Beast in Air | James & Roland
James was taken aback, a small horrified thought encircling his chest.  Did Allerdale truly think such a thing possible? With his famously mercurial disposition, dread crept over James at what Horatio might do, given such a suspicion.  Just now he was angry about the insinuation, but who knew what he might feel upon the subject in but a few hoursâ time, now that the notion had occurred to him.
âSir,â he began, slowly, choosing his words with some care.  âI believe I mispoke and gave rise to a suspicion I do not own.  When I mentioned âone of our own,â working for the rebellion, I did not in fact mean one of our fellow drake aviators, I meant a mage or an alchemist of some kind.â  He paused.  âIn the case of the Turners, pray do not believe I think so.  The chiefest fault of which I, myself, might have suspected them was perhaps on occasion looking the other way and failing to report a stray fae or two if they thought the individual harmless.  Tender-hearted naivete, not treason.â  He paused.
âI hope, sir, you will not shadow them with such doubts as I do not feel upon my account. Â I do not, and never have, believed any in our division capable of such treachery. Â I hope no action will be taken against them â such a thing might well take such loyal hearts and, indeed, give them reason to rethink their devotion, thus achieving the opposite of what was intended. Â Besides, their deeds and years of service deserve, I may venture to say, more loyalty in us than to act against them without proof. Â Besides, even of such minor misdeeds as we might have suspected, we have found no proof.â Â Though, their spy was incompetence, himself, to own the truth.
He paused, again. Â âSir, do you suspect them of such malice? Â Is that the reason you commanded I place a spy amongst them?â
He shook his head. Â âNo, sir,â he agreed. Â âI cannot think why a mage would join them, either. Â Youâre right â if they do, indeed, sport a thaumaturge of some sort, he must be an alchemist.â Â It did not precisely occur to the captain that there might be any women amongst their number. Â âPerhaps Mithirian?â he postulated, thoughtfully, as the place was known both for their alchemists â and for their miscontent with Aclea.
James nodded at this notion. Â âThey do appear very loyal to one another. Â When, sir, last you smoked them out, I believe â ironically enough â they nearly destroyed themselves attempting to help one another.â
It was not an exaggeration to say that James was surprised by this reaction. Â In the past, Allerdale had proven quick to brush and discount the abilities of the fae finders for reasons that were never especially clear to James. Â Now, however, he appeared enthusiastic. Â Suppressing a soft sigh, he considered that he ought not to be surprised by any inconsistancies within him, anymore. Â Producing a missive from his pocket, James passed it to Horatio. Â âFrom High Inquisitor Griffiths, sir. Â It appears they are due to arrive shortly before His Majesty, that they might secure his passage before it occurs. Â Shall I arrange a meeting?â
He nodded. Â âYes, sir,â he said, making a note to include two fruit baskets and wondering, vaguely, if â not unlike the other times heâd ordered him to call off Persimmons â he would change his mind within an hour or two. Â âHave you any particulars in mind as to where Mr. Persimmons ought to be sent, next?â
Roland had assumed the worst when it came to Jamesâs suspicions of the Turners. And in truth, he thought so little of him that he wondered if those fears had stemmed from something he had seen or heard, or if he simply meant to do them all harm, having been rejected by Cecily. It was clear, now, that not only did he not think them capable of the âtreacheriesâ of which they were very much guilty, but seemed to be pleading with him in their defense.
Although Roland cared little for James Mallerton, his opinion softened a little to hear him speak so. To know that the Turners had him as an advocate, at least for the time being, was comforting.
âNo, I never suspected such crimes from any of them,â He began, âI had only began to wonder that perhaps you did, and Iâm relieved to find out that I have been mistaken. Choose your words more carefully in the future, Captain, for a grave error may have otherwise been made.â Looking back Roland wasnât sure if it was his own paranoia of the situation which led to the miscommunication or something Mallerton had said, but he preferred to blame it on James. He was sure Horatio certainly would have and, of course, he needed to stay in character.
Roland turned away from Mallerton as he mentioned how they were nearly all destroyed, last time, thanks to their loyalty to one another. He was right about that: that night had been a miracle to find that they had all made it out alive. He wondered if Mallerton and Allerdale truly knew how close they had come to breaking the rebellion.
âYes. Loyalty is an easy thing to exploit, too. It shall certainly work in our favor.â
Roland considered his next words carefully as Mallerton asked if he should arrange a meeting with High Inquisitor Griffiths. He would have liked to, if only to see Horatio try to squirm his way out of that one, but he knew that it was dangerous for them both. As long as Horatio had a position there, Roland could exploit it, but as soon as he was found to be Fae, Roland would have to hide away, completely.
âI havenât time for him, as we continue our own investigations, but I am interested to know what he plans to do. Schedule a meeting with him, yourself, in my place, and report back to me with whatever he tells you.â It was a gamble, as Roland wasnât sure that he would be able to intercept any information, instead of Horatio, but he supposed it might travel back to him, one way or other, regardless, but if they had a chance to know where the fae finders might be focusing their time, it was worth the risk.
âHmm,â He turned his attentions, next to Robert Persimmons, âYes, I think I should offer him the opportunity to stay for a few weeks with me, until we get him settled.â Roland might not be able to set a fae finder on Horatio Allerdale, but he just might be able to set something upon him that was 10 times worse and far less easy to get rid of.
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