“Mother.” Mari knelt by her mother, her face anguished. “Please. I’m your daughter.”
“You’ll always be my daughter,” her mother agreed, once again touching Mari’s face gently. “But perhaps Jules is back there in our ancestry as well.”
“Mother, I know that must be true, but I really cannot deal with that. I’m just me. I’m trying to fix things. And I will, if I can.” Mari lowered her head. “I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want it. But I have to try. I have to succeed.”
Kath came up beside them, her mouth still open in surprise. “Mari? You’re the daughter of Jules? Oh, my stars. My big sister is the daughter.”
Eirene spoke harshly. “And that is the very last time you will say that, Kath. To anyone. If you do, it may mean the death not only of you, but of me and your father as well. Many powerful people do not want the daughter to succeed. They will kill her if they can, and anyone else who they think is helping her.” Kath gazed wide-eyed at her mother, horrified. “Not one word, Kath. Not to anyone.”
“If I caused harm to come to you,” Mari said, “I couldn’t endure that. Please listen to Mother, Kath. Mother, sooner or later Mechanics will come here, trying to find out whether I’ve contacted you. You have to pretend you never heard from me, that as far as you’re concerned I’m no longer part of this family. Give them their own lie back to them and they’ll believe it.”
“I will, Mari.” Eirene let fury show. “I won’t have trouble seeming to be angry when they ask about you. Those other Mechanics may think that I’m enraged at the thought of you, but I’ll be aiming it at them.”
Alain nodded. “Do the same if Mages ask of Mari or me. Mages can tell when a common person lies. But if you form the lie right, they can be misled. Tell them you hate Mechanics and would not help them. Tell them you have not seen a Mage, and think of what you said about me, that I am not any longer what they would consider a Mage.”
Mari’s mother listened intently. “We can do that. Right, Kath? And of course your father will be able to say that he never saw you and not be lying at all.”
“Mother,” Mari said helplessly. “I don’t want to leave. Not ever again. But every moment we are here is a mortal danger to you.”
Eirene stood, reaching to rest her hand on Alain’s arm. “I know you must go, but remember that we’re now your family too, Alain. Assuming that Mari doesn’t change her mind about marrying you, but women in this family tend to be a bit stubborn when they’ve decided upon something, as you may have noticed.”
He looked down at her hand, feeling something fill him as if he were drawing on power. The sensation staggered Alain for a moment. Then he smiled at Mari’s mother. “Mari has brought me many things, but I did not expect this. Thank you.”
Mari grinned as she hugged her mother. “Now I have to marry him, don’t I?” Her smile went away. “Take Alain’s advice. If anybody asks you what my plans are, you can honestly say that you don’t know. Oh, stars above, if only Father had been here. But Alain is right, we need to be gone as quickly as possible.”
Eirene glanced at Alain and sighed. “I wish your father could have met Alain. A Mage in the family may be a hard sell for your father, Mari. Kath and I will work on him, though.”
“Father really doesn’t like Mages,” Kath agreed. “You should hear him.”
“Wait here, Mari and Alain, and say your goodbyes to Kath,” Mari’s mother instructed. “I’ll be right back.” She dashed off deeper into the house.
Mari turned to Kath. “Hey, little sis. You take good care of Mother and Father for me, all right?”
“Yes, Lady Mechanic.” Kath smiled. “I’m glad you came back.”
“Thank you. I only wish I had done it years ago. I’m very glad to know I have a sister, and I’m very glad she’s you.”
“Are you still really a Mechanic, Mari?”
She thought about that before answering. “Yes. I’m a Mechanic in terms of what I know and what I can do. I’m still proud of that. But I’m not a Mechanic in the other ways, thinking that I’m better than anyone else and that I can do anything I want to other people.”
“Good.” Kath smiled at Alain, too. “Can you teach me Mage things someday?”
“It is very difficult,” Alain said. “Perhaps someday we can try.”
Eirene came back into the room and shoved a bag at Mari. “Here. Take this, you two. We didn’t have much in the way of prepared food handy, but what we did have is yours. Wherever you’re going, I’m sure you’ll need food. You’ll be able to find drink, I trust. Oh, and there were some cookies which Kath hadn’t eaten yet, so I put those in, too. Sorry, Kath.”
“Cookies?” Mari’s face crumpled up at the word, and she looked like she was about to cry again. “It’s been… so long.”
“Too long,” Eirene agreed, tearing up as well. “I know you have to go, but don’t let’s wait another ten years before we see you again, young lady.”
Mari hastily changed out her coat again, concealing the Mechanics jacket in her bag, then checked her weapon. “Kath, remember you have to lie about seeing us and about still hating me. You have to help protect Mother, Father and yourself.”
“And not one word about you being… you know who.” Kath nodded and gave Alain a serious look. “Take care of my big sister. Mari is depending on you.”
Despite his growing sense of urgency, Alain took a moment to bow to her. “I will do my best to follow your advice, Lady Kath.”
Kath bowed back to him. She gestured to Mari, then leaned up to whisper something to her.
Mari nodded back quickly, then faced her mother, visibly bracing herself. “Mother, there’s a chance we’ll never see each other again. I may not live long enough for that. Know that I will be thinking of you as long as I live, and that I never stopped loving you, even though for far too long I tried to pretend to myself that I had.”
Eirene reached out to give Mari another embrace. “My hopes and my love go with you, dearest Mari. I’d be lying like a Mage—sorry, Alain—I’d be an awful liar if I said I wasn’t worried, but I’m also very proud. Be careful. Alain, take care of my little girl, and help her do what she must do.”
“I will,” Alain promised as Mari’s mother led the way to the back door.
“You’re going to the harbor?” Eirene asked. “Head south along the alley a little way until you reach the access going east, then take the road where it comes out and follow that to the southeast.”
“All right.” Mari hesitated. “Alain? What’s wrong?”
He looked out toward the front of the house. “I sense a warning. There is some danger in that direction.”
“Mages?”
“I do not sense other Mages.”
Mari turned a stricken look on her mother. “Mechanics. Coming here already.”
Chapter Eleven
Mari hesitated, her expression filled with dismay, for what seemed to Alain to be a long time even though he knew it was actually only for a few moments. “Alain, how bad is it?”
He frowned, trying to gain a better sense of the danger. “It does not feel as bad as what we have seen in the past. More as if… it were something that may be.”
“If we’re here when the Mechanics show up?” Mari said. “Mother, we’re heading out fast. Remember my advice, say you haven’t seen us, and everything should be fine. We’ll be watching until we know you’re safe.” She grabbed her mother one more time, holding her tight, then tore herself away. “Come on, Alain.”
“Be safe,” Eirene called, then turned to Kath. “Get in the bath.”
“What?” Kath protested.
“If those Mechanics come here, and you’re in the bath, they won’t think we’ve just had guests of any kind. Get moving, young lady.”