“No…”
“All right, I understand. You can’t talk now. How about later?”
“Calu, you really shouldn’t get involved. Just don’t tell any of the other Mechanics here that you saw me and—”
Calu shook his head. “No way, Mari. I’m still your friend, so I’m involved. What do think Alli would do to me if she heard I’d seen you and not helped?”
“Alli? I saw her in Danalee a little while ago.”
“Lucky you.” Calu grinned. “We’re staying in touch but I can’t wait to see her again. We told you about us getting serious.”
“You did? When?”
“I know Alli sent some letters to you at the academy. We didn’t hear back much, but we figured you were just too busy.”
“No.” Mari took a long, deep breath. “I only got a couple of letters from you guys. I’m sure I would have remembered Alli telling me about you two. I wrote to you. Did you see my letters?”
“One,” Calu said. “Maybe two. Yeah.”
“I wrote at least ten. Why didn’t Alli mention that when I saw her?”
Calu shrugged. “We blew it off, Mari. We knew you were really busy, and how sometimes you’d get totally wrapped up in work and forget about everything else. We didn’t take it badly.”
“Thanks.” Mari frowned, thinking about the oddity that a number of letters hadn’t made it between Caer Lyn and the academy. Were lost letters part of the general breakdown of Guild functions that she feared? “Listen, if you’re that determined to talk to me, we’re on the top floor, in the last room. It’s kind of tiny, but it’s safe.”
“All right. I’ll come by tonight.” Calu hesitated, looking from her to Alain. “You’re both in there? So are you two together, or together?”
She reached for Alain’s hand. “Together. Really, really together.”
The grin was back as Calu looked at Alain. “Cool. You lucky dog.” He saluted Alain. “You must be something, if Mari feels that way. All right, see you tonight, Mari. I’ll tell my fellow Mechanics that I got a kiss from that common I was looking at.” Calu twisted his face in thought. “I’ll them you couldn’t resist me, but I had to stay true to Alli since she’s an expert shot. They’ll understand.” He winked and walked back into the dining hall.
Mari breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a stab of guilt. “I’m sorry, Alain. I shouldn’t have agreed to meet with Calu and everything without asking you first. You’re in this with me, so you deserve a say in things.”
Alain nodded. “You know this Mechanic and I do not. He will not betray you?”
“Not unless he’s totally changed in the last three years.”
“Then I have no objection. I accept your judgment that we can…trust him.” Alain frowned. “Trust. That is the right thing to call it?”
“Yes,” Mari said softly. “Trust. Like you and I share. Did you realize that we trusted each other? I’ve trusted you since Ringhmon.”
“I was not certain what it meant.” He nodded slowly, and she saw the ghost of a smile again. “I told General Flyn that I trusted him. It was the right thing to say.” Alain hesitated. “This Mechanic. He and you were friends?”
“That’s right.”
“Close friends?”
Mari couldn’t help grinning. “Trust and jealousy! I’m teaching you all kinds of feelings. Come on. Once we’re back in our room I’ll tell you about Calu and my other friends at Caer Lyn. And yes, he was only a friend.”
The rest of the day passed very slowly. Mari spent part of it talking about her experiences as an acolyte. No, not acolyte, Alain reminded himself. Apprentice. Her Guild calls one who is learning an apprentice. As Mari talked, she went from happy to wistful, finally winding down until she went to her pack, pulled out the metal things she called tools, and began doing mysterious things with them.
Alain sat watching her, memories of his time as an acolyte coming back forcefully. I have no friends I can tell Mari about. I wish I did. Perhaps some of the acolytes from Ihris remember me, but how do they think of me? As just as a shadow whose path crossed theirs? How do I tell Mari more of my learning, of what I did and what was done to me? She would become sad, I think. I have seen her become sad when I mention some things about my training. And when I spoke of Asha before it bothered Mari. I cannot imagine why.
The wind outside had diminished to a low rushing sound against the walls of the inn. Alain went into meditation, wishing that he could check his ability to cast spells now that he and Mari had become even closer. By the wisdom he had been taught, seeing shadows as other people should make his powers wither and vanish. He did not feel that that had happened yet; indeed during the fight to save the Alexdrians, he had repeatedly found more power in himself than he had ever experienced. But a spell to test it would be impossible to hide from the Mages also staying at this inn, so he must wait.
The light leaking in through the storm shutters had long since faded when a soft knock sounded on the door to their room. Alain jerked himself back to full awareness, watching as Mari drew her weapon and, holding it ready in one hand, cautiously opened the door enough to see out. A moment later she relaxed, opening the door to let in the Mechanic Calu and then locking it again.
Calu gave Mari a surprised look as she put away her weapon. “You’re armed?”
“Yeah. I’ll explain why.”
“Can I see it?” Mari handed over the weapon without hesitating, and the other Mechanic turned it in his hands carefully. “This is a beauty. If Alli was here, she’d be drooling over it.”
“She saw it in Danalee,” Mari confessed. “I thought I’d never get it back from her. How come you two didn’t end up at the same Guild Hall? I thought the Guild liked it when two Mechanics were interested in each other.”
Calu handed back the weapon, looking annoyed. “I think it depends on the Mechanics. After you left Caer Lyn, most of the Senior Mechanics there seemed determined to break up what they called Mari’s gang.”
“You’re kidding. I had a gang?”
“It surprised me, too. But when you think about it, Mari, a lot of the apprentices did listen to you, even the ones not officially assigned to you as group leader.” Calu shrugged. “It sometimes seemed like some of the Senior Mechanics thought you were getting ready to start a revolution. Alli and I got tagged as part of your loyal band of revolutionaries, and we’re both sure that’s why we got sent to different Guild Halls.”
Mari made an angry noise, clenching her fists. “They punished you two just because you knew me.”
“It was our choice, Mari,” Calu reminded her. “And we did pull our share of pranks and unauthorized activities, usually following some idea you came up with. Remember moving that one Senior Mechanic’s entire office onto the roof one night?”
Mari grinned at the memory. “He was so mad. He deserved it, though, and we never got caught for that.”
“Right. Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on with you?”
“Do you want the short summary or the long story?” Mari asked.
“Short summary first.”
“Sit down.” Mari sat down on end of the bed as Calu sat on the other, then she took a deep breath. “The Guild is trying to get me killed.”
Calu just watched her for a long moment, then looked over at Alain. “What about you?”
“My Guild seeks my death as well,” Alain replied.
“Why?” Mechanic Calu’s question was directed at Mari again.
“I’m not sure where to begin.” Mari looked down at her hands. “The caravan? No. Ringhmon. What have you heard about Ringhmon lately?”