The Assassins of Altis (28 page)

“No reason for it,” his wife agreed.

“That’s why so few know of the tower…”

“Because the heights around block any view of it.”

Mari looked at the map as well. “No one climbs these heights?”

“Why would they?” the man said.

“There’s nothing there,” his wife added.

“Except the tower…”

“And the mountains.”

Mari held out a coin for the map. “I don’t suppose you have any idea whether or not anyone still lives in the tower?”

The old couple exchanged surprised looks. “No…” the husband said.

“No idea at all,” the wife conceded. “Why are you interested in it?”

“I like old things,” Mari answered with another smile.

“Except when it comes to men, eh?” the wife replied, pointing to the obviously new rings on Mari’s and Alain’s fingers. “My man is old and comfortable now, but he was as raw and young as this one, once.”

“You were pretty raw and young yourself in those days,” her husband noted. “But mainly pretty. Still are.”

“Men take a while to train,” his wife confided to Mari, “but I found it worth the effort.” She handed Mari back the coin. “Take the map as your promise gift from us. We’ll not have it otherwise.”

“I couldn’t—” Mari started to protest.

“It’ll make us happy, girl,” the woman suggested with a smile.

“You’d not deny us some happiness?” her husband asked.

“Would you?” his wife finished.

“No,” Mari said in a very soft voice. “I would not. Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Once outside the mapmakers’ shop, Mari stared upward, toward the peaks rising inland. “Alain, those two were common folk. The sort of people you and I were taught by our Guilds to hold in contempt.”

“That is true,” Alain agreed. “For your Guild. Mine taught me that they did not even exist and so were not even worth contempt.”

“I don’t know what we’ll find at this tower, what answers it might hold, but when I meet people like that I already know in my heart that neither Mechanics nor Mages are some sort of superior beings. They are taught to look down upon the common folk, and I think an unquestioned sense of entitlement and superiority is more likely to make someone inferior in spirit. No one should be certain that they are better than everyone else.”

“Not all commons are good.”

“No. Of course not.” Mari took a look at the map, her lips spreading in a broad smile. “Do you think we’ll ever be like that? Finishing each other’s sentences? As comfortable together as a pair of trees which have grown into each other’s embrace?”

“I hope so,” Alain said.

“Me too. I’m going to keep this map safe all of my life, as a memento to remind me of them.” She looked around. The number of people, horses and wagons on the streets of Altis had diminished, and shadows were filling the streets as the sun fell low. “It’s late, and according to this we’ve got at least a few days’ walk to get to that tower. Tonight we’ll get some food, wine and water for the trip, but there’s no sense in trying to start until morning.”

#

The mapmaker’s shop was on the edge of town, so they had to backtrack into the city to find some accommodations for the night, then a little farther yet to get something to eat. Mari looked up the street as they finally located an eatery and was startled to see that they had come far too close for comfort to the Mechanics Guild Hall. Several long blocks still separated them from the open plaza around the Guild Hall, but that wasn’t far enough for her peace of mind. “Let’s get something and get out of here,” she muttered to Alain as they walked into the restaurant. She stood checking the list of items on the menu. “Good. They sell things we can wrap up and take on our hike.” Mari looked at Alain. “Do you—? What?”

Alain used one hand to gesture toward a female Mechanic who must have come in behind them and was now alone at a corner table and staring in their direction. Mari felt a momentary stab of panic, then recognized who was sitting there. “Alli! What’s she doing here on Altis? Alain, I know her. She’s my best friend.”

“You have spoken of Alli.”

“Yes.” Mari looked around, running her hands nervously through her hair, grateful to see that no other Mechanics were in the café at the moment. “You’d better keep an eye out while I talk to her.” Mari walked toward Alli’s table.

As she got closer Alli’s eyes widened and she waved Mari over. “Mari?” Alli breathed. “It is you. I couldn’t believe it when I saw you walk in here. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?”

Mari sat down, shrugging. “Well, I know there’s an arrest order out on me.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“Of course it bothers me. It also bothers me that the Guild intends to kill me after it questions me.”

Alli stared at her. “Who told you that?”

“A very experienced professor, and a Senior Mechanic confirmed it when she thought I was safely under arrest.” Mari smiled apologetically. “But I got away.”

