Jack Campbell - The Dragons of Dorcastle

“Do you desire that Mechanic, Mage Alain?”

Lie. Lie better than he ever had before, or see himself dead before this day ended. “No.” Had the single word been as emotionless as it sounded to him? “She is a Mechanic.”

“Exactly. A shadow, an enemy of our Guild, a creature who no doubt seeks to destroy your powers. Do you understand this, Mage Alain? You have sought a taste of that which is forbidden, using a female common as your vessel. In one so young such behavior will occur, but it must not occur again. It could lead you into the arms of the Mechanic herself, and if once she ensnares you then you will never be free again, and your powers will dwindle to ashes. Do you understand?”

Alain fought to keep elation from showing. The elders had misinterpreted what they had seen. “This one understands.”

“And the Dark Mages?” one of the elders asked. “You saw their dragon?”

“Yes, elder. Its remains were in the warehouse used by the Mechanics.”

One of the elders let some glee into his voice. “A perfect opportunity. We will tell all that the dragon was used by our Guild to halt the schemes of the Mechanics.” The other elders made noises of agreement.

The woman’s voice held no hint of feeling as she once again addressed Alain, though. “You saw the devices of the Mechanics?”

“I did.”

“You say you understood them?”

“No, elder.” At least this did not call for a lie. “I saw items which resembled the claws of dragons. But the other Mechanic devices I could not understand at all.”

“You studied these devices?” another elder asked.

“No. They made noise. They created heat. That is all I know.”

“It is all any Mage needs to know,” the elder declared. “The Mechanic tricks might have harmed you, but in that at least you acted wisely by avoiding them. Despite your errors, your service to the Guild has been valuable, Mage Alain. But an issue remains.”

He waited, trying to reveal nothing.

“You have been about Mechanics often of late. You have revealed a fascination with one of their females. Our inquiries show that this female may be young, but she is still very dangerous.”

It felt strange to hear the elder using the same words which Alain had employed last night, but not with the intent of praising Mari. Alain confined himself to a nod, not sure what his voice might reveal.

“You are to inform your elders immediately,” the elder continued, “if this Mechanic attempts to attach herself to you again, or if you see her even at a distance. If she proves to be a danger to our Guild, if she once again seeks you out, then she will be eliminated as a warning to the Mechanics. They will have no proof, but they will know who did this thing.”

Alain surprised himself, his voice sounding so very, very unemotional as he heard a conditional death sentence uttered against Mari. “This one understands.”

“Mage Alain,” the third elder said. “The Guild will not tolerate dangers to it, in any form. No Mage must tolerate the presence of a Mechanic. Do you understand?”

“This one understands.” That had been a direct warning to him, and perhaps a veiled reference to the prophecy. Obey, or else. Stay away from Mechanics, or else. He remembered one night a few years ago, a rebellious acolyte driven past endurance who had tried attacking an elder, long knives flashing in the night, another elder warning Alain: “All enemies of the Mage Guild must be dealt with.” But now he feared for himself less than he did for Mari.

“You are dismissed.”

Alain walked from the room, part of him noticing with some surprise that his gait was steady despite the tremors he felt inside. They will kill her if they see her with me. Even if they do not realize she is the daughter. They cannot know that yet, or I would not have left that room alive. But if we are seen together again, they will suspect, and if they suspect then they will kill her. Mari was right. I must leave her. Not to protect myself, but to protect her. She cannot bring about the new day, she cannot stop the storm, if she dies. No matter what pain it brings me, I must ensure Master Mechanic Mari is safe. And the only way to do that is not to be anywhere near her until my Guild ceases to watch me.

He thought of her waiting on the wall for him, and his resolve wavered. I must warn her. That also I must do. Then we will part, for Mari must not die on my account.

The new day, stopping the storm that threatened this world, had dwindled in significance inside him. All that Alain could think of was that he had found happiness, and now he must cast it away.

Mari sat in an uncomfortable chair before a long table deep within the Mechanics Guild Hall of Dorcastle. Sitting at the other side of the table were three Senior Mechanics. The man Saco, the woman who had belittled her at the wrecked trestle, and a third man Mari hadn’t seen before. The door behind Mari was thick and had been closed tightly after she entered the room. She took another look at the expressions of the Senior Mechanics facing her. If this isn’t what a prisoner feels like, it must be close. You would think I was one of the Dark Mechanics instead of the person who uncovered them.

The woman spoke in a formal, detached voice. “This proceeding is convened to resolve questions regarding the actions of Master Mechanic Mari of Caer Lyn in the city of Dorcastle the night before.”

The male Senior Mechanic whom Mari hadn’t seen before spoke brusquely. “What led you to the inner harbor last night?”

Mari kept her head up and eyes on the man as she answered. She had nothing to apologize for and wouldn’t be intimidated. “I’d been looking into the acts supposedly carried out by dragons. I conducted an independent inquiry, examining the evidence available, and concluded that the barge docks probably held the answer to events which had been causing harm to the Guild by restricting trade in this city.” She had been rehearsing that statement in her head ever since last night while she waited for her fellow Mechanics to arrive. She had known it would be necessary, and it had also been a way to try to avoid thinking about Alain.

Senior Mechanic Saco glared at her. “What made you think you had any right to conduct an independent inquiry?”

“I had no alternative. My attempts to discuss my theories with the leadership of the Mechanics Guild were rebuffed. Since Senior Mechanics refused to listen to me or to respond to formal requests submitted using proper procedures, I was forced to take action alone for the good of the Guild.” Let them put that in their record of the proceeding.

Apparently none of them wished to pursue that angle, though. Saco frowned at her as he changed the subject. “Alone? You say you acted alone? Your report is extremely vague on how the boiler in the warehouse came to explode, and how you managed to survive that.”

Mari met his gaze, keeping her face composed. “As I said in my report, the people in the warehouse were distracted by a visitor while getting up steam. Apparently they let the pressure get too high. I was far enough distant to avoid harm when it blew.”

“We found the relief valve for the boiler,” the third Senior Mechanic stated in a hard voice. “It had been tied down.”

Mari nodded, determined to tell the truth where she could. “I did that while the people were distracted.”

“Did you have any help?”

“Tying down the relief valve? No.” As she had phrased it,the answer was literally true. Mari thanked the luck that had left Alain’s presence at the warehouse last night unknown to her own Guild. How could she have explained the identity of a mysterious ally there?