The Pirates of Pacta Servanda (Pillars of Reality Book 4) (11 page)

“Let’s get him dressed and get out of here,” Mari said, grabbing Alain’s shirt from where it lay beside the bed.

Alli grunted with frustration as she tried to help. “I can’t get his arm through this sleeve. He’s got his fist clenched and I can’t budge it.”

“Why would his fist—?” Mari looked. “It’s his left hand.” She felt tears starting. “Even when drugged he clenched his fist to keep them from taking his promise ring!” Her voice broke on the last two words.

Alli rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Even when one of you is unconscious, you two are still nauseating.”

“It’s love, Alli!”

“I know what love is. I just think you two go a little overboard on the whole thing.”

“Jealous,” Mari said, her heart still pounding from recent events. “We’ll just get Alain into his robes. That shouldn’t be too hard.” She realized that it should have felt weird to have two other women helping her to dress her husband, but at the moment Asha and Alli felt a lot more like sisters.

Once his robes were on, the three women hoisted Alain and began carrying him out of the room. “Wow,” Alli commented, looking at Asha as they headed for the stairs. “You’ve got some muscle hidden under those robes.”

“All Mages prepare for any physical demands,” Asha said, impassive even while helping to maneuver Alain’s limp body down the stairs. “All physical effort must be as nothing.”

They paused to adjust the load at the bottom of the stairs, Asha maneuvering Alain’s head so that his eyes were pointed toward the Mage who had been injured. “Mage Niaro, working with Dark Mages. You see, Alain,” she told him even though he showed no sign of being aware. “That is how the Mages found you in this city.”

Mari stared at the fallen Mage, whose blood was forming a widening pool. “Shouldn’t we help him? He’ll die.”

“He is nothing,” Asha said.

“No. Nobody is nothing. Not even this Niaro.”

Bev knelt down, looking over Niaro. “Well, this guy is nothing now. He just died. Hey, Dav, help me drag him out of here.”

Together the two Mechanics pulled Niaro’s body through the door as the others got Alain out as well. Bev laid out Niaro straight, his arms folded across his chest, as if he were anyone else who had died and needed to be laid out properly. She dug in one pocket and pulled out a coin, placing it on Niaro’s chest in the old ritual.

“Why are you doing that for him?” Mechanic Dav asked.

“I’m doing it for me,” Bev said. “So that I know I’m not like he was.”

Mari saw that the Dark Mage who had surrendered was standing blank-faced, his arms bound, amidst Colonel Faron’s soldiers. Some other soldiers were busy binding up the woman Mari had knocked unconscious.

The owner of the building followed them out, shouting angrily. “You will pay! This was illegal!”

“Hold on a second,” Bev said. She brought her rifle to her shoulder, causing the owner to stagger back and cover his head, but her shot went into the building and resulting in a tinkle of breaking glass. “Darn. My weapon went off and hit that oil lamp.”

“Did you do that for you, too?” Mechanic Dav asked.

“Nah. I did that for Mari.”

Firelight was already flickering within the doorway as Colonel Faron turned to a detachment of police officers who had just arrived. “It is unfortunate that you won’t be able to save this building.”

“If the fire wardens get here quickly enough—” one of the officers began saying.

“
You won’t be able to save this building
,” Faron repeated in a way that made it clear no more argument was allowed. “Don’t let the fire spread to any other buildings, though.”

Mari, suddenly feeling very tired, blinked at an empty, open-topped carriage sitting in the street.

“My unit is supposed to take this carriage down to the quay,” Colonel Faron said as if talking to the air.

“Get in,” Mari told everyone. It took some work to get Alain up and inside, but he was soon sitting limply between Mari and Asha.

Only then did Mari notice how crowded the streets were, how many people were there, all of them gazing silently toward the Mechanics and the Mages. A low buzz of conversation started among the crowd, and Colonel Faron turned a pleading glance her way.

“What do they want?” Mechanic Dav asked, glancing around worriedly and fingering his rifle even though the weapon would be useless against so many.

“They want me,” Mari said. She stood up carefully in the carriage and looked out on the crowds, feeling a chill at their numbers and their watchfulness. And all of them were watching her.

