“He’s one. There are several there.”
“Haestyr? Shaercyt?”
“Both of them. Also, Nacryon and Ealthyn. There are others, but those are the most likely.”
I knew Nacryon was from Mantes and had interests in copper and tin, as well as a new process that created artificial fertilizer from potash and other mineral deposits. I’d never heard of Ealthyn. “Why would the Jariolans want Ealthyn as a supporter?”
“We don’t know yet. In fact, I’d never heard of him, either, until we tracked some former sailors to his lands. They made the mistake of cutting through a taudis in Piedryn. They walked out untouched, but there were six bodies in various alleys.”
“Do you think Ealthyn and Haebyn are working together?”
“I’m certain they are. We can’t prove it.” Schorzat shrugged.
“Did Master Dichartyn ever talk to you about the possibility that a trader or factor named Alhazyr might be involved with certain dubious matters involving Caartyl?”
“He did, but we don’t have contacts in Mantes right now…and what with the way things turned out…”
I understood that. “I take it that he’s probably more than someone who just wants public representatives added to the Council?”
“Most likely, but he’s very careful.”
“What about Stakanar?”
“We’ve found some agents, but Solidar’s a little cool for them.”
“They might be behind the elveweed.”
“They probably are, but if that’s so, someone’s shielding them.”
“Like Ruelyr?”
“That would be hard to find out.”
“See what you can do.” I laughed. “Along with everything else.”
He smiled wryly.
“What can you tell me about Sea-Marshal Geuffryt? And about his relationship with Madame D’Shendael?”
“I understand they’re related in some way, but not all that closely. I could give you his biography and his impressive credentials, but that would obscure more than it would reveal. He’s a capable Naval officer. He’s more than capable in terms of intelligence.”
“Why didn’t he know more about what was happening with the bombards and the stolen Poudre B?”
“The Army didn’t tell anyone. The Depot Commander either didn’t know or covered it up. It’s likely to be the latter, since he vanished a month ago.”
“When did you and Dichartyn find this out?”
“He started probing into it right after Maitre Poincaryt told him…you were there, weren’t you?”
I had to think for a moment. “That was on the twenty-sixth.”
“Then he found out on the thirty-second. It was just short of a week later.”
“I think I need to have a private meeting with Geuffryt.” I paused. “Is there any reason why I shouldn’t? Or would it be better for the two of us to meet with him?”
“He won’t say anything if he meets with more than one person.”
“So he can deny that he said it, if necessary?”
Schorzat smiled. “So that no denial is necessary.”
I could see that. “You’re suggesting that I need to meet with him and that I’d best be very careful. Who else should I meet with? Is there an Army counterpart?”
“No. Geuffryt sends reports to the Army Command as well as to his superiors at Naval Command.”
“Do I have you request the meeting or have Maitre Dyana do it?”
“They’ll expect me to make the request. I did for Master Dichartyn.”
“Whom else do you think I should meet?”
“For now…probably no one else until you read some of the recent reports and see what Geuffryt has to say.” Schorzat smiled. “You may not have to arrange any meetings. By next Lundi invitations will be arriving at your house for various small dinners from High Holders’ wives. Doubtless, Glendyl’s wife will hurry over to make Seliora’s acquaintance as well. A new Maitre D’Esprit-and one so comparatively young and with such a beautiful wife-is always in demand during the winter social season.”
Seliora might like that…if only for a while. “Was that one of the reasons you turned the position down?” I asked lightly and wryly.
“Better you than me,” he replied with a laugh.
When I returned to my “new” study, I was tired. I closed my eyes for a time, but that wasn’t particularly restful. Not with all the various bits of information swirling through my thoughts. So I tried to make sense of it all. Caartyl couldn’t be stupid enough to think that he would remain even as acting head of the Executive Council. That meant he needed the position to do something immediate, and it was likely that he’d arranged, or someone had arranged for him, the difficulties that had required Glendyl to go to Ferravyl. What could that be? I was doubtless missing the obvious, and that was because I was tired and aching.
Then I stood and walked over to the two blank-faced cabinets on the north wall, behind and to the right of the desk. It took several attempts before I figured out the image-linked lock catches. The first shock was the dearth of information on High Holders. While there was information on some I didn’t know personally, I didn’t see much on those, such as Suyrien, that I did know that I couldn’t have found out fairly easily. And while there was a presumptive list of High Holders, there was also a note that it was anything but inclusive or current. That bothered me, more than a little.
After spending more than three glasses reading through reports, my head was aching as much as my body. I was beginning to understand why Dichartyn had often looked so tired, and why he’d been less than patient with me years before. Given the lack of reports from whole sections of Solidar, I also understood why he’d spent time traveling as well.
Overall, the reports gave me a far better idea of what was happening in Solidar outside L’Excelsis, and it was clear that the Ferrans-and the unknown Jariolan agents-were concentrating on less than half a score of cities…but I still had the feeling that far, far more was happening than had been reported, and that I needed to puzzle through matters more deeply, if only to pose the questions my brain might find answers to once I was more rested.
Another question was where Cydarth fit into the various machinations. Why would anyone be interested in paying off the subcommander of a city’s Civic Patrol, even if the city happened to be L’Excelsis? There were no clues to that in anything I’d read.
There was also the relationship between Geuffryt and Juniae D’Shendael. Relatives or not, why would she have gotten involved in writing the note conveying information about the banque explosion?
When I finally left the administration building, it was still light, but the sun hung low over the river as I made my way north along the west walk.
When I reached the front gate, I stopped and looked to my right. Beyond our dwelling remained the ruins of Master Dichartyn’s and Maitre Dyana’s houses, but farther to the north I could see that, already, the walls of the Maitre’s dwelling appeared to be half-rebuilt. Then I studied the roof on the north side of our dwelling. I couldn’t see any difference in the slates that would indicate where the shell had struck.
After a moment, I started for the front door, where Seliora stood waiting.
29
On Vendrei morning, I realized I had another difficulty, one that was insignificant in some respects, and not immediate, but still a problem, since Seliora had decided to stay at the house and work with Klysia to rid the place of more of the grit and dust that continued to settle, seemingly out of thin air. So, immediately after breakfast, even before going to find out what awaited me in my own study in the administration building, I went to see Maitre Dyana.
