Twenty-Five
Jarid scanned the grounds as he rode in, taking note of the
characteristic fingerprints of a man devoted to precision: Neatly sculpted hedges, straight lines
everywhere. Ky Menin had stamped his
presence all over the grounds. The
stables were placed well behind the house, hidden partially by the building,
but still visible, not enough to be intrusive.
The household staff
would not have been expecting anyone, but a neatly liveried groomsman met him
at the stables all the same. Just as quickly
as he had appeared, the man relieved him of his animal. That’s what you got being head of the Guild
of Technologists — a box of tricks to play with. Jarid should have gone into Technology. It would have suited him, suited the way his
head worked. It just offered so many
playthings to explore. Primary
Production wasn’t too bad. It had its
own positives, one of which was the fact that Technology was reliant upon
Primary Production to source everything it needed. That was going to put Jarid in a unique
position once everything was dealt with, but still sometimes he wondered if he
might not have made a better choice. He
headed out from the stables, crunched up the pebbled drive and headed for the
main door. He was a mere step away when
the door swung open and lights came on around the entrance. Jarid frowned, a little surprised despite himself. How could
there still be lights?
Guildmaster Ky Menin stood in the doorway, a superior half-smile on his
face.
“I see you like my
little welcome, Jarid.”
“Welcome? But how could you...?”
Ky Menin waved his
hand. “No matter. Just one of the advantages
of being in the Guild. Call it a
benefit of the trade.” The smile turned
into a self-satisfied smirk.
Jarid nodded
slowly. “So,” he said. “The trappings of power,
eh?”
“Oh, more so than you
could imagine, Jarid Ka Vail. So appropriate.” His
face grew serious. “But enough
play. You must be here for a reason.”
Jarid looked around, then back at the Guildmaster. “Yes, I am, but it would probably be better
if we discussed things inside.”
Ky Menin stepped back,
held an arm wide and waited for Jarid to pass before closing the door.
Inside, the house was in
much the same style, neatly defined, almost utilitarian, not a thing out of
place. Jarid hated to think what it
would be like after a quake. He could
just imagine the people running from place to place, desperately trying to get
things back in order, Ky Menin looking on with a chill gray gaze. Jarid didn’t have time to take in much; Ky
Menin led him immediately down the entrance hall and into a large study. A broad screen dominated the room and despite
everything, the lateness of the Season, it appeared to be still active. Ky Menin noticed the direction of his gaze,
and the slight smirk reappeared. So,
this was to be the game the Guildmaster was going to play. Jarid hid his own smile. Already he was starting to tell how the man worked.
“But how?” he said
dutifully, the appropriate level of awe in his voice.
“That’s unimportant,
Jarid. We in Technologists have our
needs. We haven’t the numbers to support
the entire population. You must
understand.” He waved his hand around the
room. “Much of this is foraged, or kept
or copied from what survived the original landings. So much was lost then, but there is still the
odd thing we manage to maintain. But, as
you can imagine...” He shrugged. “There is only so much we can do.”
Jarid nodded, making
sure he looked suitably impressed. It
seemed to work, because Ky Menin turned away.
“So, tell me. What is it that brings you here? The news about Roge Men Darnak, I
suppose. I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted
journey. I’ve already been informed.”
“No,
Ky Menin turned to face
him slowly. “What ‘other business’ are
you talking about? As far as I’m aware,
we have no other business. All our
business was concluded at your father’s estates.”
“It’s my father I’ve
come to talk about.”
Ky Menin narrowed his
eyes. He fixed Jarid with a lingering
look, then turned and sat, folding his hands across his lap. “So tell me.”
“I’m afraid my father is
going to be difficult.”
“Go on…”
“He’s talking about
assisting the old Principal however he can.
He’s made it quite clear he’s not happy about the events of the last few
days. Last thing he mentioned, was
giving aid to Leannis Men Darnak. I
think he means to try and bring him back to influence the other Guild members.”
