Industry & Intrigue (29 page)

Rai leaned over to Zuri
and whispered, “Did
I not say so?”

The magister
continued
,
“In addition, the actions taken by Feyton and the minds he
corrupted have proven to us that mental magic is far too addictive
and dangerous. It will longer be taught at Warded
Spirals.”

“
What!” shouted Paragon
Phillips. He stood
up in the crowd seated at the back half of the room. “You
can’t do this. This is an outrage, one man abuses his power and
you-”

“
Paragon Phillips,” said
Straiton, cutting him off. “I suggest you calm yourself and not
interrupt again or I will have the guards take you to the cells. Is
that understood?” Phillips nodded and sat down as he eyed the
guards who had taken steps towards him.

“
Now as I was
saying
,
mental magic will longer be taught,” said the magister. “It is far
too dangerous. All research projects currently underway will be
shutdown, with reports on the work filed and moved to storage.
Copies will be kept in both Warded Spirals and the Scepter
barracks. Anyone caught using mental magic without explicit
permission from an oversight group will be subject to heavy
penalties, including imprisonment or exile to Hidan.”

Zuri was surprised at
that
harshness of the punishment. The colony of Hidan contained
a sizable penal settlement. The prisoners were subjected to back
breaking work to supply the colony with water, a rare resource on
the dry continent of Vinacia, or patrol the Arc lands. Either way,
the survival rate was low and only the worst criminals were sent
there. The magister was serious about preventing the use of mental
magic.

“
The aftermath of these events
has left Warded Spirals with a number of empty roles. Until such
time as a new archmage is decided on, Headmaster Rai Chek will take
over as acting-archmage. Archmage Chek
, you have the need for new paragons
and the members of this committee have one request. We would like
to see Zuri Abeliah take over the role of paragon of shadomancy. Do
you have any objection to this?” Zuri was surprised. She did not
expect to be eligible to be a paragon for several years.

“
No magister
, I do not,” replied
Rai.

“
Good. Mastermage Abeliah please
stand
,”
requested Straiton. Zuri did so. “Do you accept this position?” he
asked.

“
No
magister I do not.” The magister and
several other of the committee members exchanged puzzled looks and
the whispers crept around the room.

“
Quiet please,” said Straiton.
Then he looked at directly at Zuri. “May I ask why?”

“
In light of what has happened I
no longer feel comfortable teaching at Warded Spirals. I would like
to request to join the Hydrus Scepters.” And she glanced over at
Arnette, who had an approving look on her face. “I have proven
myself in battle and I am in favor of your new laws. I want to be
part of the process of magical security that you are enacting,” she
replied.

Before the
magi
ster
could give her an answer Arnette Essex spoke. “I have no problem
with this request magister. She is correct and she would be a
valuable asset for the Scepters to have.”

“
As you wish
,” said Straiton. “Zuri
Abeliah, as magister of this hearing, I officially name you to the
Hydrus Scepters; your transfer to take effect
immediately.”

She bowed her
hea
d. “Thank
you sir,” she said and sat down.

T
he remaining matters were administrative,
Zuri wasn’t interested in the details. Once the hearing ended,
Arnette Essex caught up with her in the corridor. Her light auburn
hair bounced around her shoulders, contrasting with the woman’s
coal-dark skin. She touched Zuri on the shoulder. “Zuri, I was
hoping I could speak to you for a moment”

“
Of course
,” replied Zuri. “I do answer
to you now after all.”

Arnette
chuckled
.
“Well we have to go over the arrangements, but that can wait until
you are initiated. I wanted to say that I’m glad that you requested
to join us. Your actions are commendable. The Scepters need
individuals like yourself, if we are to defend our
empire.”

Zuri foun
d Arnette’s phrasing odd. “Has
a war started that I don’t know about?”

Arnette smiled and shook her head. “Of
course not. But as the empire’s military mages, we always have our
eyes focused on defense. The downside to being the richest and most
powerful nation in the world is that it inspires the greatest
jealousy.”

Arnette was certainly
patriotic, though
Zuri shouldn’t have been surprised. The Scepters had a reputation
for staunch defense of the empire.

“
I know you don’t have military
experience, so you may find our methods of operating intrusive, but
it works. It’s kept us defending the empire for over a thousand
years. I’ll come by your office tomorrow for our first official
meeting. After that I’ll show around the Scepter barracks and
training ground.”

“
I look forward to
it
.”

“
Good,” replied Arnette, “until
tomorrow then.” The deputy chief of the Scepters walked off and
Zuri was left with her thoughts about her new position.

Chapter 26

Siobhan Mason
was tapping her
hands on the desk. Tessa stopped mid-sentence and asked, “Sorry.
Was I rambling?”

Siobha
n gave her an exasperated look. “You
came in here to ask for my opinion on how to deal with your sister,
but you looked like you needed to vent. I figured it was better if
you let it all out,” she replied. “I know you had your
disagreements with your father, but wouldn’t now be the time to put
that aside and repair your relationship with her?”

“
You don’t know her like I
do
,
Siobhan,” said Tessa. “She’s utterly ruthless. Creator knows what
she’ll do, now that she’s in charge of Typhon Trading.”

Siobhan
looked at her, skepticism on
her face.

“
Don’t give me that look,”
protested Tessa. “I’m not being paranoid. The look on her face when
the LRC showed up at our father’s wake; I haven’t seen her that
angry since she was humiliated by Sarah Logan at the Imperial Day
celebration. Tegan never let that go. She hired investigators to
dig into every aspect of her life, smeared her with every ugly
rumor she could think of and the girl ended up killing herself in
shame after her insider trading in the Peniton colony trust was
revealed.”

