A Price Paid Ch. 04

"No," she agreed with a happy sigh, "no, I was not, at least not on the inside. But that's the way of things. None of my nieces or nephews grew up as pure disciples of the Goddess, but that's life."

"She's asleep, I assume?"

"We talked, she showed me the bird Cassea showed her how to make, and I stayed with her until she drifted off."

"There are wards in her room now, and on the grounds. Anyone touched by magic as the soldiers were or versed in it as we are, we'll know, and they'll be held," Bryana told her.

"Strong enough to hold you?" Neral's quip was a nod back to when such wards were used by Deres to capture Bryana the night they met.

Bryana didn't bother to hide her irritation. "How can you be so calm? How can you make jokes after what happened today? How can you not be enraged?"

Neral's mood turned slightly more somber as she answered, her dark eyes seeking out more of the small signs that life was going on in the southern quarter. "The terror at reading Tessa's letter? I vented much of that on the way to the blacksmith. It didn't matter that she underlined that everyone was safe." Her voice carried the slightest waver, "I thought of all the things that could have happened, not just to Khylen, but to Tessa and Cassea for trying to protect her. The thoughts so owned me that I honestly don't remember riding to the blacksmith. I read the letter and then I was there."

"I didn't even remember that Deres was at my side until I turned my head and there he was. When Khylen was in my arms, that all melted away like it had never been. As for the rage, my love, it's there. It's in a dark corner of my heart and I nurture it with thoughts of revenge. Whoever did something so cowardly will be made to pay." She spoke the oath aloud that she already swore to herself. "I will find them and they will pay, no matter what resources they have at their command. Whatever power they think they have doesn't matter. I will know who and why, and then they will be made to pay dearly."

Those same thoughts lived in Bryana's mind as well, though it had been many years since she was the dark soul that embraced them. She had found enough distance from them that to think back on them repulsed her. She had enough distance from them now that they almost seemed to belong to someone else.

But not tonight. Tonight they were a part of her as though they never left; that she never stopped being that person. The difference was that she knew she could put the darkness away. It didn't define her and never would again, but she could embrace it to have the strength to do what she needed to do, wanted to do, and, for many reasons, had to be done.

Those responsible should use their night to run. They should use it to put as much distance between themselves and her in the few hours that they had left as they could because in the morning, the hunt would begin. Her guild and all its considerable resources would be put to the task of finding them. My eyes will see you, my hands will close around your throat, and your husks will be a message to all that what was done to one of mine today carries a price too heavy for all but fools and those who want to die will pay.

When she finally spoke aloud, she noted she couldn't keep all of that darkness from her voice. "To that end, I have called a meeting of the conclave for tomorrow. Since the involvement of mages is obvious, I want to call upon every mage that I can to help in this."

"And to look for suspects?" Deres added.

Bryana would have been lying if she said no, but she didn't have to lie. "The guilds have been largely stable for longer than the Great Houses. Where once the Traybor's could openly war with the Jaye's for power and position, the mages could never dare be so bold, lest the world forget its own pettiness long enough to kill them all."

"But to do something like, say, kidnap someone that matters to a Guild Mistress to get something out of it from her?"

She looked to Deres, hating that he could seem to read her thoughts without reading her thoughts, but she conceded the point. "Like the Houses, they all have people within them with their own agendas."

"Be careful."

"I am always careful, Deres."

He huffed in good humor, "That's debatable." Becoming more serious now, "but we are dealing with mages and that sort of power, and if it is some kind of organized plot against you, the House, or Erette..."

The rest that remained unsaid hung heavily in the air and she responded to it in her own mind. That I saw no hint and heard no whisper of before they snatch little Khylen from the street? Then I don't deserve my guild and probably deserve to die for such willful or sloppy ignorance. "I will tread lightly."

He took her at her word, but would worry anyway. "At dawn I'm heading to the docks to see what I might be able to find. It's what makes sense to me. Nobody wanted to take her just to take her shopping. They wanted to hide her and there are a million places there. Add the mayhem and the fighting that could have broken out and might still, she could have stayed disappeared for some time."

