Madness in Solidar (22 page)

“Very few daughters of a High Holder are as bright as you, and fewer still are talented enough to become maitres.” Alastar wasn't about to mention that she was attractive, because that would have been most untoward, given his position—and that he was widowed and thus single.

“You're most kind, Maitre.”

Alastar grinned at the honeyed, and patently false, tone. “I'm not kind at all. I'm being accurate. You're likely too bright to make a good wife for most High Holders, and the fact that you're a Maitre D'Aspect and probably already know enough to become a Maitre D'Structure before long speaks to your imaging ability.”

“How do you know that?” Her question was direct, but neither challenging nor obsequious.

“I watched you image sewer repairs.” He paused. “Thank you again for accompanying us today. I'd like you to bring your surveying equipment tomorrow. Tell Dareyn, first thing in the morning, to post on the board that your mathematics instruction will be postponed until further notice. Will you need a packhorse?”

“I can manage without one.”

“Then I will see you later, or in the morning.” Alastar watched for several moments as she walked north toward the quarters cottages. Then he headed to the administration building. Once in his study, he spread the map on his desk and considered what Alyna had suggested and how he could handle matters in a way that minimized difficulties for the Collegium. He frowned and began to study the map thoroughly. Finally, he concentrated, blotting his forehead after a copy of the map appeared beside the original.

He compared the two, but so far as he could see, they matched. After using some map-tracing paper and a charcoal stick to overlay a rough approximation of what Alyna had suggested, he found himself considering his conversations with her over the past two meals, and during their survey of the proposed route. In two days, he had talked to her more than the total of all interactions with her over the time since he'd arrived at Imagisle. There was something different about those conversations with her, and it wasn't because she was a woman.
Or not primarily. But what?
After a moment it came to him. While she had been most respectful, she had not been ill at ease or in awe of him. She had just talked to him.

Alastar smiled wryly, realizing that was exceedingly rare. Almost no one seemed completely at ease in talking to him since he had arrived at the Collegium. He just hadn't seen it in that way.
But then, she is the daughter of a High Holder, and a rather practical one, it appears.

Before he knew it, or so it seemed, he was standing in the anomen at services, listening as Iskhar launched into his homily.

“We're all familiar with Naming, aren't we?” asked the chorister, obviously rhetorically. “The arrogation of words over deeds? The pride taken in burnishing one's name and reputation with words. Or even endless repetition of one's deeds in an effort to exalt one's own name and reputation.” Iskhar paused. “I have a question for all of you. Can an act or action, in and of itself, be Naming? Even if one never speaks of the acts.”

Alastar's immediate thought was,
Of course it can.

“I see more than a few nods out there,” Iskhar observed with a smile. “Let's take that a step further. Can an absolutely selfless act, one which confers no benefit to the doer, not even kind words spoken on one's behalf, can that still be Naming?” Without much of a pause, the chorister went on. “That all depends on the motive of the doer. If a selfless act is done solely to prove one is better than another, it is merely a hidden form of Naming. If such an act is undertaken to make one feel better, then it is a form of Naming, if not one of the more egregious forms. If that act is undertaken out of guilt, or in recompense for an ill done to another, it may not be Naming, and it may indeed be necessary, for many reasons, but it is the very least one could do…”

As Iskhar went on, Alastar had to think about the chorister's words.

Nearly two quints later, after the service, he waited until the others had departed and then approached Iskhar.

“Very thought-provoking, Iskhar, but I think you were a bit hard on guilt. Don't you think that, without guilt, the world would be a worse place? Is guilt that prompts good acts necessarily Naming? At what point does such guilt pass from past atonement to merely doing good? Can you honestly judge that it never does?”

For a moment, Iskhar looked surprised. Then he chuckled. “Maitre, perhaps you should give a homily.”

“I think not. I'm more comfortable in posing questions. But then, that might also be a form of Naming, especially if I ask them out of pride.”

