Chapter 21

Aden was up in the early morning, pleased that his body felt alive and energized, which it had not felt for some years. He recognized the change the moment he awoke and sat up on the mattress. The light held a clarity that had been missing for some time, as if a yellowed seal had been stripped from his eyes. He settled his head on top of his vertebrae with ease.

The rest of the room was still sleeping, the worst of the snorers offering only quiet rumbles. He moved quietly among the sleepers and found Qasi near the front of the stairs. Many of the veterans did not claim a sleeping spot, preferring to fill the room from the back to the front as they returned from their forays. Dismissing the smudges of guilt, Aden shook the man’s shoulder until his eyes opened. Indicating with his head that Qasi should follow, Aden went downstairs.

The bread ovens had been lit before he went to bed. The first loaves had already cooled and were on their way to houses and stalls that thrummed in the earliest parts of the day. Aden grabbed two loaves of the second or third wave, still warm and fragrant. He left a chit smaller than his fingernail on the table where the loaves had been resting.

He met Qasi at the bottom of the stairs, handing him a loaf without saying a word. Thom snorted in his sleep at their feet. The two men stepped out into the awakening street and began climbing what had become a familiar track to Aden. Women were sweeping the stoops and children were holding pails, dawdling down the street to the fountain. Sounds of men working were already carrying up from the docks. Birds whistled and cawed from trees and shrines.

Aden gnawed at the bread as they walked slowly up from the rough districts near the docks and warehouses to the sturdier neighborhoods where the school was located. Everyone seemed to be going about their business as if all were unchanged from yesterday, the same routines and the same worries. He had not heard the call of a town crier with the news of a sunken ship in the harbor and the absence added an unease of his morning constitutional.

“No news to be heard,” Aden said to Qasi.

“There’s news to be sure; it’s just hopping from doorstep to doorstep,” Qasi said. “Too many ruined fences and bankrupt whores this morning to stay quiet for long. You can always ask Ezza. He hears everything in the governor’s offices and the barracks.”

“He abandoned me to my fate weeks ago and I have not heard a word from him since,” Aden said. “I cannot ask what I cannot find.”

“It ain’t about you, your wizardship,” Qasi said. “The man is in service to the bitches, his wife and the governor, and I’m not sure which one has got a tighter grip on his balls. Usually, he shows up at Willa’s to talk spit with us or spend some time with Willa. He ain’t been around once since he got back and that ain’t his way.”

Aden grunted. “I’m not a lord.”

“After what I saw with my own eyes last night, you are another league beyond these powdered-nose duffs that ride around in their grand carriages. You have the power to solve issues and you act. You care about people even when you could make them cower at your feet. You are definitely a wizardship this morning.”

“Let’s keep it to ourselves, Qasi,” Aden said. “We are ignorant of any events that may or may not have happened during the overnight. Surely everyone was awakened by a cannon across the harbor last night and who knows who has the answers. Changing the subject, where do we start looking today?”

“I would recommend the secretary’s desk and shelves,” Qasi said. “Are there any creaky treads on the stairs?”

Aden was trying to remember when their attention was distracted by a platoon of horse-mounted troops and a fancy carriage pulling into the square. The horsemen hastened to rush all the passersby out of the square or least to the doorways of the buildings. When everyone removed to their satisfaction, one of the men dismounted, knocked politely on the carriage door, opening it before standing ramrod straight.

“He is not dressed for the occasion,” Qasi said. “Got himself a little more belly too since I last saw him. I hope it came with gout.”

Aden poked him in the ribs with an elbow. They were standing amid a small crowd of curious onlookers, most of them mumbling questions or complaining about being delayed. The governor was dressed in military gear, including riding boots of the cavalry. Standing next to the soldier, the governor looked shorter than Aden remembered. He swallowed the last of the bread and rubbed his hands to brush any last crumbs before doing the same with his beard.

“We could turn around and go back to the docks,” Qasi said. “He didn’t send orders for you to appear.”

“Do ‘wozzit-ships’ send orders to other ‘wozzit-ships?’”

“The biggers always beat upon the lessers,” Qasi said. “The bigger the lesser though, the bigger the club used to beat some obedience into him. I don’t know if the cudgels come with orders though.”

“I’ll have to remember that tidbit,” Aden said. “Still, why run when we have nothing to hide and nothing to give? Come, let us use our best manners and greet our gracious leader.”

Aden ignored the snort of derision as he pushed through the small crowd and stepped fully into the plaza. He held up his hand with his palm out in a lazy admission of his presence on the square. Horses shuffled nervously.

“You!” The governor shouted with an accusatory finger.

“A most pleasant ‘good morning’ to you, your lordship,” Aden said, letting his voice carry across the plaza. “The neighborhood is always happy to greet the governor when he graces us with his presence.”

“Oh, cut the crap!”

The crowd broke out in jeers, whistles and catcalls when the governor cursed. The noise slid into bouts of laughter and calls of all sorts of names for crap. A carnival spirit erupted among the gathered, provoking more taunts and hoots of disapproval.

“I want answers and I want answers from you.” The governor said with an accusatory finger. He gave orders to his officer who promptly began shouting to his men. As Aden walked over to the front door of the school, the cavalry began using their horses to push the crowds back down the streets from which they came. “Nothing to see here,” they cried.

Aden fished out the key from his pocket and, using his phyzeec, collapsed the field and unlocked the door at the same time. He held open the door for the governor and let the man pass inside first. With an exaggerated look of confused innocence to anyone watching, Aden stepped across the lintel after the governor. He shut the door behind him, forcing everyone else to remain outside.

“I have restocked the tea at least,” Aden said. “May I offer you a cup?” He did not wait for an answer, striding across the floor and heading through the secretary’s office to the staircase. He waited at the head of the stairs for the governor to arrive. “This way, please,” Aden said as walked out onto the second floor and into the dining hall.

“Please sit anywhere you choose,” Aden said as he bustled in the kitchen. He zapped the water in the kettle rather than using the wide taps that fed the kitchen. He scooped out a spoonful of freshly dried leaves and placed them in porcelain steeper. After a moment of impatient waiting, he poured the tea into a teapot and brought it out the table the governor had chosen.