Quester amongst the flowers 10

 

Chapter 10

 

“I’ve got people watching the poste restante hub; fortunately it’s local,” said Cayban.

“We’ll try sending him a message, asking about buying into his bank,” said Quester. “I’m going to pretend to be one Lucius Rycos Martellus, a Buckyhare.”

“You can’t mess with them, if he’s real,” said Cayban.

“I contacted him and told him I was stealing his name,” said Quester. “He’s a friend of mine; a scrupulous man, as they go, and only smuggles for the government.”

“Not off the shelf of Buckyhares, then,” said Cayban. “Most of them are a nightmare, too well connected and too rich to take down, even when they are almost blatant in their behaviour.”

“I would, you know, if I saw it,” said Quester.

“Yes, I believe you would,” said Cayban. “The Empire needs free-trading mavericks who will go anywhere, and who are prepared, too, to act as privateers, but some of them push hard against the system, just because they can.”

“Well, Lucius will think it a laugh,” said Quester.  “And if we don’t pick up any mail under that, and a possible meet, then I’ll use my power as a Psion to knock out whoever is manning the hub before they can destroy the equipment.”

“Now, that’s a very useful power.”

“Now I’ve managed to fine tune it not to accidentally kill anyone, yes,” said Quester.

“Really? You can kill with psionics?” Cayban was startled.

“If you know what you are doing, yes,” said Quester. “I don’t like the idea, and the only thing I’ve killed is a wild boar, which wanted me for lunch. I wasn’t keen on the idea.  Long story; a criminal had set me up to die in a way that didn’t lead back to him.”

“You got the criminal though?” asked Cayban.

“Oh, yes,” said Quester. “He thought he was clever. He wasn’t clever enough.”

“So often the way,” said Cayban. “Look at this lot; I don’t know as I would have got there so fast with them as you, but once they’d pulled this third job, I reckon I’d have got there.”

“Yes, I’m sure you would,” said Quester. “And without being able to prove Oran’s innocence with psionic reading, he would have been in deep trouble; for I am sure you would have doggedly pursued the clues leading to his involvement regardless of any threats.”

“That I would,” said Cayban, gratified. “I couldn’t re-open a case a superior had closed, but if I had suspected him, I would have gone over his head. As I did to you about Forrest.”

And what he might have done had not he found Quester to be more convivial than anticipated, Quester did not know; but he suspected he would have created a fuss about it.

 

oOoOo

 

“Now then, darlings, we are going to start with your hair today,” said Mr. Warnus. “Nothing more embarrassing than having wild hair after a couple of energetic dances, oh, dear me, no. Looking at a boy as if you want him to muss you is one thing, but anyone who looks as if she has already spent time in a cleaner’s closet getting mussed is soon going to find her reputation in shreds.”

He was a handsome man, almost six feet tall, with crisp blond curls, and long dark lashes around blue eyes. Kiliana envied those lashes.

He did not look at Kiliana, though the head had had a quick word with him, presumably about why she was late. Her own hair, if not impeccable, was, at least, still tied back neatly. The other girls had not had time to pull it, though Kiliana had no illusions over their intensions. Currently, the girls in the class were in an antechamber off a ballroom, and there were a number of brushes and combs, hair clips and hair combs. 

At that moment, Ambria and friends came in.

“Ah, well, as Miz Stayvuhsanta and her little friends are late, they may come and sit up on the dais to be models as, dear me, they sorely need their hair sorted out. Come and sit down lovies!” he called to them.

They had little choice but to comply, and it could not be denied that they were very much mussed from their attack on Kiliana.

“Now then, my flowers, let me show you how to deal with your hair, so it does not escape,” said Warnus.

Kiliana stiffened at the use of the word, ‘flowers.’ She reached forth for his thoughts.

He was looking on Ambria and cronies in the same way an expensive dog groomer might look on their charges, as a bit of a challenge. He was not even mildly aroused by any of them, or indeed by any of the girls in class. Which either argued a stable relationship, or that his inclinations were otherwise.

Or, of course, he only became aroused under the specific circumstances.

It was an interesting class, however, and Kiliana made a number of notes on tips to use with hair of varying length, since hers was growing again, and was bunching into curls, hard to hide with the extensions, but if  her hair was caught at the nape of her neck, less obvious. Then it might go up into a chignon, and it was useful to see different ways of twisting that.