“Mari, you used to be sort of a rebel, but this…” Alli shook her head. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Have you heard from Calu?”

“Yeah. He sent me a letter using a commons courier service instead of the Guild’s postal system. I got the impression he still couldn’t say much, though. I could barely work out between the lines that he’d met you and that there was some kind of big trouble.”

“Really big trouble,” Mari agreed, then gave Alli a curious look. “What are you doing in Altis? Why did you leave Danalee?”

Alli looked cross. “I left because I was ordered to leave. I’ve been internally exiled by the Guild. That’s thanks to a certain Master Mechanic with an arrest order out for her.”

“Oh, no. Alli, are you serious?”

“Not really.” Alli dropped her annoyed look and smiled ruefully. “I mean, I did get sent here under a dark cloud, but it’s not really your fault. Not completely, anyway. I kept digging into old designs. None of them were supposed to be off limits, none of them were restricted, but the Senior Mechanics kept complaining anyway about me trying to build things. None of them were new, but a lot of it hadn’t been worked with for a while. I kept getting told I was innovating! Heavens forbid I should innovate, right? Like those weapons I gave you. I think that was the last straw that got me exiled here. What did you do with them, anyway? The way I got interrogated about them made me think you’d tried to blow up a Guild Hall or something.”

“I never used them against the Guild,” Mari denied. “I only used one, actually, and that was because I had to kill a dragon.”

“What?” Taken aback, Alli peered at Mari. “You had to kill a what?”

“A dragon. And Alli, it worked great. It was a huge
dragon and it never stood a chance. Your weapon nailed it with one hit.”

Alli smiled proudly, then remembered what they were talking about. “You’re serious? Please tell me you’re not joking. Or crazy. There’s been some talk about…you know.”

“No.” Mari shook her head. “I don’t know. Do you mean that I’m supposedly irrational because I got hit on the head in Ringhmon?”

“Partly, yeah. The Senior Mechanics are oh-so-worried about poor Mari,” Alli said with broad sarcasm.

“I told you about Ringhmon, but I’ve found out a little more since the last time we talked. I was set up by the Guild. Nice, huh? The Senior Mechanics wanted me dead, and they wanted to be able to pin it on commons.”

“Who told you this?” Alli demanded.

“Mechanics who knew it for a fact.”

“Why didn’t Calu say something about that?”

“Are you kidding?” Mari asked. “How could he hide something that explosive in a letter without some snoop spotting it? Besides, I didn’t find out the details until after I’d seen him.”

Alli exhaled heavily, looking at the tabletop. “That’s just sick. I’ve been more and more unhappy with the Senior Mechanics, but this… Mari, I can tell you’re not whacked out. But there’s another reason being given for why you need help. There’s supposed to be some guy that you’re traveling with,” she paused and looked to where Alain was standing against a wall some distance from them, “who’s controlling you with drugs or something.”

Mari couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, yeah. I’ve heard that, too. Don’t they think I can behave badly on my own?”

Alli grinned. “They certainly ought to know that by now. But I think they’re trying to get your friends to help catch you by making us think that we’re helping you.”

“Well, it’s ridiculous. Nobody’s controlling me.”

“Nobody ever could,” Alli agreed. “But then what’s going on? Who is he?” Alli rested her chin on the palm of one hand, gazing at Alain. “He’s not half-bad looking…”

“Hey, back off! He’s mine.”

“Yours?” Alli raised both of her eyebrows and smiled slyly. “That sounds interesting. What’s up with you two? Just working partners, or…?”

“Or,” Mari said, smiling back.

“Where’s he from? What’s his specialty? Where did he apprentice?” Alli demanded.

“He’s not a Mechanic, Alli.”

“He’s not? But the Guild thinks…” Alli studied Alain again. “You took up with a common?”

“No…”

“Mari, if he’s not a Mechanic and he’s not a common, what is he? He’s not a Mage.”

Mari hesitated for only a moment. “Um, yes, he is.”

Alli gave Mari a startled and skeptical look, then gazed at Alain again. “Stop messing with me. He’s not a Mage.”

“Yes, he is.”

“No, he’s not. They all look like their faces are dead.”

“I’ve been working on him,” Mari explained.

“But why? Why work on him if he’s a Mage?” Alli must have seen something in her face. “You said you two weren’t just working partners. Oh, Mari, tell me you haven’t.”

