Traitor Savant (Second Seal of the Duelists) (10 page)

“I think they already have,” Calder said.

The next morning, Bayan was relieved to see that Kiwani was indeed acting like her old self. As they walked from breakfast to their first class, in the distant Flame arena, she confessed that she couldn’t recall anything more than fleeting impressions of the last several days, but insisted that she was eternally grateful for her hexmates’ rescue. “The last thing I remember clearly is when Kah dragged me to meet Odjin in a little marketplace by the sea.”

“Odjin?” Bayan repeated, surprised.

Kiwani revealed her encounter with their former hexmate and soberly mentioned Odjin’s theories and resentment. “I promised I’d ask a sint about his theories and write him with what I learned, if anything.”

“Speaking of sints,” Calder said, “was Sint Esme right about your trip?”

“More than I ever expected. I do remember that part. I met my real mother, and she wasn’t at all what I expected. She was afraid. She was rude. She didn’t even want to be seen with me.”

Bayan,
thought of his own mother. “That couldn’t have been easy to hear.”

Kiwani
shook her head. “It wasn’t. I was terribly hurt. But halfway home, I finally realized the truth: my real mother isn’t any more perfect than my adopted mother. How can I ignore one mother’s flaws and hold the other’s against her? It’s unfair of me. I have two mothers, and they both have problems. And so do I, fittingly enough.” She let slip a self-deprecating laugh. “All just trying to do what we think is best. And what’s best for me is being here with you.” She put her arms around Tarin and Bayan and squeezed.

Bayan grinned at her affection. “Speaking of best things
and sints, you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve cracked the mystery of Savantism. We’ve only had a few training sessions because our schedules aren’t really centered around secret off-campus excursions, but I’ve no doubt that, with your magic back where it’s supposed to be, you’ll bounce straight to the top of the hex again.”

“I’ve no doubt, either,” Kiwani said, chin high.

Tarin nodded. “Aye, Kiwani’s back to her old self.”

Kiwani’s flame avatar, Candlewick, did indeed make an appearance during
Flame class. The long, burning string seemed excited to be back on campus, zipping through the air like a frenzied widowbird, though Bayan knew that couldn’t really be true. Avatars were magical constructs, not thinking beings. Kiwani looked happier as she performed her magic than Bayan had seen her in months. Though she was a little rusty with her maneuvers, she’d found what she needed in order to focus, and she gave Bayan’s Firemark a thorough thrashing, and even beat Eward’s Crackle and Calder’s Firedust. Only Tarin’s ember-man, Bonfire, was able to best Candlewick. The hex was complete again—as complete as it was going to get for the foreseeable future.

After class, the hex passed Master witten Oost’s classroom on the way to
Avatar Tactics, which was being held in the Wood Arena that day. Frowning, Eward gestured to the decorative plants along the building’s edge. “Weren’t there blooms on all those stalks yesterday?”

Bayan looked at the landscaping
. The blade-leaved plants each grew several long, sturdy stalks that had sported dark red blossoms the last time he remembered noticing them. Now, the thick stalks came to stubby ends just above the tallest leaves. The flowering tops were nowhere to be seen.

“Practical joke?” Calder asked.

“Maybe someone doesn’t like the master,” Tarin said.

“Aye, maybe, but why go about showing it this
way?” Calder replied.

Bayan didn’t know what to make of the cut flowers any more than the others, but the next morning, when they arrived for Master witten Oost’s Tactics class, the issue became moot.

Kiwani stared at all the perfect stalks, laden with their trumpet-shaped red blooms. “How? How did he do that? Plants are living things. Duelism can’t affect anything alive.”

