L. E.Modesitt - Imager’s Intrigue

As we slipped onto the dance floor, I murmured, “Nicely done. I take it you have a concern.”

“I do. It’s not something I’d want anyone else to know, except Seliora, of course. There are golds missing from a private contingency account, several thousand. It’s a coded account in the Banque D’Rivages. So far as I know, only my father had the codes until…. Mother didn’t even know about them, and she’s stayed on the lands ever since. They were always sealed, and the seals weren’t broken when…after things happened.”

“Can’t you change the codes?”

“Oh, we did, and that stopped the losses. We can handle a few thousand golds…but it’s still worrisome.”

A few thousand golds, and she could handle it? After five years as a Maitre D’Structure, I made three golds a week. That was more than all but a few people in a hundred made in L’Excelsis-and we did get a good-sized house as well. Even if I counted in the monetary value of the house, my annual earnings were probably less than four hundred golds a year. All that just illustrated the enormous gap in wealth between the High Holders and the rest of Solidar, except perhaps for a few handfuls of freeholders or factors like Broussard. “Maybe someone in one of the banques just guessed.”

“It’s possible, but we have our doubts. I thought you, in your present position, might keep an eye or ear open, just in case you find something that might shed some light on how it could have occurred.”

“I honestly don’t know of anything like that, but I’d be pleased to watch for anything bearing on it.” I could tell that the possibility of a lack of control bothered Iryela more than did the loss of the golds. That…I understood all too well.

“I do appreciate it, Rhenn.”

“Frydryk had a talk with his father.”

“He always does. That’s the burden of being the heir.”

“Kandryl should be thankful to you…in many ways.”

“He is most grateful…and attentive.” After the slightest pause, she added, “At times, things do turn out for the best. They have for both of us, I think.”

She wasn’t talking about herself and Kandryl, and I just said, “Yes, they do, and at times, they even lead to happiness amid the disruptions.” I paused. “I never thanked you for selling that land to Khethila.”

Her eyes sparkled for a moment. “I didn’t even know we had it. When I found out, I thought it was the right thing to do. So did Kandryl. We offered it for less than my father paid for it.”

I understood. Iryela had made the offer at fair market value. Her father had bought it at a premium so that he could use it against me and my family, but Iryela also knew that outright charity would rankle Khethila.

After a time of silence, she said, “You have improved since the first time we danced. That has to be your wife’s influence.”

“She’s been a good influence.”

As the music of that dance died away, I escorted Iryela back to the edge of the dance floor, where Kandryl and Seliora were already waiting.

“If you will excuse us…” offered Iryela.

“Of course,” Seliora replied.

I just nodded.

“What did she want?” asked Seliora with a smile.

“Besides a dance?” I grinned. “Did you think-”

“I carry the pistol everywhere,” she whispered.

“You’re a hard woman.”

“But I’m yours…if you behave.”

“As if I had any choice.” I laughed, then, after a moment, explained. “Someone withdrew funds from a coded account. She said the amount didn’t bother her so much as that no one else knew the codes. It was only several thousand golds.” A touch of irony crept into my voice.

“Who would have known the codes? Her mother? She and Johanyr are the only ones left alive besides Iryela.”

“According to Iryela, the codes were sealed and unbroken. Her mother didn’t even know they existed, and Johanyr hasn’t been in L’Excelsis in something like seven years. Besides, he’s nearly blind. I doubt if he could even read them.”

“I can see why she’s worried, then. But there must be a simple explanation.”

“There probably is, but I can’t think of it. Her mother could be pretending, but given how Ryel ran his holdings, and the way the older High Holders treat their wives, I doubt it.”

“I can see that.”

“Let’s enjoy the dancing before I have to leave.”

Her smile was worth that, and we danced…and danced-until just past ninth glass, when I left Seliora with the Dichartyns and hurried out of the Chateau, where I persuaded the duty coach driver-Elreyt, who usually drove evenings-to take me to Third District station.

As soon as the coach stopped on Fuosta, I stepped out and hurried into the station and to the duty desk.

“Any trouble yet?”

“No, sir, but…Sammyl said one of the taudis-kids warned us to watch the woodworks.”

“I’ll be heading there.”

Cemaryt glanced at the formal cloak and black formal wear.

I grinned. “I won’t be as easily seen.”

“Ah…yes, sir.”

I reached the woodworks, where I waited in the shadows close to South Middle for Sammyl and Rarydn. I stood there half a glass before they neared.

They both started when I appeared.

“Sir?”

“I understand we might have trouble here.”

“One of the taudis-kids-she was a girl-told me.” Rarydn glanced at the darkened building to his right, questioningly.

“If they destroy the building and kill patrollers…it hurts the taudis-dwellers and the Civic Patrol,” I pointed out. “Let’s head down toward the alley across from the south side.”

They exchanged glances, but followed me. We stopped short of the corner of the wall that circled the waste yard on the southeast side of the property.

“We’ll wait here,” I said in a low voice. “We’ll have some cover. You watch behind us, Rarydn.”

“Yes, sir.”

As I suspected, before long, less than a quarter of a glass, there were four figures coming up the alley, but they stopped short of the side street in front of us, and remained in the alley. All of them bore packs, which they eased off and set on the stones. I could see three other figures coming forward, past the four and stationing themselves on each side of the alley. The three wore the shiny leathers of taudis-toughs. The other four wore dark light-absorbing garb.

I was getting a very uneasy feeling about the entire situation, especially after I saw one of the men setting up something like a tripod pointing in our general direction, but likely at the woodworks building. Then another tripod went up, and a third, and a fourth. When the first man set a cylindrical tube on a tripod, I knew. But I waited until all four tubes were in place on their tripods…but not a moment more.

Then…I stepped around the corner, my back to the wall, and concentrated, imaging fire into all four cylinders and projecting my shields across the alley at an angle.

Light flared everywhere, and a wave of sound slammed me into the wall.

“Sir! Sir!”

Sammyl was helping me to my feet, but loud as he was speaking his words were barely a whisper.

“I’m all right.” I thought I was. I was shaking…but I could see and walk, if a trace unsteadily. I felt weak, and I couldn’t raise any shields. I just hoped that there was no one else around who might want to take a shot at us. “We might as well see what happened.” I started across the side street, but I stopped short of the sidewalk on the other side.

The explosion, contained by my shields, had left a hole a yard deep and five across, and that was through the alley paving stones. There were bits of what had been men and gear strewn like leaves across the bottom of the hole, as well as scraps of twisted metal.