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Authors: Ian Irvine
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them.’
Irisis did not believe him, though she had not expected much. ‘There will be. Now, how shall we seal the deal?’
She looked down and he up. He put his hands around her head, drawing her down, and this time she went willingly.
Irisis rolled over and shook Nish awake. He struggled out of deep slumber into listless lethargy.
She leaned on one elbow, gazing at him. ‘While you were snoring, I’ve been thinking.’
‘Oh?’ he said dully.
‘I have an idea who the spy might be.’
He sat up abruptly. ‘Really?’ He clutched at her arm, staring into her eyes. ‘Who?’
She smiled, showing those teeth again. ‘I think it’s Tiaan.’
He burst out laughing. ‘Tiaan? You’d never make a prober, Irisis.’
She hurled herself off the bed, flinging the sheet around her with a gesture simple yet elegant. She looked like a marble statue carved by one of the masters of old, though her face spoiled the pose. ‘No? What was she up to yesterday?’
‘Visiting her mother. She goes down every month.’
‘Tiaan was a long time away.’
‘Maybe she had shopping to do.’
‘And maybe she was meeting an accomplice to hand over our secrets.’
‘Probers require proof,’ he said loftily. ‘Not idle speculation born out of malice.’
‘I’ll prove it to you!’ she hissed. ‘And now, Nish dear,
get out
!’
Nish left Irisis’s rooms physically sated but more anxious than before. If she betrayed his confidence, he would suffer. No prober’s position then. No future at all, just the front-line until a lyrinx tore him apart.
Irisis was wrong. He’d had his eye on Tiaan for months. There had been nothing suspicious about her behaviour. Tiaan worked night and day, talked to her solitary friend, the old miner, and occasionally visited her mother in Tiksi. That was her entire life.
If there
was
a spy or a saboteur, and it seemed there must be, it had to be someone else. Possibly Irisis, unlikely as that seemed. With a thousand workers in the manufactory it would not be easy to find out.
Better patch things up with her. He could not afford to make enemies, especially of someone so well connected. And as he returned to his bench the image of her long, lush body grew in his mind. Nish knew he’d struck gold with Irisis. He might never find a better lover and he wanted more of her lessons. Better humour her, take her suspicions seriously, offer to help with her career and, if necessary, hint at a subtle prober’s threat behind it.
But if he found the least scrap of evidence against Irisis, he would destroy her. Not without regret, but without hesitation.
F IVE
G i-Had’s news came as a great relief to Tiaan. She had begun to doubt her own competence, but if hedrons from other manufactories were also failing there must be more to it than bad workmanship. Did the enemy have a way of disabling them from afar, or were they being sabotaged here? How could a crystal be sabotaged yet look unmarked? She had never heard of such a thing, nor had the other artisans. She was not out of trouble yet.
While everyone was at lunch, Tiaan scoured the crafter’s rooms for anything he might have written on the topic. She found nothing, but did not return
The Mancer’s Art
to its hiding place. She was not ready to give it up.
As she locked the door, Irisis appeared. ‘What are you doing?’ she said furiously.
‘I’m trying to find out how a hedron could be sabotaged and leave no trace,’ Tiaan replied, and passed by.
Something woke in the artisan’s eyes. Irisis stared after Tiaan for a very long time.
Tiaan could think of only one approach – to probe deeper into the faulty hedrons, even if she destroyed them in the process. Slipping her pliance over her head, she reached for the first crystal, but stopped. What if the damage spread back? Her throat went tight at the thought of losing her pliance. She dared not risk it. Instead she got out the rough design she had done in the night and set to work.
After
Irisis did not believe him, though she had not expected much. ‘There will be. Now, how shall we seal the deal?’
She looked down and he up. He put his hands around her head, drawing her down, and this time she went willingly.
Irisis rolled over and shook Nish awake. He struggled out of deep slumber into listless lethargy.
She leaned on one elbow, gazing at him. ‘While you were snoring, I’ve been thinking.’
‘Oh?’ he said dully.
‘I have an idea who the spy might be.’
He sat up abruptly. ‘Really?’ He clutched at her arm, staring into her eyes. ‘Who?’
She smiled, showing those teeth again. ‘I think it’s Tiaan.’
He burst out laughing. ‘Tiaan? You’d never make a prober, Irisis.’
She hurled herself off the bed, flinging the sheet around her with a gesture simple yet elegant. She looked like a marble statue carved by one of the masters of old, though her face spoiled the pose. ‘No? What was she up to yesterday?’
‘Visiting her mother. She goes down every month.’
‘Tiaan was a long time away.’
‘Maybe she had shopping to do.’
‘And maybe she was meeting an accomplice to hand over our secrets.’
‘Probers require proof,’ he said loftily. ‘Not idle speculation born out of malice.’
‘I’ll prove it to you!’ she hissed. ‘And now, Nish dear,
get out
!’
Nish left Irisis’s rooms physically sated but more anxious than before. If she betrayed his confidence, he would suffer. No prober’s position then. No future at all, just the front-line until a lyrinx tore him apart.
Irisis was wrong. He’d had his eye on Tiaan for months. There had been nothing suspicious about her behaviour. Tiaan worked night and day, talked to her solitary friend, the old miner, and occasionally visited her mother in Tiksi. That was her entire life.
If there
was
a spy or a saboteur, and it seemed there must be, it had to be someone else. Possibly Irisis, unlikely as that seemed. With a thousand workers in the manufactory it would not be easy to find out.
Better patch things up with her. He could not afford to make enemies, especially of someone so well connected. And as he returned to his bench the image of her long, lush body grew in his mind. Nish knew he’d struck gold with Irisis. He might never find a better lover and he wanted more of her lessons. Better humour her, take her suspicions seriously, offer to help with her career and, if necessary, hint at a subtle prober’s threat behind it.
But if he found the least scrap of evidence against Irisis, he would destroy her. Not without regret, but without hesitation.
F IVE
G i-Had’s news came as a great relief to Tiaan. She had begun to doubt her own competence, but if hedrons from other manufactories were also failing there must be more to it than bad workmanship. Did the enemy have a way of disabling them from afar, or were they being sabotaged here? How could a crystal be sabotaged yet look unmarked? She had never heard of such a thing, nor had the other artisans. She was not out of trouble yet.
While everyone was at lunch, Tiaan scoured the crafter’s rooms for anything he might have written on the topic. She found nothing, but did not return
The Mancer’s Art
to its hiding place. She was not ready to give it up.
As she locked the door, Irisis appeared. ‘What are you doing?’ she said furiously.
‘I’m trying to find out how a hedron could be sabotaged and leave no trace,’ Tiaan replied, and passed by.
Something woke in the artisan’s eyes. Irisis stared after Tiaan for a very long time.
Tiaan could think of only one approach – to probe deeper into the faulty hedrons, even if she destroyed them in the process. Slipping her pliance over her head, she reached for the first crystal, but stopped. What if the damage spread back? Her throat went tight at the thought of losing her pliance. She dared not risk it. Instead she got out the rough design she had done in the night and set to work.
After
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