“Your thoughts are most provocative, Maitre. I would be happy to listen to them at much greater length.”

“That may have to wait until I am more settled in as Maitre.” Alastar did not bother to keep the dry tone out of his voice. “Then … then we might have some interesting talks.”

“I will look forward to that.”

After leaving the anomen and Iskhar, Alastar did stop by his study in the administration building to pick up the first volume of Chorister Gauswn's journals. Once he was back at the Maitre's residence, he settled himself in his private study and began to continue his reading. As before, pages went by without more than a casual mention of Maitre Quaeryt. Alastar's eyes were burning, and he was about to stop for the evening, knowing that Lundi would be a very long day, when he finally came across another interesting passage.

… overheard a conversation that again suggested how the Nameless works in directing the ways of men. Maitres Khalis and Lhandor agreed it was for the best that the Maitre had offered the blade of Erion that had saved him to the Council of Khel … and that the Eleni had accepted it as a token of faith, as if true faith requires such tokens …

Alastar kept reading, but there was absolutely no explanation beyond the words, and he could not recall having heard of a blade of Erion or reading about it.
Why would the chorister mention a blade of Erion? Was it something taken from Khel and then returned? How could it have saved Quaeryt's life? And why did Gauswn even mention it? Was it a quiet way to allude to more about Quaeryt? Why didn't he ever say more?
Alastar chided himself, noting that he was less than halfway through the first volume of three, and that there might well be much more later, although he had a feeling that there just might not be.

With no ready answers to his questions, he slowly closed the book, imaged out the two lamps, and made his way from the study up the stairs. He was tired, and he was not looking forward to Lundi. Not totally.

 

14

While Alastar slept decently, he woke early on Lundi, did his run, then washed, shaved, and dressed quickly before making his way to the dining hall, where he also ate quickly, and then walked through a blustery wind to the armory. There, he found Cyran.

“You look serious, Alastar.”

“Very serious. I'm going to have to disrupt your schedule. I'd like you to accompany me and the survey team. Alyna and I spent more than three glasses yesterday looking over the route for Ryen's new avenue. It's not as easy as Ryen's map makes it look. We'll need Alyna to survey the route before we start. There will be more people who are unhappy when they see us preparing the route, and I have the feeling that I'm not going to be able to spend much time directing either the surveying, or the construction, when we get to it.”

“I'll do whatever you need, but I don't know what I can add.”

“Between you and Alyna, I'm sure you can work it out.”

Cyran frowned, then offered an ironic smile. “You need me to keep the shopkeepers and imagers in line, and her to supervise the actual imaging. Is that it?”

“She'll do the surveying, today and tomorrow, possibly Meredi and even Jeudi. After that, she and Petros may be able to oversee the imaging, and you can make certain the work isn't disrupted and that no one is hurt. I still have to see what can be done about the rex's tariff problem with the High Council, especially since Marshal Demykalon is most supportive of the rex.”
More accurately, so unsupportive of the Collegium that he would relish any excuse to level Imagisle with his new cannon.

“I can do that.”

“Good. We'll be leaving at half after seventh glass.” With a nod, Alastar headed back to the administration building, glad to see that Dareyn was already at his desk.

“Dareyn. You've been here awhile. Do you recall an imager by the name of Aurelya?”

“Aurelya? That sounds familiar, but I can't place it.”

“Could you have Obsolym find out? I'm taking out a surveying party of imagers and escorts to do some preliminary work on the avenue that Rex Ryen has ordered. If I can manage it, I'll be back by midday, but that's not certain. You'll have to reschedule some of those meetings with students. Oh … and would you send a messenger to High Holder Guerdyn with a request for me to meet with him this afternoon at third glass, or even fourth, if he can't accommodate me at third? I'll be back when I can be, but it won't be before noon. Is there anything I need to do before I leave?”

“No, sir.”

