Patternmaster

Still standing, Teray looked at the man, sensed in him solid strength, surprising nearness to Teray within the Pattern, and quiet maturity. The man could have been a very competent Housemaster on his own, Teray guessed. But apprentices in the Patternmaster’s House often opted to stay on as journeymen and never try for Houses of their own. Apparently, they found prestige enough in being Rayal’s officials. And Rayal, as powerful as he was, still needed powerful, impressive servants. Michael was easily both.

“Teray,” Michael greeted quietly. “I have some questions to ask you. First, though, I want you to

know what’s happened. Joachim, who was your Housemaster for a short period, has accused Coransee first of illegally forcing you into his House while you were still under the protection of the school—thus, of trading in schoolchildren.”

Teray winced inwardly.

“And second, of competing for the Pattern now, before the legal beginning of the competition—while Patternmaster Rayal is still alive.”

“It’s true,” said Teray. “I was Joachim’s apprentice— technically still in school. Coransee forced me into his House as an outsider so that he could keep me from competing with him for the Pattern.”

“Why do you say he forced you into his House for that reason?”

“He told me that’s why he was doing it.”

Even Joachim looked surprised at that. “It’s clear then,” he said. “Coransee was competing for the Pattern ahead of time.”

Michael looked at Coransee. “I could look into the boy’s thoughts for verification, but I would rather not have to.”

Coransee shrugged, almost lazily. “If you expect me to confirm all that, you’re going to have to. It’s true up to a point, of course. I did take Teray from Joachim. And Joachim accepted payment for him. He accepted a very good young artist I had just acquired. I claim that to be a legal trade.”

“Legal, hell!” said Joachim. “There is no legal way to trade an apprentice.”

“Why did you trade him then—if he was an apprentice?” It occurred to Teray that Coransee was at his most dangerous when he seemed most relaxed. That was when he had a surprise waiting.

“You forced me to trade him,” said Joachim. “I’ve told Journeyman Michael about the hold you have on me. It shames me, but it’s a fact. I won’t sacrifice Teray’s freedom by pretending it doesn’t exist.”

“You sacrificed Teray’s so-called freedom months ago, Joachim. You sacrificed it to your own greed.”

“I will open to Journeyman Michael to prove that you forced me to make that trade!”

“Open. Journeyman Michael will see that I forced you to give up Teray—as I did. But I did absolutely nothing to force you to take payment for him. You could easily have given him up as I demanded, without taking payment, and then gone to Rayal to complain if you felt you had been forced to do something wrong. Instead, you made a profitable trade for a valuable artist. Now you come back trying to cheat me out of the price you paid for that artist.”

Joachim stared at him incredulously, understanding dawning in his eyes. He rose to his feet. “You lying son of a bitch. You son of a whelping Clayark bit…”

Coransee went on as though uninterrupted. “Of course, only outsiders can be traded legally. And, Joachim, clearly, you did trade Teray. You accepted payment for him. How could you have done that if you honestly considered Teray an apprentice?”

Helplessly, almost pitifully, Joachim turned to Michael. “Journeyman, he hides his crime behind technicalities. Read my memories. See what actually happened.”

Coransee looked at Joachim with something very like amusement. Then he looked at Michael. “Journeyman, what is the penalty for the crime I’m charged with? Trading children, I mean.”

“The loss of… your House.” Michael glanced at Joachim.

Coransee nodded. “A Housemaster who trades an apprentice— or accepts one in trade—loses his House. But, of course, a Housemaster can trade as many outsiders as he wants to.” Now he looked at Joachim. “And certainly, any posttransition youngster a Housemaster picks up outside the gates of the school can be classified as an outsider.”

Joachim leaned back and rested his head against one hand. “God, I don’t believe this.”

Michael’s mouth was a straight thin line. “Lord Joachim, you made the charge. Is there any part of it that you want now to retract?”

Joachim gave a wild kind of laugh. “You’re going along with him. You want him to get away with

this.”

Michael looked pained. “Lord, did you receive an artist in trade for this boy Teray?”

“I never would have taken him if… Oh hell. Yes, I took the artist. But look, I’ll give him back if you’ll just…”

“That’s between you and Coransee if the trade was legal, Lord Joachim. Are you saying now that it was legal, that Coransee did not force you to take the artist?”

“Shit,” muttered Joachrm. “I withdraw the charge. That part of it anyway.” He glanced covertly at Teray.