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“The weirdest thing just happened,” Neiphi said as she entered the laboratory. “I saw Lord Meratha in the bailey, and he asked me after your health. He was really nice about it.”
“He's afraid I'll tell on him,” Kazia said absently, intent on the Artifact under her magnifying glass. Hearing Neiphi's audible intake of breath, though, she snapped to attention.
“Did he do the truth spell?” Neiphi asked loudly.
“Oh, Neiphi, I shouldn't have said. Please keep that to yourself.”
“Why? Why would he do that?”
“Because he thinks that I am a spy,” Kazia answered. Neiphi began to laugh uproariously. “To be honest,” Kazia added, “if I were in his position I might think I were a spy too.”
“What!” Neiphi exclaimed, and continued laughing.
“There have been a lot of misunderstandings,” Kazia told her. “And he's far too bull-headed to see them as such.”
“You should definitely tell on him,” Neiphi said.
“There's been enough trouble,” Kazia replied. “And I think Mistress Amelys has ordered him to stay away from me. Please, Neiphi, do not speak of this to anyone.”
“Is that why you're sad?” Neiphi asked. “Because he did that, or because now he's staying away?”
“Why should that make me sad?” Kazia asked. “And I'm not sad, just tired. Things have been tiring.” She craned her head and rubbed at her neck.
Neiphi peered at the Artifact on Kazia's table. “What are we working on?” she asked. “You haven't worked on the transmitter in a long time.”
“No,” Kazia answered, glancing at the far corner where she'd set it aside. “I don't know that there's anything more I can try. Sometimes an Artifact simply isn't viable.” This was true, but the full truth was that she hadn't wanted to handle the transmitter since that day in the library. “Anyway, Master Ilianus gave me a list of other priorities. All work can't stop for one intractable nuisance.”
The hallway door opened after a short rapping and Madame Brandra peeked her head around. “Hello!” she sang out. “Kazia, my dear, how are you feeling today?” She entered the room, leaving the door open behind her.
“Very well, Madame Brandra, and yourself?” Kazia answered.
“Oh, I could do with fewer stairs, but all's well. Listen, the Mistress has sent me to say that you are to dine with her this evening in her apartment.”
“Oh, Madame Brandra,” Kazia said, “I haven't-”
“You haven't left your rooms since your illness. She's worried she'll never see you you again. If you're well, then enough convalescing.”
“I haven't been convalescing, I've been working.”
“Yes, well, enough working for now too,” Brandra answered. “It's only a social call, nothing to fret about. She just wants to see you back in fighting form with her own eyes. Don't make her come up here after you.”
“Neiphi?” came a voice from the hallway. Edwis, a boy of Neiphi's age, one of Tamyn's Apprentices, stood in the doorway. Neiphi's face came alight upon seeing him. “Are you – oh, sorry, good day, Lady Devratha.” He gave a shallow bow to Kazia before turning back to Neiphi. “Are you ready? To do the thing?”
“What are you doing?” Kazia asked.
“Oh, I forgot!” Neiphi answered. “There will be more Artifacts to bring to the storeroom soon and we have to make some space.”
“Very well, then,” Kazia said. “Go on.” Neiphi and Edwis disappeared into the storeroom and the door closed on them.
“Do you think I must supervise that?” Kazia asked.
Madame Brandra went to the storeroom door and opened it again. Laughter could be heard coming through the doorway.
“Don't make me have you keelhauled!” they heard Neiphi shout, followed by more laughter. Brandra peered in for a moment, then footed the stop under the door to hold it open.
“I don't think that's any worry just yet,” Brandra answered.
Kazia sighed. “I'm not even certain about teaching her Alchemy let alone what other role I should take with her,” she confided. “I'm not her mother. Is it my place to teach her about boys, and life, and... safety precautions? Is she too young for that? When...”
“I've always thought sooner rather than too late,” Brandra weighed in. “And no, you're not her mother, but a big sister can be just as valuable.”
“Big sister...” Kazia mused, smiling to herself. “Yes, I can live with that.”
