waited for my instructions..
“Third District station, please.”
“Yes, Maitre.”
As the coach carried me up Fedre, I could see, just short of Sudroad, an area of rubble to the right. Once there had been a line of row houses there. Another of the explosions set by the Ferrans? Why there?
We reached Third District station without difficulty, and, again, I had Lebryn wait. I wasn’t about to risk hacks at the moment.
Huensyn was on the duty desk, and he immediately stood as I walked in. “Sir!”
I gestured for him to take his seat on the stool behind the high desk. “Is Lieutenant Alsoran around?”
“The lieutenant stepped out for a moment, Captain. He said he’d be but a quint, and that was more than a quint ago.”
“I’ll wait. You can tell me about a few things. I noticed some buildings had been blown up in First District. Did we lose any here?”
“No, sir.” Huensyn smiled. “We did find a few dead bodies, fellows in black, though.”
“They must have run into trouble.” That was good and bad. I just hoped the taudischefs had disposed of the explosives, but most likely they’d sold them, not that there was anything I could do about it. I’d have to talk to them, but that could wait, because what was done was done, and even if there had been markings on the explosives, they would have doubtless been Solidaran markings.
“The lieutenant sent a report to the Commander that you’d stopped two groups already, and that another two had apparently run into difficulties.”
“I don’t imagine he got a response.”
“No, sir.”
At that moment, the station door opened. Alsoran smiled broadly as he caught sight of me. “Captain! I’d heard that some of the high-ranking imagers’ dwellings were shelled. We didn’t know…”
“I was laid up for a day or so, but here I am.” I nodded to Huensyn. “If you’ll excuse us, we need to talk over some matters.”
“Yes, sirs.”
We walked to Alsoran’s study. I let him close the door.
“Before we discuss anything, you need to open this envelope.” I withdrew the oblong and handed it to him.
He took it, then opened it slowly, as if he feared what might be inside. He unfolded the heavy sheet and read it, then read it again. Finally, he looked up. “You’re leaving, then?”
“I don’t have a choice. I’m needed at the Collegium.”
He nodded. “I didn’t ever expect this. Is it your doing, sir?”
I smiled and shook my head. “Commander Artois wrote it before I talked to him or met with him. It was sealed and waiting in his desk when I saw him earlier today. I did tell him that I’d be happy to offer you any advice or expertise you needed.”
He was the one to shake his head. “I still don’t…”
“You’re good at what you do, and the taudischefs trust you. They did back when you were a patroller first. They also know that I support you. What other lieutenant or captain could do as good a job here as you can?”
He offered a crooked smile. “No other officer would want to follow you, not so long as you’re still with the Collegium. You’re in charge of imager security, aren’t you?”
“There’s no such position, but I have duties along those lines.”
“I thought so.”
“Does following me bother you?”
“No, sir. I’ve never thought I was anything but a good solid patroller. I think I can be a good solid captain.”
“So do I, and L’Excelsis needs solid captains.” I smiled. “I can’t stay long, but I’d like to announce the changes to those here in the station.”
Alsoran smiled. “I can’t stop you.”
As I’d suspected, as patrollers had come in for various reasons, either between rounds or to report offenses, they’d managed to remain, and a half-score were scattered not-so-casually in the area around the duty desk. When I stepped out of Alsoran’s study, most eyes flicked toward the two of us.
I walked into the middle of the open area. “I have an announcement to make.”
The murmurs died away.
“Because of changes at Imagisle, I’ve been recalled to duty there. I’ve appreciated the effort all of you, and all those who are not here, have made. But I would like to tell you that from today on, Captain Alsoran will be the one running Third District, as he already has been in my recent absence.” I turned and inclined my head to Alsoran. “Captain.”
“Thank you, Maitre Rhennthyl.” He paused, then added, “We all appreciate what you have done. You will always be welcome here in Third District.”
“Thank you…all of you.”
I wasn’t a believer in long farewells, and I’d never put any personal items in the captain’s study. So I didn’t have to take anything with me when I left a short time later.
Lebryn took South Middle out to the Midroad, then followed it around the Guild Square to where it became the Boulevard D’Imagers. Two blocks past the Guild Square, we passed another pile of gray rubble-where, weeks before, had stood an older three-story structure that had housed L’Excelsis Indemnity. That had to have been a deliberate target. I’d have to check the list Artois had promised, once it arrived, to see if there was a pattern to the buildings that had been damaged or destroyed.
With all the traveling, I didn’t get back to Imagisle until the first glass of the afternoon. Beleart caught me before I even reached my study with a request that I meet with Maitre Dyana as soon as I returned. I did hang my winter cloak in my study before I headed upstairs.
Gherard motioned for me to go into Maitre Dyana’s study even before I said a word. As always, I closed the door behind me. Dyana was writing something and nodded for me to sit down. I took one of the middle chairs and waited.
After several moments, she replaced the pen in its stand and looked up. “You left Imagisle. Are you up to that?”
“For short periods. I took a duty coach and met with Artois. He’s promoted Alsoran to captain to succeed me, and he’s promised a listing of the damaged buildings once it’s complete. I also met with Cydarth. Is he still pressing the Council to make him Commander?”
“Neither Rholyn nor I have heard anything along those lines.”
“He’s likely biding his time. He might be waiting for something to discredit Artois.”
“While Artois is hoping something will appear to discredit Cydarth,” she suggested.
“Will it?”
“That is what you should be telling me,” Maitre Dyana replied.
I thought for a moment. “Geuffryt wanted me to reveal the payments to Cydarth…and to Caartyl. He didn’t say that, but he did insist that his source was trusted and had never been wrong. What he said bothered me then, and the more I’ve thought about it, the more it bothers me. If the Collegium revealed something like that, even if it were true, the disclosure would create an impression we don’t need. Further…the funds have never been touched. The Navy wants more ships. Who controls the Civic Patrol shouldn’t matter to the Naval Command. Who controls building the ships-or keeping them from being built-does matter. That strongly suggests that the whole business was a ploy to get the Collegium to act in some way to further the Navy’s interests. Revealing that we know about fund transfers, even when we don’t, would reduce trust in our impartiality.”
“That part is clear enough,” Dyana replied. “But why would the Naval Bureau want to reduce our influence when we’ve supplied them with materials and new devices and when we’re more inclined to support modernizing the fleet?”
“I don’t have an answer to that, but I can’t see anything else that makes sense.”
“Neither can I. It might be best if you devoted time and thought to seeing what else you can discover that bears on that.”