Neral reached across the arm of her chair and laced her fingers with Bryana's. "See that you do tread lightly, both of you. And know, Bryana, that I have not lost sight of the fact that, while mages endangered her, mages helped her, too."

Bryana squeezed Neral's hand back glad for the fact that Neral seemed not to blame her, or even her kind. She just thought of mages as good people and bad, like every other group of souls. "Know that until this is settled there will be trusted eyes on that girl wherever she goes and whatever she does. And they will act at the slightest provocation."

"I will have extra eyes of my own on her for the time being, from the time she leaves for school until she returns." Neral couldn't help but smile. "I thought there might be a fight, but she actually seems to like the idea of an added escort for a while. She said it makes her feel like the queen."

They all chuckled at the thought and Deres had to ask, "Did you tell Evaline that?"

"It was only fair of me to warn her. Rest assured that she is now watching her back."

"How did the meeting go?"

She leaned forward and placed her head in her hands before exhaling a new wave of frustration and leaned back. "As well as could have been expected. Half the nobles wanted the queen to order me to send the army in to lock down every home and store indefinitely until the 'rabble' learned its lesson while they tried to scold the queen for treating them like they were capable of civilization for far too long."

"Half of those probably want to return to slavery," Deres complained bitterly.

"That the number is now down to about half is good progress. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of ground for them to stake that on since things are quiet now. The idea of some sort of illness has taken hold nicely since all the witnesses of the aftermath reported nothing but confused and frightened people who couldn't explain sudden and uncontrollable rage. Healer Cass is sending healers into the area specifically to look for a cause."

Evaline ordered a greater presence of the constabulary and some of my own people are going in as civilians to keep an eye out for anyone there that might want to take advantage of the instability."

"In private, I told her the entire truth." The queen had suspected for some time that forbidden magic had a greater hold on the world and Erette that most others were oblivious to. She had grown so certain of it and Neral's connection to it through her loves that she confronted Neral in the hopes that Neral might be able to bring to her magic to allow her to have a mate and love them for life without falling into the pool of aloof bitterness that her own parents lived in.

She also trusted Neral's connections to those magics in the form of Deres and Bryana to help protect the kingdom from those that might use magic to harm it. Like now.

"She said she would order us to find a name, but she knows that we already have suitable motivation."

No one disputed that. Silence descended again as the three again laced their hands together and watched the city in silence as the breeze soothed them.

* * *

Bryana Lia dismounted her horse and took the tall grass in long strides, making her way to the abandoned fort that once stood watch over a major road into the kingdom and directly to the capitol. It had been replaced by better facilities almost a decade ago now and, as was custom, the military reclaimed what it valued and allowed the populace to slowly disassemble it over time, taking wood and stone as they needed.

One of the far watchtowers was largely intact, as was some of the wooden walkways that led to it. The populace left that particular tower alone because they knew it was unofficially claimed and had no interest in a conflict with those that had done so, even if most of those people didn't know who they were. The ladders were long gone and keen eyes would notice that the remnant of connecting wood had been reinforced.

Her senses were enhanced by her power as they always were as she approached anywhere they all intended to meet. There were no mortal eyes on her and there were dimples of magic in the distance and above her as she expected. Searching for lines of force, she saw that none of them were bringing power to them and none of those dimples in the fabric of life were any deeper than they should have been. No one was looking for a fight. Even so, she was prepared all the same, as she knew they would be.

She approached the overhang and gathered her power around her. Even though her magic was honed to a fine point and she trusted her sense of it more than the senses of her flesh she still looked around to see if anyone was watching her that shouldn't be before she closed her eyes. Her arms at her side, she spread her fingers outward to direct energy and felt the ground leave her. She allowed herself a moment to enjoy the feeling of freedom her power gave her with no longer being bound to earth. It was moments such as this when she knew she could bend the world to her will in even small ways that made her proud to be a mage.

