Which way would he go? He looked around, remembering the path that Men Darnak had taken and grimaced to himself. Where would he be? The men had taken off after him. Witness Kovaar was in pursuit, but the landscape, full of rolling hills and valleys, stretched for miles about. He had no idea where the Principal might be. "Where the Prophet wills," came unbidden to his mind, and he gave a wry, humorless grin. All right. It was time for the Prophet to start doing some good. It was all he had left to hope for. He mounted and urged the padder into a brisk trot. A glance at the heavens revealed thickening cloud, pregnant with heavy moisture, and the light was fading fast, what little there was of it. So, here he was, yet again on a fool's errand, and liable to be soaked to the skin before the evening was out. Were the Twins really in such poor alignment at the time he was born?
#
Inside the house, Aron Ka Vail watched the lone Atavist heading up the road and away, presumably in search of the others including Men Darnak. Poor fool. If only he knew. He turned to face Jarid, who stood behind him, apparently waiting for something.
"What is it, Jarid," he said. "Haven't you done enough?"
"I don't know what you mean, Father."
Aron sat heavily and sighed. "No, no, I suppose I have no right to blame you. It isn't right though. None of this is right."
Jarid took a chair opposite. "How can it not be right, Father? The Guild needs stability and a firm hand. You know we had no choice in it. To do nothing would have left us exposed, and with the situation as it is, we cannot afford such exposure."
Aron raised a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. He didn't really want to hear what the boy was telling him.
"What with Markis, and Roge, Yosset Clier?," Jarid continued. "Things were simply becoming too unstable. You had no choice. You've simply helped to introduce some stability into the equation, as is your duty. I've heard you talk often enough about Order."
Aron slowly withdrew his hand from in front of his eyes. "That doesn't justify the treatment of Leannis Men Darnak and his people. Or perhaps you think it does, Jarid? The old man was a fine Principal. He saw us through difficult times more than once." He sighed, then hardened his expression. "I know well enough what it's like to have your children turn against you."
Jarid was looking down at his hands clasped in front of him. Aron wondered. Had he used those hands to do what he had done? "No, Jarid. We have another duty. Leannis Men Darnak has been good to me over the years. We need to give him at least something, even if it's mere refuge from the Season. He needs our support. With what's happened now, we may need more from him in the weeks and months to come. Leannis Men Darnak has always known what is right for the Guilds, understood the intricacies of their workings better than anyone else. Now that we have this void?"
Jarid looked up quickly. "But you heard what Ky Menin said. We should leave him be. He'll hear about the accident soon enough one way or another. Didn't you see the way he was acting?"
"Of course I did, but by the First Families, that doesn't excuse what's happening to him, what we're doing to him. I'm not going to continue on this path. Regardless of anything else, whatever else is happening, if Leannis Men Darnak needs help, then he will get it from me."
Jarid stood, now frowning as well. "I don't think that's a very good idea, Father."
"Jarid, I don't care whether you think it's a good idea or not. A have my duty, and as the Prophet wills, I will perform it. Men Darnak deserves that level of respect, and so damn it, do I!"
Jarid stared at him, saying nothing, his jaw working slightly. Without another word, he turned and stalked from the room. Aron watched him go. Such anger. Perhaps the boy would learn.
Karryl Ky Menin had a lot to answer for. Now, with Roge no longer there, the choices were distinctly limited. Karryl Ky Menin. No, damn him. He would not have the Guilds. He would not have the Principate. If that meant bringing Men Darnak back, then that's what they'd have to do, but how they'd do it was another question, particularly now. He glanced outside, and barely registered another sole figure riding out from the estate. It looked like Jarid. Briefly, just briefly he wondered where the boy might be going.
Twenty-Three
