nature or was it design disguised as nature? And more pertinently, what should the Advocacy do with them . . . with the whole of Westfallen, for that matter?
It was difficult, though, to consider anything but acceptance and mercy, sitting where he was right now. Marshal Vasselis's walled garden was in its pomp. Flowers of every colour decorated walls and beds. Ivy had climbed to adorn the statues of the greats of Caraduk and cascaded across the roof of the marble shelter in which they sat, away from the punishing light of the sun. The fountains bubbled happily, carp in their pools rising to grab flies before returning to the shade of white-flowered lilies.
In an arc around the bench on his left, sat the Ascendants themselves, all smartly dressed in pale-coloured tunics, slashed with the Ascendancy red and cinched with white rope. They were a fascinating mix of anxiety, teenage cocksure arrogance, and a touch of real maturity.
With great interest he had watched them come in through the gate at the bottom of the garden and approach him. The blind one, Ossacer, had his arm on that of Arducius, the gentle-faced one. At he other side was the girl, Mirron. Pretty. Ossacer hardly looked as if he needed their help, so sure was his step. And just apart from them was Gorian. He was studying Jhered as they came close, his eyes penetrating and slightly disconcerting.
'You can learn a great deal about people before you utter your first word to them,' said Jhered, when they were all seated and comfortable. Their maid, Shela Hasi, had supplied welcome cool drinks before withdrawing. 'Their bearing; how they walk; in which order they look at you; who looks you in the eye without fear; and who with interest or trepidation.'
They were silent, waiting for his prompt to speak, he supposed.
'You do know why I am here, don't you? They've told you all about me and my colleagues and the seriousness of our investigation.'
Nods and the odd muttered 'yes'. He smiled.
'No need to fear me. I am not your judge today, merely your observer. So please feel free to speak at any time.'
'Are you really a hard man?' asked Gorian suddenly.
Jhered was taken completely by surprise.
‘I
—' He paused and chuckled. 'And I was supposed to be questioning you. Let me say this. It is the nature of my job that I take taxes and levies from people who sometimes do not agree with how much I want or are reluctant to part with what they must. These people will find out that, yes, I am a hard man. They also find out that I miss very little indeed. Something you might remember while we talk, eh?' He let the smile fall from his face. 'Why did you ask me that?'
'Because we have heard lots about you. You run the Gatherers and so no one likes you.'
'No one likes the tax man,' he agreed.
'But you don't seem so bad,' said Gorian.
'That's because you have given me no cause to be. See it remains that way.' Jhered steepled his fingers. 'Tell me why it is the other three don't like you as much as each other.'
All four of them stared at their feet for a time. Good. Best they understood who was in control.
'I would have thought you'd stick closer together. After all, you are the only four so far, even though I understand more potential has been born and yet more is expected.'
Gorian was looking at him now but wasn't about to say anything. Jhered was disappointed.
'You see, I have a problem. Your Echelon, your Reader and in fact anyone else I have spoken to has been terribly keen to tell me about the great and good things that you can do now and that you will be able to do in the future. Apparently, you might be the saviours of us all, the vanguard of a new human race that uses its powers to the benefit of all.
'But I do worry about what you think. After all, you have minds of your own and for a brief moment at least, you threatened to be inquisitive. You must have considered your futures. Are you all of one mind? From your approach, I suspect that you are not.'
This time the silence was irritating. The fact that he was unused to dealing with children was becoming painfully apparent. He coughed.
'Do you want me to pick one of you to break the ice on this rather warm day? Mirron?'
'I knew you'd pick me. Just because I'm the girl.'
'Or perhaps I think you're the brightest among you,' he said sharply. 'Just say something in response. Think about it, young lady. When you look forward in your life, what do you see?'
'I see myself here in Westfallen. I will join the Ascendancy Echelon as we all will because it must develop to help new Ascendants learn more quickly than us. I expect I will be a mother of the Ascendancy in time, just as my brothers will be fathers. And I'll use my skills to help people where I can. Why would I want to do anything else?'
'You don't feel that you'll be able to dictate what you want because of the power you have?'
She frowned. 'I don't understand.'
Jhered raised his eyebrows. She really hadn't considered it. She was only fourteen, he supposed. Still, she should have been more aware. He already knew his skill with a sword would take him high in the Advocacy well before he was her age.
'Do you see yourselves as separate from the rest of the Conquord?' he asked, an idea sparking.
'We're citizens of the Conquord,' said Arducius. Jhered noted how Mirron and Gorian looked at him and Ossacer squeezed his forearm. 'And the Conquord will find tasks for us if it wants us. Or we will choose for ourselves. Either way, the right decision would be to let us develop the next generation of Ascendants.'
'In your image?'
'What other image is there?' said Gorian.
'We are only as separate from the Conquord as any farmer or fisherman in Westfallen. We will serve if drafted, we may volunteer if the wars are still going on. When the time comes, God will show us the right path,' said Arducius.
'You really think you would be asked to don armour and march with the hastati?' Jhered was amused at the image.
'No,' said Ossacer. 'We would be doctors and veterinarians. That is where our skills would lie on the battlefield.'
'Really? Nothing more? Gorian, what do you think?'
Gorian shrugged. 'Ossacer is right. Mostly. But perhaps we can have other effects too. We can stop or start the rain too. And we can make the wind blow. Maybe our generals would want that in preference to our skills with injuries.'
