linked the two. Except the two were actions with dangerous consequences and no benefits. “It just seems to me that the two events would require the same kind of thinking.”

“No one here would play such tricks. Even with people they hated. Especially something like stalling the wind rock. That would endanger just about everyone.”

I shrugged. It was just an idea.

“We need to stop this from happening again,” said Radia.

“We will tell everyone this was done,” Fiona responded. “Everyone will be on the lookout for anyone doing it again.”

“That may not be sufficient,” Radia warned. “People can sneak around at night.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“A gate with a locked entrance.”

“I can’t do that,” Fiona objected. “You know as well as I that the wind rock is an emblem of good luck. People touch it for luck all the time. I can’t deprive them of it.”

Huh. I hadn’t known that. Did the Imperial Guards? Would they consider that a form of casting? I would like to see them try to take that huge rock.

“At least you’re finally demonstrating some understanding of the value of tradition, my dear,” said the Dowager Duchess as she glided into the sitting room with all the ease of someone who felt she belonged there. No doubt she thought she did. “Shintaro, are you never alone? One would almost think you disliked your own company.”

Shintaro’s only response was to pop a piece of bread in his mouth.

“Attend me, Shintaro,” the Dowager Duchess ordered, striding back out of the room.

We all watched her leave and kept eating.

It was too much to hope for that she wouldn’t return, and I was right, for return she did. “Must you always cause a spectacle, Shintaro?”

Taro took a slow sip of tea.

“That Academy of yours taught you terrible manners. You don’t even know enough to answer?”

“Do my answers matter?” Taro challenged her.

She ignored that, as she seemed to ignore all things that displeased her. Except Taro. She seemed unwilling to ignore him since his brother had died, though she had easily ignored him before then. “It would have been decent to answer one of my messages.”

“I thought a lack of answer was the best answer of all.” Taro turned to me. “Her Grace wants to introduce me to some woman.”

“Not some woman, Shintaro,” the Dowager chided. “Lady Simone Frezen. A lovely girl.”

“Apparently since I can’t marry you, Her Grace wants me to meet a woman I can marry.”

“I see.” He couldn’t marry me? Why the hell not? True, there was no point to him marrying me—our bond was unbreakable and neither one of us could leave the other—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t.

“She’s dragged this woman all the way from Erstwhile.”

“Ah.” I had a suspicion this woman was beautiful and elegant and knowledgeable in the ways of the aristocracy.

“Come along, Shintaro.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said loftily.

“As your mother, I have the right to a certain amount of respect.”

“One would think so, wouldn’t one?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Lady Simone has traveled a great distance to meet you.”

“That is not my responsibility.”

“You are really so childish that you won’t even meet this poor girl who is so far from home and everything she knows?”

Oh, I despised such people, those who manipulated circumstances so one suffered while another appeared selfish for not behaving in the desired manner. It was the manipulator who was cruel, but the manipulated was the one who appeared heartless for not falling in with the plan. Even I, right then, half felt that Taro should just go meet the girl, if only to tell her he wasn’t interested and that he thought it unfortunate she had come all this way for nothing. It wasn’t her fault the Dowager was a wench.

“I’m not available to marry, and if that is the lady’s expectation, there is no point in my meeting her.”

“I am disappointed in you, Shintaro.”

“When are you not?”

“I insist you come with me.”

“Insist away.”

“This behavior is inexcusable.”

“Blame it on my upbringing.”

The Dowager Duchess was fuming. I supposed she was genuinely surprised. Before we came to Flown Raven, Taro had almost always gone to her when ordered. She clearly didn’t know how to deal with him now. She gave me a poisonous glare—why was she annoyed with me? I’d said nothing—and swept out of the room.

It always seemed to me that people needed time to recover after being exposed to the Dowager Duchess. Certainly, we all took a moment to collect ourselves.

“Shintaro, would you mind terribly if I killed your mother?” Fiona asked.

“Feel free.”

I knew it made me a terrible person that I kind of wished they weren’t kidding. I couldn’t help it.

“My lady, we must make a decision about the wind rock,” Radia reminded Fiona.

“I won’t deprive everyone here of access to it,” Fiona said firmly. “There’s enough bad feeling as it is.”

“Two people died in the wind yesterday,” Radia announced.

That made us all hesitate. Personally, I was all for gating the rock. Superstition was no cause for endangering everyone.

“Who died?” Fiona asked.

“Little Issa Cornwell, when she was sent out to gather eggs. The wind pushed her off her feet and she hit her head on a stone. Darol Tensen’s boat capsized and he drowned.”

I watched Fiona think about that. I was trying to silently convince her to do the sensible thing by thinking “locked gate” at her over and over. There was a vicious prankster about. In my opinion, extraordinary measures were needed until the person was caught.

My mind clearly had no particular power, for Fiona said, “We’ll let everyone know about the deaths, and offer a reward for good information about who tampered with the rock.”

“Yes, my lady.” Radia clearly didn’t agree with Fiona, but wasn’t going to push it further. And that was too bad, for a lock was an obvious solution. Then again, I wasn’t going to push it, either, because it wasn’t any of my business.

I just wouldn’t go outside when it was at all windy.

