Heroes' Reward Read Free Page A

operated. I had left the Shield
Academy knowing that if I were ever called back, it would be because I had
committed an irretrievable mistake, failed in my duties, or committed some
unforgiveable crime. At the time, I had thought those were the only reasons a
Pair would receive such an order.
    Taro had later
told me that there was another reason for a Pair to be recalled: if someone
showed an unprecedented talent, that person was taken somewhere and never seen
again.
    Taro and I had
not failed, we hadn’t made a mistake, and we hadn’t committed a crime. That
anyone knew about.
    Before you begin your journey, you will spend
sufficient time assisting Shield Kebit and Source Ming in settling into their
new post. Kebit shares your talents and would benefit, as would all of the
Triple S, from making the acquaintance of those who have been instructing you.
    Kebit shared my talents. The talent to which the letter referred was
obviously not Shielding. Some other talent was being carefully, discreetly,
alluded to, and I was pretty sure I knew what it was.
    I looked at
Kebit.
    Apparently one
of his other talents was reading the words in the head of another. “Aye,” he
said. “I can cast.”
    He could speak
of it, but they wouldn’t write of it.
    So I was to
introduce him to Browne. I didn’t know if the Triple S council knew of Browne’s
identity, but clearly they had guessed I’d been receiving training from
someone.
    I wasn’t going
to just bring Kebit to Browne without warning. It would be up to her whether
she’d have anything to do with him.
    Once this settlement has been arranged, you and your
Source are expected to travel to Shidonee’s Gap with all speed.
    Good health to you,
    Shield Kayan Lucitani, Secretary, Source and Shield
Service
    Just … hell. I gave the letter to Taro. “You are newly Bonded, yes?”
I asked Kebit.
    “Yes,” Kebit
responded solemnly.
    “Congratulations.”
    This young
Shield, fresh out of the Academy, allowed himself a small smile. “Thank you.”
    I opened the
door and hailed the nearest servant. “Hiroki. Can you escort Source Ming and
Shield Kebit to our suite and arrange for some refreshments for them?”
    “Of course,
Shield Mallorough.”
    I turned back to
Kebit. “I’ll speak to Her Ladyship about your arrival and what kind of
arrangements might be made.”
    For one thing,
whether they were to live in the manor. Fiona wasn’t required to provide
accommodations to the Pair. She could have let us stay in one of the local
taverns. She had housed us because she liked Taro, she was related to him, and
he’d arranged for her to get the Westsea title in the first place.
    One did not
summon the Duchess of Westsea. One asked if one could see her at her
convenience. Fiona wasn’t the sort to make people wait just for the sake of
making them wait, to remind them of her importance. She was the sort to be
constantly moving around, out on the grounds performing physical labour, or
talking to the tenants to see if they had needs that weren’t being addressed.
She was busy.
    However, it
wasn’t long before the door opened and Fiona strode in. “You’re being replaced,
aren’t you?” she asked bluntly.
    The news was
already making its way among the residents.
    “Unfortunately,”
said Taro.
    “Well, it had to
happen sometime, I suppose.” She offered us whiskey, which both of us declined,
before pouring some for herself. “It’s too bad. Not just because I’ll miss you
both. Which I will.” She smiled at us. “But I know some of the tenants think
one of the reasons I’m managing as well as I am is because they believe you” – she
gestured at Taro with her snifter – “are here to keep an eye on things. Give me
advice. The power behind the throne, so to speak.”
    There were
tenants who had resented Taro for abjuring the title. They felt he was the
natural heir and hadn’t had the right to enable Fiona to inherit instead.
Possibly some of them believed the skills for