“You’d better sit.” Ky Menin got a faraway look in his eyes. “Does he, by the Twins?” he said. “Yes, indeed, that would make sense. Ka Vail has always understood how the Guilds
fall.”
Jarid located a chair
across from the Guildmaster and sat as instructed. He waited patiently. Finally, the man’s attention came back to the
room, and again he fixed Jarid with that cold, gray gaze.
“We’ve come too far for
that already,” he said. “I’m afraid we
can’t risk it, even only as a possibility.
There is no room for error here.
I thank you for coming to me with this, Jarid, but I’m not entirely sure
why you would do so.”
Jarid had been expecting
the question. “I wish that I hadn’t been
the one to discover my father’s intent, Guildmaster. It saddens me that he should let his superstition
and his reliance on the Church’s teachings influence
his thoughts, but that’s what’s happened.
The power the Church and tradition both have over him have been more
apparent over the last few months. We in
the Guilds need more vision, more forward thinking. This is a time of change. More than that, it’s a time of
opportunity. I’m here for just that
reason.” He watched carefully as the
words sank in.
“You’re right, Jarid Ka
Vail. This is a time of
change. That change could go either way,
and we need to be aware of the implications of everyone’s actions within the
Guilds. I’ll be honest; it saddens me to
hear that your father is not as forward thinking as some of the rest of us. That is going to present us with more than
one problem, unless we can do something about it. I fear the conclusion is unavoidable.” Again, his focus changed. His hooded gray eyes stared off into the
middle distance again as he processed.
Jarid watched and he
assessed. This man announced far too
readily when he was thinking, unless this was a performance too, but he didn’t
think so this time.
“But if that is the case,”
Ky Menin continued. “We are going to
need a solution. From what I’ve seen so
far, you seem to be a capable young man.”
He leaned forward. “We cannot
have Primary Production falling to the likes of Yosset Clier, can we?”
“I don’t think that’s likely
to happen, Guildmaster, but yes, we have to put the right things in place to
ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“Certainly,” said Ky Menin,
with a brief tilt of his head. “I’m
inclined to agree with you. I think it
unlikely that Clier himself will be a real problem, however. All the same, we have to be sure of
everyone.”
“What do you propose?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Well, when you have thought
about it, let me know Guildmaster. I may
be able to assist,.”
He looked meaningfully at the various pieces of equipment scattered
around the room. Ky Menin narrowed his
eyes again, and then sat back, uncrossing and
re-crossing his hands, never letting his gaze waver from Jarid’s face.
“I know what you’re
thinking, Guildmaster,” said Jarid, holding firm beneath the scrutiny. “It’s my father we’re talking about. You know this is hard for me, but I have to
face the reality of what’s needed for the future of the Guilds and the future
of this world, of our people. We must
move on. It doesn’t matter whether it’s
Yosset Clier or my father; ultimately, the answer remains the same.”
The Guildmaster nodded
slowly. A slight smirk played across his
lips. He reached over to something on
the table and then sat back. Jarid
waited, wondering what trick he was about to see now.
“What is it Karryl?” A woman’s voice from the
doorway.
Jarid turned his head. He blinked twice, and gave a slight shake of
his head. Jarid felt his mouth fall
stupidly open, and then shut just as stupidly, as he tried to regain his
self-possession. The person in the
doorway was Karin Men Darnak, wife of Yosset Clier himself.
“As I said, I don’t think we
really have to worry about Yosset Clier,” said Ky Menin.
Jarid struggled to
regain his composure, and during that time, Karin entered the room and found
herself a place to sit. Ky Menin
meanwhile performed the formal introductions, which passed over Jarid as if
none of it were happening. Karin Men Darnak. He
restrained himself from shaking his head again with some slight effort. Up close, she was every bit as impressive as
she had been from a distance, and he found himself watching her every gesture
intently. Once or twice, he glanced at
Ky Menin. This was the last thing he
would have expected. Karin Men Darnak
with Ky Menin?
