L. E.Modesitt - Imager’s Intrigue

“Oh…” For one of the few times since I’d met her years before, Iryela looked disconcerted. “You’re…one of the high imagers, then?”

I knew that was so, but I hadn’t let myself dwell on it. “By default. Maitre Dyana is now the Maitre of the Collegium.”

Iryela laughed. “No wonder Frydryk has been grumbling. A woman heading the Collegium. How did that happen?”

“She was the only Maitre D’Esprit left.”

“That means…you’re the second-ranking imager in all of Solidar. And you’re here having tea with me?”

“I said it was important,” I pointed out, trying to keep my tone light.

“What does Johanyr have to do with all of this?”

“I don’t know. It might be nothing. It’s just that he vanished just before all the attacks on L’Excelsis took place.”

She shook her head. “You think he’s involved, don’t you?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I worry that he is. Do you know if any of his acquaintances have heard from him?”

“Not that I know of. I used to ask, but he never wrote anyone. I’d think they would tell me if he did now, or if they’d seen him.”

“Do you know if he was friendly with Geuffryt, one of the Naval Command Assistant Sea-Marshals?”

“Geuffryt?” She frowned. “Geuffryt…” Then she nodded. “Geuffryt D’Laevoryn-Alte. He was the youngest son. He was…I suppose he still is…some sort of relative of Juniae D’Shendael. He was friendly enough to Johanyr when Johanyr was still a boy, but he was a good ten years older. He was like a distant uncle. Then his father…he made some bad decisions, and he went sailing one day and never came back. I suppose that was why Geuffryt stayed with the Navy.” She paused. “Why did you want to know?”

“I just wondered. I met Geuffryt several weeks ago and found out that he was a cousin of Madame D’Shendael. He seemed to know about your family.” That was more than a slight exaggeration. “So I thought I’d ask. I’m trying to think of anyone Johanyr might contact.”

“There really isn’t. You know he was always above everyone…until…”

“I was afraid that might be the case.” I smiled wryly. “I’ve also been watching on the other matter. So far nothing has turned up, but we have run across rumors of a few other odd funds transactions, and I can always hope that we can find out what happened.”

“I do appreciate it.”

“I do have one other odd question.”

“Oh?”

“Do you know if there is a complete listing of all the High Holders in Solidar anywhere?”

“The Collegium doesn’t have one?”

“If it does, no one knows about it.”

“I don’t think there is a current list. I remember my father talking about the last complete census of High Holders being done at the turn of the last century. There is a list in the library, and he did annotate it.”

“Might I borrow it? Discreetly?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “I will ask that you return it personally.”

“I can do that.”

“If you will excuse me…” Iryela rose.

I stood and watched her leave, but she returned immediately, handing a small bound volume over to me. “It’s just a listing of names and the locations of the main lands of each High Holder.” After a moment, she asked, “Do you have any other unusual questions?”

“No. I wish I did, because it would mean I knew more.”

She did laugh, if softly.

“I should leave. I’m sorry I don’t have better news.”

“You will let me know…if anything…happens?”

“I will.” I inclined my head. “And you will do the same? About Johanyr or Glendyl or anything else you think useful?”

“I will.” She stood. “Congratulations. I always knew you’d do well. I’m sorry for you that it happened the way it did.”

“So am I. I’m not as prepared for it as I should be.”

“No. We never are. That’s life. I’ll walk out with you.”

As we walked down the corridor, she added, “I told Kandryl times were changing, and we’ve been more careful than ever. He chided me for worrying…until all this happened. Now, he doesn’t say anything.”

“Except ‘Yes, dearest,’” I suggested.

“He understands.”

I was certain Kandryl did.

At the entry foyer, she turned to me. “Do be careful, and give our best to Seliora.”

“I will indeed.”

I had to wait half a quint before the duty coach reached the front entry, but that was fine with me. It was half past one by the time I got back to the Collegium, where I immediately sought out Schorzat. He and Kahlasa were in his study, with a stack of papers between them.

They both looked up. Schorzat opened his mouth, as if he were about to ask where I’d been, but then closed it for a moment before saying, “We’re glad you’re back.”

I handed the bound list to Schorzat. “We need this copied, along with the marginal notes.”

He glanced over it. “These are rather tightly held.”

“I know. I couldn’t find one here in the Collegium.”

“It’s in the locked collection in the library.”

“Then get it, and copy the annotations and give me the new annotated copy.” I paused only briefly. “What have you found out?”

“We’ve been working on the large banques. They won’t give details, but they’ve all assured us that none of them have issued fund transfers from unusual sources.”

“Is there a local branch of the Banque D’Rivages?”

“No, but Kahlasa sent a query yesterday by ironway, and we got back a reply less than a glass ago. They were kind enough to note that they had no activity of that nature whatsoever, except from their usual sources.”

“Was it phrased that way?”

“Why, yes. Why?” Schorzat lifted a single sheet of heavy paper. “You can read it.”

I took it and read the words. He was right.

Considering that I was one of the highest-paid imagers, and five thousand golds represented ten years’ pay, there couldn’t be that many people in Solidar with those kinds of assets-no more than fifteen hundred to two thousand, and probably half of those used banques in L’Excelsis. The fact that the draft had been on the Banque D’Rivages confirmed my suspicions, and so did the banque’s reply, not that what we’d discovered was the kind of proof one could put before the Justiciary.

Now…the next questions were why Geuffryt had done it, and what I could do about it…if anything.

After Schorzat and Kahlasa left, I just sat down and tried to think matters through. That, I was finding, was far harder than doing things. Then I realized that Maitre Dyana needed to know what I suspected about Johanyr and Geuffryt. So I headed upstairs to tell her, even if I couldn’t prove a thing, in the legal sense.

Gherard was sorting papers of some sort at his desk, but he immediately straightened. “Yes, Maitre Rhennthyl?”

“Is she in?”

“No, sir. I believe she’s at the Council Chateau, meeting with Councilor Caartyl and Maitre Rholyn, sir.”

“Do you have any idea when she’ll be back?”

“No, sir. She did say that she might not be back here today and that I shouldn’t wait past fifth glass for her.”

“Thank you.”

When I got back to my study, I realized I was angry…at more than a few things. I’d had to ask Iryela for something the Collegium already had, something that should have been in Maitre Dichartyn’s files, not locked away in the Collegium library. That wasn’t a total loss, because I suspected no one in the library had updated the listing. How complete Ryel’s updates were was another question. Then, every time I tried to find out something, such as where large sums of funds were coming from, I kept finding that there wasn’t any way or system to find out, or not accurately. The Council was squabbling over how to fund ships Solidar needed, and no one really even knew what sort of taxation on whom would raise how much funding, and I suspected that, if I talked to Reynol, he’d tell me that his figures were estimates at best. That didn’t mean I didn’t need to talk to him.