"My shop was ransacked before his!" shouted Master Shilwise of the Gild and Ink. "And far worse, from what I've heard. But I don't see the guild offering me compensation."
"All scriptoriums have done worthy service for the guild," Sykion returned, "but Master a'Seatt's kept the best schedule and often provided additional assistance... beyond the commonly shared high standards you have all shown."
"Standards be damned!" Shilwise snapped, and even discontented Calisus appeared startled by his vehemence. "I've put aside too much other work trying to meet the guild's requirements and schedulesand you still have a contract with my shop! I won't be pushed out like this. My scribes should be brought in as well."
At this, Calisus and the other two scribe masters chimed in with a cacophony of demands and accusations. Sykion put narrow fingers to her temple and had to shout over them.
"All scriptoriums have performed well in their task. We intend no slight by this decision, and you will be compensated for the sudden change."
"Not good enough!" Shilwise returned. "There's more than just coin involvedmy shop's reputation is at stake."
"Your reputation is why you were originally chosen," Sykion responded.
"We've put other customers' needs second to the guild's," Shilwise shouted back. "On top of that, what happens when word gets out that a'Seatt is your favorite? I demand you fulfill your contract... or I'll see you in court, Sykion!"
Several of the premins pushed in around Sykion, all whispering to her. Sykion tried to wave them off and fixed her full attention on Master Shilwise. Her voice shock cer kioed the hall's air, startlingly loud for her tactful nature and frail stature.
"Compensation will be offered as promised. The matter is closed!"
At this, the master of Four Scribes in House tried to pull Shilwise back. But Shilwise shoved the stout man off, casting a seething glare to the hearth's far left end.
Pawl a'Seatt stood silent and unaffected, his heavy cloak and wide-brimmed hat in hand. Stooped old Master Teagan pushed round spectacles up his beaked nose, and he wrinkled that nose at Shilwise. But then he glanced nervously up at his employer.
Shilwise shoved through his competitors and strode out between the crowded tables and bystanders. He headed straight for the hall's main archway.
As he passed, Wynn saw his glistening face.
Master Shilwise had broken out in a sudden sweat. The owner of the Gild and Ink seemed more panicked than outraged as he rushed out. Wynn turned back but stopped halfway, her awareness catching on Domin il'Snke.
His head was half bowed, as if he'd lost interest in the events. Instead he focused completely on Rodian.
The captain stood partly twisted around, staring after Shilwise, clearly as perplexed as Wynn by the scriptorium ownernot because of the man's outrage, but the extreme nature of it, and the strange change that came over Shilwise as he fled. Instead of turning back to the proceedings, Rodian's gaze dropped to Wynn. Only after a discontented breath through his nose did he turn away.
Wynn heard a sharp sighfrom il'Snkeand she quickly looked up.
The tall domin's brow wrinkled under the barest shake of his head before he turned his own attention back across the hall.
Wynn kept looking about, from the captain to the domin to the archway where Shilwise had vanished. And she started to feel dizzy.
What had just happened? Why was Rodian even here? And was il'Snke aware of the captain's suspicions?
"There is more," Sykion called out, pulling Wynn's attention. "Until further notice, all membersfrom initiates to preminswill remain within guild grounds between dusk and dawn. Those with family or homes elsewhere in the city shall also remain here. There will be no exceptions. Thank you, that is all."
Premin Sykion stepped down from the hearth's ledge, gathering with the other council members to speak in soft tones. The murmur in the hall grew as people began to rise, joining into small groups or drifting toward either exit.
The audience was over, but Rodian remained. Sages young and old passed around him, but he only watched the council before the hearth. With nothing further to hear, Wynn turned to leave.
"Wynn!" a deep voice called, and she whipped around.
Domin High-Tower stood near the hall's center. This was the first he'd spoken to her since Rodian's office the night before. c niomi She glanced up at Domin il'Snke.
"You had best go," he said.
Wynn took one more worried look at High-Tower before she pushed forward against the current of others leaving the hall. High-Tower was already heading for the narrow side archway. At his gesture, she followed him.
He said nothing more, leading her all the way to the north tower and his study. Wynn steeled herself, and any relief at not facing dismissal before the entire guild was gone. It would be no better in the private chamber of Domin High-Tower. But when they entered, he didn't sit down. He stood before one narrow inset window, looking outside along the keep's old battlements.
"Premin Sykion..." he began, and then faltered. "We have decided you may have access to pages translated so far, but not the original texts... and only on the condition that you give up this treacherous notion of a claim."
Wynn held her breath, caught somewhere between relief and frustration.
A claim in the people's court before the high advocate concerning all the texts could take moons to settle. There were precedents regarding the rights of anyone working in any form of guild, and in the end she might still lose. For now she needed to see only the translations, to try to learn what the black-robed figure was after.
And she wasn't being cast out.
But Wynn was not about to let High-Tower hear her wild relief.
"And the codex," she said, not a quaver in her voice. "I need the codex as well to know which pieces of finished work are related to or from the same source. Too many pages and drafts have been lost so far."
He would already know this. She would need to see every stage of the translation to truly understand what the murderer sought.
High-Tower never turned from the window as he nodded curtly.
"How soon?" she asked.
"Tomorrow," he replied. "Preparations will be made for you."
A moment's frustration passed over the prospect of another delay, but Wynn didn't argue. If no more folios were carried back and forth, tomorrow would be soon enough.
And still, Domin High-Tower wouldn't look at her.
In his profile she could see that he thought her ungrateful and disloyal or certainly above herself. But all that mattered was that an undead was hunting sages, maybe even hunting High-Tower, eventually. And no one but her seemed willing to acknowledge the truth or follow a proper course of action.
"Agreed," she said, and turned for the door.
"What has happened to you, Wynn?"
She froze with her hand on the latch. He sounded sad, almost defeated. She jerked the door open, stepping out into the tower's spiral stairway.
"I grew up," she answered.
She didn't look back as she shut the door.
Chapter 12
Just past dusk, Chane paced about his shabby attic room.
Wynn had seen himand knew he had broken into a scriptorium to steal a folio.
He stopped and settled slowly on the beds edge, looking around at the faded four walls and slanted ceiling. Events seemed to be hurtling forward without direction, without his control. How had he come to this state?
He pushed his red-brown hair from his forehead, thinking back, remembering what had driven him from Bela all the way to this continent....
After learning that Wynn had returned to the Numan Lands, he seemed merely to exist, passing from night to night in Bela with little purpose and no future.
In desperation he often worked on furthering his grasp of Welstiels arcane objects or deciphering bits from the mans two journals. Little came from great effort, but he uncovered one mystery, seemingly unrelated to Welstiels conjury.