They were given some time to practise on each other, and Kiliana found herself working with Jessica.

“Darlings? Lovies? Flowers?” she asked the other girl.

“Oh, old Warnus is a hoot,” said Jessica. “He calls us all extravagant names, and is terrified of any ‘girl’ singular. Some of them haven’t figured out that he prefers men and try to flirt because he’s so decorative.”

“Some of them are very little girls in many ways,” said Kiliana.

 Jessica looked on her in interest.

“You aren’t like a lot of them,” she said. “I don’t even dislike you.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same of you,” said Kiliana.

Jessica chuckled. It lit her face and made her pretty.

“I was an accident, so my parents mostly ignore me, and I don’t think they realise I’m almost old enough to come out,” she said. “After my governess died, I brought myself up, out of books. Only a friend of my mother’s mentioned how old I was getting and suggested the academy. They try to forget I exist; my father even called me ‘Jasmine’ on the enrolment form. I was most confused when I was addressed thus. What’s wrong?”

“If anyone thinks that Jasmine is your name, you’re at risk from the flower killer,” said Kiliana.

“So are you, with a name like Kerria,” said Jessica. She frowned. “You’re a lictor.”

“Not quite,” said Kiliana, deciding that an ally would be useful. “I’m nearly eighteen, I think. But I never was as mimsy as this bunch.”

“Well, if he goes for me, honey, you can watch for that too,” said Jessica. “I don’t get hysterical.”

“Thanks, I won’t turn it down,” said Kiliana. “Two pairs of eyes looking out are better than one.”

“He called us, ‘flowers,’ and that’s what you were wondering,” said Jessica. “No, he’s definitely playing for the other team.”

“Well, that’s good to confirm,” said Kiliana.

“What happened between you and Ambria?  I tried to get there to warn you,” said Jessica.

“They tried to jump me as I came out of the toilet, but there were only five of them, so I had them outnumbered,” said Kiliana.

“And you weren’t even mussed,” marvelled Jessica. “They locked me in a cupboard, and it took me a few minutes to break out of it.”

“That’s a useful skill,” said Kiliana, interested.

“Oh, there are keyholes as it’s an old house, and I carry a loop of wire to push through the keyhole to loop onto the bolt,” said Jessica. “I had the fear of entropy the first time, and I swore I’d never let them beat me.”

“You’re too good to be a debutante,” said Kiliana. “What now?” the bell went.

“We dance until break,” said Jessica. “Mr. Warnus is a fairly good teacher though, for all of his mannerisms.”

“I expect he thinks it’s how girls like to be addressed,” said Kiliana. She quite enjoyed dancing, and the time went swiftly.

 

Lunch was a buffet affair, and the girls collected their own choice from the counter, and took it to their table. Kiliana put her thumbs together crossed in self-blessing, and bent her head to pray and give thanks for the food before eating, and, a little embarrassed, Jessica emulated her.

Kiliana’s head was thrust forward into her plate of open egg and bacon pie as Ambria’s voice said, amused, “Oh, look at little Miz Piety! Now Miz Piety is partly Miz Pie!”

Kiliana leaped up.

“Heretic!” she yelled, pulling out her datatab. “I’m going to report you to the Judiciary!”

Miz Rubia was over in a trice.

“Kerria, my dear, I’m sure there’s no need for that....”

“This is out of your hands, ma’am. That heretic interrupted me at my prayers, and in public, and I will not have the taint of heresy on me for her actions,” said Kiliana, with dignity.

There was dead silence.

“I... I am sure she is misled,” said Miz Rubia.

“She is; and her parents are heretics for misleading her,” said Kiliana. “Belief in the Blessed Abe is our central pillar of society; and she and her friends are a danger to society because her irreligious behaviour has not been checked. She had the temerity to misbehave in History and Faith class, and mocked me for honouring the picture of the Blessed Abe. Ask Mr. Hawlus.”

Miz Rubia turned sharply.

“Is this true, Kaspar?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so,” said Hawlus. “I have been trying to instil a proper attitude in Miz Stayvuhsanta, but as her family is so prominent, she feels she is above the mores of others.”

“Leo! I have a way to get you in the school!” thought Kiliana, swiftly telling him about it whilst busy with her datatab.

