“I wish Laudine well,” Henut said, evenly. “And her husband, who I suppose has sufficient correction for his past choices. Dagobert is listening more to his wife now. That is wise of him.” She considered, weighing something. “I have always thought a husband and wife should improve each other. That has not been the case for Maylis and Clovis, alas.” There was a note there that Thessaly could only read as a decision made, a line of action committed to, in some unseen duel. Certainly, Thessaly had no desire to face her there, she was entirely overmatched.
It was also startlingly informative, and Thessaly had not expected that. She nodded, first murmuring a thank you.
Henut let that settle, before she said, quietly, “What would you like to do with yourself, now you will not marry Childeric?”
“Take a bit of time before making any decisions.” That was easy enough to say. “If I have my way, and I hope to. I am still exploring Aunt Metaia’s home, her library. I must finish my apprenticeship. Once I’m done, I might at that point consider other work. I hadn’t thought to tend in the direction she had,ensuring spaces are protected, ignored by those without magic. But now I find it intriguing.”
Henut nodded. “That would be a good use of your skills, yes, and the way you think.” Thessaly felt her eyes widen at the compliment implied there. “I wish you well in it. If I can be a help, please let me know. I do not think an introduction from me would be of benefit. But if I can advise on the practical aspects of dealing with clients, I would be glad to do so. Though I am sure Vitus has learned much of it already.”
That mention made Thessaly blush. “I suspect so, yes.” Then she swallowed. “I beg your pardon, but I think most of the others have left. I should probably go to the portal before anyone thinks to come talk to me.”
“An entirely sensible tactical decision.” Henut nodded at the incense, half burned down, to indicate she would remain. “My best wishes.”
“And mine, to you.” It felt flat, somehow, but it would have to do. Thessaly turned, making her way out of the cemetery. She turned along the road toward the portal, without going back near the house. When she got almost to the fence, though, she found Laudine and Dagobert, and their son Garin. Dagobert was sitting, his hands folded on the cane. “Laudine, Dagobert. Hello, Garin.” She offered him a slight smile.
“We wondered if we’d missed you. Garin wanted to see you, just for a moment, and we wondered,” Laudine nodded at Dagobert, “If you might at some point wish to visit us in Essex. I remember I’d offered to talk about managing an estate with you, what seems like a long time ago.”
Thessaly remembered the conversation as well. “It’s kind of you to think of me, especially today.” She hesitated. “Not just at the moment, if you don’t mind? I still feel rather shaken by everything, and being on my own at Bryn Glas is restorative.”
Laudine offered a slight snort. “Oh, I understand that. We’ll be returning to Essex tomorrow, thankfully. There is no rush. We will be glad to have you whenever you do wish to be more in company. And I think Garin would like to learn a little more duelling from you, if you might be willing. The salle needs some tending there, but we are thinking to have that done in the next month or three. Master Bolton, senior, is considering when he’ll be available for the work.”
“He is much in demand, and with good reason.” Now Thessaly was wondering if he’d agreed before or after Childeric’s death, and how to weigh that information. She glanced down at Garin, who was watching her silently. “I would be glad to spend a little more time, Garin, showing you what I know. When I’m properly dressed for it, not like last time.”
“There. In due course, that will give us all something to look forward to. We won’t keep you, of course. You must be tired from the day.” Laudine smiled.
Dagobert nodded. “And we must go back into the fray ourselves, I think. Have a good evening.” He pushed himself up on the cane, Garin offering his shoulder on the other side, which seemed a remarkably direct bit of help. Thessaly smiled at them, added “Good evening” for good measure, and turned for the portal. She had a great deal to think about, especially with what Magistra Landry had implied about the family.
3
OCTOBER 14TH IN TRELLECH
“In conclusion, in addition to the comments in the pamphlets provided to those interested, I am honoured to note that Council Member Marchant has offered to speak on behalf of some of my recent work. I will, of course, be glad to take questions once she has spoken.” Vitus could see the end approaching.
It had taken a fortnight to reschedule his presentation to the Talisman Maker’s Guild. He’d originally been meant to present right after the Challenge. Of course, putting it off had made sense after the chaos of Childeric’s death, but it had just made him increasingly nervous. Theirs was not a large guild, especially when seen as distinct from the Jewellers. Vitus had earned his journeyrank on that side before his trip to Europe, thankfully, so it was only the magical competency that was at question here.
