The Dragons of Dorcastle

Chapter Seventeen

By the time the next morning that Alain found himself standing before another Inquiry, he still had not come up with a good explanation. He could not make out the shadowed faces of the three Mage elders, but he was certain the old female Mage was not among their number.

“We have confirmed your report that the Mechanics were involved in this dragon incident, Mage Alain,” one of the elders said in a voice that held no warmth, no approval or gratitude, just the emotionless tones of a Mage.

A second elder spoke, her voice actually emptier of feeling than that of the first elder. “How did you learn of this?”

“I was at the inner harbor last night, having spent much time in meditation.” If he was going to make up a story, it might as well be one that cast him in a good light. “I saw Mechanics fighting among each other, and thought more knowledge of this incident would be important to the Mage Guild. I used a concealment spell to move among them and saw one of their creations which could have done the damage lately attributed to dragons.”

“How fortunate that you were in the proper place to do this,” the third elder said dispassionately. “Were you in the company of a female that night, Mage Alain?”

Alain paused. “A common.–She—”

“You were in the company of this same female through much of the day.”

Had they been watching him? Or was it a guess? He had best assume they knew. “Yes.”

“You wore the clothes of a common, Mage Alain. Why?”

They had been watching him. But he still had an acceptable explanation to offer. “I desired physical companionship, the company of a female.”

“We do not doubt that part of your story, Mage Alain.” The elders spoke very quietly among each other, so that Alain could not hear, then the first addressed him again. “Physical needs can distract from wisdom, especially in young male Mages. We know this. The Guild accepts that Mages must find means to satisfy physical distractions. But we also know that this female common resembled the Mechanic you were with in the desert and in Dorcastle.”

They knew a great deal more than he had expected. Alain’s attempts to fabricate a story were diverted by speculations about how badly he might be punished. About whether he would leave this room alive. It surprised him not at all that the overriding worry in his mind was not fear over his own possible death but rather fear that he might not be able to tell Mari what had happened to him. What if she thought he had lied, had decided to walk away from her? “The female did resemble the Mechanic,” Alain finally said.

“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?

“How did you come to be soaking wet when the Mechanics from this Guild Hall met you?” the female Senior Mechanic asked.

“I dove into the harbor to protect myself from the blast. I know steam boilers, and I could tell when that one was about to explode.”

The woman’s stare pinned Mari. “Then you are willing to swear that no other Mechanic aided you in this? That there was no other Mechanic accompanying you at that warehouse last night?”

That one was easy. “I swear there was no other Mechanic aiding me last night,” Mari said. “There was no other Mechanic with me at the warehouse, not until Mechanics from this Guild Hall arrived in a group to meet me.”

“Were there any commons with you? One or more?”

“No. I swear there was no common with me.” They wouldn’t ask about Mages. Mari was sure of that. The possibility would not even occur to them.

They didn’t. The three Senior Mechanics exchanged glances, none of them looking happy, then the woman nodded. “The proceeding is closed. Master Mechanic Mari, you are ordered by authority of the Guild Master not to say anything to anyone regarding any of these events. You are to forget them. They did not happen.”

There it was again. She had found so much proof, she had been hoping it would change something, but… Mari took a deep breath. “I respectfully ask for an explanation of the Guild’s policy in this matter.”

“You have your orders,” Saco noted in a cold voice.

“Yes, sir. But I can best serve the Guild if I understand the Guild’s policies and instructions, and I do not understand this.”

The third Senior Mechanic shook his head. “Your reputation precedes you, Mechanic Mari.”

“Master Mechanic Mari.”

“Certainly. The point is, you’re always asking questions instead of doing what you’re told. From this point on, that changes. Do you understand that?”

Mari took a couple of slow breaths. “Yes, sir.”

“Are there further questions?”

She couldn’t help herself. She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help herself. “Yes, sir.”

The third Senior Mechanic looked incredulous, but Saco gave Mari an insincere smile. “Go ahead.”

“The contents of the warehouse, sir.” Careful, Mari. Careful how you say this. “They—”

The woman interrupted. “By order of the Guild Master, the warehouse held nothing.”

