You charmed an empty coffin. She wondered just what Sienna thought was inside the coffin. And yet, it wasn’t a question she dared ask. You went to a lot of effort…why?
A pale-faced girl appeared in the doorway. Emily started, then caught herself. The newcomer must be the maid. She looked to be around the same age as Karan, but she was so thin and pale that Emily couldn’t help wondering what she ate. Her dark hair framed a pale face that was vaguely Oriental in shape.
“Mistress,” she said. “What happened?”
“A riot,” Sienna said, shortly. “Fetch drinks for us, now.”
The maid curtseyed, then retreated. Emily shivered, helplessly, as she followed the others into the living room. She would never grow used to servants, never. There was something creepy about having someone to serve her, someone who had to do as they were told. Void had urged her to hire a maid, to have someone tend to her house during her absences, but she would be damned if she was enslaving anyone.
Sure, her own thoughts mocked her. And how would you know your secrets were safe if you didn’t?
“I was going to meet a couple of friends,” Croce said. “I…”
“You will be staying here,” General Pollack said, firmly. “Riots are dangerous, even for young sorcerers.”
Croce looked as if he were about to argue, but said nothing. Emily studied him for a long moment, then turned her head. Caleb sat on the sofa, looking tired. His hands shook slightly, a legacy of a nasty alchemical accident. Emily didn’t blame him. He had drunk too much even before all hell had broken loose.
The maid returned, carrying a tray of mugs. Emily took the offered drink, then tried to shoot the young girl a smile. The maid looked shocked, just for a moment; she handed out the rest of the mugs and departed as fast as possible. Emily felt a stab of sympathy as she sipped her Kava. Working for Sienna had to be a difficult task.
“I saw Justice.” Marian looked up, defiantly. “He was on top of the tower.”
“I very much doubt it,” Sienna said, sharply. “Be silent.”
“I saw him,” Marian insisted. “Mother, Vesperian jumped to avoid being petrified!”
Sienna gave her youngest daughter a quelling look. “You will be quiet!”
Emily thought, fast. Something had been up there, but what? She’d definitely sensed something. And every spell she’d cast to stop Vesperian’s fall had failed, the magic breaking up and fading out of existence. She’d seen protective wards that worked like that – they were among the first she’d learned to cast – but she’d never seen one that had deflected so many spells. Whoever had cast the ward, if it was a ward, had been a powerful magician.
Or they could have configured the spell to feed off the unleashed magic, she mused. It wouldn’t last indefinitely, but it might hold out longer…
She tossed the equations ‘round and ‘round in her head. The real downside was that the ward wouldn’t discriminate. It would happily absorb both incoming and outgoing spells. But if someone didn’t have magic – and she hadn’t seen proof that Vesperian had magic – it wouldn’t matter. They wouldn’t be doing anything the ward might block.
Marian came to her feet. “I saw him!”
“No, you didn’t,” Sienna said. “You don’t know what was up there. Nor do I!”
“Justice,” Marian insisted. “Mother, I…”
Sienna rose. “Go to your room,” she ordered, in a tone that suggested further arguing was pointless. “I will be up shortly.”
Marian glared at her, then rose and stamped through the door. Emily could hear her crashing her way up the stairs and slamming her bedroom door. She felt a moment of pity for the younger girl, mingled with contempt. Sienna was right. There was no real proof that a god was walking the streets. Whoever had killed the original set of victims might finally have caught up with Vesperian himself.
“Emily,” Karan said, into the chilly silence. “What will happen now he’s dead?”
Emily shook her head. She’d had a quick look through the law books, but Beneficence didn’t have anything resembling a modern regulatory framework. A person could go bankrupt, a family could go bankrupt…there hadn’t been any large corporations until the New Learning, certainly nothing as large as Vesperian’s business. The largest institutions she knew had been trading firms, and few of them had operated more than a handful of ships.
“I don’t know,” she said. “This has never happened before.”
“Not here,” Caleb said.
Emily nodded, shortly. “I suppose it depends on what happens to the estate.” The notes had been due tomorrow, if she recalled correctly. Vesperian’s estate probably wouldn’t be paying out on them, not immediately. There would be hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people watching their life savings evaporate. “It will take weeks to figure out just how much he owes.”
Sienna peered at her, narrowly. “You’ve seen it happen before?”
“Only in theory,” Emily said. It wasn’t entirely true – she’d been on Earth when the dot-com bubble burst – yet she hadn’t really taken notice. The crash hadn’t made her life any better or worse. “We discussed the possibility in Zangaria.”
Sienna didn’t look convinced. Emily winced, inwardly. She didn’t want to tell Sienna the truth, not yet. Perhaps not ever. Who knew what Sienna would do if she learned alternate worlds and dimensions existed? And yet, Caleb’s mother had probably figured out there was something odd about her prospective daughter-in-law. She would certainly want answers, sooner or later.
Karan coughed. “And what did you conclude?”
“That we should be careful,” Emily said. “I don’t know what we can do.”
“The council may push for a moratorium on payouts,” General Pollack said. “If Vesperian had no reason to expect his death, he might not have updated his will.”
“He certainly should have,” Sienna said. “Death can come at any time.”
She rose. “Emily, Frieda, I suggest you have a rest,” she said, as she headed for the door. “I don’t think anyone will be foolish enough to try to break through the wards, but you never know. Don’t try to leave the house.”