“Now what about dinner?” Brandra asked.
“Oh, very well,” Kazia said with a sigh. “I will come.”
“Good girl!” Brandra said as she took her leave.
As Kazia turned back to her work, a clatter came from the storeroom. Neiphi and Edwis appeared, rolling a large object across the floor into the laboratory. It looked to be the wooden frame of a standing mirror. The mirror had been removed, and a network of copper wire had been woven around the tall oval perimeter, with machine components laced into the wire at intervals. Its documentation hung from the hinge on the mirror support. As Neiphi and Edwis rolled it closer, Kazia could see that the wiring ran down into a drawer in the wheeled base.
“What is this one?” Kazia asked.
“I don't know, but its taking up too much space in there,” Neiphi answered. “I thought if you could do this one soon we could get it out of here.”
“Well, I don't think it's on Master Ilianus' list, but put it over there beside the transmitter and I'll see what I can do.”
“Aye, aye, Milady!” Neiphi shouted. “To the reject corner, Lieutenant!”
“Aye, aye, Captain!” Edwis called.
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“Halany will certainly move to withdraw Valesk from the Treaties soon,” Amelys said as Kazia refilled both of their wine glasses.
“Is there nothing the Noble Council can do?” Kazia asked before continuing with her dinner.
Amelys had a sip of wine and shook her head as she replaced her glass on the table. “He has now bribed enough, and imprisoned enough who wouldn't be bought,” she said.
Kazia put down her fork. “Is Valesk lost, then?”
“Not quite, not yet. We still have a few irons in the fire. Speaking of, not that I brought you out to discuss Kelvaran, I did not, but have you any progress on his Artifact?”
“I'm afraid it's come to a halt,” Kazia said. “Whatever your plans for it, you may need to reassess.”
“I see,” Amelys said. “That's too bad. Although, to be honest, the plan was not my favorite. Now, I know you've been working hard, but are you also resting? Pursuing any other pastimes? I shouldn't like it if you were wearing yourself out.”
“Reading a bit,” Kazia said. “I never really developed any other pastimes. The work was always enough to hold my interest.”
Amelys nodded. “And have things been peaceful enough for you? No trouble from anyone?”
“I thought we weren't discussing Lord Meratha,” Kazia said with a wry smile.
“Has he troubled you further?”
“No, Mistress. I haven't seen him since-“ Her memory drifted back to that moment when she...
“Alright, Kazia?” Amelys said, seeing Kazia's expression darken. “We needn't speak of it.”
“I kissed him,” Kazia said.
“Oh?” Amelys responded, putting down her own fork now.
“I was getting lost in the truth spell, trying too hard to resist speaking. He kept asking me what I wanted...” Kazia sighed heavily. “...and that is what I wanted.”
“I see,” Amelys said. “Should I not have ordered him to stay away?”
“No, Mistress, that was right. The very idea is clearly laughable, and the sooner I put this foolishness aside all the better.”
“Is it foolishness, though? I've often wondered if some of his hostility toward you wasn't an avoidance of other sentiments.”
“He thought I was trying to trick him.”
“Yes,” Amelys agreed. “He would think so. Still-”
“And isn't there already... the name in that watch. I assume Yilina is someone important to him.”
Amelys glared through narrowed eyes. “That... is something best left to lie,” she said sourly. “Hardly worth a mention.”
“You can't mean to encourage this, surely,” Kazia added with some exasperation. “I have accepted that I can't live normally, as a normal woman would. Abrizhen was right about that. There's no way anyone would want me if they knew the truth, and I have to medicate myself to even bear the presence of others. I can't have what others have, and certainly not with someone so full of thorns as Kelvaran Meratha.”
“Kazia, my darling girl,” Amelys said. “You are far too young to believe your future carved in stone. You are probably right about Kel, but you may yet find someone of a gentler temperament who would suit you.”
“Well,” Kazia answered, ”let us first ensure that the world does not descend into chaos, and I'll worry about that later.”
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