Mari stared at the three Senior Mechanics. Nothing. She hadn’t even tried to bring up the dragon’s carcass, impossible to miss, knowing the Senior Mechanics would ignore the existence of the remains. “Those who were in the warehouse—”

“There was no one in the warehouse except some commons who died in the accident.”

“—and escaped before the explosion—” Mari tried to continue.

“There is no one who meets that description.”

What had happened to them? Had they escaped the city? Or been taken into custody by the Mechanics Guild, disappearing as completely as Mechanic Rindal had?

Mari swallowed and tried one more time. “The boiler that exploded—”

“There was no boiler.”

The boiler we just talked about no longer ever existed. Because its existence would be inconvenient. “So we pretend that something real doesn’t exist? How does that make us any better than the Mages?”

Saco leaned forward, the false smile gone. “That is a treasonous statement.”

“No, sir! I want the best for my Guild! I am loyal to my Guild! But something is wrong. Something is wrong with the world! If we don’t change— ”

“Change?” the woman demanded. “Think through the consequences of change,” she advised Mari in the tone of a teacher speaking to a not very bright student. “Think what would happen to this Guild. Think what would happen to this world. Think of the upheaval of all that we know, to be replaced by what? Do you know? Can you even guess? You’re eighteen years old, girl! You don’t even have a good grasp on how things are yet. How can you say that altering the system our ancestors created would be a good thing? How can you say they were wrong?”

Mari stared back at the woman. “Things are breaking,” she said as calmly as she could. “If things were breaking on a machine, I would analyze the problem and find out what needed to be fixed.”

The woman smiled insincerely. “That is a good attitude for a Mechanic. You would also call in a specialist, correct? Someone who knew more than you did about that particular machine. And you would listen to them, as you must listen to us now. Learn. Grow. With time you’ll come to understand why things must be this way. For the benefit of all.”

The female Senior Mechanic leveled a finger at Mari, her face suddenly as stern as the stone in the walls of Dorcastle. “You’ve got real gifts, girl. Your skills as a Mechanic are obvious, and achieving Master Mechanic status at your age was a remarkable achievement. You could have a great future in the Guild, if you take advantage of the offer you’re about to get.”

The woman leaned back. “Because you’ve done the Guild a service in Dorcastle, and because of your undeniable skills, the Guild is willing to forget any of your recent words and actions which contradict the rules and guidance the Guild expects us all to live by. But only if you vow to remain silent on events here and to abide by every Guild rule and guidance to the letter.”

Mari looked back at the three Senior Mechanics, thinking through her choices, seeing in their faces that her earlier fears had been true. The definition of treason to the Guild was far wider than she had once believed, far wider than had ever been publicly stated. Treason involved anything that the Senior Mechanics and the Guild Master didn’t want to deal with, anything they wanted to ignore, anything that might rock the boat. The leadership of her Guild would silence anyone who threatened the way things were. Possibilities which Mari would never have considered a couple of months ago now seemed all too real. Professor S’san must have known the sort of dangers which Mari would face, but what good was the pistol S’san had given her against threats like these? The weapon had helped save her and Alain in the warehouse, but what use was it against a threat from her own Guild? It is not to be depended upon as a first resort, or a second, or even a third. Your greatest assets will always be your mind and your ability to act on wise decisions. Fail to make proper use of those assets, and the weapon cannot save you.

Listen, learn, and obey. That was what the Senior Mechanics facing her were demanding. Just like when she was an apprentice. Maybe what was needed now wasn’t a weapon or the tools of a Mechanic, but the tools of an apprentice. In the event of emergency, take all necessary actions to minimize damage and loss of life. One of the first basic rules an apprentice learned. It certainly applied now.

Mari nodded to the Senior Mechanics. “I vow to abide by every Guild rule and regulation, and to say nothing about recent events.”

But I’m not saying for how long.

Saco leaned forward again. “Your vow includes the things you said a short while ago. You don’t say them again. To anyone. Not even yourself.”

Mari nodded, knowing her voice was trembling with anger but hoping the Senior Mechanics would read that as fear. “I vow not to speak of those things.” For at least a few minutes.

“What about Mages?” Saco insisted. “Do you have questions about them?”