The presentation had taken half an hour. Now he could move to one side, turning the podium over to Magistra Marchant, and getting a chance to sit and take a drink. Almost all the guild members were here, and most of their senior apprentices, making it a room of about fifty. There were about another fifty associate members, people who worked in variousof the workshops, but who were not responsible for the entire design of a piece.
He thought it had gone well. As was the custom, it had three parts. He’d presented about seven talismans he’d made that could be discussed. Not the one for Theo Carrington, of course, though he had discussed the lion piece the Carringtons had bought, though without saying where it had gone, naturally. He’d talked about the pieces he’d done to support the Council challenge spaces. Both Niobe and Council Head Rowan had encouraged him to include those. And he’d had five other pieces.
He’d also prepared the exercise he’d been set. That afternoon, he’d been given a prospectus, details as if taken from a possible client. The guidelines were that he could use any materials in his workshop, or if he did not have a suitable stone, he could indicate how he would acquire one. Then he had had to create sketches and the design work, including identifying potential weaknesses. Here, the assignment had been a piece to deflect curses sent toward the wearer. Of course several of the most likely stones had a tendency to shatter if hit at the wrong angle. Designing a talisman that would work better and that could be worn more safely was an interesting challenge.
Of course, this was all design work, not crafting - one couldn’t expect a complete piece to be made in an afternoon. And the Guild was stringent, but not so much as to ask for weeks of work for no remuneration from someone so early in their career. So the frantic four hours of the design and the extant pieces he submitted were considered sufficient. Well, that and the oaths from people familiar with his work, including Niobe.
Vitus was listening to what Council Member Marchant said, which was all rather flattering. But she’d told Niobe in advance what she intended to say, so there were no surprises. She praised his ability to create matched pieces to specifications, his understanding of the priorities in the work, and his timeliness,as well as their efficacy. He listened more closely as she added, “It is no secret - without getting into details - that it was a difficult night. I am certain that the quality of the talisman work assisted in making sure that we could respond in the best ways possible to rapidly changing events and be certain that we were giving all possible aid to those affected.”
That was a delicate way of saying ‘those still alive to care’. Vitus kept a pleasant smile on his face. There were one or two questions for her. Council Member Marchant wasn’t a regular at the guild meetings, though she remained in good standing. Her primary focus was on using talismans to anchor additional enchantments, the sort of thing that was built into a house or fence or warding. She wasn’t a skilled gem cutter herself, or a carver.
There were one or two questions for her, and then she ceded the podium to him again. Vitus looked out at the assembled group, and at the catering staff who were lurking by the doors to the kitchen hall and preparing to bring the meal out. He wished Thessaly could be here, but of course, she was not a member of the Guild. His parents weren’t here either, or Lucas, but they’d celebrate on Sunday. Assuming that celebration was in order, but he hoped it would be.
The Guild Master cleared his throat. “A question from Harold Tambleton.”
Vitus inclined his head. “Master Tambleton.” The man was competent - he’d earned his mastery - but not so skilled that he got the additional honour of being called Magister. That rankled, Vitus suspected, but he would be correct. That was an expectation here as well as his skills in working with stones and their magic.
“Could you take us through your decisions that led to using Forsythe’s Third on that piece of topaz, your second example? And why you didn’t use Hemmingsmith’s First?”
Vitus had in fact gestured at that, albeit briefly. Niobe had warned him this would be likely. There would be a couple of difficult questions. And she and Vitus had talked about who they’d likely come from, and what they’d focus on. Tambleton liked to make everyone feel small and lesser than he was, treat them like they were barely out of Schola and only nominally able to lace their own shoes.
He took a breath, then explained in more detail. “If you examine the details on the piece in the pamphlet provided, sir, you’ll see that there’s an inclusion. That made it likely that the Hemmingsmith approach - any of the First, Fourth, or Sixth - would interact with that. Rather than make the pieces significantly smaller, perhaps two-thirds of the size, I decided to use Forsythe’s Third, which preserves the inclusion through a much larger number of facets . In practice, we’ve found the inclusion adds to the utility, rather than detracts, though I admit it’s not the most beautiful piece to look at.”