Jhered nodded. 'I agree,' he said. 'And do you think that is how you should be used? Gorian?'
'No, of course not,' said Gorian. 'We are different. We should master our own futures. Do what we want to do.'
There it was. The others looked askance at him and, if it was possible, leaned away from him. Gorian had already begun to see where his powers could lead him. And for Jhered, the spectre of their manipulation by a general seeking much greater power for himself. The others still swallowed the limited view offered them by the Echelon. A view for which Jhered had respect. But in Gorian there was a brief exhibition of the problems they would inevitably face when these young minds all began to stretch. And they clearly could not see the danger.
'So,' he said, 'you've answered my first question about how you approached me, haven't I? You three disagree with him. But is he not the more realistic one?'
Arducius was shaking his head. 'We must only use what we have to do God's work. That is in healing and creating growth, not in making a field slippery for the feet of our soldiers.'
'Oh Arducius, you don't understand,' said Gorian. 'We could make it rain when our armies charged because then the enemy's arrows would not fly straight and true. And we could direct the lightning against our enemy's armour to save the lives of our own people. I thought you all liked Kovan. At least I listen to him.'
'Always so clever, Gorian,' said Arducius. 'I don't know why you don't just leave since you know it all already.'
'Why do you say that? I listen and I learn. Don't be jealous just because you don't do what I do.'
'I am happy not to do what you do,' snapped Arducius. 'Who'd want to have your mind?'
'Stop it,' said Mirron. 'You're embarrassing me.'
She looked up at Jhered, her cheeks red and her eyes moist. Ossacer was once again hanging his head.
'I don't want to do my work in a war,' he whispered.
Jhered's heart missed a beat and he fought the urge to place a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. Arducius was already there.
'It will be as God wills it, Ossie,' he said.
Jhered watched them. The three closing ranks and Gorian apart, confident in himself. They were a fascinating quartet. Jhered wasn't sure what he'd learned. In so many ways they were just young people like any others running the streets of the Conquord. In others, they understood the weight of their talents. And one of them had begun to understand their potential for power and influence too.
They chattered in ever widening circles while the afternoon waned to a glorious fiery dusk. When Jhered rose to leave, he knew he would spend the night awake, trying to decipher how he felt about these children. He thanked them all for their time and patience and began to walk down to the gate. 'Exchequer Jhered?'
He turned. Arducius was standing, the others grouped around him. 'Yes, Arducius.'
'We are not evil. We didn't ask for the abilities we have but we were born with them. All we can do is make the best we can of them and see that we live out our lives as God would wish. Don't call in the Order. We would burn and we don't deserve that.'
Jhered nodded curtly and spun on his heel. He took a long walk on the beach before going back to his rooms in Vasselis's villa.
Vasselis rode with Jhered to the top of the rise where, ten days before, they had looked down on the tranquillity of Westfallen. And for his part, the Marshal was happy that tranquillity remained intact for however brief a period. It was the fiftieth day of genasfall though it was hard to distinguish the blistering heat from a day in the middle of solastro.
Vasselis had ridden out without any of his guard. There was no danger here and Jhered's levium were an honourable legion, professional and exemplary. He felt safe in their company, no matter the current relationship between the two old friends. D'Allinnius and Harkov had been respectful guests and had made new friends among those they were investigating. Vasselis respected both of them for their objectivity and their delicacy.
'You are going to ask me what I'm going to say to Herine Del Aglios aren't you?' asked Jhered as they approached their parting. Vasselis was staying in Westfallen for the time being.
'Of course. I'm bound to.'
'It's going to be the question on the lips of every single citizen in Westfallen, isn't it?'
'Don't play with me, Paul. That's beneath you.'
Jhered reined in and motioned everyone else to carry on. Vasselis stopped with him, trying to read his expression and failing.
'It had always been my plan to think on all I had seen and heard, and then review all I had written on my way back to Estorr. To take the views of my team and discuss every single item of evidence. And I will still do that. But I'm equally aware that to leave you with no notion of my thoughts is tantamount to cruelty against the whole of that—' He gestured back towards Westfallen '—extraordinary little town of yours. I can see why you love it, by the way.'
'Thank you for your concern,' said Vasselis. 'You really should be building your villa there.'
'You'll understand why I think that a poor decision at the moment,' said Jhered.
'Your loss,' said Vasselis.
Jhered wiped a gauntleted finger under his nose. 'Arvan, I will say these things to you and you can interpret them as you will for your people. I am not going to go home and announce what I have found to the Order. If I have my way, the Chancellor will be kept out of this for as long as is practicable.
'But I can see no way the Advocacy can leave these people under your control. Your love of them has kept you from seeing the truth. They are a weapon. Dangerous if they fall under the wrong influence.'
Vasselis started. 'They're just children, learning the boundaries of their abilities.'
'How distant are those boundaries, have you asked yourself that? Gorian already sees destructive potential and I'll wager he's experimented, hasn't he?' Vasselis couldn't hide the truth from his face. 'I thought so. They need control and the Echelon doesn't know how to exercise it.'
'You mean military control,' said Vasselis. 'Paul, don't do this. They are vulnerable children. They need the security Westfallen gives them. Don't take that away from them.'