Mari stared back silently for a moment, images of Alain tumbling through her head. She had spent some hopeful moments last night wondering if perhaps her Guild would be open to learning more about Mages once it had proof the Dark Mechanics existed.–Perhaps—her fantasies had briefly soared—they would even offer a Mage refuge if he were willing to tell other Mechanics the things he had told her. But the proof of Dark Mechanics had been ruthlessly suppressed. That offered no reason to believe proof of Mage abilities would be treated any differently.

And if they knew she loved a Mage?

If these Senior Mechanics were willing to threaten a fellow Mechanic, they would surely treat a Mage with no mercy at all.

If he stays around me, somebody will kill him, either another Mage or a Mechanic. All right. I love him. That means this time I let him go. I can’t let him die because of me. “No,” Mari said out loud. “Why should I question the Guild’s position on Mages?”

“Even though you spent time in a Mage’s company?” Saco pressed.

“After the caravan was destroyed? I already explained at Ringhmon that nothing happened except a shared road. I did what I had to do then to survive,” Mari said. “I know what I have to do now to survive.” She knew how she meant that, but Mari also knew they would interpret the statement as one of surrender.

“Good,” the female Senior Mechanic declared as Saco leaned back again, not hiding his disappointment. “It’s nice to see that you are finally learning. Be aware that the Guild’s mercy is limited. There will be no second chance. You know the penalty for violating such an oath.”

Mari nodded. “I understand.”

“Then I declare this matter closed,” the woman said. “No one here is to speak of anything which we have discussed.”

The woman gave Mari a polite smile, as if Mari had just entered the room. “I have good news for you.” She pushed a sheet of paper toward Mari.

Mari managed to pick it up without revealing her tension. “A contract. On such short notice.”

“Yes. We knew you would be pleased at this opportunity to further serve your Guild. Fair travel, Mechanic Mari.”

“Master Mechanic Mari.”

“Of course. Master Mechanic Mari.” The woman indicated the contract. “You’ll notice that your services are needed on a priority basis, so you will have to leave Dorcastle as soon as we can make travel arrangements.”

Mari looked down at the contract. “Thank you. I look forward to leaving Dorcastle…so I can continue serving my Guild.” If they had noticed her brief pause, they gave no sign. The woman indicated that Mari could leave, and the three Senior Mechanics began talking in low voices.

Mari stood up, opening the heavy door and walking out into the hallways of the Guild Hall. Familiar hallways, following the standard floor plan for every Mechanics Guild Hall. She had walked down essentially identical hallways countless times.

Not since she had been eight years old and newly arrived at the Guild Hall in Caer Lyn had Mari noticed just how restricting those hallways could feel, how instead of giving a sense of security could create a sense of being confined. How the shadows and the alcoves could easily hide someone watching, or someone waiting with a weapon at hand. It was funny how the world around her could alter even when its outward appearance hadn’t seemed to change. Alain would tell her that it was just a matter of how you looked at an illusion.

Mari squared her shoulders and walked steadily down the halls, determined not to show any sign of fear. Who could she talk to? No one here, that was for sure. Any Mechanic possibly sympathetic to her would be watched, and every Mechanic here had doubtless been warned again about associating with Mari.

But if any Senior Mechanics plan on taking down Master Mechanic Mari, they’ll find that I’m not that easy to stop. Everything else I once thought true may now be in doubt, but I still believe that. I still believe in myself.

And I still believe in doing the right thing even when it costs me. Things need to be fixed. I need to fix them if no one else will. But first I need to play nice for a while, get the Senior Mechanics off my back and find more people I can trust.

Someone I can trust.

What am I going to tell Alain when I have to say goodbye?

Mari stood inside a turret on the battlements of one of Dorcastle’s walls, leaning on the edge of a narrow firing slit. She looked down to the sea, where ships were once again leaving harbor, riding low in the water with their holds packed full of cargo. The wind blew hard from along the coast, buffeting flocks of sea gulls screaming over scraps of food. Picking the lock on the gate leading into this bartizan hadn’t been too difficult, and no one could see her in here, concealed by the darkness inside the turret.

A chip knocked out of the stone fortification marred one edge of the firing slit. The chip had weathered to the same appearance as the rest of the stone, only its imperfections revealing its origin. A crossbow bolt, or maybe the bullet from a Mechanic rifle, had struck here a long time ago, during one of the those battles Alain had spoken of, while Imperial legions and Confederation soldiers were spilling each others’ blood in the streets below. Mari stared down at those streets, wondering how many commons had died across the centuries for the purpose of maintaining the stability the Mechanics Guild desired.