Even before opening her eyes, she knew her position in the air. That dipped slightly and her right foot found the wood beneath. She released her power slowly in the event that the woodworker responsible wasn't as conscientious with their work as they should have been. It bore her weight as she settled on it and barely made a sound as she walked the dozen or so feet to the door. She took the metal loop firmly in hand and focused her power once again, knowing that the mechanism within would only be moved by magic.

The mechanism gave way and she used her weight to push the door open. As a room meant for two to watch the road through long, narrow gaps in the stone it was barely large enough to hold the table and the six seats around it. The other guild masters were seated and their chatter stopped as the mage entered. She removed the dark cloak she wore to reveal an equally dark dress beneath. Neither were elements of her ceremonial garb, which she shunned here, but she felt that her dark attire at least honored the idea and the others she had come to meet. The only adornment on her person was the silver sigil of her guild on her breast, a hash of lines that combined to create the image of a predatory feline ready to strike.

She met the eyes of each. "I thank you all for your prompt response to my request for this meeting."

"Under the rather unusual circumstances of the past day, it didn't seem imprudent to have a meeting." Brennar said. He had a lean form, and while he was not a wisp of a soul, he often let magic do the heavy lifting in his life. Bryana never thought much of wild facial hair on anyone, thinking it made the whole man look unkempt, and that was only enhanced by the fact that his hair always looked like a comb had rarely been run through it. She suspected he did it to try to hold on to his youth for as long as possible. He was the oldest of them and she knew a small bit of magic was in play to keep the most obvious signs of the fact away when she always thought he should take pride in his longevity. In spite of his general appearance and surrender to vanity, she respected him. He was intelligent, skilled, and not one for games.

He gestured to the cup and the partially drained bottle of wine before her. "Drink?"

"No thank you, Master Brennar. I promise not to keep any of you for very long I know you and your guilds are very busy at a time such as this."

Another of the assembled took note at her tone. Petrik, a young man tall enough to have to duck to get through most doorways looked otherworldly and as though he were beyond mortals without even trying, which put most on edge. To try to counter this, he went out of his way to be jovial. 'Master?' This really isn't a social call."

She sat down, her back well against the chair. "You are all familiar with the events of yesterday because it's hard to miss a burning city. I assume you are also aware of what happened to Khylen Jaye."

No one acted surprised. "How is the child?" Brennar seemed sincere in the asking.

"Unharmed and her routine restored already. She is a strong one." Pride crept into the words.

"Are you asking if one of us did it?" Dana wanted to know. She was plain and always looked as though her mood was sour. Her white hair was straight and went almost to her waist. She and Bryana got on largely because they were alike.

"Did you?" She met their eyes again. "I ask only to ask. I ask to hear you all speak the answer that I already believe and so that all of the others can hear it, too."

"I did not do such a thing," Dana replied coolly, "If I had I would not have been nearly so sloppy as to fail. But if my issue was with you, I would...take it up...with you. I would not drag innocents into it."

Kalan, a bald man with well scarred from a challenge to his authority as guild master years before, laughed heartily, "Yes, Bryana, I decided to, without cause, antagonize you, and invite General Neral Jaye to bring her army to me and mine." He watched Bryana watch him in silence until he spoke the words, "No, Bryana Lia, I did not do this. I enjoy living and would like to continue to do so."

Brennar and Petrik also answered her, but Brennar continued, taking in some wine. "Is that why you called this meeting? To look us in the eye and see us as we tell you that we did not do this?"

Her head shook. "In part. But it is also to tell you that I will find those responsible. I will find the evidence and follow it where it leads. If it leads to one of your guilds..."

Dana turned colder. "If it leads to my guild, show me proof enough and I will deal with it and invite you to watch."

Kalan's smile was gone, "So you do think one of us had something to do with it."

