“Later,” Mari gasped as some of the rowers from the launch helped lower Alain into the boat. “Right now we have to get out of town fast.”
“It should be two trips with this many people,” the boat officer suggested.
“All right. I’ll…” Mari hesitated, torn between wanting to go to the ship with Alain and her sense of duty that she remain on the quay until everyone else was clear.
“You’ll go,” Alli said. “I can supervise things here for a few minutes.”
Mari nodded, grateful that Alli had stepped in. “Thanks. Mage Asha… Mage Dav! We can’t leave Mage Dav!”
Asha shook her head. “If Mage Dav means to accompany us, he will be here. If he does not meet us here, he will find us at some later time.”
Bev was gazing out over the harbor. “Sparks and smoke, people. That stack is showing signs that someone is trying to get a boiler lit and online really fast.”
“Move it!” Mari ordered, scrambling down the ladder into the launch. She sat in the back, pillowing Alain’s head on her lap, trying not to burst into tears over how sick he looked.
Bev joined them, as did two common folk with the snake and staff badges of healers, then three of the Mechanics who had accompanied Calu and Calu himself, hustled down the ladder by an insistent Alli.
The launch shoved off and began threading its way through the crowded harbor back to the Gray Lady. “I guess Alli and I are going to be trying to keep you out of trouble again,” Calu commented.
Mari couldn’t helping smiling. “Yeah. Just like old times.”
“These guys are Rob of Larharbor—” one of the new Mechanics nodded to Mari—“and Tess of Emdin and Amal of Farland.”
Mari saw how closely Rob was sitting to one of the healers, a woman about his age. “And you’re healers?”
The woman nodded. “Cas and Pol of Julesport. Brother and sister. We’ll do all we can for, uh…”
“My Mage,” Mari said.
“And then can we come with you?” She reached for the hand of Mechanic Rob. “My brother just wants to help you, but Rob and I have wanted to get married for years. The Guild blocked it.”
“They’re cracking down on any relationships with commons,” Rob explained.
“It’s gotten even crazier lately,” Calu agreed. “You’ve really got them scared, Mari.”
“I haven’t done all that much,” she said. “Alain and I have mostly just tried to stay alive.”
“And get your hands on forbidden Mechanic texts,” Bev added.
“Well, yeah, that, too.”
The other Mechanics stared at her. “Forbidden texts?” Amal asked. “From the Guild vaults?”
Despite her fatigue, Mari perked up a little at the topic. “Yes. There is some amazing stuff in there. Wait until you see it.”
“We’ll all get to see the texts?”
“Everyone will,” Mari said. She knew they wouldn’t think she meant literally everyone. They would assume that she only intended other Mechanics. But she was too tired at the moment to explain, and argue, that the texts should be seen by commons and even by Mages as well.
She was surprised when the hull of the Gray Lady loomed above them, the masts of the ship rising skyward like angular trees shorn of leaves. A barge lay next to the ship, its open deck laden with crates, boxes and barrels which were being hoisted up and onto the Gray Lady using lines that ran through tackle on some of the spars. The crew, who didn’t seem to find the need to haul a limp body aboard the least bit unusual, brought over one of the lines being used as a hoist, passing a large loop over Alain’s head and arms and using it to pull him up to the deck. “They’re familiar enough with it,” the captain explained to Mari. “In every port one or two sailors takes on way too much booze and needs a bit of help up the side.”
Mari stood on deck, trying to decide what to do as the healers and some of the crew carried Alain into the cabin. Once again she was torn by conflicting responsibilities. She finally went to the rail, watching as the rest came aboard and the launch headed back for the quay. “Captain, we need to be ready to leave as soon as the launch returns and the people it carries get aboard.”
The captain looked at the sky. “Lady, it’s not the best night for sneaking out of a harbor. A bit too bright and clear, with a nearly full moon.”
“Make the best of it,” Mari ordered. “The Mage Guild is not going to be happy when they realize we got Mage Alain away from the Dark Mages.”
“The Mage Guild?” The captain blew out a long breath. “I once saw a leviathan turn a bigger ship than this to matchsticks. What about the Mechanics Guild?”
“You can see they’re trying to get steam up on their ship. That’s going to take a little while, but we want to have disappeared before they can start chasing us. Did we get all of the supplies that we need?”
“Aye,” the captain said. “Better quality than we usually have, as well, and I was told it was all paid for.”
“All of it? I didn’t—” Mari exhaled heavily. “It’s too late to argue now.”
“How many more are coming, may I ask, Lady?”
“Four or five, I think. It depends if Mage Dav makes it back.”
She looked over to where the Mechanic ship was working to get up steam, smoke gushing from its stack visible even against the night sky. “What are they doing?” she asked Bev. “There’s way too much smoke.”
“I’m not a steam specialist,” Bev said, “but I’d guess they’re trying to get the boiler going as fast as possible.”
“They’ll crack the bricks lining the boiler if they’re not careful,” Mari said. “Why do I think that there’s a Senior Mechanic standing over the captain of that Mechanic ship demanding they move faster?”
“Rules are for regular Mechanics,” Bev said. “How are you going to run things once the Guild is gone?”
“What?” Mari turned a baffled gaze on her.
“Once the Mechanics Guild is overthrown, somebody is going to have to make new rules. Somebody is going to have to set up some way of running things if the Senior Mechanics are out of the picture. I know Alli and Dav are just sort of assuming you’ll be that somebody, and I bet everyone else will, too.”
Mari stared at the waters of the harbor, aghast. “Oh, no.”
“You can’t do worse than the Senior Mechanics have,” Bev said, a sudden dark edge entering her voice. “They—” She struggled to control herself. “They’ve got a lot to answer for,” she finally got out.
“Bev, I’m sorry. Whatever it was.”
Bev pointed over the side, changing the subject. “Here comes the launch. Looks like Mage Dav collected a few friends.”
Mari stared. There were five figures in Mage robes among the others. Mage Dav and Mage Asha made two. Who were the other three?
Mage Asha was first on deck, looking as unconcerned as ever.
“Asha,” Mari said, “who are those other Mages?”
“Mage Dav found some who sought us,” Asha said. “They seek different wisdom.”
“He’s sure they can be trusted?”
“Mage Dav would not have brought them along if he was not certain.” Asha turned her gaze on Mari. “My uncle… likes… you. Is that the right word?”
“I don’t know,” Mari said, startled. “Why does he like me?”
“He is a Mage, and one of no great standing, but you treat him with the same courtesy and concern you grant Mechanics. Your trust is also welcome and unexpected, for Mage Dav knows how Mages are seen by others.” She paused, her face shadowed. “That has always been difficult for Mage Dav, to know he was seen as a monster.”
“It was hard for Alain, too,” Mari said. “I hated knowing how the commons looked at me behind my back. Oh, they’re very respectful to Mechanics to their faces, but if you turned around quickly enough you’d see their true feelings. And I couldn’t blame the commons, seeing how some of my fellow Mechanics treated them.”