Mari bent her head. “You might say that.”
“But you’re a Mechanic.”
Alain spoke again. “A Master Mechanic. The youngest one in the history of her Guild.”
Eirene’s face lit with pride. “That’s my girl. But why would your Guild—?”
“Mother, I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that if I told you why my Guild is angry with me, if I told you the things I have learned, it could result in your own death.” Mari clenched her fists, staring at the floor. “It’s not my Guild now.”
Her mother reached out to clasp one of Mari’s fists in her own hand. “Whatever has happened, you are family. Your father will be so happy to see you again. He won’t get home until sunset, but—”
Mari gave her mother an anguished look. “We can’t wait that long. Not nearly that long. It would be far too dangerous for you.”
“It’s that bad?” Eirene asked. “It’s fortunate that I wasn’t teaching today, if your visit must be short. But if the danger is so great, maybe we shouldn’t tell Kath about this.”
“Kath?”
“Your little sister. Kath was born the year after you were taken from us. I was already carrying her when you were taken, though I didn’t know it yet.”
“My little sister?” Mari seemed ready to cry again. “I have a little sister? I never knew… where is she?”
“At schooling. She should be home soon. But if it’s so dangerous…”
Mari turned a pleading look on Alain. “It would be all right to see her, wouldn’t it?”
“I believe so,” Alain answered. He had his doubts about the wisdom of bringing Mari’s newfound little sister in on the secret of their visit, but Mari obviously wanted very badly to see her.
Eirene sighed again, heavily this time. “Mari, you need to know that Kath doesn’t think much of her big sister. Kath believes you abandoned us. She has taken that very hard.”
“I don’t blame her for that.” Mari shuddered with anger. “I’m going to change things, Mother. I don’t know all of the details yet, but once I get some more data I’m going to make some decisions and change things so no more little girls or boys get torn from their families. Not ever again. The Great Guilds will not be allowed to continue that, or a lot of other things. I’m going to stop them.”
Her mother’s face reflected amazement. “Stop the Great Guilds? Mari, you sound like the daughter of—” The door slammed open.
Mari was on her feet and had her pistol out in a heartbeat, leveling the weapon at the door.
Alain had stood, his right hand before him, already preparing to draw power for a spell, his left hand gripping the Mage knife he had drawn from beneath his jacket.
A young girl stared back at them.
Eirene got up slowly, her hands out in a calming gesture. “Kath, please close the door. Don’t say anything. It’s all right. Just close the door quietly.”
The girl’s stare went to her mother. Then she nodded, turned with slow movements and closed the door softly.
Mari, looking embarrassed, had returned her weapon to its place under her jacket. Alain relaxed himself, returning the Mage knife to its sheath under his coat, then stood waiting.
“Kath, come here,” Eirene said gently. “Do you know who this is, Kath?” she asked, gesturing toward Mari.
The girl stared at Mari and her face hardened, going from anxiety to anger. “No. She’s just some Mechanic.”
“This is your big sister, Kath. This is Mari.”
“I don’t have a big sister!”
Mari took a step forward, her face working again with emotion. “Kath—”
“Don’t you say my name!” Kath yelled furiously. “You have no right! Not after what you did!”
Eirene came forward, too, her voice soothing. “Kath, please listen—”
“Listen? Mother, I’ve spent my entire life watching how sad it made you whenever anyone mentioned her, or whenever you thought about her. I’ve spent my whole life listening to how sad you and Father were whenever you talked about it. This… this… Lady Mechanic hurt you! How can you even let her in our house?”
Mari tried again. “Kath, I didn’t know—”
“I thought Mechanics knew everything! Well, you don’t! There’s a lot you don’t know, and when the daughter of Jules gets to Caer Lyn I hope she—”
“Kath!” Eirene’s voice cut across the room like the crack of a whip and Kath finally subsided, looking worriedly at her mother. “You know you are never to speak of such things, you know how dangerous it is to talk about them, especially in front of a Mech—” She bit off the last word. “I’m sorry, Mari.”
“No,” Mari replied. “You’re right. Saying that in front of a Mechanic, another Mechanic that is, would be very dangerous. Please, Kath, listen to your mother…” Mari gave Eirene a stunned look. “I mean, listen to our mother. I don’t want you to be hurt.”
“Then why—” Kath began, anger rising again.
“Quiet, young lady!” Eirene ordered. “You will listen now. Mari was eight years old when she was taken from us, just a little girl younger than you, and that Guild lied to her and deceived her and made her believe that we had cut her off. They kept all of our letters from her and they kept all of her letters from us. Mari has spent ten years believing that we wanted nothing to do with her. We are not the only ones who were hurt.”
Kath stared at Mari again. “You still could have tried.”
Mari nodded. “You’re right. And I should I have tried. But I was too scared,” she said in a small voice. “Too scared of what I might find if I came here. If it hadn’t had been for Alain…” She gestured toward him and smiled.
Off balance, Kath focused on Alain. “Who is he? Another Mechanic?”
It was Eirene’s turn to be uncertain. “I don’t know if he is or not. Mari and I were so busy talking to each other that I didn’t ask about her friend. I suppose he is another—”
Alain bowed slightly toward Eirene. “I am not a Mechanic.”
“Oh,” Kath said. “So you’re her servant? The great and wonderful Lady Mechanic can’t go anywhere without a servant to attend to her.”
“I am servant to no one.” Alain looked at Mari and saw her flinch, then nod reluctantly. “I am a Mage.”
The room went totally silent, Eirene and Kath gaping at Alain. He could feel no other Mages anywhere nearby, so Alain risked a tiny spell, creating a very small ball of heat and then on a whim pointing his finger at a candle on the table next to Kath as he directed the ball of heat to be there. The wick of the candle burst into flame and Kath flinched back, staring at the candle as if it were a snake preparing to strike.
Mari took a quick step toward Alain, seizing his arm. “Mother, it’s true that Alain is a Mage, but he is not—”
“A Mage?” Eirene asked, her voice dazed and dismayed.
“He’s not like other Mages, Mother!” Mari cried desperately. “He is honest, he is brave, and he is kind. I know this. I would be dead by now if not for him. I told you that. The first time we met he saved my life.”
Alain looked over at Mari. “I recall that you saved my life first.”
“Fine! We saved each other. The point is, Mother, this is a very good man. This is the most wonderful man I ever met, and he treats me with all of the respect and concern I could ever ask for. Please get to know him before you judge him.”
“Mari,” her mother said, “the way you’re talking about him. It almost sounds as if—”
Mari’s grip on Alain’s arm tightened. “I love him. He loves me. We haven’t exchanged promises yet, but we’re engaged to be wed.”
Eirene’s eyes widened, then she didn’t so much sit down as fall into the nearest chair. “A Mage?” she whispered. “You want to marry a Mage, Mari?”