“Do you know anything about these people?” she hissed.
Ru glanced at the three Children over her shoulder as she and the professor ascended the wide stone steps. They were all about the same height, blandly attractive, and so unadorned in their flowing garments that it was impossible to determine gender from this distance. But unlike the Children she’d seen at the palace, gesturing animatedly and bright-eyed, these three were so devoid of visible emotion that Ru thought them almost corpselike.
“I had no idea they were coming here,” said Ru, slightly defensive, her voice low to match Obralle’s. She was trying to slow the beating of her heart, the rising worry in her throat. The sight of those blank faces, the white robes… she shuddered despite herself. “I thought the regent trusted me to send accurate reports of our progress. Apparently not.”
“Hmm,” was all Obralle said, clearly deep in thought. She turned down a corridor, and Ru saw they were going to the professorial wing.
It occurred to Ru that perhaps, since the attack on the road, the Children were some kind of safety measure. The regent’s attempt to exert as much control over the situation as possible. Maybe the regent had second-guessed her decision to let Ru bring the artifact here, and wanted more direct oversight.
But Ru also wondered — with a pang of guilt, because she was loyal to the regent — whether Sigrun had her own secret motives with regard to the artifact. Ru still couldn’t understand why the regent had funded the Shattered City dig in the first place, or whether Lord D’Luc had been directly involved. A piece in the story was missing, some important fact.
“Did the regent send a letter?” Ru asked, Obralle ushering them into her office and closing the door. The office was a blessed relief from the hot morning sun and the bustling halls of the Tower. By contrast, it was cool and dark, lined with books and hanging lamps of brass, almost everything coated in a fine layer of dust.
Grumbling to herself, the professor pulled a folded piece of parchment from her robes. “Here,” she said and settled herself in a high-backed leather armchair while Ru read the scrawled note.
Professors of the Cornelian Tower,
Along with the requested items to aid in the artifact’s research, I have sent three representatives of the Children. They, like me, have a great interest in what you uncover. I have selected these three personally to observe your progress with the artifact.
While I still expect regular written updates directly from Ruellian Delara, I also ask that you allow the Children complete and unrestricted access to any laboratories, libraries, or other areas wherein pertinent research may take place.
You will also oblige the regency by housing and feeding my personal guards, who have been tasked with the protection of the artifact. Additionally, should Lyrren Briar still be at the Cornelian Tower, you may request that he remain as an additional member of security.
To address your inquiry regarding the matter of the traitors who waylaid your traveling party on the road — all remaining traitors have been dealt with, and the matter is closed.
I look forward to Miss Delara’s first update.
Regards,
Sigrun
By the time Ru had finished reading, Professor Obralle had pulled a long-stemmed pipe from a drawer in her desk and begun puffing on it meditatively.
“Well?” she said, seeing Ru fold the paper and set it on the desk.
Ru lowered herself into the chair opposite the desk where Obralle now rested her feet, crossed at the ankles. She stared at the letter, the bit about the traitors playing on her mind. Admittedly, she had no idea how such things were handled — the kingdom had been in a state of relative peace for centuries, and the concept of political betrayal was only theoretical to Ru. But the regent had been almost dismissive in the way she addressed it, as though treason was a regular occurrence and not a grave matter of Navenian security.
Obralle puffed smoke rings into the air, which caught the light from the shuttered window and circled around the professor like a hazy halo. “I’m curious about these Children,” she said, drawing Ru’s thoughts to more present, immediate worries. “I’ve never heard of such a group. Are they… religious?”
“I believe so,” said Ru, trying not to cough as pipe smoke billowed toward her. “But they’re led by Hugon D’Luc, a man of science. So, perhaps not at odds with our aims.”
Professor Obralle’s expression didn’t change. She took an extra long drag on her pipe before offering it to Ru. “Puff?”
Ru shook her head.
“Very well,” said Obralle, putting away the pipe and sighing heavily. “We are under the watchful eye of the regent, whether we like it or not, by way of these white-robed…Children. What do you think of them? Be honest.” The professor’s gaze was sharp, discerning as always.
And it was a question to which Ru didn’t quite know the answer. She had liked Lord D’Luc; she couldn’t understand what Simon had against him. Lord D’Luc clearly had an intelligent mind, his interest in Ru’s paper proved to her that he was invested in learning new concepts that could be ahead of their time. His Children must hold similar beliefs.
Even so, for reasons she couldn’t explain, they made Ru's skin crawl.
“I don’t know them well enough to say,” she answered finally.
“Hmm,” said Professor Obralle. “Best not to allow too many cooks in the kitchen. But while I have you here, what about that Fen fellow? The regent’s note didn’t mention him.”
“What about him?” asked Ru, her thoughts skittering off-track at the mention of Fen.
Professor Obralle leaned forward, steepling her fingers and studying Ru’s face. Ru felt blood rising in her cheeks at the memory of her dream.Not now, she thought desperately, and had to look down at her hands again.
