Read Online Treachery's Tools by L. E. Modesitt Jr. - Free Book Online Page A

month earlier asking Alastar to appoint a successor foreshadowed the inevitable, but Alastar hadn’t been about to do that while Zhelan was alive. Although Alastar and Zhelan had not been friends in any sense of the word, for just that reason, naming a successor while Zhelan was alive would have been cruel … and seen as such by those who did like him.
    Then, too, while Zhelan had never overindulged in anything, he had been dubious about the value of exercise, especially for senior imagers, claiming that “imaging is more than enough exercise.” That difference of opinion between Alastar and Zhelan had been one of a number that had led to Zhelan’s suggestion that Alastar be considered to replace the dying Maitre Fhaen in L’Excelsis.
    As you know, the most senior of the imagers here are Maitre Choran and myself …
    Alastar glanced to the bottom of the sheet and took in the signature just to make sure—that of Voltyrn, with the titles of Senior Imager, and acting co-Maitre of Westisle. He continued reading.
    Â â€¦ and we are currently splitting the duties of the Westisle Maitre until the succession is determined.
    In short, which one of us are you going to pick? Because none of the other imagers presently at the Collegium in L’Excelsis had any knowledge of those at Westisle, the decision was up to Alastar, without the benefit of others’ experiences, and the bulk of his knowledge rested on his growing up and spending his early years as an imager there … and on a visit made five years previously.
    The sharing of duties by Choran and Voltyrn made it clear that Voltyrn, at least, believed that they were the only two viable candidates. Zhelan’s infrequent reports had mentioned both Maitres D’Structure as capable, and since there was no one with the ability of a Maitre D’Esprit at Westisle, and the other Maitres D’Structure were much younger, Alastar had no doubts that he would have to pick between the two … unless he decided to send a Maitre D’Structure from Imagisle—and that would pose other problems. Then again, selecting a maitre from those in Westisle could well make matters worse.
    So far as he knew, the Westisle Collegium was not overtly suffering, except perhaps from a lack of rigorous training that could produce a Maitre D’Esprit or even a Maitre D’Image, since it had become clear that Zhelan had slowly let lapse the training Alastar had initiated before he had left. Before Alastar’s improvements, Zhelan had been having the imagers image what were effectively crossbow quarrels as a means of training and strengthening … and Antiagon Fire, which Alastar thought was self-defeating in the larger sense, because it spread and burned anything around it. While the quarrels were good for strengthening, they were totally useless for imagers who weren’t essentially at least junior maitres. Of course, Alastar’s change to iron darts hadn’t set well with Zhelan, even if it had improved the training.
    Alastar frowned. Voltyrn had been one of those close to Zhelan, and if he picked Voltyrn that also might make improving the training at Westisle a problem, since it appeared that the apparently less taxing training at Westisle might prove yet another problem, as it had been in L’Excelsis before Alastar had become Maitre. And then, there was the odd coincidence, if it were indeed coincidence, of Bettaur asking to go to Westisle. He couldn’t have been angling to be maitre there. He knows he’s far too junior. Coincidences did occur, but Alastar was dubious, even if he didn’t know why.
    Deciding to wait before making any decision, especially until after he discussed the matter with Alyna, he set the letter on the desk … realizing that Dareyn remained standing in the study. “Oh … the letter was to inform us that Maitre Zhelan had died.”
    â€œHe was Maitre there for