The fire inside the building grew in intensity with a sudden whoosh, the light spilling out to illuminate Mari. The buzz of the crowd grew in volume, and their eyes glittered at her like thousands of candles.

How did she even begin to address these people?

That dilemma was resolved as someone finally called out a loud question. “Who are you?”

In the silence that followed that call, a silence broken only by the distant ringing of bells as fire wardens sounded alarms and the crackling of flames greedily devouring the building, Mari’s voice had no trouble carrying. “You know who I am. I have come from Altis. Before that I was in the Empire, and in the Northern Ramparts, and at Dorcastle. I came to Julesport to…to ask you to wait a little while longer. I know you have stopped believing that things could ever change. But they will! It is not yet time. The Great Guilds are very powerful. But they will be overthrown!”

The answering roar from the crowd felt like a physical force beating at Mari. She raised her arms, gesturing for silence, and for a wonder the crowd fell quiet again. “Do not act yet! It is not time! I do not want what the Great Guilds did at Altis to happen here. You will hear from me, and of me, I promise you. But do not risk yourselves and your city by acting before I am ready. You all have a lot to live for. Never forget that.”

A shrill voice yelled at her. “You’re a Mechanic! Liar!
She
would never be one of them!”

Part of Mari quailed at the accusation, knowing what would happen to her and her friends if this crowd turned into a mob. But part of her got angry. This was all hard enough. Too hard. Why did she have to argue with the people who should be helping her? “Jules was on officer of the Empire before she became something else. Have you forgotten that? Who am I? Ask the people of Altis!” Mari yelled back. “Ask the leaders of the Mechanics Guild, who have placed a high price on my head and already tried to kill me many times! Ask the Mages, who have told me I am that person, and the elders of the Mage Guild who also want me dead!”

Asha stood up beside her, the cowl of her robes back, her beauty making her look spectral in the light of the fire. “She is the daughter. It has been foreseen.” The Mage voice, loud but completely unfeeling, echoed among the suddenly silent crowd.

And in that silence a single person could be heard sobbing, crying softly. “At last. At last.”

Mari tried to sound calm and determined. “I have to go now. I have to leave Julesport in order to protect you. The days of the Great Guilds are numbered. Believe that because it is true. Together we will bring a new day to this world. Stay safe until then!”

Judging the moment right, Colonel Faron spurred his mount forward, the cavalry with him taking position around the carriage as its driver flicked the reins at the two horses hitched to it. The carriage began rolling toward the nearest edge of the crowd, which reluctantly gave way, everyone straining to see Mari as she sat down again. Mari held her hand before her, staring at how badly it was shaking.

Colonel Faron leaned down to speak to her. “I’ve sent for healers to meet us at the quay for the injured Mage Alain. There are reports that Mechanics are vanishing from the streets of the city, all withdrawing into their Guild Hall.”

“Wh—” Mari swallowed and managed to speak again. “What about the Mages?”

“There are small groups of them out. They don’t seem to be converging on any point. They’re just out.”

Mage Dav went to the edge of the carriage. “I will seek some of them.”

“Is that not dangerous?” Mage Asha asked.

“Yes.”

Mage Dav stepped down from the slow-moving carriage, vanishing almost immediately into the crowd, while Alli, Bev, and Mechanic Dav stared after him. “You Mages take some getting used to,” Alli finally said. “No offense.”

“Why should I care what you say?” Asha asked.

Alli’s mouth dropped open for a moment, then she looked at Mari. “Tell me again just how you got to know Alain?”

“We were running for our lives,” she said, holding Alain with one arm while she tried to suppress the nervous shakes that still shivered through her. “We didn’t have any choice. And yes, if the circumstances had been any different, it would have been very hard to get to know him enough to understand why he said things like that. It’s not an insult. Mage Asha isn’t trying to make you upset or angry. She’s just asking why she should be upset by anything you say, and that’s literally all she means by it.”

“If you say so.” Alli looked at the crowds on either side of the carriage. “Just how did Mage Asha help us find Alain anyway?”

“It’s my…beacon,” Mari admitted.

“Oh, yeah. You haven’t talked about that since Altis.”