Tarin held the door open to Bayan as she stepped across the threshold and in
to the classroom. “Sure an’ that’s why he’s a
Master
Duelist.”

~~~

“Master witten Oost, are you saying we should lie?” Kiwani frowned.

“Not at all
.” The master shifted his bulk on the corner of his desk. “I firmly believe that there is always a time for truth. However, different parts of the truth may have different values at different times.”

“Can you give us an example?”

“You’ll recall our earlier discussion about researching your and your opponent’s clients? You’re not researching in order to learn the truth. Duelists are not investigators. You must always be aware that you exist in a primarily political environment. The politics may be grand, involving nobles and wealthy citizens, or they may be small, involving the only marriageable daughter of a baker and her two suitors. In every case, what you learn should be used as a guide to your next actions, not as a sword to cut down the opposition. Duels are only arranged when the truth has become irrelevant. What you learn may never be suitable for the eyes or ears of others, but it is always relevant to you as an employed duelist.”

“Does that work out of the duel den, too?” Taban asked
.

“Excellent question, Taban. The answer is that it works all too well. You must always be paying attention to the world around you.
There is no better place to practice this than here on campus. Look, listen, evaluate. You’d be surprised what simple observation can tell you about your fellow students and your instructors.”

“What do you see in us today, Master?” Calder
leaned his chin onto his hand with a mischievous look.

“I see a bit of taffy, Calder
… in your teeth. By that, I presume that Bayan has received yet another care package from the rising star that is his sponsor: Minister Philo Sallas.”

Calder tongued his teeth
and blushed as Bayan shot him a glare. “Sorry, Bayan.” Kiwani shook her head at the Dunfarroghan’s continual misbehavior. How Bayan put up with him sometimes mystified her.

“What about other teachers, Master?” Tarin asked with an eager smile.

Master witten Oost’s face closed down. “I’m sorry, but I cannot expose you to such political currents as you are not yet experienced enough to handle. Much is going on, in the air right over your heads, as it were, and I cannot bid you stand up to see it. Not when your careers may be affected.”

Kiwani frowned, trying to piece together what he referr
ed to, as confused looks passed among the other students.

“How do we know what not to ask you about, then?” Tarin asked. Kiwani gave her a mental pat on the back for her insight.

“Let me just say that, when a powerful individual is suspected of malfeasance in a political climate that favors them due to their connections, steps must be taken one at a time to deal with the situation. Little truths, if you will. Innocent parties should not be given little truths, since they may make little sense without the whole. In due time, the hope is that all will be revealed, and justice will be done.

“
We are out of time for today. Please turn in a report next class on a hypothetical situation in which you learn unpleasant truths about your opponent’s client, and how you would handle the situation. You are dismissed.”

Kiwani stood and gathered her papers with the other students. She had barely stepped outside
into the crisp afternoon air when Calder grabbed her elbow and tugged her away from the mass of exiting students.

“He’s talking about Langlaren,” he said in an urgent voice.

“What?”

“That ‘powerful individual’ who’s ‘suspected of malfeasance
.’ He means Langlaren. That’s why the old headmaster was booted.”

“How do you know that?”

“It only makes sense.” Kiwani heard frustration growing in Calder’s voice. “Just because you’re powerful and popular doesn’t mean you’re not a complete arserag.”

Kiwani frowned at his obscenity. “Calder, is something bothering you? Did something happen between you and Langlaren?”

“Nae, nothing like that. But it makes sense, aye? The sudden change of leadership? Something was going on, but none of the students knew about it. Probably none of the teachers, either. It looks like the Master did, though.”

Kiwani nodded thoughtfully. “I see your point. In my fa—my adoptive father’s circles, there was a large gap between suspecting a powerful person of misdeeds and proving they were doing them. Corruption is a way of life for the wealthy and influential.”

Calder nodded sharply, as if Kiwani had just admitted he’d been right all along. “I’m going to tell Bayan and the others. I think that what happened to Langlaren might be related to what happened to you.”

As Calder stalked off to catch up with his hexmates, Kiwani stood rooted to the spot
, as if frost had risen from the earth and anchored her. Since she couldn’t remember any details about her kidnapping, she usually pushed the knowledge into a locked chest at the back of her mind. But it
had
happened. Her friends were all witnesses. And someone was definitely responsible—probably someone on campus, as Bayan suspected. As long as Kiwani couldn’t remember who had taken her, her kidnapper likely felt safe. But if Calder jumped around yelling more than merely little truths, whoever had kidnapped her might go after him next.

Freeing her feet from the frosty grip of the ground, she hurried after him.

~~~

Bayan
directed Shear to cast one last Gyreling spell, then let the two-dimensional, semi-reflective Wind avatar dissipate. He panted for breath. The hex had been up past midnight practicing more Savant magic, and he was both physically and mentally exhausted. On the other side of that ducat, after the past two Savant training sessions, Kiwani was improving rapidly. She’d just worked on her Wind Avatar spells last night, and her increased skill and control were noticeable even to Bayan’s tired eyes.

Taban sauntered over and handed him a cup of water.
“Good class today, Bayan, aye?”

Bayan took it and gulped gratefully, but he knew Taban too well to take the gift at face value. “You’re lookin
g balanced yourself. Think you’ll do well in the Avatar test?”

Taban released his trademark lazy grin. “Exactly why I wanted to talk to you, b
oyo. Now as Kiwani’s back and flinging Avatar spells left and right with the rest of you, it strikes me that there’s only one flaw in your hex.”

Bayan raised his eyebrows. “What’s that?”

“It only has five members. I’m thinking I could help you remedy that temporary setback.”

Bayan’s
eyebrows climbed higher. He glanced at the other members of Taban’s hex: Breckan, Kendesi, and Cormaac. Kendesi shot him a dark look; she seemed to know what Taban was doing.

He looked back at Taban. “I’ll talk to my hex.”

“No rush on commitment, mind you. I’m willing to be an unaffiliated tegen for now, if that’ll ease anyone’s mind.”

Bayan was unable to keep the
sarcasm from his voice. “No doubt it will.”

Far from offended, Taban gave him a broad grin. “At your pleasure, the
n, hexling.” He swaggered off.

Bayan rolled his eyes and headed over to his
own hexmates.
Taban probably couldn’t manage humility if his life depended on it.

Calder glanced over Bayan’s shoulder at Taban’s retreating back.
“He asking what I think he’s asking?”

“Probably. You’re a canny little tegen.”

“I am, at that.”

Eward rubbed his nose.
“I can’t figure why he picked our hex, though. We started a class behind him, and he’s always rubbed that in our faces.”

Bayan shrugged.
“Isn’t it obvious? He sees Kiwani return from a long absence that could have ended her training for good, but instead she gets
stronger
. Whatever he thinks we have, he wants us to rub it in his face, too.”

“I’m not rubbing anything
in his face, or anywhere else.” Tarin shivered with dislike as she too glanced after Taban.

Bayan managed to keep a straight face despite the indecent images that popped, unbidden, to his mind.
“Not what you’re looking for in a hexmate?”

“He’s competent enough with his magic. He’s manifested all six avatars, even, like us. He’d be a good fit for hexmagic. I just don’t
care for his attitude.”

“I think there’s more
to Taban than attitude,” Bayan said. “If we work with him for a few classes, maybe let him eat with us, we may see a different side of him. It’s not like you would have to borrow him for stress relief, Tarin.”

“
I hope not. He’s clearly not the sort that needs such reinforcement, and I’ve already found someone to help me.” She frowned and crossed her arms. “I don’t think he’ll blend well, but as you like.”

“Any other objections?” Bayan asked. No one spoke. “I’ll let Taban know.”