Wondering how many might die within a few more years, if this world were indeed heading for some kind of horrible crack-up.

A footstep sounded nearby, and Alain was beside her, appearing out of the shadows so suddenly that Mari wondered if he had used that concealment spell. The Mage’s face, which she had come to know as unrevealing of feelings, reflected concern now.

“Hi, Mage Alain,” Mari said softly, fighting an urge to wrap her arms around him and hold on tight. If you hold him, if you kiss him, you’ll never be able to let him go. For his sake, Mari, keep yourself under control.

Alain bowed his head toward her. “Greetings, Master Mechanic Mari. You have chosen a good place to meet. We will not be seen here.”

“It’s nice to know I made one good decision in the last few weeks. Is your Guild spying on you?”

“Yes,” Alain said. “We have been watched, but this time I came carefully.”

“Yeah, I’m certain that my Guild is watching me, too. Like I’m a criminal.” Mari shook her head. “Are you all right? With your Guild, I mean?”

Alain considered the question. “They suspect me of being attracted to a Mechanic. They are right, but so far lack proof. They do not suspect that I love you, or who you are, but I have no doubt of what they will do if they discover either of those things.”

“Oh, blazes.” Mari lowered her head to rest her brow against the cool stone of the fortification. “I have ruined your life.”

“You have given me back my life.”

She straightened up, swiveling her head to stare at him. “I have to leave. I have a new contract. I’m not allowed to back out of it and…and I really think it’s for the best anyway. I have to lie low for a while.” Mari couldn’t see his eyes clearly enough to tell what emotions might be revealed there.

Alain’s voice stayed steady, though. “You are right. The Mage Guild is watching you. It would be unsafe for you if we were seen together. They would know what that meant.”

She let out a long, slow breath. “I’ve found a man who keeps telling me that I’m right, and I have to give him up. Are you staying in Dorcastle?”

“No. I must leave soon as well. My own contract is far to the north, in the Free Cities.”

“The Free Cities,” Mari repeated, her own voice tight. She seemed to be having trouble breathing, but she got her next words out. “Alain, you must promise me that you’ll take care of yourself. I don’t want to see you hurt. Not physically and not…any other way.”

“It is too late for that,” Alain said. “I once again feel such hurt. I do not regret that, because it also brought me the ability to feel the happiness that you brought me.”

She looked at him again, blinking away tears, as Alain actually tried to smile reassuringly at her. He didn’t do a very good job of it, but he was trying. “At least I learned a few things about dragons, right?”

“Yes. The things that you learned may be useful again.”

“I hope not. I don’t want to run into any more dragons.”

His voice tensed. “There are many dangers you must face. Dragons may not be the worst of those. You know this.”

She shook her head, staring out the firing slit again. “You could be a little more comforting. I don’t know nearly enough, Alain. So many things are wrong. I have to do something, try to fix things. But I don’t know what to do.”

“You will learn.”

She laughed, the sound soft and bitter. “I can learn. But I will have to play by my Guild’s rules while I try to figure out what to do next. Blazes, Alain, how did I mess everything up so badly? I must be the biggest idiot that Dematr has ever seen. Thank you for not blaming me, but you’d probably be happier if we’d never met.”

“No. That is not so,” Alain said. “My world is brighter. Every shadow seems more real now.”

“You mean other people?” Mari asked. “Won’t that— Can you still do that spell stuff?”

“So far,” Alain assured her. “I do not know why. The thread that connects us gives me a new strength, a strength which I believe saved us in Ringhmon and perhaps here at Dorcastle. Wisdom says this cannot be.”

Mari exhaled heavily. “I’m beginning to suspect that a great deal of the wisdom you and I have been fed isn’t all that wise, though I can’t imagine how something that isn’t there can make you stronger.” She swallowed and looked away, not able to stand seeing him there, so close, knowing he would be gone soon. “You ought to go. Before we get caught, before somebody sees us together.”