“You realise that this means I will also have to have the girl’s family arrested and examined?” said Quester.

“Better that, than that they should take their heresy into worse actions,” said Kiliana. Quester sighed, and acquiesced.

Miz Rubia was white.

“Have you any idea how much trouble that little bitch’s family can cause me... and you?” she hissed.

“Not if they’ve all been executed,” said Kiliana. “I will not have the Blessed Abe mocked. Take that girl’s datatab and lock her up somewhere.”

“Who do you think you are?” demanded Ambria. “My parents will hear of this!  And you will be in so much trouble, you’ll have no future at all!  They can buy off any stupid Justiciar.”

“Well, if they try, they are the ones who will be in trouble,” said Kiliana. “Why are you waiting, Miz Rubia? Have the security guards confine this criminal, unless you want Justiciar Quester, who is on his way, to think you condone and teach heresy.”

“I... yes,” said Miz Rubia, pressing a panic-button on her datatab.

It began to impinge on Ambria that the jumped up brat from some far-off provincial island was quite serious when two security guards came into the eating hall, rather diffidently, and Miz Rubia asked them to take Miz Stayvuhsanta to a holding cell.

“I’ll send a maid along to be available to give her aid,” she added, distractedly.

Kiliana took Ambria’s datatab from the girl, and handed it to Miz Rubia.

“This is material evidence,” she said, coldly.

“I... yes,” said Miz Rubia.

Kiliana completed her prayers, and went back to eating. Intellectually, she knew that this could end with people being put to the question; but if they would so blatantly disregard the morals of society in the following of the Blessed Abe, who knew what else they might disregard; they likely owned plenty of apartments whose health and safety would not bear examining. She could not feel that people who brought up a daughter so entitled that she tried to push around others even of her own class were people who were blameless. It was how Anastas Theodrakon Poltronis had started out in Araklion, after all!

“That was frightening,” whispered Jessica. The silence which had fallen had still not been cut with anything but the most subdued babble. “You really called in the Judiciary?”

“Yes,” said Kiliana. “And the innocent have nothing to fear. Although they have the power to cut off root and branch, it’s unlikely that Ambria will face the firing squad, because she has been taught badly. I expect, once the Justiciar has examined her, she will have the opportunity to learn more in a penitent’s hospice.”

“You’re with the Judiciary, not a lictor.”

“Yes; and I confess, it was an opportunity to get a Justiciar in here, but she can’t be allowed to marry and spread the infection of her false beliefs, that she is above the law and all rules,” said Kiliana.

Jessica frowned.

“Yes, I suppose it would not be good,” she said. “I suppose, in a way, we do all assume Ambria is above the law.  Being blatant enough to be caught five on one against you is about the first time she’s been pulled up for it; plus Mr. Hawlus growing a backbone when she kicked you, instead of having given up to ignore her and her friends whispering and giggling.”

“As for frightening, that hasn’t even begun,” said Kiliana. “Tell the Justiciar the truth – including that you have skimped on your prayers for fear of being picked on, which it was easy for me to see – and you have nothing to fear.”

Jessica’s eyes widened.

“He will talk to us, too?”

“He will talk to everyone in her class, at least, and the teachers,” said Kiliana. “I expect he is organising militia to arrest her parents, and bring them here. And I just heard a rotodyne come in to land; I hope Miz Peta won’t throw one over her sports field being used.”

Jessica gave a nervous giggle.

“I think it’s used for any girls needing to be taken to hospital and, too, for visiting dignitaries,” she said. “So there’s a helipad at the centre.”

“Oh, good,” said Kiliana. “He can be tetchy if things don’t go smoothly.”

“Now I’m frightened,” said Jessica, swallowing hard.

“Go to the toilet, and be comfortable for when he wants to talk,” said Kiliana.

Jessica hurried to do as suggested.

She had just returned when the implacably regal figure of Quester swept into the room, austere in grey with the magenta collar and ruby badge of his calling, backed by the massive figures of Burdock and Purity, in black cloaks with magenta piping around the collar, the use of which colour in such degree being permitted the staff of a Justiciar.

Kiliana rose, copied by Jessica, and, used to rising for staff, the rest of the girls did likewise.

“Miz Rubia,” said Quester, sketching a bow which was little more than an inclination of the head. “I believe that this whole room full of girls and your staff are witnesses to heresy?”