He turned his head to face her.
“Would you think less of me if I said yes?”
She arched an eyebrow.
“My name is Cassandra Mercer.”
“Ah,” Jason said, turning back to the painting. “Now I see.”
“See what?”
“Everything.”
“Oh really?”
“If Thadwick had sent you,” Jason said, “then this would be an alley and you would be much less pretty. I imagine you are here at your mother’s behest. You strike me as someone very good at satiating urges of curiosity.”
“If I struck you, Mr Asano, you’d know all about it. And speaking of my mother, I’ve heard you said some unkind things in her regard.”
Jason turned again from the painting to give her a sheepish smile.
“For that,” he said, “please convey my unreserved apologies. I didn’t know who your brother was at the time, and he actually asked me if I knew who his father was. You don’t walk away from a line like that.”
“A man of dignity would.”
Jason let out a sinister chuckle.
“Yes, I imagine one would.”
“I did make some discreet inquiries about you,” Cassandra acknowledged. “There was enticingly little to find. You have me at a disadvantage.”
Jason raised his eyebrows at that claim.
“Miss Mercer, you have power, influence, connections, wealth and knowledge. What possible advantage could I have over you?”
“Mystery,” she said. “Isn’t that the greatest advantage?”
“Mystery is an illusory shield,” Jason said. “The moment the veil is pierced, your vulnerabilities become exposed. And there is only one arena in which vulnerability becomes a weapon.”
“And what arena is that?”
His face showed disappointment.
“It’s truly a shame you have to ask,” he said. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe the intermission will end soon.”
He left without looking back. She watched him walk away, a contemplative expression on her face. She left in the other direction.
In their family’s private booth, Cassandra sat down next to her mother. Thalia Mercer looked more like her daughter’s sister than her parent, the age-defying power of her silver-rank essences.
“Well?” Thalia asked.
“He’s dangerous,” Cassandra said. “Don’t let Thadwick anywhere near him.”
“Thadwick isn’t the problem,” Thalia said. “The problem is how much trouble your father will cause to salve your brother’s pride. You know how he is about his male heir.”
“That could be a concern given Asano’s connection to Rufus Remore,” Cassandra said. “Have you found out any more about his background?”
“I have confirmed that Remore is training him,” Thalia said, “with no small amount of dedication. As for where Asano came from, it’s like he fell out of the sky.”
“I’ve heard something else,” Cassandra said. “I wasn’t going to say anything until I confirmed it.”
“Oh?”
“You’ll recall that Remore and his companions undertook an expedition out of the city.”
“The Vane problem,” Thalia said. “I always disliked Cressida.”
“They went at the behest of the Church of Purity. Took one of the church’s healers along with them. A girl from the Lasalle family.”
“You know her?”
“I do. Anisa. Zealous girl. Dangerously committed.”
“What does she have to say?”
“I can’t approach her directly,” Cassandra said. “She thinks I comport myself in a sinful manner.”
“I should hope so,” Thalia said. “That’s where all the fun is.”
“What I’m hearing from my sources in the church of Purity,” Cassandra said, “is that Anisa left Remore’s group after some stranger with dark powers joined them.”
“Interesting,” Thalia said. “That fits with something I heard about Remore believing he bungled the contract. That he would have failed if not for the intervention of someone else.”
“I heard much the same,” Cassandra said, “but how could that be Asano? I’ve already confirmed that he came to the city with no skills at all. Remore and his companions trained Asano for weeks just to get him to a minimum standard.”
“You said dark powers,” Thalia said. “Asano is an affliction specialist.”
“Certainly enough to put a priestess of Purity right off,” Cassandra said, “but there are still incongruities. My instincts tell me there’s more to this.”
“Trust your instincts, dear,” Thalia said. “Find out what you can.”
“Of course. Steps have already been taken.”
“For the moment,” Thalia said. “Is it worth you taking the time to beguile him?”
“It might be worth the effort,” Cassandra said, “but not worth the risk.”
“Oh?” Thalia prompted.
“He treated the full suppression of my aura like it was the pleasant cool of the evening.”
“That’s certainly unusual,” Thalia said. “And you aren’t normally so crude as to use your aura like that.”
“I was trying to throw him off-balance,” Cassandra said, “but there’s something strange about him. It’s like he lives off-balance. Talking with him feels like teetering on the edge of something I don’t understand.”
Thalia glanced at her daughter from under an arched eyebrow.
“What?” Cassandra asked.
“Nothing, dear,” Thalia said, turning her gaze to the stage, a slight smile playing across her lips. They sat in silence for a few moments before Cassandra spoke again.
“Mother?”
“Yes, dear?”
“When does vulnerability become a weapon?”
Thalia chuckled, quietly, prompting an irritated look from Cassandra.
“Vulnerability is a weapon of seduction, dear,” Thalia said. “Tricky to use, but devastating, if wielded well. Perhaps Thadwick isn’t the only one I should keep away from this young man.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Mother.”
66
A Stronger Weapon Than the One in Your Hand
Humphrey was returning to the family estate after completing a contract, muddy and spattered with monster blood. He was met by Phoebe, a distant cousin. Like him, she was iron rank but joined the Adventure Society more than half a year earlier.
The Geller family sprawled across continents. Although they shared a last name, Phoebe and Humphrey were barely related. They didn’t even share an ethnicity, with her skin being darker and hair much lighter than Humphrey’s. As was traditional for the Geller family, Phoebe had been sent to Greenstone for training and experience. Once she reached bronze-rank, she would return to her homeland.
“What is going on with that friend of yours?” Phoebe asked Humphrey.
“You mean, Jason?” Humphrey asked. “I’ve been busy with contracts, so I haven’t seen him. Mother said he was spending a lot of time in the mirage chamber.”
“A lot of time is right,” Phoebe said. “He’s been in there almost all day, every day, for most of a week,” Phoebe said. “He’ll fight anyone who comes in; bronze rank, iron rank, he doesn’t care. Your mother says its good experience for our people to face an affliction specialist.”
“Is he winning?” Humphrey asked.
“Mostly he’s losing,” she said sharply. “People have a habit of dying after he’s already been beaten, though. Those afflictions are nasty.”
“I’ve seen him kill monsters with them,” Humphrey said. “I’m not sure I want to see that on a person.”
“I don’t understand how he keeps going when he loses so much,” Phoebe said. “That would really get to me.”
“You learn more from a loss,” Humphrey said. “I wouldn’t bother trying to understand Jason, though. I think Mother is the only one who sees through him.”
“He did manage a few unexpected victories,” Phoebe said. “When the mirage chamber throws out a complicated environment he gets tricky to deal with.”
“Oh?”
“He beat my brother.”
“He beat Rick?”