“Be careful, Mari. You know the storm that threatens. I would not leave if it were not the best way to protect you for now. But even though the thread between us will fade with distance, even if it becomes too weak to sense at all, still I will find you again when the suspicions of my Guild have subsided.”

“What?” Mari glared at him through her tears. “I’m trying to say goodbye to you! Forever. Because otherwise you would be in too much danger. Don’t come looking for me. Don’t die because of me.”

Alain looked down, then back at her. “You are more important than I am.”

“Don’t ever say that! It is not true!”

“You know it is,” Alain replied.

“I don’t know any such thing,” Mari said, her voice still fierce. “Why do you keep saying things like that?”

“You know why. We both know why it must not be spoken of. Farewell, Master Mechanic Mari of Caer Lyn. Until next we meet.”

“No! Go away and stay safe! Farewell, Mage Alain of Ihris!” I love you. She heard him begin to move away, but kept her gaze fixed stubbornly out to sea.

Then he stopped. “Mari.”

“Get out of here, blast you! This is already too hard!”

“I see something.” She spun to look at him. “My foresight,” Alain continued, staring into the shadows of the turret. “You and I are on this wall, again, not inside this fortification, but along the parapet. Time has passed. A few years, I think. We are older, but not by much. It feels as if a great deal has happened. We stand side by side and a mighty battle rages around us.”

Mari looked into the darkness but saw nothing. “What else? What else is there?”

“We wear similar armbands of a strange design.” Alain blinked. “The vision is gone. The way we stood with each other spoke of much history between us. We…we stood together against the storm of battle,” he said, the last words coming out slowly.

Her heart seemed to pause, then beat rapidly. “What are you saying? That we’re certain to be together again?”

Alain shook his head. “There is no certainty. I saw myself in the vision as well as you. The vision is but a possibility, a chance that something may come to pass, should we make the decisions which lead to it. Should we both live long enough to reach that place and time.”

“What decisions? When?”

“I do not know.”

“You don’t know? Oh, that’s just great!” Mari burst out angrily, then pointed an accusing finger at him. “I’m ready to break my heart and say goodbye forever to the only man I have ever loved, and then one of your blasted Mage spells shows up and tells me maybe something could happen if we both do the right things, but there’s no telling what those things are. Do I get that right?”

“Yes, but— ”

“Thanks for nothing!”

“Mari, it shows that we can survive that long. The chance exists, despite all perils. We were together, and you were still alive, still fighting. There is hope.”

“I don’t want to fight!” Mari said.

“But this vision tells us that our decision today is the right one,” Alain insisted. “It sets us on the path to that day.”

“To that battle?” Mari drew in a shuddering breath. “Who were we fighting?”

“The storm,” he replied, as if that answered everything.

“Fine. We were together. So I want that future, Mage Alain. A future with you.” She took a step closer to him, then managed to halt herself. “You were right, I guess. I will see you again. Someday. Somehow. You had better make the right decisions, do you hear me?”

He looked at her. “We will face many choices, any one of which made wrongly could bring an end to that possible future I saw. I will do my best. I also want that future with you, and you will have need of me in the new day you must bring to pass.”

“I already need you,” Mari said, “but I keep getting the feeling that you and I are talking about two different things sometimes. What new day? What storm?”

Was that a flash of puzzlement that appeared in Alain’s eyes? “But you said—” His voice broke off as Alain suddenly looked down and to one side, then over in another direction. “Mages approach. They seek me. They must not find you. I must go now to lead them away.”

“Alain, what—”

But he was moving, gliding silently through the shadows and out the gate, leaving Mari glaring at the empty shadows inside the turret.

You blasted Mage! Why do I keep thinking there is something you’re not telling me? No. It’s more like something you think I know, but I have no idea what it is. Fine. Right now I have to leave to keep you safe, so I’ll do that. But I will see you again, and we will be together, and I will find out what this “new” day stuff means, and I will fix the problems that I am finding, no matter what any of those things take, and no matter what I have to change.

I’ll change the whole world, if that’s what it takes.

Mari gazed once more at the chipped stone of the firing slit and felt a shiver run through her as she remembered Alain speaking of them being in a battle. She tore her eyes from the token of old wars and looked out over the harbor again, past the works of humans and on to the restless waters of the Sea of Bakre.

To the north, she could see storm clouds forming.