“
Your sister didn’t invent that,
the evidence was there to be found
,” Siobhan pointed out.

“
No she didn’t, but everything
else she did helped contribute to the girl’s suicide,” she replied.
“The Logan family still refuses to do any business with
Typhon.”

“
S
ocialist protestors aren’t my area of
expertise. You should talk to Kao, he is the minister of industry
after all,” said Siobhan.

“
That would be a pointless waste
of time
and
you know it.”

Minister
Marawn Kao was an Alkon-born
drakon and a well-known hard-liner when it came to labor activists.
During the Factory Halts of 1692 he had ordered Imperial troops to
stop the strikers. The strike ended as the soldiers moved from
province to province suppressing the strikers. Over three hundred
people had been killed as a result and the ensuing aftermath had
resulted in larger worker’s unions and the formation of the LRC as
a national organization.

In the subsequent years,
strikes became
more common place and while many companies had recognized
the growing tide and established better benefits for their
employees, there were many that still took a rigid stance against
workers’ rights.

Tessa herself thought that the
rights of wor
kers should be more respected. Her attitudes on that
particular issue had been one of the many reasons for falling out
with her father. Cormac Mordain had been as reactionary as they
come. He had regarded protestors and strikers in his corporation as
traitors. Tegan had unfortunately inherited his distaste for them
as well.

“
Yes, you’re
right
,” said
Siobhan. “I’m on the same side of you on this. It is best for
unions and businesses to negotiate. Much like I think it is better
for nations to negotiate rather than go to war. It’s too bad
everyone can’t be as reasonable and progressive as we
are.”

Siobhan developed a thoughtful
look on her face. “
There is one thing you could do.”

Tessa waited for
Sio
bhan to
continue, but she appeared reluctant. “What’s your idea?” she
finally asked.

“
You could talk to the emperor,”
said Siobhan.

T
he last thing Tessa needed was the other
ministers think she was getting above them by taking issues
directly to Emperor Lawrence. “I could, but I’d be better off
diving into the darkest hells. Kao would squeeze me with everything
if he heard I went over his head and was messing in his patch,” she
said. “No, I’ll have to resort to threatening my sister with the
one thing she cares about above all else, money. Being treasury
minister does have its perks.”

Siobhan
smiled
. “The
last treasury minister once told me that it was most thankless job
in the world. How did he put it? ‘I grease the wheels of the whole
country, control whether it stops or starts and yet I am never
noticed.’ Honestly I don’t know how you stand it. I would go mad
looking at pages and pages of numbers every day. Give me an
aggressive diplomat anytime.”

“
We all do what we are called
to. I’m good at it and I enjoy it,” she replied. “Since I’ve
finished complaining about my problems, why don’t you tell me about
yours? Only four more days until the Galrian delegation
arrives.”

Siobhan
nodded
. “For
the first time in its history our biggest rival has deemed to send
its us an official representative. To say I have a lot to do would
be a massive understatement. But on the other hand this could be
the best move to improve our relations with Galria.

In fifty years
t
hey have
been nothing but aggressive and hostile. Look at the situation on
the southern border near Sethain. More soldiers are stationed there
than anywhere outside of Kangur. If we can relieve the tensions, I
will make a mark no other foreign minister has made
before.”

“
Not concerned they are
here for more
blustering threats?” asked Tessa. “The Galrians are not averse to
subversive tactics as you well know. Don’t forget Marant.” Marant
was a town in West Maceon and five years ago a well-funded
anti-government group had waged a guerilla war inside the town.
Galria’s support to the guerillas had brought the tense conflict
close to war.

“
This isn’t
subterfuge, I’ve been working
on this for a long time. I know Envoy-master Rossiv, he wants the
same as I do; a real, working dialogue between our
nations.”

Tessa wasn’t convinced.
“I’m sure he does,
but it’s not him I’m concerned about. Galria isn’t Alkon, Siobhan.
The ministers don’t have the same level of authority of their
respective sectors as we do. If King Cyrus the Second of Galria
decides he wants something done, then it gets done. Regardless of
what his inner circle thinks. You know what they call him in
whispers in the halls of Urdov, don’t you?”

Siobhan
nodded
.
“Cyrus the Paranoid. He sees plots against himself everywhere.
Given his upbringing and history can you blame him?” Siobhan was
referring to Cyrus the First, first king of Galria and the current
king’s father. He had driven the Galrian states together by mutual
fear and hatred and the rumor was, he had run his own family the
same way, terrorizing his wife and children.

“
T
hat reminds me. I have one more suggestion
and then I’m done offering my opinions about your family” said
Siobhan. “Talk to your brother, he’s also involved in Typhon and he
doesn’t have the same ruthless streak as your sister.”

Tessa thought about the
suggestion
and replied, “He may listen to me, but even if I get him on
my side for this, Tegan still runs the company. She’ll threaten him
and he’ll cave, he always does.”

“
He will
? Because I could never get him to
cave to me,” said Siobhan. When they were much younger, Siobhan had
a crush on Luthais but he had never reciprocated. Tessa wondered if
Siobhan had an ulterior motive with her suggestion. “He’ll be in
the palace today, attending Alyssa Huntington’s demonstration of
her new prototype.”

And she’s
keeping tabs on him
thought
Tessa.
I
wonder if she ever truly let it go, or she simply learned to hide
it better.
“When is it due to start?” she asked.

“
Eleven
o’clock
, I
believe,” replied Siobhan. “You have plenty of time.”