“Good.” With that, Alastar straightened his visor cap and headed to the stables. Alyna was already there, as were Petros and Cyran. Before long Shaelyt, Khaelis, and Lhendyr arrived. Khaelis glanced around, as if puzzled.

“You're right, Khaelis,” said Alastar. “We don't have enough imagers for heavy road imaging. We won't be doing any of that today or tomorrow. Late in the week, we may begin on the preliminary work on the edge of the ring road to set up the entry and the width and starting points.”
As much as to show Ryen we've begun work as anything.
“Maitre Alyna will be doing the surveying. Petros will be studying the buildings and the existing roadbed. Maitre Cyran and the rest of you will be there in case the people whose shops and homes may have to be removed get too angry. I picked you because you've all got very strong shields. We don't want anyone hurt…” Alastar went on to describe the general approach to the day's tasks.

When he finished, and the imagers were readying their mounts, he walked over to Alyna. “How accurate can you be?”

“More accurate than just looking and guessing,” replied Alyna. “Quite a bit better than that, but not as good as a real surveyor. I just have the old-fashioned surveying equipment—surveyor's cross, merchet, a brass yard chain, a compass, some angle plates, and a water level. They're already packed behind my saddle. To be really precise, especially over longer distances, I'd need a telescope diopter, but I didn't know enough geometry or optics to image a copy of the one Zaeryl had.”

Telescope diopter?
Alastar had no idea what a diopter even was. “Imaging was how you got everything, even the yard chain?”

“The chain was hard work at the time.” Alyna smiled. “That was when Father discovered I was an imager. He thought I'd taken it. Less than a week later, I was at the Collegium.”

“What? Ten years ago?”

“You're kind. More than fifteen. We're starting at the ring road?”

Since Alastar had already said that, he understood that Alyna did not wish any more questions about her age or past. “We are.” He smiled, then half-turned. “Everyone! Mount up!”

“You want me in the rear?” asked Cyran quietly.

“Please, along with whichever junior master you think will be best.”

“Khaelis, then.”

In a matter of moments, Alastar and Alyna mounted and then led the survey party from the stables toward the Bridge of Desires. Three-fifths of a glass later, Alastar reined up on the ring road, some fifty yards north of the lane of the apothecaries. A scattering of wagons, coaches, and single riders were visible on that part of the ring road that he could see, roughly a third of it. Finally, he turned to Alyna. “What do you think?”

“About what?” Her voice was pleasantly matter-of-fact. “You haven't told me what you're considering.”

“A more gradual approach to the avenue, as you recommended.”

“I'd like to do some measurements first. Anything I say now would just be a guess.”

“Then start measuring. Have Lhendyr hold your mount.”

Alyna nodded and turned the brown gelding. Alastar rode toward Khaelis and reined up. “I trust you can image and use shields while holding my mount?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Alastar dismounted and handed the gelding's reins to the young Maitre D'Aspect, then walked toward the narrow lane where he stood watching as Alyna took her yard chain and began to measure the width of the lane proper.

Before long, three men approached Alastar as he stood on the narrow sidewalk of the ring road on the north side of the alley-like lane. He made sure his shields were a full strength, then smiled pleasantly and waited.

“Master imager…?” offered the oldest and shortest of the three.

“Yes?”

“That … imager, the one with the chains…?”

“She's taking measurements before we begin work on the avenue that Rex Ryen has commanded us to build.”

“You're going to tear down our shops … just like that?” asked the brown-bearded man who looked younger than Alastar. “Take away everything we've got?”

“Not just like that,” temporized the Maitre. “First we have to measure…”

“Comes to the same thing!” snapped the third, a burly bald man with a gray mustache and square beard. His faded gray tunic and trousers were spotted with stains.

“There's nothing we can do to stop this … this unfairness?” asked the older man.

“You could petition the rex,” Alastar said. “It was his decision, not mine.”

“Ha!” snorted the bald man. “Easy way to lose your life, too. Don't notice you telling him it's a bad idea.”