What followed was a sort of exodus from the room. Taro stormed out, teeth clenched, and I knew better than to follow him. I would be only an aggravation to him right then. Radia nodded to Fiona and Dane before taking her leave, and Tarce, feeling his reason to stay was gone, drifted out moments later. Dane kissed his wife and muttered something about bookkeeping and slipped out. I lingered over my coffee.

“Forgive me for asking,” I said, “but is the wind rock’s accessibility as a good-luck symbol really so important?”

“It’s vital, one of the things I learned almost immediately after moving here. They cast even more spells here than they did in Centerfield, and the rock is a feature in a lot of spells.”

Ah. So it would be something in which the Imperial Guards would be interested. If they knew about it. They were still crawling around looking for evidence of casting, and from the looks of it, they were getting nowhere. Could an entire community be so silent? Was there not a single person who could be swayed by threats and bribes?

“You seem uncomfortable talking about casting,” Fiona observed.

I shrugged. “I didn’t know casting was real until a few months ago. Before then, I thought it was nothing more than a plot device for plays and novels.”

“How strange, that nowhere in a Shield’s education is there discussed the practice of casting. Is not what you do a form of casting?”

Why did so many people leap to that conclusion? “Not at all. There are no spells, no special ingredients. And a person has to be born able to be a Source or a Shield. It seems to me anyone can cast spells.”

“No, not anyone can. I can’t. I’ve tried.”

I was surprised. Fiona seemed an intelligent, strong person. That seemed to be the sort who would be able to cast. “That seems a dangerous pursuit. The Emperor has increased the sanctions against the use of spells.”

“No,” said Fiona, “he’s increased the sanctions against the act of pretending to cast spells.”

“That’s a pretty fine distinction.”

“But a significant one, according to the adjudicator.”

Fiona was in charge of enforcing the law. She could ignore whatever she chose. But she was accountable to the Emperor, though to my knowledge, the monarch hadn’t interfered with how a titleholder enforced the laws in generations. “Many people here seem comfortable with the use of spells.”

“Of course. They grew up with their grandmothers showing them how it was done.”

“But life seems rather harsh for many of them. If they can use spells, why isn’t life better for them?”

“There are limits to what spells can accomplish. And as I said, not everyone can cast them.”

“It’s just—it seems to me that this belief in spells sprouted out of nowhere. I know there have been some who always believed, but why is it that I never heard of it before?”

“Well, there seems to be less use of it in the East.”

“I don’t understand.”

She shrugged. “Life in this part of the world is harsh and dangerous. I’ve never seen anywhere else quite like it.”

I hadn’t, either. “I see.”

“But surely you have heard of the Reanists.”

Everyone had heard of the Reanists, and my exposure to them had been far too thorough. “What have they to do with anything?”

“Some say they are well versed in the act of casting.”

My stomach tightened in revulsion. “They don’t cast.” And yet, when they had attempted to kill all the aristocrats in High Scape, they had sat us in a carefully prepared room and served unusual food. Could that qualify as a spell?

Fiona raised her eyebrows at me. “What makes you say that?”

The fact that Reanists were homicidal as well as crazy. I was sure a whole lot more people would be dead if Reanists could cast. “I suppose I feel that they, too, would have better circumstances if they had access to that sort of power.”

“I don’t think many people know the Reanists’ true circumstances. But we heard that Reanists were killing the High Landed in High Scape a few years ago, with the goal of stopping natural disasters from occurring.”

“Yes.” They’d tried to kill Taro. And that was after they’d asked him to sacrifice himself willingly. Was that not proof of insanity? Who would agree to that?

“And now the Triple S is transferring Pairs from High Scape without replacing them, presumably because it’s gone cold.”

“Sites go cold,” I said. “There’s no predicting which ones will.”

“But the timing is suspect, is it not?”

“Not necessarily.” I was being pointlessly stubborn. I knew that. I just hated the idea that sacrificing aristocrats the right way could actually work. And if it was true, it was a dangerous idea to have bandied about. I might think most aristocrats were a waste of air, but I didn’t think they should be slaughtered. And my own Source was an aristocrat. No one had the right to hurt him for the sake of a spell, even if it meant halting all natural events. Pairs halted natural events, and no one had to die over it.

“What do you know of casting, Dunleavy?”

“Virtually nothing,” I admitted. “I mean, I read some books in High Scape, and I’ve seen some spells performed.”

“Perhaps you should take this opportunity to educate yourself.”

“This seems a particularly bad time to indulge in such an education, with the Imperial Guards running about.”

“Ah, but although the Guards watch us while they are in the manor, they are often about the countryside, spying on my tenants. And regardless of what my tenants may think of me, they are developing no love for the distant and arrogant Emperor. The Empress used a rapier; her son swings an axe.”

“If casting is as widespread as you would have me believe, the Guards will surely discover something of what they are looking for.”

“They are all Easterners. They know nothing of this area, what tools are needed to whale and fish and plow and which might be used in casting. Their ignorance will keep my people safe.”

“But what if someone is caught?”

“No one shall be flogged on account of these ridiculous laws. The Emperor can take it up with me if he chooses.”

“You seem determined to make an enemy of the Emperor.” When it would be far more practical and healthy to do her best to avoid his notice.

“I am merely determined to do my best for the people of Flown Raven. I have seen nothing about the Emperor but his wish to inflict the force of his authority on us all. That is not enough to gain my loyalty.”

“You swore an oath of fealty to him,” I reminded her.