He could barely believe it. But
it was more than that; the Guildmaster had simply outplayed him, and he’d
managed it so easily.
As Ky Menin recounted
their conversation, Jarid watched Karin as unobtrusively as he could. She had a lot that was worth watching, Karin
Men Darnak. That hair, those refined
features, the way she held her head.
Finally, Ky Menin turned back to him.
There was a flicker of something as he noticed Jarid’s gaze, and then he
went on.
“Is there anything else
you should tell us?”
Jarid frowned in
concentration. He had to at least make
it look good. “You heard about the
trouble with my brother, Markis?”
“Yes. I could barely believe it.”
“We could barely believe
it ourselves,” said Jarid. “But there’s
more. He appears to have become involved
in some sort of dealings with the Kallathik.”
“What have they got to
do with it?” asked Karin. Her voice was
deep and rich. Not how Jarid had imagined
it at all.
“I don’t know. I think it’s some
means of upsetting the stability of Primary Production, weaken father’s
hold. You know how reliant we are upon
the Kallathik presence.”
She nodded thoughtfully,
and then turned to look back at Ky Menin questioningly.
“Yes,” said Ky
Menin. “I can see that. A clumsy attempt, but it would certainly add
to the equation. What do you think,
Karin?”
Karin stood. “It’s certainly plausible. But the creatures would have to be ripe for
it, wouldn’t they? Destabilization in
Primary Production, and now with Roge gone, everything could so easily slip
away from us.” She plucked at her lip,
thinking. “We can’t let that happen,
Karryl.” There was an insistent tone to
her voice.
“And it’s not going to,”
said Ky Menin. “Karin, sit back down,
would you? We need to approach this
rationally. There are a number of
logical choices. Let’s explore them.”
Karin took a deep
breath, then slowly lowered herself back to her
chair. “No, you’re right. I’m just so used to dealing with Yosset.”
Ky Menin looked at Jarid
for a long time before speaking again.
When he finally did, he kept his gaze fixed, his eyes barely narrowed as
he spoke. “If we can rely on Jarid Ka Vail
here, then we have the means. You and I
both know Yosset has never had the makings of someone to take control. From what I have seen so far, just perhaps,
this young man here may be able to take a useful role.”
There was a pause, and
then Karin answered. As she spoke, Jarid
refused to break the Guildmaster’s gaze, though her rich voice was drawing him.
“So, if you truly
believe that, Karryl,” she said. “What
do you suggest we do?”
“We should discuss this
further,” he said to Karin, and then turned back to Jarid. “For now, we can continue as we are. I will trust you to keep me informed if
there’s anything new.”
Jarid rubbed his hands
together, and then stood. “Don’t
underestimate me, Guildmaster,” he said, shooting a quick glance at Karin. “I’m not my brother, and I’m not my father.”
Ky Menin nodded. “No, I can see that. I have seen that.” He too stood and stepped forward to place his
hands on Jarid’s shoulders. “For now, I
think we use this Kallathik thing to our advantage. You, Jarid, will stay here tonight, and in
the morning, you will accompany Karin to her estates. There you will tell Yosset Clier what you’ve
told us about the Kallathik and your brother.
That will focus Yosset’s attention, and with Karin as your witness, it
will add extra weight to the argument.
If Yosset becomes distracted by anything, Karin is more than capable of
steering him on the right path. He would
be affected by instability within the Guild too, and none of us can afford that
right now.”
“And you?” said Karin.
Ky Menin dropped his
hands from Jarid’s shoulders and moved back to his chair. “I need to deal with Aron Ka Vail. The old fool has obviously lost his true
focus. Sadly, I think we are going to
have to teach him the error of his ways.
How he could possibly consider bringing back the old man, I do not
know. The truth is, it’s far too
dangerous a prospect just now, and he has to be made to see that.” He paused.
“It’s a pity. I rather like Aron. A real pity.”