L. Modesitt - Imager's challenge

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Horazt frowned, but nodded to the boy.

The boy followed me tentatively. Once we were just outside the administration building, I took a good copper from my wallet and showed it to Shault. “This is a good coin. I’d like you to look at it closely and then see if you can image a better-looking copper.”

“You won’t hurt me ifn I do?”

“If you can, you can keep the good copper, but I want you to sit on the steps and see if you can image it onto the stone beside you.”

Shault sat down. “You really mean it?”

I handed him the copper. “You can keep it if you can make another.”

He looked at the copper for a long time, then set it on the stone step.

The second copper wasn’t much better than the first, but he was definitely an imager.

“Good. I need the copy, but you can keep the one I gave you. You can stand up.”

He wobbled as he stood, and I grasped his shoulder to steady him. “Is Horazt your father or brother?”

“Nah . . . he’s Ma’s cousin, but he’s the taudischef for the west quarter.”

What that meant was that the finder’s fee would be double-a gold for Shault’s mother and a gold for Horazt. “What’s your mother’s name?”

“Chelya.”

“Just Chelya?”

“That’s all. Da died when I was little. Ma said it was elveweed.”

“You’re going to stay here on Imagisle and be an imager, Shault.”

“I can’t go home?”

“It wouldn’t be safe for you,” I pointed out. “You know that. Here, you’ll have your own room, and three meals a day, as much as you can eat. After a few weeks, your mother can come visit you, and after a longer time, if you want to, you can see her on end-days. You’ll have to learn to read and write.”

“I know my letters.”

But little more, I suspected. “You’ll also get paid a few coppers a week.”

“Better’n getting beaten . . . I guess.”

That was about all I’d get in concessions. “We need to tell Horazt.” I stayed close to Shault as we walked back into the receiving hall.

“Well?” asked the taudischef.

“He has imaging ability.”

“I knew it.”

“Horazt, do you have a full name, an official one?”

“A’course I do. Horazt D’Estaudis.”

I should have guessed. “As taudischef, you get a draft on the Banque D’Excelsis for two golds. One gold is for you, the other is for Chelya. You will make sure she gets all of it.”

“Couldn’t do otherwise, now, could I?”

I smiled. “I will find out if she doesn’t get it, and I’ll also find out if anything happens to her, and if either happens . . . the west quarter will have a new taudischef.”

For a moment he studied me. Then he laughed, wryly. “You know Mama Diestra, don’t you?”

I nodded. “I also work with the civic patrollers.”

“She’ll get her gold, Master Rhennthyl.”

“I thought she would. You’ll have to pick up the draft here tomorrow. I’ll give you a promissory note for it now. If you don’t want to go far, one of the duty imagers will escort you to the branch of the banque here, and you can cash the draft for the golds without leaving Imagisle.”

“I have to wait till then?”

“The banques aren’t open on end-days, and we don’t leave golds out. Does anyone sensible?”

A sly smile flitted across his lips. “Some might.”

“I’ll be right back with the note for you, Horazt.”

I was glad I’d checked over the duty desk earlier, and that Master Dichartyn had briefed me on the procedures for intaking. The forms for the notes were in the second drawer, and all I had to do was fill in dates and names and the amount, and the reason. I did have to wait a moment for the ink to dry before bringing it back to the taudischef.

Horazt took the promissory note. “You write good, Master Rhennthyl.” He slipped it inside his shirt.

“I’d hope so. I was once an artist.”

At that, he stiffened once more, and just slightly. “Things’ll be quiet in the west quarter.”

“I’m sure that Commander Artois will be pleased to know that.”

“Yes, sir.” Then Horazt bent slightly and looked at Shault. “Boy . . . you listen to Master Rhennthyl. You do what he says, and if you got problems, you tell him. You got a chance to be someone. Someone your mama’ll be proud of. You understand?”

Shault nodded somberly.

Horazt stood and looked at me. I understood the look, and I nodded. “We’ll do our best.”

He looked at Shault again, then turned and walked out of the receiving hall.

“Haensyl . . . get Kuert Secondus. Shault needs something to eat before anything, and we need to get him set up with a room.”

The younger primes still needed their own chambers, but that section of the east quarters was arranged so that all the younger primes were quartered close together.

Kuert arrived in moments, his gray eyes taking in the worried-looking Shault. Then the second looked to me.

“Kuert, this is Shault. He’ll need to eat something right away. He’s imaged several things, and he’ll need a room. I’ll have one checked while he’s eating. After he eats bring him back here.” That wasn’t the strict procedure, but Shault was pale, and I doubted that he’d hear or remember much until he ate.

“Yes, sir.”

After they left, I checked the available quarters and, thankfully, there were two rooms left in the section for the very young primes. Once we’d settled on a room, I asked Haensyl, “Is there anyone who you’d trust to take Shault under their wing?”

“There’s Mayra. She just made second. She’s good with the young ones, and she’s here now. I saw her just a bit ago.”

“If you’d see if she’d help settle young Shault.”

“Yes, sir.”

Haensyl hurried off, but it seemed like only moments before he returned with an angular and gawky girl-close to being a young woman.

“Master Rhennthyl.” She inclined her head.

“The Collegium needs your skills with young Shault. He’s a taudis-boy, and being here is going to be hard on him for the next few days. Could you show him around today?”

“Yes, sir.”

“He’s eating now.”

“I can wait, sir.”

“Thank you. Where are you from, originally?”

“Gheant . . . it’s a village outside Extela.”

“Do you miss the mountains?”

“No, sir. I broke my arm chasing goats in the rocks. . . .”

Before all that long, Kuert and Shault returned. Shault looked far more alert, and the paleness had vanished.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, Master Rhennthyl.”

I looked at Kuert and Mayra. “Mayra will accompany you two and spend a little more time with Shault. He’ll be in room nine in the junior prime quarters. I’ll need a few words with him first, though.”

They both nodded, clearly familiar with that aspect of matters, probably more so than I was, I suspected.

“Shault . . . if you’d come with me.”

We walked to the conference room without speaking, and he took the chair on the side of the table. He looked lost in the large chair.

“Shault . . .” I offered quietly. “You need to understand a few rules about Imagisle.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The first rule is that you are not to try any more imaging except when a master tells you to try. The reason for this is simple. Imaging certain things will kill you. Imaging other things in the wrong place will also kill you. You don’t have to give up imaging, and you won’t. You will learn how and where to image. . . .” From there I went through the preliminary advising, although I did change the way I offered certain things, based on what I’d learned about the way things were done in the taudis.

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