“Haven’t what?”

“A Mage. Mari, that is so…you promised me that you’d only get with the right guy. You promised me, Mari!” Alli shook her finger at Mari.

“I know,” Mari said. “And I did. He really is the right one.”

Alli shook her head again, looking very worried now. “A Mage, Mari. How could he be right? Wait. Is this the guy Calu talked about? He was trying to tell me something about him, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.” Alli stared at Alain. “He said you were in really good hands, and the other hints…yeah, he knew this guy was a Mage. No wonder I couldn’t figure it out. That was the one answer I didn’t try to fit to Calu’s vague clues. Calu said he liked— What’s his name?”

“Alain,” Mari said. “Yes, Calu did like him. Alli, I swear to you that Alain is the greatest. He respects me and he believes in me and he’s risked his life for me more times than I can count.” Mari raised her hands in a pleading position. “Please, Alli. You know me. You can see I’m still myself. Can you still believe me?”

Alli hesitated. “That’s a big thing, Mari, but—” Her eyes suddenly focused on Mari’s hands. “Oh. My. Stars.”

“What?”

“Is that a promise ring?”

“Uh…this?” Mari held up her hand, spreading the fingers a bit. “Yes.”

“You married him?” Alli just sat staring at Mari, then shook her head with a dazed expression. “If Calu hadn’t already told me that this Alain was all right, I’d… Who proposed?”

“He did, first. Then later, I did.”

“You got a Mage to propose to you? Wow.” Alli’s eyes were on Alain again. “He looks all right, and I can tell he’s worried about you by the way he’s watching us.”

“Do you remember when I told you about the guy who saved me in the desert, and from the dungeon in Ringhmon and later in Dorcastle? That was Alain.”

Alli made a helpless gesture. “All right, Mari. It’s your heart, and you know it better than anyone else. I know Mages aren’t frauds like the Guild told us. I’ve seen what they can do, too. I was told never to talk to anyone about it.”

“That’s what happened to me.”

“But Mari, how do they do it?”

“I don’t know yet,” Mari admitted. “I mean, Alain has tried to explain it to me in Mage terms, but it doesn’t make any sense in Mechanic terms. Though Calu gave me some ideas, based on some kind of physics he was taught. I was wondering if I’d find some more clues in Marandur but—”

“Marandur?”

“Yes.” Mari leaned forward, delighted at the chance to finally share with another Mechanic. “You won’t believe the stuff I found there. Things from the vaults inside the old Guild Headquarters.”

Alli’s eyes had widened. “Banned technology?”

“Oh, yeah. Alli, this stuff is so great. The things we could build with it!”

Alli’s face lit up. “Really? I can’t begin to imagine—”

“No! You really can’t! It’s astonishing.”

“But, Mari, the penalty if you’re caught with it—” Her expression sifted to shock. “Marandur? You got it from Marandur? If the Empire gets its hands on you it’ll kill you.”

“The Empire has already tried,” Mari admitted. “Alli, don’t tell anyone else about Marandur or what I found there. Not yet.”

“Sure. I promise. As long as I get to see it someday.” Alli frowned at Mari. “Have you heard some of what the commons are saying? About this young female Mechanic who’s the daughter of Jules and traveling with a Mage? I thought it was crazy common talk, but you really are with Alain. You might get mistaken for the one the commons are talking about.”

Mari sighed and spread her hands apologetically. “The commons are talking about me.”

“You’re telling people that you’re the daughter of Jules? Mari, that’s suicidal! If the Guild gets its hands on you now—”

“Alli…I…” Mari didn’t know how to say it, so she finally just blurted it out. “I am the daughter.”

“What?” If Alli had looked dazed before, it was nothing compared to now.

“The Mages have seen it. They say I’m the woman who will fulfill the prophecy. If I live that long.”

“Oh my stars.” Alli blinked, then stared at Mari. “If the Mages believe that you’re her, why haven’t they killed you?”

“They’re trying,” Mari said.

“And so are our Guild and the Empire.”

“Well…yeah. A lot of people want to kill me.”

Alli looked away, then mimicked Mari’s spread-hand gesture. “All right. So, to summarize, everybody is trying to kill you, and you’re married. To a Mage.” She leaned forward and whispered. “Is it true what they say about Mages?”