“I don’t want to ever talk about it,” Mari mumbled.

Asha spoke again. “When Mari developed feelings for Mage Alain, and I learned to see Mari as not just a shadow, I began to sense her presence from afar. Whenever she thinks of Mage Alain, it is as if a distant bonfire lights for me.”

Alli didn’t answer, and when Mari looked at her she saw that Alli was trying desperately not to laugh. “That must be…really…embarrassing,” she finally got out.

“It is,” Mari said, trying to sound as cold as a Mage.

Mechanic Dav was giving her a funny look. “Does that happen every time a Mechanic and a Mage, uh…”

“You’ll have to let me know,” Mari said, which at least shut down further questions from Mechanic Dav.

The crowds were thinning as they reached the edges of the throng, the carriage horses trotting along streets where more and more soldiers were in evidence. As the carriage neared the quay, a cavalry soldier came riding up and saluted. “Colonel,” she called. “There is a group of Mechanics down there. They claim to be friends of the daughter.”

Faron turned a questioning look on Mari.

“Did they give any names?” Mari asked.

The soldier shook her head. “One of them said to tell Master Mechanic Mari that the next time she is in a blizzard to remember that nothing is real.”

“What?” Colonel Faron demanded. “What does that mean?”

“I know what it means,” Mari said, laughing with relief. “Alli, you might want to run ahead and meet those guys.”

“Why?” Alli asked. “Hold on. Blizzard. Isn’t that when you met—?”

“Sure was,” Mari said, smiling.

“Wooo!” Alli jumped out of the carriage and ran ahead.

“I guess it is all right,” Faron said, motioning the carriage to move on. “Lady, may I ask a question before you take leave of us?”

“Sure,” Mari said, feeling totally worn out again and wondering just how much longer this day and night could last.

“What reward do you seek?”

Mari looked at the colonel. “Reward?”

“Yes. What will you gain?”

“Everyone will be free. The Storm won’t come. The Great Guilds will no longer control this world.”

“But, for
you
,” Colonel Faron pressed.

“I…” Mari spread her hands in confusion. “I have Alain. I’ll be able to practice my Mechanic skills freely. My friends will be free. Isn’t that enough?”

“I would think so,” Faron said. “Good luck, Lady. I must go to ensure your ship has a clear path out of the harbor.” He flicked his reins and rode away, quickly vanishing into the dusk.

The carriage rumbled to a halt and Mari roused herself to get Alain out, feeling an irrational resentment that he wasn’t helping more.

“Four more Mechanics,” Bev commented. “No, wait. Five. Alli is glued to one of them so it looked like they were just one.”

“Hi, Calu,” Mari called, realizing her hail sounded breathless.

What looked like the silhouette of one broad Mechanic separated into two, Alli leading Mechanic Calu. “Hey, Mari. Still causing trouble, huh?” He spotted Alain as the others tried to get him down from the carriage. “Alain’s hurt?”

Calu rushed to help, talking as he did so. “I’ve got four friends with me. When the Guild Hall supervisor ordered everyone into the Hall for a lockdown, we were outside and figured it was time to make a break. We planned to try to find you, but you were a lot closer than we expected. So you’re the daughter now, huh?”

“She’s already power-mad,” Alli commented to Calu as they got Alain down. “That’s why we had to rescue this guy. Alain is the only one who can control her.”

“He’s a better man than I am, then,” Calu observed with a grin. But the grin faded into a look of concern. “What’s the matter with him?”

“Drugs, we think,” Mari reassured Calu. “He’ll be all right,” she added, trying to convince herself.

“There are a couple of healers here. I guess they got sent to help him.” Calu tried to take more of Alain’s weight on his own shoulder. “Can I take over here? You must be beat.”

“I am beat,” Mari admitted, “but Mage Asha and I will get him the rest of the way.”

“Mage Asha? Another Mage?” Calu glanced at her, then his eyes widened as Asha’s beauty struck home. “Wow. I mean—”

Alli intervened, punching Calu in the shoulder. “We know what you mean. Behave yourself. She’s a Mage and she’s got a knife.”

“And I’ve already got a girl,” Calu said. “I’ve got to fill you guys in on what’s been happening.”

“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.