Bryana suppressed a sigh knowing that she had to tread carefully. They were measuring her reactions. They were deciding if she actually meant what she said or if this meeting was simply a preamble to something she'd already intended to do. Or was doing as they spoke. "If I believed one of you was responsible I would challenge you here and now just to judge your reaction and let the others see it."

"And if you didn't like the reaction?"

She looked to Bremmer. The look on his face suggested he was teasing, but he was also waiting for an honest answer that he could accept. "Then I would find the proof I would require for our fellow guild masters, after which we would all drink as we discussed who would rise to replace the...recently vacated position of guild master of the offender's guild."

He took a drink, satisfied with her answer. "Early retirement then."

"I promise the offender a memorable sendoff. But first, I have to find them."

Petrik followed up. "Plural?"

"That's where the evidence points so far. Two very different magic forms suggests more than one culprit."

"And common sense," Dana continued. "This was, whatever its endgame, a dangerous undertaking. No one would have attempted it alone."

Bryana was in agreement. "To that end, I am asking for your help. First, I would appreciate it greatly if you hear any hints and whispers among your apprentices that might suggest they might have some involvement or know someone who does that you inform me."

"If I hear of anything, I'll follow up on it myself and if there's anything that you will want to know, I will pass it on." Petrik made it clear even given the easy delivery of the response that she should tread lightly when it came to the goings on in guilds not her own.

"Don't forget that if there's a knife to your throat it's the closest person to you that's holding it."

"I haven't forgotten that particular truism, Dana. Know that I am listening for whispers in my own house." Dana wasn't wrong, but that fact left her with a dark pit in her stomach. She had run her guild fairly, and she dared think more fairly than any of the others did. Bryana discouraged infighting and encouraged the idea that the guild was more than that. They were a unit. They served the guild and their fellows as much as themselves. To think that someone felt so little of that and hungered for power so much that they would try something like what was done sickened her. If she were a woman who put stock in prayer, she would pray that such would not be the case.

"Secondly," Bryana paused, giving weight to the next words, "I know that we all keep our own counsel, but I must cast my net wide. To that end, I would ask for your records as they pertain to those you have banished."

"You know who they are," Petrik told her. "That information is freely shared."

She corrected him firmly, "'Who' is freely shared so that no other guild will have them, not the why of it. The why is kept to ourselves because we do not share with one another the workings of our guilds lest another find advantage somehow, lest they find opportunities or weaknesses to exploit or apprentices to woo. And if they were banished before they crossed my path, I wouldn't be privy to their skills."

"How do we know you didn't orchestrate this thing to game us to get this from us for some end to which we are not privy?"

Bryana scowled, "You believe I would endanger Khylen Jaye and then burn the city down for some books?"

Dana corrected, leaning towards her "But she's not endangered, is she? We only have your word that she was."

"You have as many more eyes beyond two as the rest of us," Bryana snapped.

"They see what's in front of them as well as anyone. But what if what they see is a grand play for their benefit?" She then took a decided turn towards melodrama, "And it's not as if letting a city burn, especially a part no one really cares about is so far beyond the boundaries of Bryana Lia." She turned grim again. Would it be so far beyond her boundaries to lie in wait for years for the opportunity to get what she wants?"

Bryana sneered. "Did you start on the wine before anyone else arrived?" Inwardly though, she knew it was the downside of knowing someone very much like yourself. Who she once was might have done exactly that.

"That's enough." Brennar said with finality, rising, looking to Bryana in sympathy, hoping to diffuse the situation. "In the same manner that we would demand Mistress Lia show us proof that one of ours was responsible for this, we need to hold ourselves to the same standard."

He placed his hand firmly on Dana's shoulder, easing her back to her seat. "There is nothing to say that she is any more responsible than any of us."

"It is a concern," Kalan said, putting his palms in the air. "It's a concern. I can game this out in such a way that you could have used it as part of a plan to grow your power by exploiting what you might find in our records. I can even game it out as it being an excuse for you at least threaten to use Jaye's army against the rest of us to consolidate power, something which I am not accusing you of, just so we're all clear on that point."